Book Review: Advent by James Treadwell
James Treadwell- Advent Format- Paperback Source- review copy Synopsis: For centuries it has been locked away Lost beneath the sea Warded from earth, air, water, fire, spirits, thought and sight. But now magic is rising to the world once more. And a boy called Gavin, who thinks only that he is a city kid with parents who hate him, and knows only that he sees things no one else will believe, is boarding a train, alone, to Cornwall. When he arrives, there is no one there to meet him. Review: When 15 year old Gavin, gets on a train to Cornwall, he is relieved to spend a week away from his parents, who are not very fond of him. Gavin has always been a little odd, having an imaginary friend, Miss Grey, since he was a young child which he never seemed to grow out of. It’s not until he meets ‘nutty professor’ Hester Lightfoot on the same carriage heading to the same town, that he realises Miss Grey isn’t actually fantasy and he isn’t the only one who can see her.Gavin arrives in Cornwall only find his eccentric Aunt Gwen has mysteriously disappeared. When he arrives at the property he meets young Marina, just 13 years old and very naïve. She becomes intertwined into the mystery of Gavin’s missing Aunt and the magical forces that arise nearby.I haven’t read any of the Harry Potter novels (I know I should!) but I would imagine fans of HP would enjoy Advent with its magical mythology and strange happenings. James Treadwell writes intelligent prose and creates a lifelike world which is occupied by many unlifelike creatures and beings. At times the dialogue was confusing, probably because for the most part the characters in the story were very much confused.Although I really wanted to love Advent, I just didn’t become completely immersed in the story. Perhaps because it was a pure fantasy novel, perhaps because the protagonist was a teenage boy… or maybe I just wasn’t smart enough to keep up with the author’s complex style of writing!I recommend Advent for fans of fantasy without the YA romance elements and for readers who seek absorbing fantastical worlds and mystery.
3/5 rating
Pre-order book @
Advent is released on Feb 2nd, 2012