Series Overview: "The Keys to the Kingdom" by Garth Nix

SUMMARY

A more detailed, spoiler filled examination of the series and the ending.

CHARACTER LIKABILITY

Arthur's likability initially started with sympathy. He became a victim when he was given the key and then was thrust into an adventure that he never wanted.

He feels real because he constantly doubts himself and worries that he is going to mess up. Eventually he becomes more confident and takes charge not just in his own situations, but standing up to Dame Primus as well.

Suzy was actually the most likable character when I first met her. She was funny and inventive. I loved her interactions with Arthur. She was like a big sister sometimes (looking out for Arthur), while other times she felt like a little one, not really thinking but just acting. Someone that Arthur had to look out for and explain things to.

Leaf was a character that I didn't know well but eventually became indifferent to her. Yes, she was brave, but I never go to see her develop. I assumed she became brave during “Drowned Wednesday”. So when I saw her revealing it in “Sir Thursday” I couldn't really feel any admiration for her. Her motivation is never quite clear either. I wish I could have seen her interact with her family. Perhaps that would have made her more likable to me.

CHARACTER GROWTH

Arthur starts out scared and unsure, just fumbling his way through. Although he becomes brave, he still doubts himself and freaks out sometimes. He feels real.

By “Lady Friday” he feels confident and sure of himself. From there he develops more, having to fight his new nature and struggle with the idea that he probably will never go home.

But his motivation is unclear, as he gets multiple scenes with different perspectives. One where he asks about how to turn back into a human and another where he says that he was supposed to be dead, and his time in the House is a bonus. So he is just happy about that.

Because of that his development came to a halt. Not to mention his lack of conflict with the character he spends the most time with, Suzy.

Suzy learns about her past in the first book, but never speaks of it again. It was such a waste, as it could have been the one thing needed to help her develop.

She is rather reckless in the beginning of the book and this doesn't really change. In fact, she develops much more selfish behavior, like when she forces Arthur to use his key. It made her come across unlikable and selfish. And the fact that Arthur didn't even feel that mad at her proved their relationship was nonexistent.

Leaf supposedly grows from scared to brave. I say supposedly because we don't see her much in “Drowned Wednesday” and by the time we do she is already brave. Also, the only relationship she developed that may have added depth was one we never got to see for ourselves: Albert.

From then on she pretty much stays the same. Although she shows a desire to save a relative, it's one we never meet. We are simply told about her in one scene.

CHARACTER RELATIONSHIPS

Arthur and Suzy have an interesting relationship at first. Mainly because Suzy is so different than Arthur. She is blunt and bold, but also rather ignorant about what it's like to be human. So their interactions in the first few books are amusing.

Unfortunately, their conflict fades away and they no longer have any disagreements. Arthur seems to give up on explaining things to her. Perhaps realizing she will never change.

Arthur and Leaf don't really spend much time together. They meet in the first book for a very short time, and then she gets a longer scene in the second book. But she isn't in “Drowned Wednesday” much at all. And I think she should have been because by the end of the book, she is willing to put her life on the line to help Arthur. And yet they have no real relationship.

In “Sir Thursday” she is important, but her and Arthur never meet. Same thing in “Lady Friday”. Leaf gets a prominent place in each book, getting her own stories, but she and Arthur don't ever spend any time together.

Arthur and his family was perhaps one of the most important relationships in the story. It's this that ties him back to earth. As he doesn't really have any friends. And yet their time in the series is minuscule. I never got to see any relationships happen, I just got told about everything.

Told about how Arthur had been adopted. Told how he and his step-siblings all felt like real siblings. Told how Arthur once made a song to play for his parents to thank them for adopting him.

THE WORLD

The detailed world is definitely one of the best features of the series. The morrow days and their deadly sins, the vast different beings, from regular denizens to the pipers children. Not to mention the raised rats, which I rather loved.

There were the unique tools like the paper wings and the cool way to travel through the bottles. And the different methods of sorcery are unique and Doctor Scamandros had interesting talents.

Each part of the will had a different personality and unique form. I found the carp amusing and lordly, while the Raven was probably my favorite. The fact that it was always raining provided a hint to the location of that part of the will.

There were oceans, trains, glass towers of treasure, and a huge office building like something a child would build.

Although I felt certain things were not expanded upon. Like the gilded ones and the servants of the night.

THE ENDING

Objectively, I wish there were more hints to the ending. Arthur never got to be suspicious (although he was vaguely suspicous of Dame Primus) and he never got to investigate anything. I found it unbelievable that the Morrow days were all cast in such a bad light, when in reality they were trying to save all of existence.

I should have been skeptical of the idea that they were the bad guys. But instead I was only ever skeptical of Dame Primus. And there was no aha! Moment when we found out she was the one killing all of the morrow days. Because we never get to confront her. We just get to sit back and watch the world end. The passivity bothers me.

Arthur should have learned the truth and then had to gamble if this was indeed the truth, or a ruse to stop him by Lord Sunday. Bu the revelation happens and we have to sit back and watch it all. Arthur is the hero but ultimately he is passive. There is no choice to be made. He remains in ignorance until the end.

