13 Curses

May 15, 2011

In an absorbing sequel to The 13 Treasures (2010), Red pursues her stolen baby brother through the parallel world of fairies, negotiating a landscape of deliciously sinister and dreadful magical creatures, finally discovering her own heartrending secret.

Harrison's satisfyingly hefty and page-turning adventure focuses on Rowan, the girl who willingly replaced Tanya as captive of the fairy realm. Rowan's quest to find and return her brother James to real England is finally aided by the residents of Elvesden Manor through a series of problem-solving challenges and a search for the 13 magical charms from an old bracelet. The sure-handed storytelling creates a completely credible setting—by turns violent and tender, sinister and poignant—in which those who can see fairies are most at risk of harm from the magical beings. The permeable border between the magical and the ordinary is described with matter-of-fact authority; the convincing result is a fully realized world where humans and fairies occupy a similar landscape to very different ends. Contrasts between human emotion and commitment and the cold, often cruel magic and mischief of the fairy realm create terrific tension and afford opportunities for heroism for the young protagonists.  

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

July 1, 2011

Gr 5-8-Harrison returns to the world of fairies in this follow-up to 13 Treasures (Little, Brown, 2010). Two separate story lines about Rowan and Tanya, who can see fairies, run parallel and then intersect in the final pages during the search for the 13 charms from the bracelet introduced in the first novel. Unlike that book, this story seems way too long and complex for most kids, and then accelerates to an almost frantic pace when fairies challenge Rowan to find the 13 charms in order to save her brother, who was taken from her by the fairies. Tanya, the protagonist in the first book, becomes her ally. The search, which should have been difficult, seems almost ridiculously easy, and readers are left wondering about what the first three fourths were really all about. It is also never clear what the title means. Although this is an interesting and fresh look at the world of fairies, 13 Curses is too bogged down with depressing detail, giving way to a quick, unsatisfying conclusion.-Kathy Kirchoefer, Prince Georges County Memorial Library System, New Carrollton, MD

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2011
Grades 6-9 The protagonist switches from Tanya to her peer Rowan in this sequel to 13 Treasures (2010). Rowan has had her own young world violently altered by a car crash that killed her parents and left her toddler brother, James, in a care home. Rowan can see fairies and knows enough of fairy lore to understand what is really happening when the smallest children in the home begin to change. After James is taken, Rowan turns to Tanya and her household for help, and the adventures above and below ground continue. Harrison helpfully fills in essential details for new readers of this engaging fantasy series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2011
Tanya's magical compass springs back to life in this sequel to 13 Treasures. Trapped in the treacherous fairy realm and sent on a dangerous mission, Rowan Fox (a.k.a. "Red") must join efforts with Tanya and her friends in order to rescue the ones they love. Using intricate details and unique metaphors, Harrison creates a menacing and elaborate world.

(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

May 15, 2011

In an absorbing sequel to The 13 Treasures (2010), Red pursues her stolen baby brother through the parallel world of fairies, negotiating a landscape of deliciously sinister and dreadful magical creatures, finally discovering her own heartrending secret.

Harrison's satisfyingly hefty and page-turning adventure focuses on Rowan, the girl who willingly replaced Tanya as captive of the fairy realm. Rowan's quest to find and return her brother James to real England is finally aided by the residents of Elvesden Manor through a series of problem-solving challenges and a search for the 13 magical charms from an old bracelet. The sure-handed storytelling creates a completely credible setting--by turns violent and tender, sinister and poignant--in which those who can see fairies are most at risk of harm from the magical beings. The permeable border between the magical and the ordinary is described with matter-of-fact authority; the convincing result is a fully realized world where humans and fairies occupy a similar landscape to very different ends. Contrasts between human emotion and commitment and the cold, often cruel magic and mischief of the fairy realm create terrific tension and afford opportunities for heroism for the young protagonists.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)