STARFELL. Willow Moss and the Vanished Kingdom

 

by Dominique Valente;  

An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Cat Princess©

 

 

Writing reviews is such hard work!

Hello, and welcome to my Saturday Book Review featuring adventures in Middle-Grade Fiction!

 

 

This week we are sparking with joy to share with you the third and latest book featuring Willow Moss and her iracund kobold monster in the green bag (sometimes under the bed and certainly NOT a cat) feline-like companion, Oswin.

 

But first, by popular request of the village paperboy, Eccles McKnees, so he can have a lay in this week, is....... 

 

 

The UMM VILLAGE NEWS. (Delivered hands-free online. This edition  is kindly sponsored by Mrs Singh's International Food Emporium – Authentic International Fast food, delivery by Jumbo the Elephant.)

In the Front page. Following on from PC Beatworn's request last week for info about twenty missing hair dryers, he issued a press release on Tuesday to confirm he is following up on some leads he's received. Alas, news in this morning from the saloon bar of the Pied Sparrow Public House, seems to indicate that there were no fingerprints on the 13Amp plugs attached to the leads. 

In the Sports News. Upper Much-Mousing's new seniors football team, The Wobbly Wanderers, have made it home from their first (and I suspect last) away match. Apparently, the week-long delay was caused by the driver, Paulo, getting stuck on a Midland's ring road whilst looking for the much-famed eatery called Spaghetti Junction. 

In the Wanted Column. The vicar has put out a call for villagers to play parts in this year's upcoming version of Richard Whittington. Apparently, I, as a cat, am excluded from applying as I am, seemingly, too much like a cat! That's the last time I water his begonias!

Also in the wanted column is a request from the WI for additional members for the WI's Inter-County Contact Yoga Team. If you are wondering what that is, just think of a rugby scrum crossed with some zen karma, lycra and panpipes.

And finally. . . .

In Breaking NEWS: Hot from the village's only FAX machine (discovered last week buried in my study) and slightly blurred by Mrs H's spilt coffee and a dollop of thick-cut marmalade, is news of two break-ins in the early hours of this morning. 

 

The first alarm went off at the village's new designer tea rooms, Bags2Brew2You. Nothing was taken though many items of crockery had been smashed. The next break-in occurred next door some ten minutes and much clattering later, at Mrs Hornrim's Opticians. Two pairs of glasses are missing and presumed stolen. 

 

Given the seriousness of the current crime spree, Detective Sergeant Sid Warrant from CSI Deeping-Mire has been in attendance and is looking studiously into the matter. Apparently, he made a good start by being fitted with a new pair of horn-rim diamante varifocals – guaranteed by Mrs Hornrim to read a car licence plate from 500 yards and read the warranty on Dicky Dans dodgy used goods – or your money back!

OK, with the news and small ads sorted, let's get on with the review!

 

 

STARFELL. Willow Moss and the Vanished Kingdom, by DOMINIQUE VOLENTE

 

Published by HarperCollins.

 

Cover artwork by Sarah Warburton

 

Hardback ISBN: 978 - 0 - 00 - 830847 - 6  

Paperback ISBN: 978 - 0 - 00 - 830848 - 3 

Trade paperback ISBN: 978 - 0 - 00 - 837715 - 1

Cover price for Hardback £12.99, Paperback £7.99 (or cheaper)

 

 

 

SPOILER ALERT

As ever, to review book three in this series, we need to reveal elements of the first two books. So, if you do want to read those first two, please do turn away. . . . NOW!

 

Or, if you turned away and turned back too soon, to see my reviews of books one and two, follow the links below.

 

Book 1 review LINK: STARFELL. Willow Moss on the Lost Day.

 

Book 2 review LINK: STARFELL. Willow Moss and the Forgotten Tale. 

 

The Plot: 

Willow is heading to school. Not just any school but one that now accepts magical children into its classes. Usually, this would all seem very inclusive. But Willow is suspicious. Up unto this point, the schools, which are controlled by the Brothers of Wol, have wanted nothing to do with magical folk. In fact, they have done everything to push magic as far out of the kingdom as possible.