I felt similar in “Sir Thursday” when Arthur played an instrument, playing a song he wrote for his parents. I had wanted a little hint beforehand, so when this happened, I could have said: "I'm glad this came in handy". Like a puzzle piece. But instead it came out of the blue.

Subjectively, I think remaking the world as it was had the purpose of being like a rebirth, but it just felt like a loss to me. I kept thinking, the real people you knew are dead. You just made copies and put in the memories of the others. You failed. You're living in a fake world. And you never stood a chance.

Arthur makes a happy version of himself, and lies to him, telling him he is human. And then he gets to be the new Architect and have tea with the copy of Suzy. Hardly a satisfying ending.

Also, the lack of interaction with his mom was like a nail in the coffin. I wanted his family to know what he had done and who he had become. I wanted him to be able to say “goodbye” if need be, and “I love you”. I waited the whole series for that, and instead we only get Michaeli (his sister) learning something about him, and then we never see her again.

CONCLUSION

The characters are likable enough, but eventually their shallowness became apparent. As well as the lack of relationships between the characters.

The strong point is the world itself which is detailed and unique. Although near the end it felt like we lost the plot, as the seven deadly sins theme vanished in puff of smoke and Arthur's family is permanently obscure.

If you love stories and fantastic worlds more than characters then I think you'll love the series. You might even like the ending. It really had potential, it just never lived up to it. I give the series as a whole, three stars.

Book Review: "Lord Sunday" by Garth Nix

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Arthur has only one key left and he has become almost completely a denizen-like being. Leaf has to deal with helping those in the hospital that came back through Friday's portal. And Suzy has her own troubles.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Arthur has now become more denizen than human. He doesn't know what his fate will be but seems to be learning to accept no longer being himself.

Suzy has her own story, leading her own army of piper's children. But she doesn't really develop.

Leaf plays her own role, trying to alert the military to the hospital with all of those that came back from Lady Friday's portal. She meet's Arthur's brother.

Lord Sunday doesn't seem to have any sin. I suppose I could have been reading into it (no pun intended) when I gave Superior Saturday the sin of envy. All that was left is lust, but the theme seems to have been abandoned. Perhaps Nix thought the theme would have been too inappropriate for a childrens' book?

The Mariner makes his final return but it was rather underwhelming. His is only in the book for a few pages near the end.

PACING

The story goes to three different perspectives: Arthur's, Leaf's and Suzy's. But I didn't feel like it helped the pacing. I kept feeling like Suzy's story was dragging and although Leaf's was slightly more interesting, I still wanted to get back to Arthur. Basically, the stories didn't feel equally important.

DECEIVED IN THE GARDEN-SPOILERS

I found it interesting that the first place the Architect made was the Incomparable Gardens. So, of course I compared it to the garden of Eden myth. And when Arthur met a piper's child, I thought, wouldn't it be funny if the first being we meet in the garden is a liar? I was amused when it turned out that is was Sunday himself.

Nix seems to draw inspiration from all over the place. After all, it's clear that the Morrow Days each suffered from a deadly sin. Certain aspects seem drawn from Jewish mythology and Christian traditions, while other aspects are clearly inspired from paganism (like the Architect and the Old one having children, resembling the gods and goddesses of pagan mythology).

LORD SUNDAY

Lord Sunday isn't quite so easy to figure out, mainly because he seems to have no sin. It was quite obvious with the others, and was something to be figure out in a mere matter of pages after they were introduced. At our first meeting, he seems commanding. But not necessarily evil and selfish. And later on he even reveals important truths to Arthur.

ARTHUR'S MEMORIES

Arthur realizes he can't remember certain family members' faces. He wonders what else he has still forgotten since he was washed behind the ears. But this is never mentioned again and plays no part in the plot.

LEAF'S STORY-SPOILERS

Leaf spends a short time back in the secondary realms where she meets Arthur's brother. But she ends up back in the house, against her will. Eventually she ends up in a position of power she does not want.

THE ELEPHANT

In “Drowned Wednesday” Arthur finds his old toy elephant, because everything that is lost eventually ends up in the sea in the House. It plays a unique role, holding the last of Arthur's humanity by reminding him of his past. Not only that, but he uses newfound powers to bring it to life and use it as a partner when he is bound.

ARTHUR'S INNER CONFLICT

Arthur does have to deal with his new thoughts and feelings again. Although it's not as overt as in the last book. He does finally realize that he is no longer human, as his appearance has changed completely before the end of the book.

FINDING MOM

We finally find Arthur's mother. But circumstances don't allow us to talk to her. Ever. I felt disappointed and disconnected from everything Arthur.

His family has had basically nothing to do with the story. Even throwing his older brother didn't add anything. Since all Arthur gets is a phone call.

Something that should anchor him to his home and humanity doesn't even have any real feeling of importance.

