I have a lot of free time on my hands, and so I do a
lot of reading. Since people who read my site often want to know what I
think of things I read, I thought I would start posting my own reviews
of books and shows that I see.
For my inaugural review, I have picked
a dandy little book called "Swynmoor" by Joelle Mellon. According to
the byline, it's the first book in the Highreach series. Personally, I
hope that it is successful, because I really liked this book. Any fan of
Terry Pratchett or P. D. Wodehouse should definitely pick up a
copy!
Okay, so the premise is that this foundling girl, Kerris, goes
to Castle Swynmoor to deliver her convent's annual taxes. Among the
tithings are a few batches of pickles for which the convent is famous.
One of the batches happens to be enchanted because Kerris botched her
batch, and to avoid getting in trouble (boy, are nuns mean!), she
used magick to make her batch come out right (well, right-ish: the
pickles turned sky blue!).
As (terrible) luck would have it, no
sooner than she gets to the castle, it gets put under siege by Reynaud
the Black and his army of ogres and Fomorians! And if that weren't bad
enough, at the same time, the castle's newest (and youngest) earl,
Tomlin, is beset upon by his visiting aunt and her pack of yapping ankle
biters with the sole and express intention of marrying him off to a
hapless young girl who happens to be too tall to interest anyone where
she is from!
Caught between a monstrous army at his front door
and his formidable aunt in his castle, Lord Tomlin just can't seem to
catch a break! All he wants is to get to know the pretty young foundling
girl! Then, someone goes and opens the pickles...
I laughed
myself silly throughout this book and was sad when it ended. Happily,
there is a sequel in the works, so I have high hopes for more hilarious
adventures in Highreach! Trust the Mad Cheshire, people, you won't be
sorry you read it!
This review has been brought to you by
Cheshire Industries' very own A Cell With A View program, and is
sponsored by The Mad Cheshire's never ending passion for good books,
good shows, and good times. You know--fun, adventure, and really wild
things!
STAY TUNED FOR MORE REVIEWS ON WHATEVER I HAPPEN TO DECIDE TO RANT ABOUT NEXT! FEEL FREE TO SEND REVIEW REQUESTS!