 

But, the wizard, Silas, has managed through magic to get himself in charge of the brotherhood. Worse still, he has somehow managed to convince the magical folk of the Enchancil (the magic council) to send their kids to school. To Willow, this just doesn't seem possible, let alone credible. Her parents and the council seem to have forgotten the evil Silas and the brotherhood have done. 

 

To find out more, Willow heads to school. She instantly is considered dangerous and scares the kids and the teacher. Just when the teacher thinks things couldn't get worse than having a witch pupil, another arrives in the form of an elf child called Twist Howling. Twist, who controls the icy Northwind, comes in a literal mini tornado and creates more havoc as the classroom is turned upside down. Once the class settles, the teacher opens the new coursework sent by the Brothers of Wol. Suddenly, and most suspiciously, he is all confident.

 

Placing a chalk X on the classroom door, he instructs the pupils to open their new books. This reveals the Brother's plans — to teach the magical and non-magical kids alike that magic is evil and wrong. Worse still, the X on the door is magic and will cause all the kids to go home happy and content and help dissuade them from using magic again. Effectively it is brainwashing! 

 

Not only that, Willow and company discover that Silas is working on a way to strip the magic from all magical beings in Starfell! The kids are just the first stage in a monstrous plan which will elevate Silas to the status of a god. Well, in his eyes at least, and who would be left to oppose him if they are all subdued???

 

All Silas needs to complete his plan is the 'elf staff', a powerful magical staff that belonged to the queen of the vanished elf kingdom of Llandunia. The staff could give, or take away, the magic of anyone or thing. But the kingdom and staff disappeared at the end of the last magic war to save Starfell. Nobody living knows their whereabouts. That is no living human or elf. Silas has pinched an old elf manuscript that is supposed to reveal the whereabouts of the kingdom. 

 

So, knowing this, Willow, Twist, Oswin, and Peg – the only non-magical kid in the class who's not afraid of the magic – must set off to find what is lost and really doesn't want to be found. But can they escape the classroom and the enchanted handcuffs the school teacher is intent on shackling our heroes with?!

 

OK, I could easily give away so much here as the adventure does literally take off and becomes a classic race between good and evil. So that is where I must leave you to discover for yourselves what happens to our heroine and her companions.

 

 

So, what did we think?

 

Brilliant! Willow's adventures keep on getting better and better. This is the best story to date, and the first two were excellent, as I am sure you recall me saying. It really had Mrs H, and me hooked. I even got Mrs H up early to light the fires and make breakfast so she could come back to bed and read the closing chapters to me this morning.

 

It really ROCKS in more ways than one. And dear Oswin, the so very much like but not a cat Kobold, has a really great adventure too, and a not so welcome but funny reunion.

 

The best books do have an underlying theme, and I am sure you would agree on reading that the morals of this story are nicely woven into it. It is all too easy for adults to forget that we need to learn about the rights and wrongs of things. And understand the value of friendships and the smallest of gifts or talents that might not seem much, especially when compared to others.

Add to this the interior and cover artwork by the very talented Sarah Warburton, and you have an excellent all-around sense of everything that makes this series so worthwhile.

Inside front cover...

 

Inside front cover....

 

And inside back cover. 

 

And inside back cover.

 

So . . . . 

Crunch time. 

 

There is no crunch in this adventure unless you count the many trolls and fierce dragons. So, if you know someone who would like this in their stocking this year, and there is really no upper age limit to that, then do consider getting a copy. There you have it. There is nothing more to add, except that book four is due next year, so there is a lot to look forward to. We, all being well, will review this as soon as we can. 

 

Till then, please do come back for more Adventures in Middle-Grade reading. 

 

Hang on!

 

But why not experiment yourselves? Browsing through an actual book shop is so much fun, and some even have sofas and serve food and tea! You don't need an excuse to be there either, and the shop assistants are usually only too pleased to advise and steer you to the hot reads and new releases. If you find a book that you would recommend, then please share it with us. After all, the gifts of reading and sharing are as important and magical as the worlds of the authors in which we lose ourselves and meet the likes of Oswin and Willow.

 

 

Want to buy a copy?

 

To add some magic into the life of someone you know, then head to the real kingdom of literary magic, your local independent bookshop, before they, too, vanish. 

 

Dominique Volente's web page can be found HERE. 