CLIMAX

The Piper and the Mariner show up. Arthur gets the last key with the help of the will and learns the shocking truth about the architect. He has no choice in what happens next and has no power to stop it. He only has the future and has to decide what to do.

CLUES TO THE TRUTH?

I think there were hints to the truth about who Arthur would become. The Old One hints at it when he says that Arthur isn't becoming just a denizen. But something different.

Although I feel the truth about the killings should have been hinted at. Instead we only get vague feelings of unease when it comes to a certain character that tries to manipulate Arthur.

But mostly I think the climax came out of the blue. I didn't feel like there were any hints about who the Morrow days really were and what they were trying to do. None ever discussed it with Arthur or even hinted at it. Even Sunday doesn't reveal the truth when doing so could have stopped the heir.

CONCLUSION

I didn't expect any character development from Suzy, although I was hoping for it from Arthur. I was actually annoyed by the three separate stories. As far as I was concerned, this was Arthur's story. Leaf and Suzy were side characters. Leaf never had any depth or growth, and Suzy became shallow when she refused to grow.

As for the ending, I can't say it was terrible. It just wasn't what I wanted at all. Perhaps Nix was trying to be clever, to avoid a predictable “happily ever after” ending. But I felt completely disconnected as I read it.

Arthur didn't feel redeemed just resigned to his dismal fate. I think the theme was supposed to be rebirth, but to me it just felt hollow and fake. I give “Lord Sunday” two and half stars.

Book Review: "Superior Saturday" by Garth Nix

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Arthur is ready to get the sixth key and find the next part of the will. But he has to deal with himself as his new nature appears and he becomes less and less human.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Arthur develops a new problem, mainly being dealing with new feelings and thoughts that are not his own. His nature is changing.

Suzy teams up with Arthur again, also meeting up with Leaf. She is still a source of humor, but not much else as she refuses to develop.

Leaf has her own story, but eventually her's merges with Suzy's. She is still brave but rather lacking in motivation or any depth. She has no contact with her family or any other characters she is close to. Perhaps that would have helped her seem less two dimensional.

Superior Saturday was the first denizen that the Architect made. Because of this, she believes the Incomparable Gardens that belong to Sunday should be hers. Her sin is envy.

PACING

The pacing is the same as the previous in the series. Not too fast or too slow. The story goes back and forth between Arthur and Leaf but I didn't feel like this increased the pace. I was more interested in Arthur's story than Leaf's. I just never felt any connection to her character. At one time I felt that with Arthur (mainly because of my sympathy for him).

THE CLIMBING TOWER

Because of her envy, Saturday has been building a tall tower for centuries. It's a weird system of moving offices, like building blocks. It was definitely original and detailed.

ARTHUR'S INNER CONFLICT

Arthur is now more denizen than human. Because of this, he has to fight his new thoughts. Ones of anger and condescension. He lashes out once at someone and starts ranting to Doctor Scamandros. But he usually keeps his new feelings quiet. I was disappointed he didn't share his struggle with Suzy, or anyone for that matter.

THE GARDENS

Turns out the Incomparable gardens where the first thing the architect made. I thought this was interesting as it copies many mythologies where the first thing created was a garden; paradise, as it were.

SUZY'S MEMORIES

There is a short scene where Suzy mentions her past. I was disappointed, as I had hoped we might have learned more about who she was when she was alive. But instead we quickly move on. Arthur doesn't even inquire about it. I had hoped she would develop if she remembered more of her past, as I had little hope otherwise.

ARTHUR'S BROTHER

One of Arthur's older siblings makes an appearance. He works in the military. But there isn't any real relationship between him and Arthur. Even though Arthur has referenced him vaguely in the past.

DAME PRIMUS' DECEPTION-SPOILERS

Arthur realizes that he is being lied to and that Dame Primus is hiding the atlas from him. Through each book we have seen how immoral she is and how controlling and manipulative she is. Arthur never trusted her but her lies have become more obvious.

ARTHUR TAKES CHARGE

Arthur stands up to Dame Primus again, telling her to split up and make multiple Dame Primus'. He has stood up to her before, but this felt more forceful. As he didn't stop her from doing something, he actually came up with an idea and made her obey.

THE OLD ONE

The old one asks what exactly Arthur is inheriting since he is the heir. This whole conversation seems more a philosophical one that a practical one. He says that even though the Architect likes to think she created mankind, she only created the possibility of them. And they are more than flesh. And he says that not everything that is not a human is not just a denizen.

ARTHUR'S NEW FEELINGS-SPOILERS

Arthur reveals to Leaf that he learned that he was going to die that day at school. So everything that has happened since then is a bonus. This is a different attitude then he had previously, where he just wanted to get this over with and go home. But now he seems resigned to the fact that he may die here, but at least he got to live longer.

But he also still asks the Old One how he can turn back into a boy again. So it's kind of confusing to understand what he is thinking.

FINDING THE WILL

Arthur hears the will speak to him, but only for a few seconds. It seems to have been cut off. Arthur finally realizes when he heard the voice when he hears it again. I thought the truth about this will was very inventive.

