The Crowfield Curse by Pat Walsh follows the simple life of William, an orphan boy who lives in a monastery under the watchful eye of the monks who live there. Tasked with gathering wood for the monastery, William finds himself in the woods and stumbles across an injured hob. William, ever a kind and understanding soul, takes the troll-like creature back to the monastery to nurse him back to the health with the help of Brother Snail, the only trustworthy and helpful monk in the monastery. But strange things start to happen: a foreboding presence is haunting the woods, a white raven appears to follow William, and strange visitors come to the Crowfield Monastery with a secret agenda. Suddenly, William is stuck in the middle of a battle against good and evil that will soon change his perspective on all he believes.
Pat Walsh creates a helpless protagonist in the lead character, William. William has only questions and no answers to the many questions about himself and the strange occurrences that happen at the monastery throughout the novel. The reader will feel both pity for the unfortunate plot of William and frustrated at the lack of resolution to the questions Walsh’s writing supplies. Nevertheless, when some answers do come at the conclusion of the novel, they are backed by even more uncertainties which this reader is sure will make for an interesting read in the sequel, The Crowfield Demon.
The references in the novel to monastery life will be confusing for some readers, however Walsh never makes the writing outside middle grade reading level. The novel has a glossary for any terms that young readers would be unfamiliar with. With this advantage, readers will find the mix of history and the supernatural to be a fun mix and an enjoyable read.
Does it have a Young Adult Label?: No.
Recommended if you like: Mysterious forests, supernatural elements, books in a series, secrets, stories set in the past, fairytale creatures, mystery, fantasy, horror, magic
Rating:
The references in the novel to monastery life will be confusing for some readers, however Walsh never makes the writing outside middle grade reading level. The novel has a glossary for any terms that young readers would be unfamiliar with. With this advantage, readers will find the mix of history and the supernatural to be a fun mix and an enjoyable read.
Does it have a Young Adult Label?: No.
Recommended if you like: Mysterious forests, supernatural elements, books in a series, secrets, stories set in the past, fairytale creatures, mystery, fantasy, horror, magic
Rating: