13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison
 Buy on Amazon | 13 TreasuresBy: Michelle Harrison Published by: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers ISBN: 0316041475 Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy Author’s Website: Author’s Twitter: Recommendable for people who: fairy tales, adventure |
Synopsis (from Amazon):
Tanya is no ordinary girl. She can see fairies. But not the fairies we imagine. Evil fairies who cast spells on her, rousing her from her sleep and propelling her out of bed. At wit’s end with her daughter’s inexplicable behavior, Tanya’s mother sends her away to live with her grandmother at Elvesden Manor, a secluded countryside mansion on the outskirts of a peculiar Essex town. There is plenty to explore, as long as Tanya stays away from Hangman’s Wood- a vast stretch of forest, full of catacombs and notorious for people losing their lives. Fifty years ago a girl vanished in the woods, a girl Tanya’s grandmother will not speak of. As Tanya learns more about this girl, she finds herself dangerously close to vanishing into the fairy realm forever.Debut author Michelle Harrison weaves an intricate mystery into a beautiful and haunting fantasy that captures a rich world of fairy lore where only the color red can offer protection.
My Thoughts:
I loved 13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison! So much so, that I read it in one day even though it was nearly 400 pages long. If you take nothing else away from this review, please take away that this story is amazing. I loved it, and I can’t wait for Sis to venture out of Judy Moody and Junie B Jones so that she can love this one too. Because I know that she will, love it I mean. It’s just THAT good.
I’ve been staring at this page for days. Trying to decide what to say and not say in this review. I want to tell you enough that you WILL pick up this book. Without telling you so much that there is no need to. It’s a fine line reviewers walk, and I hate it. Spoilers. To tell or not to tell? As a reader, I hate reading them, so as a book blogger – I hate including them. So here I sit, staring at a blank page, wondering what I can type here to make you pick up this series.
Lets start with the world Michelle Harrison has created. I loved it. So descriptive, and real. I could smell the dusty musk and old cat inside Elvesden Manor. I could feel the damp sticky thickness of the air in Hangman Wood. I didn’t even have to close my eyes and try. It just felt that real. I loved, no – I absolutely loved, that the fairies in this story are not the sweet little Tinkerbell fairies. Brian Froud is one of my favorite illustrators, and his faeries are just amazing. Scary, and tricksie, and spiteful, and sarcastic, and… those are the faeries we find in this story. The world was amazing.
I said on Goodreads that I felt like I was reading Spiderwick, but with girls. I loved Spiderwick! Everything was magical and felt real.
For the characters, omgosh.
Tanya, the main character, a little girl who nobody “gets” (because she could see faeries) and because of it keeps getting shuffled around to give her mum a break. I so connected with her, right from page one. Heck, I was HER. No, I don’t see faeries. But I was that kid that got shuffled around. That was me. So from page one, I got Tanya, and I cared for her.
Fabian, guh. He totally brought out the 13 year old girl in me. He got on my nerves, made me roll my eyes, and in the end made me cry. Stupid boys. =D
I loved Warwick. A) Warwick is the actor of one of my favorite movie characters of all time! WILLOW anyone?! B) He totally reminded me of my Pepaw. Understated, grunting and growling instead of speaking sentences… LoL. I really liked him, even though I wasn’t supposed to. In my head, I totally saw Joaquin Phoenix as Warwick. I know, I know, just hear me out. Not hot sexy, I’d leave my husband for, SIGNS and THE VILLAGE, Joaquin. No, no. Scary, dirty, sad, but underneath we know there is something amazing, I’M A RAPPER, Joaquin. *sigh* yes, even through his nasty phase, I probably would have still left my husband for him. shhhhh… thats just between us though. haha.
Red, omgosh, Red. I loved her. LOVED her. She made me think of the little girl they saved in Aliens. All crazy looking and in the end the smartest one in the bunch and steps up to the plate to save the day. She was just awesome.
And as for the story…
Faeries are tricksie! Bottom line, and I don’t want to say much more than that.
Well, that and I loved this book.
I have the next one in the series 13 Curses sitting here beside me. I’m waiting for my life to settle for just ONE DAY so I can read it. Right now is 2am, and my house is finally quiet, even my dogs are snoring. It would be the perfect time to crack open the next installment, if only my eyes weren’t so droopy. Tomorrow is Sunday. Laundry day. My plan is to hide out in the laundry room, with my snuggle dryer sheets on one side and laundry hamper on the other, and read to the dull hum of the dryer. Crossing fingers that laundry day becomes my “escaping” day.