And in order to find him, he has to live Suzy behind as he goes into a body of water. It was important to see that there was still a large part of Arthur left as he was upset about Suzy.

MORE ADVICE

The sixth part of the will shares his philosophy. He says there is never an absolutely right thing to do. Just do what you believe and try to deal with the consequences.

I thought it was kind of vague and not helpful to Arthur. He didn't even bother debating him. And most would argue against it, as most believe killing an innocent person is absolutely wrong.

The idea that Arthur doesn't have any strong convictions to put his life on the line is not believable. No doubt he believes its absolutely right to attempt to attain the keys and the parts of the will. Or at least he did. And his motivation was quite clear, to keep his family safe which he believed absolutely.

GREAT REVELATIONS

Arthur learns the truth about the order of when the House and the Universe was made. As well as who is behind cleaning behind the ears.

CLIMAX

Arthur arrives in the Incomparable Gardens. He fights off some huge bugs and eventually gets the key from Saturday. But the story is cut off as Arthur seems to be in immediate danger.

CONCLUSION

The idea for the sixth part of the will is creative as is the tower that Superior Saturday works in. My favorite aspect is how Arthur is having to fight his new nature as he is turning into something akin to a denizen.

But the relationships are still shallow and refuse to develop. And Arthur's motivation is kind of confusing. I give “Superior Saturday” three stars.

Book Review: "Drowned Wednesday" by Garth Nix

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Arthur ends up at Sea in the House, but his ride misses him. Then he gets picked up by some salvagers. Instead of just worrying about his meeting with Lady Wednesday, he has to worry about Leaf (who he has been separated from) and a Pirate called Feverfew, who had a mark put on Arthur, for touching his treasure.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Arthur is still unsure of himself. But he does learn to be more forthcoming, as he eventually reveals his identity.

Leaf accidentally gets taken to the house when she comes to visit Arthur at the hospital. She isn't in most of the story.

Suzy is only the later half of the story. But she helps Arthur find the will and even has a part in the climax.

Drowned Wednesday is a slave to her gluttony (one of the seven deadly sins). The truth about her isn't explained right away. But people seem to fear her and we eventually learn why.

Dr. Scamandros is one of the residents of the ship that rescues Arthur. He has tattoos that move and change on his bald head according to his emotions.

The Will, part three is rather commanding and has a large group of followers. I found his scenes rather funny actually.

PACING

The story actually starts faster than all the others. To be fair, the last book set up this one. Arthur gets an invitation, so we understand he might be forced back into the House against his will. It was very reminiscent of “The Dawn Treader” by C.S. Lewis.

But after this, there is some waiting around to be rescued, so the pace slows back down. Although there are some good cliffhanger chapter endings that help. There is action in the book, perhaps more than the last two.

LEAF & ALBERT

When Arthur finally sees Leaf again she mentions the loss of her crew mate, Albert. She seems really sad about this, but to me, who had only seen him in one scene, I had a hard time feelings her sorrow. I wish more scenes of her experiences with him had been shown. Even if they were short scenes simply inserted between Arthur's main story.

THE RAISED RATS

The raised rats are rats that used to serve the Piper and were brought to the house him. Now they are messenger rats. They play an important part in the story.

MARK OF THE MARINER-SPOILERS

In the last book we met the Mariner, and in this book his mark ends up saving Arthur.

DROWNED WEDNESDAY-SPOILERS

Wednesday is different than the other morrow days thus far, because her sin has overtaken her so much that she cannot retain her form. Also she seeks out Arthur first, instead of the other way around and we meet her less than halfway through the story.

There is more suspense regarding her because we have to learn about her from other people, and what we do learn sounds horrific.

A WHALE OF A TIME-SPOILERS

I found it interesting that besides the fact that the morrow days each have a deadly sin they represent, we also have a whale in this story. And we end up re-enacting an old testament Bible story. You don't have to be religious to figure out which one it is. But I actually liked the idea, as instead of some allegory, its perhaps only slight inspiration for our story.

ADVENTURES OF THE HEIR

Arthur reveals his identity, only to be laughed at. Turns out there is a novel going around telling about how he defeated Monday and Tuesday. It describes him as some action hero, basically nothing like he actually is. I thought this was interesting, to see that people we making propaganda about him. But Arthur never gets to confront Dame Primus about it.

THE ARCHITECT

The raised rats inquire about the architect and he has to reiterate that he was told that the architect went away and was not killed. It's interesting to see that not everyone knows what happened to her.

LEAVE ME

When a bunch of people are trapped, with only one exit to escape, a side characters won't leave because of his stamp collection. I thought this was weird and out of place. He ended up dying but we don't really talk about it.

A GREAT REVELATION

Arthur already knew about the Piper and the Mariner being children of the Old One. But he learns about a third person he did not know of.

ARTHUR & LEAF

Since they spend most of the book apart, there isn't really any time to grow a relationship. Leaf may have helped Arthur in the last book, and he confided in her at the beginning of this one, but we don't actually seem them grow closer. And the time they spend together is always rather short.

