The Chime Seekers

This book was such a good read. I really enjoyed it. It was written well, and I was very excited, eager and invested in it. When it got to the climax of the story, I was very invested and couldn't help but cheer when Yanni was able to win like how he did. I really loved the three main characters: Yanni, Amy and Lari. They all were amazing, and the character development was wonderful. I loved the book, and I really hope Ross Montgomery will write a sequel! I'd love to see what Yanni and Amy will do next and if they will ever remember. The cover is what lured me in, it's a very beautiful cover! But the blurb is what made me want to read it! It was definitely a retake on the labyrinth story, but with new twists I enjoyed! Definitely recommend.

Loved this book, and as a middle grade writer, I think it may become the standard for children's literature going forward. My only complaint was that it could have ended sooner on a high note instead of spending pages tying things up. That said, this is one of the best children's novels out there and certainly the best I've read since I was a child. Excellent!

This is a must read - a great fantasy book with brilliant characters and a fast moving plot.

There would be very little point in my denying that I read a lot of books. Many are new titles that interest me, some are continuations of series that I am enjoying or titles I have been recommended on Twitter, and then there are those reads which I have been counting down the days for because I am desperate to read them. This new title most definitely falls into the last category and has been one of my most keenly anticipated books of the year after reading the author’s The Midnight Guardians last year. That book was in my top 3 of 2020, and was one that not only did I share with my Year 5 class, but was also loved by my TA friend in Year 4, who shared it with the class that are now coming up to me.I think much of Twitter knows I have been desperate to read this – watching with envy as proof copies have landed on other bloggers’ doormats – so when I logged on to find this was on Net Galley, and a couple of friends had kindly tagged me in to bring it to my attention, I was beyond excited to put in my request. After showing a huge amount of discipline by making myself finish what I was reading, it was with a certain amount of nervousness that I picked this up to read – would it be as good as The Midnight Guardians, and would I love this too to the point where I would want to share it with my new class?No and Yes, because this is not as good as TMG, it is even better!Our story opens on a cold, rainy October day in Fallow Hall, where Yanni and his family have just moved to their new home – a rundown house set in the middle of an empty field. While his parents are excited by the prospect of a new start, Yanni’s mood matches the weather and he is deeply resentful at having left behind his friends for this, blaming his baby sister Ari for the need for more space. Entering the building, things go from bad to worse when Yanni discovers his bedroom has yet to be decorated and is the worst in the house, and he angrily tells himself that not only is his new home horrible, but he has a horrible family and horrible baby sister.Not believing that things could get any worse, they do the next day when after expecting some sort of family treat for Halloween, Yanni’s parents go out for dinner without him. Unable to get a babysitter at such short notice, they invite Yanni’s cousin Amy over to keep him company and to help look after Ari. When Amy tries to interest Yanni in playing a game with her, he loses his temper and heads upstairs to check on Ari, telling her sleeping figure that he hates her.Aware of some sort of shift in the house, Yanni is shocked by the sudden appearance of a handsome stranger in the bedroom doorway and assumes it is one of his new neighbours. Unfortunately, the visitor is nothing of the kind and is in fact Lorde Renwin – a faerie who tricks Yanni into allowing him to replace Ari with a Changeling. Desperate to put things right and find his sister, Yanni must travel to the Land of the Fae to challenge Renwin who has stolen her. Together with Amy, he faces a series of seemingly impossible tasks to win her back before the stroke of midnight. Will he be able to undo his mistake, or is Ari destined to be lost to him forever more?This book is bound to be compared to both the film Labyrinth and the recently published Otherland by Louie Stowell, and I think it is fair to do so in as much as they share the same basic idea of a child having to try to reclaim their younger sibling from a wicked fairy and being set tasks to do so. Part of what makes this different is that it is much darker in places, with Renwin being a far crueller and sadistic monarch than those seen elsewhere so that although I was aware of the basic plot devices being similar, the story was as fresh to me as I read on as any other new title. This is also greatly down to the author’s enormous skill in crafting his narrative so that I was drawn into it from the very first page and could picture the unfolding story so vividly that each character and setting was completely original as I encountered it.The story also differs in that when the panicked Yanni tries to take the Changeling back to swap for his sister, he is forced to take it with him as he adventures through the Land of the Fae with Amy. Initially a cross and sour child, filled to the brim with resentment and jealousy of the attention that Ari receives from their parents, being saddled with the Changeling does nothing to improve his temper. Through having to assume responsibility for it, in addition to being exposed to the calming influence of his cousin, his actions gradually start to throw light on his own character flaws and he starts to see that his situation is almost entirely of his own making. I am so very much looking forward not only to sharing this story with my class later in the year, but also listening to some of the discussions that I know will arise from how the children interpret Yanni’s behaviour and compare it with not only their own, but that of their siblings and families.This is such a wonderful story, and is one that just begs to be shared in an upper KS2 classroom, or even a KS3 one. Packed full of magic, mysteries and with a very strong traditional folklorish feel to it, this is destined to become a future classic – one that today’s children will remember and will want to share with their own children when the time comes. With my proper copy pre-ordered, I cannot wait to receive this and read it all over again with my new charges after it is published on November 4th. Until then, huge, huge thanks go to both Walker Books and Net Galley for my advance read ahead of publication. A magical 5 out of 5 stars.

The Chime Seekers features sibling bonds, friendship, change and, of course, magic!Yanni's little sister Ari has ruined his life. She cries all the time, leaves his parents too exhausted to spend time with him, and she's the reason they've just moved to a dreary house in a sad, grey village. But when a mysterious stranger offers to take her away on All Hallows Eve, Yanni is thrown into an adventure where he'll discover just how much his family means to him.The Chime Seekers is fantastically dark, creepy and tense. It's impossible not to keep turning the pages once you start - the stakes are so high!It's also filled with brilliant characterisation. Yanni is very relatable - lots of children struggle with new siblings and change and will empathise with Yanni's difficulty accepting Ari. I loved his growth throughout the novel. Amy is brilliant too - especially when she starts to stick up for herself - and I loved the presentation of the exhausted parents (I could definitely relate!)Montgomery's world building is superb - I loved the grumpy toad, the helpful signpost and the way the real world and faerie world reflect each other.And the best thing at all? A brilliantly creepy, completely evil villain who it's impossible not to be a bit unnerved by no matter how old you are (especially when he first makes an appearance) There's lots of trickery and dodgy deals and you have to pay careful attention to what's being said if you don't want to fall victim to this trickster fae like Yanni.Thank you Walker for letting me review an advanced copy on NetGalley.