Book Review: The Undrowned Child by Michelle Lovric

Where's our Studious Son? Who's our Lost Daughter?
Our Undrowned Child plucked from the water,
Who shall save us from a Traitor's tortures?
That secret's hidden in the old Bone Orchard.

The Undrowned Child by Michelle Lovric is unlike any other book I have previously read. It is a book full of historically interesting facts about Venice with a fantastical twists but also includes a wide variety of colourful characters, human and not human.

The story is set in 1899 & is told from the viewpoint of the two main characters; Teodora (aka Teo) a girl from Naples & Lorenzo (aka Renzo) a boy from Venice. My first impression is that the story is very heavy for a child. The book covers everything from death to betrayal to racial discrimination to violent/bloody battle scenes to evil revenge centuries old. It's definitely not a lighthearted child's fairy tale.

The book begins with tragedy as generations of a single family drown in the Venice lagoon one fog filled night under mysterious-magical circumstances and of the baby whose body was never found...

Fast forward to "present day" and Venice is under threat of destruction. The best scientists from around the world are being sent to Venice in the hope they can figure out way to save the drowning city scientifically. Teo is the bookish daughter of two such scientists and a visit to Venice seems like a dream come true but it all turns into  nightmare from the moment a book called The Key to the Secret City falls on her head.

As the lines of an old prophecy begin to come true, Teo, with the help of a local Venice boy called Renzo, must find a way to save the city from an ancient enemy and travel throughout Venice encountering many strange/wonderful creatures. One of which are mermaids who talk like sailors & have a love of spices. The mermaids were one of my favourites and often gave comedic relief in this dark story.

If you want to read something new and unlike any other story you have read before, give this dark tale a go.

P.S. At the end of the story the author has included facts about the history Venice and where you can find places you read of in the book. It might surprise you to learn what was actually true...

Pages: 396 pages

Book Review: The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

"Hear the trees a-listening, feel the fire whispering. See the wind a-telling me all the forest dreams."

I am a great lover of Folklore & Fairy Tales, ever since I was a little girl. So if I see a old tale with a fresh new twist I will usually end up reading it and The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale was no exception.

Now the main character of this book is called Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee (Ani for short), Crown Princess of Kildenree and for the first third of the book you end up just wanting to slap her every time she utters a "Ah, yes" or "Um, thank you".

Sheltered by her father & heavily criticized by her mother, Ani is estranged to all (including her siblings) except her nursemaid aunt who fills her head with folktales of people who can speak with nature & lady-in-waiting called Selia who has a gift for getting her way. Ani has as much back bone as a limp noodle, is as meek as a mouse and beyond naive, so you think it would be hard to sympathize with her but a small part of you will. The ultimate royal misfit, Ani's only talent is a firm grasp on bird linguistics and a strange affinity with the element of air, which alienates her even more from her fellow peers & brands her as a bit loopy in country which does not tolerate the magical/unexplainable.

But that's not the end of her troubles. Following the tragedy of her father's unexpected death she finds herself replaced as the heir of the Kingdom by her younger brother & shipped off to marry a prince from a neighboring Kingdom of Bayern, who she has never met, in the hopes this alliance will prevent invasion or, in a worse case scenario, war. Before Ani gets halfway to Bayern she finds herself a victim of identity theft as Selia convinces the dodgy half of the royal escort party to crown her princess instead, kill Ani & marry the prince herself.

"You, what are you? The brat of lucky parents who were related to childless king. There is no such thing as royal blood."

What happens next you will have to read for yourself to find out but you will not be disappointed. As the story of Ani progresses you'll see her grow in confidence & character, finding friendship, love & acceptance where she least expects it. The book is filled with colourful characters, goodhearted humor, dangereous battle and you go from almost despising Ani to cheering her on towards the end of the book.

It's addictive & you will not want to put it down until you find out what happens in the end.

Pages Total: 383 pages
Series: Books of Bayern.
Other Novels in the Books of Bayern Series: Enna Burning, River Secrets & Forest Born.
Other Novels by Author : Book of a Thousand Days & Princess Academy.