CLIMAX

Arthur finds the will but has to face Feverfew. With the help of Suzy and Leaf, they defeat him.

CONCLUSION

The raised rats were unique and the salvagers that Arthur meets are interesting and often funny. I liked meeting one of the Morrow days that was different than the first two and we meet her much sooner.

The pacing was slightly better, perhaps because of the action regarding the ships and the ocean.

Suzy was her usual silly self but I wish that we had gotten some time with Leaf. I still feel like I don't really know her at all and couldn't feel any sympathy for her loss. Not to mention Arthur's motivation to find her is guilt, not friendship.

I give “Drowned Wednesday” three and half stars.

Book Review: "Lady Friday" by Garth Nix

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Lady Friday sends a message to Arthur regarding the fate of her key. But it might be a trap and he doesn't trust her. To complicate things, Leaf has been taken prisoner by Friday.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Arthur is much more forceful in this book. He has no problem standing up to Dame Primus, who still tries to bully him when it comes to the fate of the Piper's children.

Suzy's relationship doesn't develop with Arthur at all. She appears in the book less than half way through books.

Fred returns, arriving with Suzy. It was nice to see a side character that was male, but he doesn't to seem to have any real relationship with Arthur. But he does have an important role in the story.

Leaf is once again a main character. She is captured by Friday but doesn't escape because she needs to save someone.

Lady Friday is very beautiful and envious of humanity's experiences. So her sin is naturally, envy.

PACING

The story goes back and forth from Arthur to Leaf. Arthur as he tries to find Friday and Leaf as she tries to save someone. This helps the pacing slightly. But it's still not really fast paced.

LEAF'S QUEST

It's great that Leaf is so brave it's just that she is trying to save a character we never even see. And we have no real idea of the love she has for her relation. We never saw them in any scenes together before this book, so we only know that Leaf cares for her because she briefly tells us.

WHERE IS SHE?

A relative of Arthur's disappears, and isn't in the Secondary realm. Arthur freaks out but thinks he knows where they must be: with Lady Friday.

EXPERIENCING-VAGUE SPOILERS

Arthur soon learns that denizens can experience different people's existence from placing a piece of paper on their foreheads. Eventually this plays a bigger part in the plot.

REMEMBERING ALBERT

Leaf uses something she learned from Albert back in “Drowned Wednesday”. He taught her that if she has an item she can run around and explore a long time before anyone notices her. I thought it was nice that something from the past came in handy. I still wish we had actually gotten to know that character though.

SUZY'S DECEPTION-SPOILERS

Suzy and Fred both have necklaces that tighten whenever they badmouth the piper. It hurts them both when they meet Arthur. Later on, Suzy says something bad about the Piper causing Arthur to use his key, even though he didn't want to.

Fred points out that Suzy tricked him into using his power. She only apologizes because Fred says to but she came off as really selfish. And Arthur's reaction was rather underwhelming considering how important it is to not overly use the key.

UGHAM-SPOILERS

There is a third piper's child named Uggham. I don't know why was there, he didn't seem important at all. Perhaps he was there to cause trouble when he betrayed them? And he actually meets a dramatic end. But I felt nothing when it happened. No one had a relationship with him after all.

WINGED SERVANTS

Arthur and his friends meet flying denizens who cannot speak. Instead they use a type of sign language. Fred plays a key role here and the Servants eventually lead us to a crucial character in the book.

GILDED ONES

There are masked beings that used to be Piper's children. But somehow Grim Tuesday got a hold of them, and their not really people anymore. I kind of wished to learn more about them.

ARTHUR'S MOTIVATION

Near the end of the book, Arthur explains why he is risking his life and using the keys. He says it honor or responsibility but doesn't really sound inspired. I thought his motivation was to be able to go home. But now it's kind of unclear.

ARTHUR'S SPELL-SPOILERS

Arthur figures out a way to make a special compass that will point to the will. I thought this was inventive and smart on his part.

A HUMAN INVENTION

There is a scene where Dame Primus says that love is a human invention. She doesn't make a case to why it's a bad idea but simply states it as fact that they don't need it. Nor how the family unit grew out of biology, She seems ignorant and lacking in understanding of her own creation. I would have liked to have seen Arthur debate her.

THREE STRIKES-SPOILERS

The mariner finally makes an appearance. But he tells Leaf that he can only be summoned three times. And this is the second. I thought it was interesting that he could only be called so many times. I wish this was explained exactly why it was this way. But it sets up the Mariner to return for one last time.

CLIMAX

Arthur finds Lady Friday and she is defeated when he gets the key. A surprise enemy shows up; Arthur finds out about his lost loved one and Leaf returns home.

CONCLUSION

The world as detailed as ever and we meet new creatures, such as the Gilded ones and the Servants of the night.

Two stories may help the pace, but the relationships between the characters still feel shallow. And we are far along enough in the series where I think that should have changed. Along with the development of the characters themselves.

I give “Lady Friday” three stars.

