Book Review: "Stoneheart" by Charlie Fletcher

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

While on a school trip, twelve year old, George Chapman breaks a statue and suddenly becomes aware of statues that can move and talk. And hurt him. Suddenly he is dragged into another side of London he has never seen with a statue called “Gunner” to guide him. And a young girl named Edie with secrets of her own.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

George is a loner without any friends. He doesn't seem to have any goals other than staying out of trouble. And when he discovers the truth about the statues, he rightly freaks out. My main draw to him was sympathy at first. We learn about his father and eventually his neglected relationship with his mother.

Gunner is a statue of a soldier. He ends up being George's guide and protector. He isn't delicate in his manner and doesn't do much to calm George at first. But it becomes obvious he cares for the boy.

Edie is a mysterious and stubborn girl. She is rather bold and a little rough around the edges which causes friction between her and pretty much everyone. Eventually we learn the truth about her abilities and her circumstances. But I felt sympathy before that because of her obvious desire for truth and her being accused of being bad luck.

The Walker seems to be the villain in the book. He is introduced in small portions, getting his own chapters but not revealing much about who he actually is until the end.

The Black Friar provides knowledge about the mysterious “stoneheart” that the sphinxes tell George about. But he also seems overly eager to know about the whereabouts of George's part of the broken statue.

PACING

The pacing is fast throughout most of the book. There are small portions of rest, such as the beginning, the rest period when George goes home, and the rest period for George and Edie. But in between is mostly action.

And all of these rest periods are where we learn important information. The beginning is an introduction to who George is; When George returns home we learn about his relationship with his mother; When George and Edie recover from being wet, they learn important information about the Stone Heart.

Although there are scenes with action that multi-task, such as when George and Edie are running and she confronts him about his abandoning her.

SUSPENSE

There are various cliffhanger endings for chapters. As well as cliffhanger endings for paragraphs. We witness the death. We see someone being sneaked up on and taken away. And Edie even reveals a surprising truth to a George who thinks he is safe at home. This suspense helps keep the pace fast too.

FAMILY TIES-SPOILERS

George's parents have split up and he never gets to see his dad. All the while his mom is busy with her new career as an actress. We see that he spends a lot of time alone, while the neighbor lady checks in on him sometimes. This is his routine, and its obvious he feels like no one cares. But he doesn't want to talk about it. He admits everyone asks how he is but he refuses to talk.

POV SWITCHES

After Edie is introduced, George and her separate. We see parts of the story from her perspective, but when she and George stay together, the perspective becomes omniscient. We are in George's head, but we suddenly switch to Edie's.

I didn't necessarily mind it. Sometimes it helped us get to know the characters better. Sometimes it didn't.

Also, there are secrets involving both George and Edie. So it was interesting that we still got to go in their heads, and yet not learn too much about them.

THE MARK OF THE MAKER

After being attacked by a monster, George discovers a mark on his hand. He doesn't understand what I means. Eventually we learn it's the mark of the “maker” but not much is clarified. But it somehow makes George special.

THE WORLD

George learns about different types of living statues, some are called “spits” like the Gunner, and others are called “taints”. As well as how they can die, and how the maker's intention create their personalities. So the Gunner has all the memories of one that fought in WWI.

The creatures that populate this world are unique, scary and some are even creepy. Some are helpful, even saving the main characters' lives. While others are helpful but suspicious. My only complain was feeling like I knew too litle (especially about the walker, who we just get little snippets of for a long time). I mean we do learn new things throughout the book, but I was dying to know more. But perhaps since this a series, I can forgive it for that.

EDIE & GEORGE

The two main characters compliment each other as they both have been hurt greatly in the past. But neither want to reveal this for fear of showing their weakness.

The two of them are at odds for at least half of the book. It doesn't help that Edie is naturally defensive and aggressive. And when George learns what Edie is, and the reputation of what she is, it doesn't help.

They eventually learn to respect each other, even opening up about their lives. George starts to understand why she acts so angry, and what it is hiding.

THE HEART OF EDIE

Edie ends up lending an important item of hers to George. But when he loses it, she is furious. Her reaction seems overblown to George. Until Gunner explains that is a part of Edie because of her gifts.

I understood then, but I felt like Edie should have explained it to him. Or maybe she didn't know? But if not, then why was her reaction so strong? I wish she would have realized how dumb it had been to give to George. Instead of just getting mad at him.

NOT A VICTIM

George is portrayed rather sympathetic from the start. He just wants to avoid trouble; He misses his dad but wont talk about it. And when he gets in trouble on a school trip he feels so overwhelmed that he almost cries. This kind of reaction could be annoying if it happened all throughout the book (we get one other reference to him crying).

And although George does wrestle with the idea of fighting or running away all the way up to the climax, the book doesn't paint the whole world against him. Yes, his teacher was a jerk. And his relationship with his mom is neglected. But his lack of sharing his feelings about his dad and his mom are his own fault. And what happened to his dad was not an evil scheme against him. It just happened.

Because of this George is likable. And he feels real. He has flaws, some that he won't admit. He blames himself for things that are not his fault. He is too afraid to confide in his mom. He fears getting hurt more than anything so he doesn't even try to make friends.

He isn't a generic hero who never really seems to have flaws, who doesn't make mistakes and who doesn't get scared (there a surprising amount of these).

THE WAR

I was confused about how George breaking a statue at the begininning of the book was so bad. We finally learn from someone called the “Clocker” that there has been a tentative peace between the spits and the taints and his breaking a statue just destroyed it. I wondered if any other statues had ever been destroyed though. Had any other person ever gotten involved. But this issue isn't addressed.

EDIE'S VISIONS-SPOILERS

Edie has the ability to see the past. Because of this she is distrustful and we do eventually learn just how this ability affected her greatly in the past. She can also sense moods of places, as she recalls one area of the city is full of death.

Also, she sees a vision of the Walker's past. But I didn't really feel like I learned anything earth shattering from her. And sometimes I was more confused what her visions had to do with anything, instead of intrigued.

USE OF HUMOR

Although the book is mostly serious, there are various uses of humor throughout. Edie tends to be sassy and she made me smile on more than on occasion. The kids meet a statue that is called Dictionary Johnson and is so wordy that he is hard to understand. The Gunner is blunt and often jokes.

CLIMAX

Edie and George face a Minotaur and meet the Walker for the first time. George uses his unique skill to defeat the minotaur, but he doesn't do it alone. And then he has to make an important decision for the future.

EDIE'S REACTION-SPOILERS

When George is ready to return the stoneheart, he learns some hard truths about what will happen. He feels bad for Edie, as he remembers she will still be here in this mess. Still seeing spits and taints. And he will be free to return to his regular life. In fact he has no chance to ever see her again.

There is a running strain of Edie hating the pity that George has on her. You can tell she is closed off and and starts to respect and like George even though she doesn't want to. She reacts to his debating about whether or not to even return to stoneheart by hitting him. I suppose this wasn't par from the course, but I was kind of annoyed with her.

She had been angry and violent for a while, and I thought it was time that she reacted differently. Perhaps the author thought that would have been too big of a change. But I kind of wish she had revealed her being upset and surprised, rather than just angry. Maybe confused, that someone she had known for two days was unwilling to leave her behind.

CONCLUSION

Fletcher creates an original story with likable characters with secrets and layers of feelings that we learn about the more we read. George and Edie's relationship grow from dislike, to respect, to friendship. But it's not an easy ride. The story is fast paced while the world is detailed and full of mysteries. I give “Stoneheart” four stars.

Book Review: "Under the Cat's Eye" by Gillian Rubenstein

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

When Jai's parents are forced to leave the country he is sent to a boarding school. There he meets Seal and Hugo, a pair of students who think something fishy is going on regarding the principal, Mr. Drake. And then there is Kitty, a young woman who seems far too excited to see him.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Jai is the child of two indians who came to England illegally. He mentions that his parents treat him like he is made of glass, but this isn't a reoccurring theme. And he doesn't seem to go out of his way to try new things, now that he is away from his parents.

