"The next thrilling instalment of The Chronicles of Whetherwhy."
Fans of Book 1 : The Age of Enchantment will be as keen as I was to re-enter the world of Whetherwhy, where everyone has magic linked to one of the four seasons, in this latest instalment of what is proving to be a thrillingly inventive and hugely enjoyable series.
One of the things I loved about the first book was the unusual framing of the story, with an unknown gentleman reading to his eager grandchildren from the actual Chronicles of Whetherwhy, and how the story is interspersed with little pauses in the adventure, where they discuss what is happening and what will happen next.
So, at the beginning of The Season of Flames, the grandchildren are as surprised as the reader is, to discover that 13 years have passed. Having become entirely invested in the twins Juniper and Rafferty and the life in Thistledown Academy of Enchantment, where those revealed at the age of 13 to be enchanters like Juniper, with the magic of all four seasons within them, learn how to use that magic, we are keen to know what happens next.
But in The Season of Flames, we learn much more about the wonderfully well realised world outside the academy and we have some great new characters to meet as well as some familiar names and faces. I like to think this may be a clever ploy on the part of ex school librarian James, who must have encountered the difficulty of students trying to read a series in sequence, because The Season of Flames can easily be read as a standalone, unputdownable adventure.
Our central character this time is Elio, who has no idea what magic he possesses, since he was never called for his test. He has lived with his father in Circus Astra all his life, looking after the magical Tangles, the creatures who perform there. He has no idea what happened to his mother and only has her pendant to remember her by.
When it seems as if servants of the Queen will stop at nothing to get the pendant, Elio’s father forces him to flee, but his new friend Pom, recently expelled from bard school, comes with him and proves himself to be a brave, loyal and steadfast ally. They head for Thistledown where they meet Juniper and together with other allies, they all try to unravel the mystery surrounding Elio and his precious pendant, and how the fate of all Whetherwhy’s magic depends upon him.
There are nail biting adventures ahead with plenty of twists and turns and the thrilling reappearance of dragons, which will have readers anxiously awaiting book three. I cannot wait to find out where the story goes from here, but I am hoping that we also find out just why the grandfather figure has the actual Chronicles to read to his grandchildren. Beautiful illustrations by the talented David Wyatt add to the attractiveness of this brilliant series for fantasy lovers.
Hear Anna James in this special LoveReading4Kids Author Event, on creating this wonderfully imaginative world of Whetherwhy, sharing her love of fantasy books, and why this genre is so popular with middle-grade readers.
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