Book Review: "Sir Thursday" by Garth Nix

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Arthur suddenly finds himself in the army of Sir Thursday with no way to avoid a hundred year sentence. To make matters worse, a copy of him as back on earth, preventing his return. Leaf agrees to help, since she can return home.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Arthur is still anxious about becoming a denizen, but he is still rather brave. He still wishes to finish this and eventually go home. And he shows leadership skills in the climax.

Suzy isn't in a huge portion of the story. She is there to get an item from Leaf and then give it to Arthur.

Fred is a fellow soldier that Arthur meets when he joins the military. He seems rather laid back and has no real memory of his past.

Leaf plays a more prominent role. She has the important task of finding the item stolen from Arthur and returning it to him so he can destroy it.

Sir Thursday suffers from the sin of Wrath. He easily loses his temper and takes it out on whoever is nearby. When we meet him it's a surprise, which was nice.

PACING

For the first time, we switch back and forth between two plots. Arthur's in the House, and Leaf, back on earth. Although Leaf's adventure is important, I was slightly more interested in Arthur's story. But Leaf's story isn't dull and actually has plenty of action in it.

LEAF & ARTHUR

Leaf is finally a main character, but she spends all of her time away from Arthur. I just feel like in order for them to have a real relationship, they should have spent some more time together.

Arthur did only save her because he felt guilty, not because of any closeness. And although Leaf volunteers to help him, her motivation is unclear. I am guessing she feels grateful to the boy who saved her and wishes to pay him back.

Again, not any real closeness between them. Arthur worries about her, but he never gets to know her. There are not any scenes of them discussing anything remotely personally.

HELP FROM A STRANGER

Leaf gets help from an older lady named Sylvie. I thought she was amusing but I wish I could have learned more about her. Better yet, I wish I had known more about Leaf and maybe she could already have had a connection to Sylvie.

CLEANING BETWEEN THE EARS-SPOILERS

Arthur learned about this long ago, but it turns it he may have to deal with it personally. It's interesting because it adds suspense. The reader wonders if Arthur will get around this, and if he loses his memory, how long will it take to get it back? Is there any real way to avoid it? And what on earth are the bathroom attendants?

WRITE IT DOWN

There is a scene where Fred writes down his favorite color so he won't forget. Arthur writes down his favorite color, but instead of writing down his name he just puts “real name?” I thought this was kind of silly.

I mean, I get he changed his name because the people in charge wanted him to be treated like everyone else. But he couldn't even risk writing down his own name? I felt he should have written it down, but still not remembered, or lost the paper. Something more believable.

THE RING

Arthur is worried about losing his humanity and becoming a denizen so Dame Primus gives him a ring shaped like a crocodile that will record who human he is and measure his change.

It was an interesting aspect of the book because it added suspense. Something that Arthur kept checking and the reader kept wanting updates on.

SPECIAL NITHLINGS

It seems that there is a new breed of nithlings (creatures created from nothing). And unlike any other nithling ever seen, these are not chaotic but organized. No one knows how this is possible. The truth isn't revealed near the climax of the story.

LIEUTENANT KEEPER

Suzy meets the Lt Keeper, who guards the entrance to the house. I think he was mentioned before, but he doesn't seem to have any personality. Even though he plays an important part.

ARTHUR'S SISTER MEETS SUZY

There is a scene where Michaeli witnesses Suzy and her giant wings. She also see's Leaf has sneaked into Arthur's room. I kind of hoped it would have involved her in the story. I knew nothing about her (nor the brother). So I was disappointed when she is never mentioned again.

MEETING SIR THURSDAY

When Arthur meets Sir Thursday, he is not sure what to think. He starts freaking out, wondering if Thursday is going to try and kill him then and there, and has to calm himself down. It was different then previous meetings. I could feel his panic and I kept thinking, calm down! But I felt anxious too.

CLIMAX

Arthur has to face Sir Thursday, while finding the Will at the same time. He debates whether or not to use the key. Then he meets the captain of the new nithling army to discuss peace. He learns of another claim on the keys and then has to face the new nithling army.

A HAPPY ACCIDENT-SPOILER

Sir Thursday says he didn't destroy something, so he sabotaged their plan. But Arthur accidentally destroyed the item by getting rid of his pocket (the item that the fetchers had taken in order to make a copy of him). I thought this was kind of convenient.

CONCLUSION

The world is interesting and original, and the story has plenty of action. Especially on Leaf's side. But I still feel the relationships are lacking as is character development. Certain things were silly, like Arthur not writing down his own name and Arthur lucking into defeating the army. I give “Sir Thursday” three and half stars.

Book Review: "Grim Tuesday" by Garth NIx

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Arthur has barely been home before he is called back to the House. There he has to face Grim Tuesday and claim his key. But first he has to get out of his new job. Not to mention finding the will.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Arthur reluctantly returns to the house. He is still rather hesitant but brave. He gets hurt badly in one scene as well as bruised quite a lot before then. His fragility is revealed by his reaction to his large injury.