Seal is an energetic young girl who is rather bold. She has a very close attachment to her best friend, Hugo. And she can be dramatic sometimes.

Hugo shares Seal's attitude towards the school and her suspicions regarding Mr. Drake. But he is rather less dramatic then his friend.

Kitty is a young woman who takes an interest in Jai. She becomes an ally.

Roughly is a caretaker. He isn't in the story too much until we learn his secret.

Drake isn't in most of the story, but it's hinted that he may be up to no good.

PACING

The pacing is slower, although we do start at the minute that Jai arrives at the boarding school. Perhaps that worked to its disadvantage. Maybe if we had witnessed a young boy who was overprotected by his parents, and had to learn about their deportation, we would feel closer to Jai.

We get small hints that Jai is special and so is Kitty. But there is never an aha! moment where we see something earth shattering about Drake. There is no real suspense. No shocking cliff hangers.

JUST PARANOID?

When Jai meets Hugo and Seal, he doesn't quite take their claims seriously. After all, they don't really have any proof. I thought it would have been better if Jai started to wonder if they were crazy, or what he was getting into.

Also, I wanted their to be a moment where Jai was fully skeptical, and then discovered something that revealed he was wrong. But instead it's Seal who claims she has proof, but it's all just her opinion.

I wanted suspense and hints. I wanted Jai to walk away from Seal and then realize it was a mistake. Instead he just follows Seal, even though she could just as well be crazy.

ALTERNATIVE REALITIES

Turns out that there are multiple realities. But to tell you the truth, I didn't realize what time period Jai's world was. They mention gaslights, but not much else. I didn't expect their to be cell phones at a school. And I guess they could have simply not mentioned if there were computers.

So when they go to another world, and he see's technology for the first time, that was the first real time I realized what Jai's world was like. I didn't get a feel for his time period at all.

Perhaps some other elements should have been mentioned, like forms of travel such as trains and old automobiles. Perhaps the standards of health, or education. Maybe the expectations of woman. Anything. But it's basically ignored.

NOT FAIR?

Jai complains how unfair it is about his parents. I understand it's sad for him, after all, he was born in this country (they never say England, but it's where I assume the story takes place). But it is actually fair. They broke a law. They are illegals. But the book never uses those terms.

And Jai doesn't seem to have any real understanding as to the fact that his parents are criminals. Even though he reveals they told him that they were breaking the law, long ago. And just to keep his head down.

But he never resents them for what they did. Nor does he admire them for taking risks and coming to this country. He just seems to think it's unfair that illegals get deported. I wanted mixed feelings. Something deeper. But his understanding and response is shallow.

ADVENTURES AT NIGHT

In the middle of the night, a talking cat awakens Jai and drags him around the grounds. I didn't understand two things.

One: Why didn't Jai ever stop and question the cat on who she was and how she could talk? He says it feels like a dream, but I felt that was a lame explanation.

Two: What was the purpose with such odd training? To test his balance and do agility training? It never really comes in handy. Jai just vaguely recalls how he was better than he thought he was, because of this. So, I guess he wasn't that fragile. Or something.

SUNITA AT THE LAST SECOND-SPOILERS

There is one scene where Jai converses with a Hispanic girl named Sunita. She doesn't follow along with the others, but Seal doesn't like her for some reason. Perhaps she is jealous of her. It isn't expanded upon.

He only gets one more scene with her when she is leaving school. He shares his problems about his parents. I thought this was odd, because he barely knows her. And the information he volunteers is kind of personal.

The whole point is that her father works in the government. So when the book ends, Jai can live happily ever after and not have to leave the country.

CATS & DOGS

It's kind of obvious that Kitty is going to be the cat. We get weird references to her, as a human, purring. I would have liked their to be little things, like Kitty being lazy and a loner. And Roughly being energetic and friendly. And maybe protective. I think it could have been funny when they were revealed to be animals because they followed such basic images of cats and dogs. But it wasn't creative at all. It didn't feel inspired, but as if it was hastily done.

