Casper Tock and the Everdark Wings (The Unmapped Chronicles #1) by Abi Elphinstone
Release: January 7th 2020
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Aladdin
Source: Amazon
__
__
From bestselling author Abi Elphinstone comes a wondrous new series about four secret unmapped kingdoms hidden in our own world!
Casper Tock hates risks and is allergic to adventures. So it comes as a nasty shock to him one day when he hides from bullies in an ancient grandfather clock—and ends up finding an entire world inside.
Casper discovers that this sky kingdom of Rumblestar is one of the four Unmapped Kingdoms in charge of controlling the weather in Casper’s own world. What’s more, Casper is now stuck in Rumblestar, and the only person there who doesn’t think he’s a demon spy is a strange girl named Utterly, who hates rules and is allergic to behaving.
All Casper wants is to find his way home, but Rumblestar is in trouble. An evil harpy called Morg is trying to steal the magic of the Unmapped Kingdoms. And if these kingdoms fall, Casper’s world will be destroyed.
And so, together with Utterly and her miniature dragon, Arlo, Casper embarks on a quest full of cloud giants, storm ogres, and drizzle hags. Can he, Utterly, and Arlo—the unlikeliest of heroes—save both their worlds from the clutches of Morg?
Abi Elphinstone grew up in Scotland where she spent most of her childhood building dens, hiding in tree houses, and running wild across highland glens. After being coaxed out of her treehouse, she studied English at Bristol University and then worked as a teacher in Africa, Berkshire, and London. She is the author of the Dreamsnatcher trilogy and the Unmapped Chronicles, among other books for young readers, and the editor of anthology Winter Magic. When she’s not writing, Abi volunteers for the children’s literacy charity Coram Beanstalk, speaks in schools, and travels the world looking for her next story. You can find more about Abi at AbiElphinstone.com or on Facebook at Abi.Elphinstone.
Author Website: AbiElphinstone.com
Facebook || Twitter || Instagram
Casper Tock and the Everdark Wings Review:
This book takes you on a roller-coaster ride of friendship and adventure, and I enjoyed reading it.
Firstly, the author created the worlds wonderfully. She beautifully uses all the elements of nature to create the various parts of Rumblestar. I loved the concept of the Unmapped Kingdom being linked to our Faraway worlds. Moreover, there are so many creatures like witches, ogres and trolls that appear. Hence, you never know who Casper and Utterly are going to encounter next and what surprises they hold.
Speaking of the characters, I loved Casper, Utterly and Arlo! The three form an amazing team. I liked how they overcome their weakness and support one another. Moreover, they have distinct personalities and complement each other well. Casper overthinks and lacks confidence, whereas Utterly is adventurous and foolhardy. I adored Arlo and wanted him as a pet in reality (if it was ever possible). I also enjoyed the supporting characters like the three hags, the Bristlebeard and even Zip.
Perhaps the only downside to the story was the complicated terms. This is a very minor issue, I found it hard to remember certain names of the characters and places. Since the story is so fast with many things happening, I had to trace back to who some of the characters were when a reference was made. Also, I wanted to see Casper interact with Morg (after the buildup), but that did not happen. Perhaps she would make a bigger appearance in Book 2.
Apart from that, I really loved everything about this story. Overall, I am eager to read the next book in the series, and hope the same characters make an appearance!