Suzy reveals her lack of awareness about Arthur, twice reacting ignorant to his needs. But she is still a source of humor and amusement. She is important because she reveals where the second part of the will has to be.

Grim Tuesday has Greed as his Deadly sin. He collects items from all over Earth and has a treasure tower where it all stays away from anyone. He has a bunch of indentured slaves that work for him, and there is no getting out of their jobs. He cares little for them and is cruel.

The Will, part two, takes the form of a sun bear. He doesn't' believe Arthur's claims about being the heir and wont until proper documentation is provided. His personality is different than the first part of the will.

The Mariner, briefly mentioned as Tom, is one of the Architect's children (which she had with the Old One). Turns out he had three children with mortal woman, so the world is slowly starting to resemble pagan mythology much more.

Japheth is an indentured servant of Grim Tuesday that befriends Arthur. He is the only one who is friendly and although he is barely in the story, he does show kindness to Arthur as well as serving as a guide.

PACING

The pacing starts slow, like the last book. But gradually it picks up. Although it isn't necessarily an action book it still has action scenes in it, but not till we reach halfway through the book. Although there are some suspense scenes that help the pacing. One near the end and one when Arthur first enters the Far reaches and has to fool a denizen.

BOB MEETS THE FETCHERS

There is a scene where Arthur sees the fetchers putting up a sign in front of house. His father Bob confronts them and is knocked out by their breath.

I thought it was interesting for him to get a chance to interact with them but it seems he couldn't see what they were and in fact forgets his encounter. So I was kind of disappointed. Although it was nice to see Arthur protective of his father, I still don't see much of a relationship between them.

LEAF

Leaf is barely in this book but she does play a small role. She ends up fighting a monster with Arthur and revealing where the new location of the House is. It moved from the hospital. Turned out that Suzy contacted her and told her while she was asleep. Leaf mentions she has had other dreams before and that her relative is a witch.

ARTHUR'S INJURY-SPOILERS

Arthur ends up breaking and leg and healing it, but healing it wrong. Turns out his healed leg is shorter than the Arthur. It's obvious that Arthur is really upset about this, thinking that he will never be able to run and play sports again. When he tells Suzy she just notes it like it's odd and interesting. Like a small child who doesn't understand what's going on.

I thought there should have been a moment where Arthur got mad at her and let his real feelings out. He hasn't seemed like a person who is afraid to reveal them, and I thought he would have revealed to Suzy how different she is than him, and humans in general. At least it should have been a source of conflict.

THE ATLAS

The atlas plays an important role, providing a compass when Suzy only knows what direction the tower is in, but not where that direction actually is.

NEW TOYS

When Suzy shows up, she brings wings, but ones that only go up. Also, this little finger puppet looking items called sticky fingers. You recite a spell and they stick to any item, switching from one hand to the other. I liked the idea of seeing more tools as well as contrasting how happy go lucky Suzy was compared to Arthur, and how it could get her in trouble.

For instance, Arthur points out his arms will come out of his sockets if he hangs upside down. Suzy admits she hadn't thought of his fragile human form.

There is also the mention if something called a weirdway that is used in this story.

SUZY'S BEACON-SPOILERS

Suzy had a spell put on her nail, so whenever she gets closer to Arthur, it will glow. Eventually this comes back, allowing Arthur to figure out where she is located when he loses sight of her in fog.

AN EYEBROW?

Suzy and Arthur meet a strange talking creature that claims to have been Grim Tuesday's eyebrows at one time. It is noted that his brows have been burned off. I thought it was really silly and felt kind of out of place. I understand it was so that Arthur and Suzy didn't wander aimlessly through a huge treasure tower and instead had directions to the will. But still, I thought it was kind of weird.

TRAVELING BY BOTTLE

Arthur has to find the will, but it's located on an island. In order to get there, they have to travel in a ship that is in a bottle. With help from the mariner they travel into the ship and from there to the island.

CLIMAX-VAGUE SPOILERS

Arthur finds the will and confronts Grim Tuesday. But he ends up up fighting him not physically, but through a contest decided by the will. Arthur does something interesting, but it felt out of the blue.

I felt it should have been mentioned before that he owned an instrument, and tried to play it. Maybe because of her father he wanted to be good at music or something.

That would have helped hint at the possibility of what he did. Then Arthur has to protect the Far reached from Nothing.

CONCLUSION

The creatures are interesting and so are the tools, not to mention the ship in a bottle. The world is expanded upon and Suzy is as amusing as ever. Arthur is certainly brave but still fragile, emotionally and physically, proving his is still a child. And Arthur doesn't just defeat Grim Tuesday, he also shows his mettle by protecting the Far reaches of the House.

But I still wish that there had been some conflict between Suzy and Arthur about her odd reaction to something huge and personal for him. As well as some hint about Arthur's mild talent that was used to win the key. I give “Grim Tuesday” three and a half stars.