 

Harper Collins Chidrens web page can be found HERE. 

 

If any authors, publishers or agents wish us to review their books, please do get in touch. Details are listed on our book review page.

 

 

Till laters!

 

ERin

STARFELL. Willow Moss and the Lost Day.

 

by Dominique Valante;  

An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Cat Princess

 

Erin, addicted to Mystery Adventure and Mice!

 

 

 

 

Hello, and welcome to my Saturday Book Review!

 

 

This week we are delighted to bring you the first of three books, thus far, featuring Willow Moss and her under the bed monster (NOT a cat) feline-like companion, Oswin.

 

The books are beautifully and funnily illustrated by the talented Sarah Warburton. This book was first published in 2019 and the third earlier this year. 

 

 

NEWS FLASH!

 

Before we proceed with the review, we would like to thank concerned readers of the blog who contacted me after reports of the entire parish of Upper Much-Mousing being in a state of siege. It seems that reports of farmer Clarksins sheep foaming at the mouth and running amok in the village had made it into the national newspapers! 

 

An investigation has since revealed that far from being rabid, farmer Clarksin's young son, Eggbert, appalled by the colour of the fleeces, had tried to wash said sheep by pouring two gallons of Mrs Singhs Everlasting Washing Up liquid over them. That, however, is as far as he got before being called in to bed. The ensuing night's heavy rainfall did the rest! 

 

Repeated dunkings have so far failed to rinse the sheep off. So the villagers, and those in the neighbouring village of Much Deeping-Hollow, have spent the last few days bringing all their dishes to be washed by farmer Clarksin's wife and a selection of sheep. Surprising how effective a clean you get from a sheep fleece dishcloth!

 

OK, so enough the everyday antics, let's get on with this review!

 

 

 

 

 

STARFELL. Willow Moss and the Lost Day, by DOMINIQUE VOLENTE

 

Published by HarperCollins.

 

Cover artwork by Sarah Warburton

 

For ages 8 - 12 and upwards.

 

Hardback ISBN: 978 - 0 - 00 - 830839 - 1  

Paperback ISBN: 978 - 0 - 00 - 830840 - 7 

Trade paperback ISBN: 978 - 0 - 00 - 833505 - 2

Cover price for Hardback £12.99, Paperback £7.99 (or cheaper)

 

 

 

The Plot: 

 

Willow Moss is the youngest in her family. They live near the village of Grinfog, in the kingdom of Shelagh, in the world of Starfell. 

 

A thousand years ago, Starfell used to abound with magic, witches and wizards. Then came the great war between the religious sect called The Brothers of Wol and those that did magic. The Brothers thought magic was all bad, and those born with the gift, unnatural and possessed by evil. When the war had ended, magic had all but been ripped from the land. Gradually though, in time, it seeped back, but not how it was before. The gifts, for that, is truly what they were, were sparse and given to few. It was almost as though the magic was being careful, biding its time...

 

Willow and her family are some of the few. She, her two sisters and mother are all witches, though she happens also to be the least powerful, and some would say least able of witches. Her skill is for finding lost objects: socks, dentures, spectacles and spoons amongst them. Unlike her sisters, she doesn't command much recompense for her services when she helps those in the village.

 

One day, the most feared and skilled witch in the kingdom, Moreg Vaine, arrives at Willow's house, sending the awaiting customers scattering in fear. More surprising than that was that she wanted Willow's help.

 

Why, you ask? What could Moreg lack that Willow has? Well, someone has stolen last Tuesday!

 

Yup, it seems that the previous Tuesday had vanished, and nobody could remember what they did that day. Even more so than usual. And whatever happened to that day may well cause reality to unravel and Starfell's destruction. 

Having packed her possessions for the trip, Willow pulls out by his tail the monster that lives under her bed, a 'kobold' called Oswin.

 

What you need to know: Kobold's technically only just qualified as monsters. But best not raise that point as they get very tetchy about it. They are also NOT cats.

 

Oswin may have pointy ears and a nice tail and white paws to add to the appearance of a tabby cat, but he is definitely NOT a cat. He has luminous orange eyes and lime green body fur, and a bright green and white striped tail. At the moment of being unceremoniously yanked from under the bed, his tail was electrified with indignation and his body hair turning from green to pumpkin orange. 

