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| ★★★★ |
Synopsis: The Queen is dead and no one knows who is to succeed her. Many have tried to prove their worth, but none is destined to be the true monarch. The country is given a year and a day to find the ring that confirms leadership. After that, the Ringfire will fade and the kingdom will fall.
***
Review: I grabbed this book while at my parents over Christmas - it's a book I've read a few times before starting around the age of 10, but which I haven't read in years. It's a fantasy adventure novel - think His Dark Materials or Sabriel, but for children aged around 9 and up. I wasn't sure what I'd think of it now as an adult, but I loved it as much as ever. As per usual, it felt a bit faster paced to me now, being an adult and used to drawn out novels (this clocks in at 250 pages), but for all that it's still an excellent read. Apart from the repetition of 'that incorrigible cat', which occured around 4 times in the novel, the writing holds up to the criticism of my adult eye.
The story follows a classic pattern, with fairly typical, but likeable and often funny characters. The unlikely but determined heroine, the kitchenmaid Gemma, is sent on an errand by the dying Queen to help find the Ring, along with her three-legged talking cat Fleabag, who is the wise and wise-cracking voice of reason. She is accompanied by the Lady Snob, I mean, Knight, Rowanne De Montiland who seeks the Ring for herself, and must overcome her selfishness, as well as a thief named Phelan who must rediscover his long-lost self worth.. As I said, pretty standard fare, but well written and perfect for a children's book.
A lot happens in this book, a lot of travelling, a lot of mishaps and outright disasters, a lot of soul-searching and a lot of fun too. I adore Fleabag himself, and to be honest I love all the classic elements of this book. It really is a classic children's fantasy adventure, and I'd recommend it to fans of the genre of any age. My only criticism is that the ending is a bit rushed and worked out far more easily than it should be; that really doesn't detract from the rest of the story, but is why I deducted a mark. I also recently discovered it's actually the first in a trilogy, so I have two more books of Fleabag to look forward to!
Rating: 4/5