Book Review: "Mister Monday" by Garth Nix

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

When Arthur has an asthma attack while on a jog at school, he is saved by a strange man with a hand of a clock. He's healed, but forever changed. Eventually he learns just what role he has inherited when trouble follows him. In order to stop it, he has to go to a strange place with its own rules: the House, with it's own rulers: the Morrow days.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Arthur is a young boy who was adopted after his parents died from a deadly virus. He is asthmatic and doesn't usually fit in well.

Suzy Turquoise Blue is one of the piper's children, meaning she used to be human. She doesn't age, and still looks like a child. She is rather blunt and not easily afraid. She is also rather funny, and most of the humor in the book comes from her.

Mister Monday looks like a young man but is actually a denizen. He is lazy and has his servant push him around in a wheelchair.

The Will, is actually just part one of the will. He is in the form of a frog and if you look closely, made entirely of words. But he feels solid.

PACING

We start with a short prologue in the House, where the Will gets loose. So the story starts where it should, it just isn't fast paced. From there, we meet Arthur at his school, where he eventually meets Mister Monday and has an asthma attack.

He gets the first key but leaves it there and has to go back for it. He starts seeing things, like a huge, strange house, and then finally in chapter four: weird dog face people at his school.

The action doesn't really start before this. It felt slow to me, mainly because I didn't feel like all the information was crucial. We meet Ed and Leaf but they are not in this book at all. We get a brief description of Arthur's house and family, neither of which are very interesting.

THE WORLD OF THE HOUSE

The house is huge and has many different parts. It's a massive bureaucracy.

There are denizens, which are servants who live in a predictable pattern with few original thoughts and feelings. They don't marry or seem to have romantic thoughts. They are kind of just worker drones. And they cannot get sick nor do they need to eat. Although food and illnesses are fashionable.

Then there are Piper's children, who used to be real children, but have been in the House for hundreds of years, and never age. They can't remember their past much.

The Morrow days, are seven trustees who each hold a key which carries tremendous power. They are named for the days of the week.

THE ARCHITECT

Arthur eventually learns that the Architect is the one who made the world. He only gives it a moments thought, realizing that every religion in the world is wrong. Although he never says if he had any beliefs, or still does. Or if he is close to those that do.

I was just left surprised it seemed to have so little impact on him. I mean I know he is a child, but even children think of these things, or at least they witness adults thinking about it.

THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS

Mister Monday is obviously sloth, being as lazy as he is. I think the word was actually used, so it became obvious to me that this was a reference to the seven deadly sins. All records and permits have not been attended to and he is in charge of them.

THE MYSTERY OF THE OLD ONE

Arthur discovers a denizen called the Old One, who is chained up and trapped on a clock. I thought it was creepy and unique. Also, it didn't reveal who he was, so it made me eager to learn more. Although we get hints as we learn that he was imprisoned for interfering with the Architect's project (earth).

SUZY'S PAST

Suzy cannot remember her past much, but one event allows her to learn what time period she came from. But I was disappointed, because we learn that basically her family has passed on.

She basically says, well, I guess I can forget about that. It has such a little affect on her. It seemed thrown out there just to get her past out of the way. Like, look, see, she has a history. But it has nothing to do with the story, so we're getting it over with fast.

ARTHUR'S FAMILY

Arthur points out that he was adopted. His mom is a doctor while his dad used to be in a rock band. His dad had three kids out of wedlock with three different woman when he was younger. And his mom had a kid in her first marriage then they had two kids together.

Then Nix proceeds to tell the reader that they all get along great, and don't think of each other as step-siblings. It comes across as forced and preachy, especially when Nix recalls that they don't explain why they all look completely different. They shouldn't have to explain what their dad did so why the defensive tone?

The idea that the family is perfect came off as unrealistic. None of this needed to be there. It didn't serve to do anything but pull me out of the story. I wanted to see the relationships in action, but the family is basically in the background and the description was cringe-worthy. This is a minuscule portion of the story, but worth mentioning because it's so awkward.

ADOPTED

Arthur mentioned he was adopted, and I couldn't help feel that this should have affected him in more ways. The only way it seems to have affected him, is his anxiety about viruses, since that's how his parents died. He has a photo of his parents, so he knows what they look like.

I felt like he should have mentioned it more, like maybe how he was nothing like his dad, who is laid back and musically talented. Or like his mom, who is super smart. He should have compared himself to his siblings, or something. All siblings do that, but Arthur seems to have no ill effects.

It just didn't feel real to me. I mean I know he was only a baby when he was adopted, but surely all adopted kids wonder what it would be like to have their real parents. Just not Arthur, I guess.

CLIMAX

Arthur, Suzy and the Will travel to Mister Monday's domain. Suzy defends Arthur from an enemy; Arthur goes on to confront Mister Monday, and figures out a clever way to defeat him, using his own power against him.

CONCLUSION

Nix creates a detailed world with interesting mysteries and weird creatures. Arthur is likable enough and Suzy is quite amusing. The climax is clever and the different troubles encountered are unique.

Although I do wish perhaps that I got to see Arthur's love for his family, instead of just being told how they had no problems at all. I give “Mister Monday” three and a half stars.