Kamilla BenkoRecensioni

I thought I could read this to my 5yo, but it was too scary and angsty.

“A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a very good story in the slightest.” C.S. Lewis

I see a lot of very positive reviews of this book, and judging by their content many of them seem to be written by the middle graders that are the target audience for the story. I’m certain that I can give this book to my 11yr old and she will gobble it up and love it just as much as some of these other reviewers. Unfortunately, that doesn’t make it a great book.

The first couple chapters were actually ok. There was mystery and danger and it set the stage for something interesting to come. Then the rest of the first half of the book was taken up with Anna’s anxiety over what her sister thinks about her and assuming the worst and trying her hardest to fix things herself, assuming that it’s all her fault. It’s definitely a noticeable theme in the movies, but when it’s the main focus of so many chapters and there isn’t the lightness of the supporting cast, or any songs, or Kristen Bell’s fantastic portrayal, it’s really tough to read and gets annoying really fast.

The blight and then the nightmares are all kind of confusing and nothing seems to happen for quite awhile except the spread of the blight and the growing anxiety of Anna, with a few obvious exhibitions of Elsa’s own fears and anxieties. The supporting characters all take a turn, but we spend a lot of time in Anna’s head with her big plans and big anxieties and her heartfelt conviction that she needs to solve this problem and prove herself. We also see Elsa working way too hard to carry the entire kingdom on her own shoulders and prove herself in this way too. It’s pretty obvious (maybe just because I’m over the age of 25) that these ladies need each other’s help and should just talk things over more.

The second half of the book has the sisters finally choose a plan of action and head of in pursuit of answers, and things get a little more interesting with the introduction of more mythical creatures and a possible explanation of what is actually happening, but so much still takes place in Anna’s head and it’s just so tiresome being there. Again, I kept thinking to myself that if she and Elsa would just talk about what’s bothering them, they would get a LOT farther. It’s a theme in the movies, and a good one, and it’s true to life - we can each get stuck in our own heads and assume things about others and their intentions and forget just how much they love us and how much they believe in us, but it didn’t have to take up anywhere near this much of the book. This could have been 1/3 shorter and a lot more interesting.

They eventually figure it out after many wrong turns, and everything ends up beautifully. The key to the story is basically the same as the movies, so nothing surprising in that regard, and then the epilogue tells us exactly where in the timeline of Anna and Elsa that the story fits.

I was so tired of the book by the end that I didn’t care about how well things worked out and how they were all set to live happily ever after, or even the thrill that was intended to come from the epilogue, I was just so glad to be done. I don’t think this book will spoil me on the movies, but I do think I’ll be unlikely to try another book by this author any time soon.

Great book, the story held my attention throughout. The pacing and plot where really good and characters true to form. Intersting and engaging enough for adult readers as well as teens.

I'm glad I picked this back up again after a few months, now that I'm in the middle grade mood. It felt at first like what it was...a filler between movies, but soon grew into its own entity, and showed that really, Benko wasn't afraid of (or was allowed to) make some huge decisions for the world of Arendelle and the characters. I love the willingness to expand Arendelle's lore, full of magical creatures and legends. Also, the end was just so sweet.

The back cover: "A Secret ladder. A Missing sister. A Dangerous world of magic and adventure." What young person wouldn't enjoy this adventure into the secret world of Arden, just by climbing up a ladder in an old fireplace. There are unicorns to discover, new friends to meet, and dangerous "wraiths" to avoid. Two young sister, Sophie and Claire will find a "fantastical land" filled with castles, magic, and strange creatures, and the ending will be quite a surprise.

Not as good as the first but provides a satisfactory semi-conclusion to the story that began in the first book. In Secret in the Stone, the sisters must try and unlock the unicorn tears to release the special magic and hopefully call up a unicorn. They travel to the city Stonehaven which is ruled by the clan of Gemmers and are separated again with non-magical Sophie being relegated to menial jobs and Claire being thrust into magical classes a la Hogwarts.
One for fans of Narnia and Harry Potter, and a very clean book for younger readers.½

Read for VPRC. Lovely fantasy about Claire who stumbles across an alternate fantasy world by climbing up a chimney. For kids who love Narnia, this book is suitable for Years 5-8. Claire must go on a quest in this world called Arden to find her sister, who has been accused of stealing a magical object. Accompanied by two Arden children, Nett and Sena who belong to different guilds, the three travel the land avoiding evil spirits at night and befriending certain people along the way. BUT, are the people they meet actually their friends or is their something else going on?

First in a series. For fans of QUEST books - Deltora quest and Narnia. Easy read and quite enthralling.½

When Claire and Sophie discover a ladder in the fireplace of their deceased great aunt's house, they can't imagine the adventure they are about to become a part of. The ladder leads to another civilization known as Arden. When Claire goes in search of her sister, she discovers that she is missing and might be in danger. Two kids, Sena and Nett agree to help Claire find her sister and hopefully a missing unicorn harp that could hold answers to the legend of the unicorns and bring peace back to the fractious guilds. Nett, in the Tiller guild can harness the magic of plants. Sena, in the Forger guild can harness the magic of metals. Combined with the other two guilds Spinners (magic of fabric) and Gemmers (magic of rocks), Arden is a hot mess of deceit and jealousy. While searching for Sophie, Claire begins to realize that maybe she has a magical power too and is descended from an important Arden lineage.

This is a classic fantasy story complete with magic, a hidden kingdom, warring factions, creatures and dangerous forests. All of these same components can be found in the Harry Potter books. The ending suggests that there will be a sequel and possible series.

Artistic younger sister Claire, spirited older sister Sophie.
Alternate world with magic and talk of unicorns.
First novel by Kamilla Benko.
Unfortunately, I lost interest, but might return to it after a while to see if it sits differently then.

Claire and her older sister Sophie are having an adventure - of sorts. After all the recent fears and worries about Sophie's health, Claire has felt that she and her sister have pulled apart and their relationship is strained. When they visit their deceased great-aunt's house for their parents to pack up and dispose of all the antiques, the two sisters discover a mysterious unicorn statue and a fireplace. Encouraged by adventurous Sophie, the sisters climb up the chimney... and find themselves in a terrifying world with a monster chasing them. They manage to escape and Sophie decides the adventure never happened and tells Claire to forget all about it.

Claire has always followed Sophie's lead and tries to forget, but when Sophie disappears, Claire takes up all her courage and ventures to the magical world again, only to discover that Sophie has vanished there also - and has been visiting the other world for months, making friends and discoveries without her. It's a beautiful, magical world, but also a frightening one. Claire is plunged into a confusing adventure, always one step behind the missing Sophie, and struggling to find out how things work on her own.

She learns that in the land of Arden there are four magical guilds which control four elements; metal, stone, plants, and weaving. Long ago, the guilds worked together and honored the magical unicorns that populated the land. But when war arose, many tragedies occurred, the unicorns were killed, and the guilds were separated. Now they live apart, forbidden to work together. But strange magic is afoot and Sophie's disappearance is just the beginning...

During her journey, Claire discovers strengths she never knew she had even as she struggles to figure out who is friend and who is enemy. She witnesses the terrible cost of war and prejudice, and sees the aftermath in the lives of her new friends as well as how she and her sister are both affected as well. While the story employs many wish-fulfillment tropes, like discovering magic and royal blood, it offers them in a fresh setting with strong, multi-faceted female characters that keep the story interesting and exciting.

Verdict: A strong debut fantasy for middle grade readers, hand this one to fans of E. D. Baker, Merrie Haskell, and Diane Zahler.

ISBN: 9781681192451; Published February 2018 by Bloomsbury; ARC provided by publisher; Purchased for the library