SEAL'S GOODBYE

Seal ends up having to say goodbye to Hugo near the end of the book. In the small time they have together, Seal seems emotionally reliable on him. Basically he is her only friend. And they do everything together. So much so that when they have a disagreement later, it tears Seal apart. She becomes distraught, causing a scene and embarrassing Hugo.

So when she says goodbye, probably forever, and barely shows any emotion at all, I was confused. It could be chalked up to character growth, but it just doesn't show. Seal doesnt' change much throughout the story. She is always stubborn, bold, and emotional. So becoming stoic didn't suit her.

SEAL'S SKILLS-SPOILERS

When they first cross over to another world, Jai is watching Seal and one horse. She vanishes, and suddenly there are two horses there. Kitty points out that she can shape shift, which is rather amazing. But when Jai asks about where she went to, Seal just plays coy.

Then she goes back home without discussing it. I found this rather unbelievable. The Seal I know would brag about it and be excited. Or at least ask why she could do this, but not Jai. They were told that going through the portal may change them, but Jai doesn't seem any different.

JAI'S REALIZATION

Jai makes a discovery about himself but then has to decide if he wants to follow after Kitty and Roughly. He does, and this proves important, but his realization that he isn't the fragile child his parents think he is kind of comes out of the blue. I mean, so what if he spend two nights learning to balance and be slightly more athletic? That doesn't mean anything. But it's supposed to be a dramatic revelation.

CLIMAX

Kitty and Roughly realize that they made a big mistake. So they go after Seal. Jai realizes he should go after them, and does so. He ends up saving them after an incident and they go back home. There they find Seal and confront Drake.

ABOUT THE BABY-SPOILERS

There is a story we get told in the beginning about a baby that died in a chest. Turns out that chest is the portal to another world. And Kitty says that originally a baby was born with amazing gifts. And since then, whenever it passes, another human is born with those gifts. I didn't quite understand it.

Where did the gifts come from? Why could they only be in one person at a time? Was the person reincarnated over again? Or just the abilities? Did the owners have any certain traits in common? Some way of identifying them? Because Kitty just seems to have lucked into finding one with a special item.

A SPECIAL ITEM-SPOILERS

Jai finds an item that Seal drops, so when he sees Kitty, he has the item. Then she suddenly treats him special. Seal is quite attached to it, but I honestly forgot about it. I thought Seal was just a naturally emotional girl. And that's why she loved it. There was no waiting for Kitty to find out about it, no waiting for hints to be dropped and the pieces to come together. So when they did, I was like, oh, yeah. I forgot about that thing.

I was probably just dense, but I wanted more hints. And the only hint I got about Seal besides owning that item, was that she was an orphan. I felt like so little thought was put into her, and the puzzle in general.

THE TRUTH-SPOILERS

It turns out that it's Seal that's from this other world, and not Jai. But Jai doesn't seem to have strong feelings either way. He just says he feels relief.

There is no let down that he isn't someone special. Nor any jealously that it's actually Seal. Nor any anger that he was dragged into dangerous situations by people who basically had no idea what they were talking about. It was just kind of like, oh. I am glad this is over with, then.

I just think the story would have been better if Jai had wanted to be from another world. Maybe he resented his parents for being illegals, for putting him in this situation where he would have to leave the only home he had known.

Or they should have emphasized his love for his family, and he could have fought the idea that he wasn't theirs, harder. But he just thinks its sad if they only had him so they remain in a foreign country.

So when he found out, he would have been so happy to remain and to see his parents again. And he wouldn't care about leaving the country and about any hardships he had to endure. Because he loved his parents, flaws in all. But I never got any strong feelings about his parents either way.

CONCLUSION

Jai and Seal are likable enough, but they never feel fully fleshed out. The side characters are even less developed.

The idea about an evil boarding school where children get brainwashed isn't exactly original, but it could have been interesting.

The villain essentially has no real motivation. He is just some criminal from another world who did bad things, and is still doing them. Just because.

And the relationships feel rather weak. Seal never bonds with Jai and becomes emotionally attached to him like she had Hugo. And her attachment to him magically disappears when she gets a new identity.

