Reviewed by Theresa L. Stowell for TeensReadToo.com
William Paynel is not like other people. Not only did he survive a fire that killed his whole family, but he has the Sight, a gift that allows him to see the fay world that is hidden from others.
He discovers this gift one morning while he is gathering wood for the monks at the monastery where he lives, and he hears a strange voice. When he realizes the voice is coming from a small animal-like creature, his world is turned upside down.
William quickly frees the creature from a trap, befriends him, and takes him to Brother Snail, the monastery's healer. With this friendship comes an introduction to a mystery that the monks have been covering for centuries, two enigmatic strangers, and a dangerous enemy.
Hobs, the Seelie Court, the Unseelie King, and angels are just a few of the magical beings that are entrenched in the secret of Crowfield Abbey and its curse.
Walsh creates such a captivating story with her first novel that readers won't want to put it down. Woven into the story is a history lesson that is so subtle that it will enchant while it teaches.
William Paynel is not like other people. Not only did he survive a fire that killed his whole family, but he has the Sight, a gift that allows him to see the fay world that is hidden from others.
He discovers this gift one morning while he is gathering wood for the monks at the monastery where he lives, and he hears a strange voice. When he realizes the voice is coming from a small animal-like creature, his world is turned upside down.
William quickly frees the creature from a trap, befriends him, and takes him to Brother Snail, the monastery's healer. With this friendship comes an introduction to a mystery that the monks have been covering for centuries, two enigmatic strangers, and a dangerous enemy.
Hobs, the Seelie Court, the Unseelie King, and angels are just a few of the magical beings that are entrenched in the secret of Crowfield Abbey and its curse.
Walsh creates such a captivating story with her first novel that readers won't want to put it down. Woven into the story is a history lesson that is so subtle that it will enchant while it teaches.
I was excited to read this book, it looked like an excellent middle grade historical fantasy with some creepiness added. It ended up being okay, but I had some trouble engaging with both the story and the characters. There is a second book in the series called The Crowfield Demon.
Will is sent to live at Crowfield Abbey after his parents die. There he works in the kitchen for the monks. While in the forest one day he hears a cry for help and discovers a hobgoblin, apparently Will has the Sight and can see the Fey. When some strange visitors show up at the Abbey, Will is drawn into a mystery involving a buried angel and some evil Fey.
I had a lot of trouble reading this book, but I also had a lot of trouble figuring out exactly why. The book is a quick read and the storyline is interesting. The book is kind of creepy and very much a historical fantasy mystery of sorts.
I found Will to be a very uninspiring character. He just came across as very dull to me, the only thing that made him really stand out from anyone else was the fact that he had the Sight. I just had a lot of trouble engaging with him as a character.
The story also lacked description, so the scenes never really came alive. I had trouble picturing the settings and again trouble engaging with the story. The whole thing was just told in a very dry way.
I did find the story intriguing. It was interesting how the monks put religious beliefs toward explanations of their fey neighbors. The story wasnt completely predictable and there is some interesting world building going on.
Overall this was an okay read. The story is interesting enough, but it is told in a very dry way and the characters were hard to engage with. By the time I finished reading the story I forgot it, it was just that kind of book...a very forgettable read. I will not be reading the sequel to this series. I was kind of hoping that this would be a book similar in tone to The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney, but that series is much better than this one.
Will is sent to live at Crowfield Abbey after his parents die. There he works in the kitchen for the monks. While in the forest one day he hears a cry for help and discovers a hobgoblin, apparently Will has the Sight and can see the Fey. When some strange visitors show up at the Abbey, Will is drawn into a mystery involving a buried angel and some evil Fey.
I had a lot of trouble reading this book, but I also had a lot of trouble figuring out exactly why. The book is a quick read and the storyline is interesting. The book is kind of creepy and very much a historical fantasy mystery of sorts.
I found Will to be a very uninspiring character. He just came across as very dull to me, the only thing that made him really stand out from anyone else was the fact that he had the Sight. I just had a lot of trouble engaging with him as a character.
The story also lacked description, so the scenes never really came alive. I had trouble picturing the settings and again trouble engaging with the story. The whole thing was just told in a very dry way.
I did find the story intriguing. It was interesting how the monks put religious beliefs toward explanations of their fey neighbors. The story wasnt completely predictable and there is some interesting world building going on.
Overall this was an okay read. The story is interesting enough, but it is told in a very dry way and the characters were hard to engage with. By the time I finished reading the story I forgot it, it was just that kind of book...a very forgettable read. I will not be reading the sequel to this series. I was kind of hoping that this would be a book similar in tone to The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney, but that series is much better than this one.
