Home > Categories > Books > Young Adult > The Crowfield Curse review
It's 1347 and fifteen-year-old Will, an orphan boy, lives at Crowfield Abbey. Sent into the forest to gather wood, he rescues instead, a creature from a trap - a hob, who shares with Will a terrible secret. Somewhere in the forest behind the abbey where he lives, is a grave. And buried deep in the snow is an angel. But how can an angel die? What has it to do with the monks of the Abbey? When two hooded strangers arrive at Crowfield asking questions about the angel's grave. Will is drawn into a world of dangerous Old Magic.
"The Crowfield Curse" was short-listed for the Times Children's Fiction Competition in 2008. This is a stunning debut novel and the first of a two part series.
Product reviews...
Will is fifteen; an orphan in the Crowfield Abbey who works hard for his keep. When he discovers an injured hob in the woods and brings him home, everything begins to change rather rapidly. The Crowfield Curse is a well-written, faced paced story for young adults which very much resembles the front cover in mood. I found myself almost shivering with the cold, colourless imagery of the Abbey and surrounding woods.
This book is a very well-executed blend of realistic 'middle ages' environment and traditional 'otherworld' characters. I am very much looking forward to reading the second installment and seeing Will finally leave the Abbey and pursue a less frigid path.
I would recommend this story for older children, perhaps 12 - 15 because it is quite a dark story with some gore and animal death (fairly graphic). Definitely worthy of its shortlist in the Times Children's Fiction Competition, The Crowfield Curse was an interesting and memorable story which left me wanting more.
Random listing from 'Books'...
Emily Bronte loves her sisters, responsible Charlotte and quiet Anne, and her brother, tempestuous Branwell. She loves the moors that stretch all around her home and the village of Haworth, and she loves wandering over them even in the worst of weather. Most of all, she loves the writing that she and her siblings share, creating imaginary kingdoms, vivid characters, and exciting adventures.
But change comes to the family when their ... more...
All trademarks, images and copyrights on this site are owned by their respective companies.
KIWIreviews is an independent entity, part of the Knock Out News Group. This is a free public forum presenting user opinions on selected products, and as such the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of kiwireviews.nz and are protected under New Zealand law by the "Honest Opinion" clause of the Defamation Act of 1992. KIWIreviews accepts no liability for statements made on this site, on the premise that they have been submitted as the true and honest opinions of the individual posters. In most cases, prices and dates stated are approximate and should be considered as only guidelines.
"Computer games don't affect kids. I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic music."
Kristian Wilson, Nintendo, Inc, 1989