I give “Under the Cat's Eye” two stars.

Book Review: "Wolven" by Di Toft

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Nat wants a dog more than anything, but he gets Woody, an awkward, silver dog of mixed heritage. And it turns out that he's not a dog after all but a Wolven.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Nat is rather unsure of himself, but he slowly learns to care about Woody and risk his life for him. He pretty much keeps his head down earlier on, just trying to avoid trouble like bullies.

Woody is sometimes goofy and naive but he learns to trust Nat pretty fast. He is also rather brave. His arc mainly involves learning to go from boy to wolf in one smooth transition. As well as revealing another ability he has. He also has a crucial role in the climax.

Jude is Nat's mother. She is raising him alone while his father is gone. She is much more practical than her husband.

Mick is Nat's grandfather. He is rather blunt and has no trouble standing up for his grandson.

The Spaghetti brothers are a pair of brothers that are introduced more than halfway through the book. They were both turned into werewolves against their will.

Lucas Scale is the main antagonist of the story. He is hunting down Woody throughout the story.

Teddy is a bully that decides not to like Nat the moment he meets him. The reason isn't clear.

Iona serves as a teacher to Woody and Nat. She reveals Woody's origins and also seems fascinated with Nat's gift of dreaming.

Ophelia Tate is the wife of Alec Tate, the man who sold Woody to Nat. He knows more than he let on but Ophelia is the one who takes charge.

PACING

The pacing is fine. We start off right when we meet Woody the dog and not long after we meet the boy. And before that, there is a hint that Alec Tate knows more than he reveals.

We mostly stick to one story, Nat's, but we do get some scenes of action regarding who is after Woody.

Also, while a good portion of the story is spent learning about Woody and researching, there is a good amount of action in the story. Woody and Nat get attacked twice by two different groups of people. And the climax has a lot of action.

ALEC THE WIMP

I found it kind of annoying that Alec is rather selfish and wimpy. The fact that his wife has to bully him and protect him would be fine, if he developed. But other than making an important phone call, he doesn't do much of anything.

NAT'S DAD

We learn early on that Nat's dad has fled to France from the authorities. Turns out he always gets into trouble because he is too trusting or something. I didn't get the purpose of this whole story. At first, I thought it would add depth to Nat, but he dwells on his anger for only a moment before he forgets about it.

When we learn that Woody's clan might be in France, it made sense. That was where Woody and Nat would have to end up, in the sequel.

But I thought it was a wasted opportunity to create depth in Nat.

LATE IN THE GAME

Near the end of the book, we get introduced to new characters, and they play a key role in helping Nat and Woody. But I felt like I barely knew them. And I certainly didn't know them long enough to see any arc from helping the bad guys to helping the good guys. Also, they help another character in the epilogue but I was surprised that they were so kind. Again, I didn't feel like I knew them well.

TEDDY THE BULLY-SPOILERS

Turns out that Teddy gets turned into a werewolf. He isn't in the story too much after that, it just shows him apologize to Nat.

I wanted to know more about him, but perhaps that is saved for the sequel? It didn't seem that way, since it said he was going into hiding.

I think it would have been easy to insert a paragraph about his home life, perhaps hinting to his unhappy state and what led to his bad behavior.

USE OF HUMOR

There are some comedic elements, mostly from Woody. His lack of knowledge of anything other than from what he sees on television can make him entertaining at time. I thought the joke that Nat told him and he didn't get until later was sweet.

MEETING CRESCENT

While out with Woody, there is a concert going on and it turns out the singer can tell that Woody is special. She says its because she is too. She invites him to come with her but doesn't really have a big part in the story.

Although she says people are going to find out that Woody's not dead, and she thought he had been to Iona. So perhaps without her, Nat would never have remembered the sign he saw that had Iona's name and address on it.

NAT'S GIFT

Throughout the story, Nat has bad dreams and thanks to Iona, learns that they are more than dreams. They are partly real. We don't learn that much about him, but perhaps in the sequel we will. There is also an idea that Woody can give Nat energy that is hinted at, but not explained.

