The Bone Queen

Gr 9 Up—In this prequel to the "Pellinor" series, disgraced Bard Cadvan of Lirigon has retreated to a small mining town after an exercise of magic killed one classmate and left another badly injured. Cadvan, a Bard still in training, severely overestimated his abilities in thinking he could summon Kansabur, the dreaded Bone Queen, without consequences. It took the joined efforts of more powerful Bards to return her to the Abyss. Fellow student Bards Dernhil, Ceredin, and Selmana, as well as older Bards of the First Circle, drink wine and cider, ride horseback from village to village, and hole up in wood-beamed inns during violent rainstorms as they seek to ensure Kansabur remains banished. The detailed maps to the continent of Edil-Amarandh, along with background on pronunciations and translations, draw readers into the Australian author's elaborately constructed realm of Annar. The atmosphere of the novel is J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth mixed with Tamora Pierce's Tortall and a little of the Wizarding World of "Harry Potter" for good measure. Fantasy enthusiasts will find it satisfying to disappear into Croggon's world. This book stands alone and is even more enjoyable in conjunction with the other "Pellinor" volumes.