 

He is also, true to all kobolds, the grumpiest, doom and gloom monger of a non-cat individual you could ever wish to meet. That is if he or you ever wanted to meet each other, which is most unlikely. He is also quite good at pinching things. Add to that the risk of exploding if he gets really, really upset, and the habit of speaking what he thinks at not the best of times, and you will get a reasonably rounded description of the guy. 

 

So, with Oswin encamped in a large carpetbag with her change of clothes, the two witches head off in search of an oublier and Tuesday. They hope he will be able to see what happened, and more importantly, who was behind this dastardly plan and what their intentions are! The only trouble is, oubliers are much unliked due to their unfortunate habit of seeing events others would rather keep secret. So, most of them have either met untimely ends, or live as hermits. 

If things were going to be as easy as knocking on someone's door or going to the lost property office, then this fab adventure wouldn't be very long or fabulous, and Oswin could have enjoyed the gloom under Willow's bed. 

 

So, from here on in, the magic adventure and fun really starts. As usual, I have to stop just there as there is so much more to be had, in addition to the marvellous fun at the beginning. Suffice to say, along the way, things just do not go as planned. There is, of course, the ever-annoying menace of the Brothers of Wol (who don't go shopping at Wol-mart). There are also dragons, trolls, a nasty witch and some devilish charms to overcome, surprises and shocks, and more than a few secrets to be uncovered. If that weren't enough, why . . . . . OK, I won't tell you about that as it's way too nasty. You will just have to go exploring Starfell for yourself. 

 

 

 

So, what did we think?

 

I have to say that Oswin is, despite the smell of boiled cabbage, the moaning and groaning, and the 'woe is me' attitude, quite the most splendid anti-companion for Willow. Like Hoagy in last week's review of Maggie Blue and the Dark World, Oswin (along with the other characters) is brilliantly depicted in the artwork that runs through this adventure. He is an instant win in our book.

 

Willow is far easier to get along with than Maggie Blue. This is likely because Willow's life is pretty much defined from the outset and not based on imponderables and teenage angst.  

 

This does not mean Willow is one dimensional, far from it. In the tradition of the best kids books, Willow is on a voyage of discovery, and uses her talents as best she can, and builds on them too, though not in an excessively overly convenient fashion.

 

The story really does flow along nicely. All the characters are believable and described and illustrated just how I would like and love to read and see. If it isn't evident from my praise, the pictures really add that extra sparkle to a book that is already brimming with lots of good things. The gold sparkliness on the iced and cream and jam-filled sponge cake. 

 

This was a debut book for Dominique, and a brilliant one at that.  

 

 

Crunch time. 

  

 

As ever, we are not in the habit of marking books. We only read and review books we enjoy, based on research, recommendations from authors, and those in the know. That is our guarantee to you. However, taste is, all said and done, so very personal. 

 

So, having mentioned our loves and with no reservations, we whole heartedly recommend this book to our readers who have kids of their own in need of a fab adventure. There is magic and fun and adventure at the turn of every page. Something to learn too, for the observant, and a message for everyone who has ever been told or who feels they have no talent or worth. 

 

After reading this, I wanted my own 'monster under the bed'. Mrs H has warned me that having me and my own kind of gifts under the bed is "just plenty of that sort of a thing, thank you very much!"

 

As we have already got books two and three, our following review will be book two: Starfell. Willow Moss and the Forgotten Tale.

  

 

 

Want to buy a copy?

 

 

To add some magic and some iracund kobold mischief and moaning into your life, then do take the nearest broomstick to your local enlightened and Brothers Wol free independent bookshop. 

 

 

 

Dominique Volente's web page can be found HERE. 

 

Harper Collins Chidrens web page can be found HERE. 

 

 

 

If any publishers, agents or authors wish us to review their books, please do get in touch. Details are listed on our book review page.

 

 

 

Thanks for dropping by. I'm off to see if farmer Clarksin is willing to strap those sheep to some sort of automatic revolving apparatus so I can wash down Mrs H's new motorcycle.

 

Until we meet again, we wish you a week free from missing days and full of literary marvels.

 

 

 

Laters!

 

ERin