SPEECH MANNERS

Woody sometimes has an annoying way of talking. Often times he will pause when he speaks...and then add extra 'o's to certain words. I found it kind of distracting. But he doesn't do it all of the time. Just sometimes.

A FAMILY THAT FIGHTS TOGETHER-SPOILERS

Although Nat tries to share his suspicions about Woody with his family, he I shut down by his mother. This is a common occurrence in children's and YA fiction so I wasn't surprised.

Usually the parents are stupid or evil and the main character has to go it alone. But I was pleasantly surprised, not only did Nat's family discover that he was telling the truth, they took action and played a key part in the climax.

SCALE'S POINT OF VIEW

There is a scene where we get an explanation of what the villains of the story thought of what they were doing. It was actually interesting. A claim is made that they are creators, not destroyers. And that was their aim, even if lives were taken in the process.

CLIMAX

Woody and Nat are taken prisoner and have to figure out a way to escape. Jude, Mick and Ophelia come to the rescue and are aided by some surprising people. Nat ends up confronting the founder of the experiments.

CONCLUSION

Nat and Woody are likable characters, although character development isn't a big part of the story. The story itself is well paced and there is plenty of action. But many side characters have no backstory or depth at all. I give “Wolven” three stars.

Book Review: "Gypsy Crown" by Kate Forsyth

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Emilia and her cousin Luka are children of the Rom in 1600s England. They end up on the run when their family is imprisoned and are determined to rescue them. But when Emilia learns of five charms that can give the Rom their luck back, she is sure that they are the key to everything.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Emilia was adopted into the Finch family. She loves them as her own and is fond of animals. She also has a gift to see the future.

Luka Finch is close to Emilia's age. He has a fondness for animals as well but he is more practical. Also more skeptical when it comes to traditions of the Rom.

Tom Whitehouse is a friend of Emilias, but he isn't a Rom, so they called him a grigio.

Pastor Spurgeon is a man intent to hunt down any who disobey the laws of Lord Protector. Anything that he deems “unchristian” is against the law and strictly enforced. His scenes are rather cheesy and cartoonish but he isn't in the story too much.

Coldham works for Spurgeon and is the main threat, as he is searching for the kids throughout the story.

PACING

The story introduces the Finch family and doesn't linger long on their activities before they get into trouble. It sets up what we need to know, mainly that they are Rom, Emilia is adopted, power has changed hands and made it harder for the Rom and its the 1600s. Also that Emilia has special gifts.

From then on the kids are usually on the run, only stopping when they reach other Rom to help them or completing a task to obtain a charm.

STRUCTURE

The story is set up into five different parts for each charm. Since she gets the first charm in the beginning from Maggie, the introduction and the imprisonment occur there.

ANIMAL FRIENDS

The kids are joined by their horse, Alida; their dog, Rollo; their bear, Sweetheart, and Luka's monkey, Zizi. For the most part, the animals all play a part. Sweetheart provides a way to an escape, Alida helps attain a charm, and Rollo protects his masters.

A PASTOR?

Spurgeon is called a pastor, which I just found strange, considering how modern the word is. As far as I know, leaders in the catholic church are only called pastors in the United States. And everywhere else the word “priest” is used. It was certainly never used in the medieval Catholic church. It was a small thing, but it bothered me.

FAITH & FANCY

Emilia and Luka go searching for a woman who ran off and married a gorgio (non-Rom). Turns out she even changed her name from Fancy to Faith and married a puritan lawyer.

When confronted she says she knew which way the wind was blowing, so now she is pretending to be a puritan. The thing is, I never felt bad for her.

I should have as she had only changed because of her safety. And yet she came off as unsympathetic. She clearly still believes in what her family taught her, and yet she doesn't admit to any feelings of sadness and shame at having to hide them. She actually seemed flippant.

EMILIA & LUKA

A reason why both characters compliment each other is how different they are. They may both be Rom and both love animals, but their beliefs put them at odds.

Because of her own gifts, Emilia is confident about the powers of the charms. But since Luka has never seen any evidence himself, he is much more skeptical. Emilia doesn't really think this is an issue, only realizing it all at once in the first portion of the story.

Also, Luka is takes more risks, such as stealing Spurgeon's own horse, and suggesting they steal his coach as well. His boldness invites Emilia to be bold as well.

And while Emilia is much more jumpy, often assigning things supernatural reasons, Luka will shrug her off and boldly go forward. Such as when they are running in the woods and Emilia feels scared.

BAD RELIGION

For the most part, all of those professing the Christian faith are presented in a bad light. At least, those that call themselves Puritan. While their either evil or dumb (which I have no problem with) the rest of the citizens never proclaim any faith at all.

They are just annoyed at the religious nuts. I would have liked it if one character had stood up and criticized the Puritans, not just for being tyrannical, but for being wrong about Christianity.I understood the fears, but they could have done so in private.

Of course, this is just my subjective viewpoint on philosophy.

A TRAITOR

Eventually we learn that a man named Nat has betrayed the Rom. I had no idea who he was, so it didn't shock me like I think it was supposed to. After all, Luka suspected Tom, while Emilia thought one of the Rom did it.

GIVING UP WHAT THEY LOVE-SPOILERS

Both Emilia and Luka have to give up something important to them to receive a charm. Although its more of a temporary matter, if they rescue their family. So for Emilia, it's a matter of faith when she gives up a beloved pet. While Luka is never promised a return on his item. Although Emilia does give up her grandmother's tarot cards for good.

EMILIA'S FEARS & GIFTS

Emilia eventually reveals to the reader (but to no one else) how she became gifted and how her abilities grew. She shows her own fears. She also reveals her own gifts gradually throughout the story, when she accidentally starts telling the future. I wish this was brought up again, as it could have been an important aspect of Emilia's character development.

GOOD LUCK?-SPOILERS

There is the matter of whether the charms are really lucky. We assume they are, because we want Emilia to succeed and the idea of it being a myth is sad.

There are many times in the story where occurrences could hint that this is in fact truth. Like how they only recover the missing charms once they attain a new one, thus they were unlucky until then. Was Emilia lucky, so that's how she won the race? And got the key copies and the pardons?

I liked the idea of it being more vague. Maybe they are lucky, or maybe not. But the important thing is to rescue their family from unjust imprisonment. Perhaps more than anything they resemble history for the Rom, and lost dignity under harsh times.

But other times it's not so subtle. When they return to a house that is now on fire, it suddenly just rains, because of the presence of the charm. Or so it seems. It felt rather cheesy to me. I imagined someone praying for a way to stop a fire and then it started to rain. If they proclaimed that meant God was real I would find it horrible writing.

CLIMAX

After obtaining all of the charms as well as pardons, the kids get ambushed and taken by Coldham. Eventually they escape and head to the prisons where their family is. And from there Emilia ponders if it was the charms that helped them.

COLDHAM'S FATE-SPOILERS

In another odd use of the charms luck, Coldham gets struck by lightning when the children have no way of escaping and are tied up on his horse.

I felt this was kind of lame, actually a Deus ex Machina. I didn't like the fact that Emilia didn't find a way to save herself, or someone they had met, or something that had occurred earlier in the story came in and their previous encounter paid off.

LUCK OR SOMETHING ELSE?

After the main plot, Emilia wonders if it was luck, or fate, or providence. She seems to put them all together, seeing them as the same thing. I found this slightly odd, as the difference between the Rom and most sects of Christianity is probably a wider gulf than some vague idea of fate. But these two philosophies are not delved into very deep. So perhaps I should have expected her vague conclusion.

Again, this is my subjective view on the author's philosophy.

CONCLUSION

Emilia and Luka are both likable characters that compliment each other and the pacing is fast enough. I also loved the use of animals and the bonds that our characters had with them.

The main characters both learn to sacrifice things they love. And Emilia in particular learns to be brave.

But there were more than a few cheesy scenes, like Spurgeon's rants and the conveniently timed miracles thanks to the lucky charms. Also the use of luck in the climax bothered me. I give “Gypsy Crown” three stars.