Karissa E. (ophelia99) reviewed The Robe of Skulls: The First Tale from the Five Kingdoms on + 2527 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I must admit this is a book where I saw the cover and immediately wanted to read it. After reading the description it sounded amusing, so I picked it up from the library. This is the First Tale from the Five Kingdoms by Vivian French. Last I heard she was contracted for five books in this series. It was an amusing read.
The Sorceress Lady Lamorna wants a new gown, but she doesn't have any gold. So she devises a plan to turn princes into frogs and blackmail their parents to pay her money to turn them back. Unfortunately she doesn not factor in all the trouble the people she meets will cause her.
This book is completely tongue in cheek. All the characters are way over the top and completely stereotyped. For example Gracie Gillypot, the Trueheart, can find happiness in the most grim of situations...even if that situation is being locked in a dark, dank cellar. The Lady Lamorna is your typical evil queen villain sort. If you don't like over-the-top, excessively crazy characters than this is not the book for you.
The book is well done and engaging, as well as a quick read. The whole book has a sharp wit to it that is highly amusing and is told in a very fairy tale-like manner. There are pictures in each chapter that are well-done and fit the crazy fairy-tale demeanor of the writing. This was also a very quick read, maybe two hours at the most.
Overall I enjoyed it, chuckled some, and rolled my eyes at some of the overly blatantly craziness and silliness. At points it almost gets too silly, but never quite manages to cross that line. If you like zany fairy tales with overly dramatic and ridiculously stereotyped characters then you will get a kick out of this book. If you aren't into that sort of craziness I would look for something else. I will definitely read the next book in this series "The Bag of Bones". I am not sure if I will read beyond that because I think this level of silliness might get old quickly; we will see. For this book though I enjoyed it.
The Sorceress Lady Lamorna wants a new gown, but she doesn't have any gold. So she devises a plan to turn princes into frogs and blackmail their parents to pay her money to turn them back. Unfortunately she doesn not factor in all the trouble the people she meets will cause her.
This book is completely tongue in cheek. All the characters are way over the top and completely stereotyped. For example Gracie Gillypot, the Trueheart, can find happiness in the most grim of situations...even if that situation is being locked in a dark, dank cellar. The Lady Lamorna is your typical evil queen villain sort. If you don't like over-the-top, excessively crazy characters than this is not the book for you.
The book is well done and engaging, as well as a quick read. The whole book has a sharp wit to it that is highly amusing and is told in a very fairy tale-like manner. There are pictures in each chapter that are well-done and fit the crazy fairy-tale demeanor of the writing. This was also a very quick read, maybe two hours at the most.
Overall I enjoyed it, chuckled some, and rolled my eyes at some of the overly blatantly craziness and silliness. At points it almost gets too silly, but never quite manages to cross that line. If you like zany fairy tales with overly dramatic and ridiculously stereotyped characters then you will get a kick out of this book. If you aren't into that sort of craziness I would look for something else. I will definitely read the next book in this series "The Bag of Bones". I am not sure if I will read beyond that because I think this level of silliness might get old quickly; we will see. For this book though I enjoyed it.
Jennifer W. (GeniusJen) reviewed The Robe of Skulls: The First Tale from the Five Kingdoms on + 5322 more book reviews
Reviewed by Tasha for TeensReadToo.com
Just above the town of Fracture lies a ghastly castle with an even ghastlier occupant, Lady Lamorna, who is just plain freaky. Her latest wish is a magnificent black velvet gown that is studded with skulls. When she goes to pay for it she finds that her treasure chest is empty. Instead of canceling her order, Lady Lamorna concocts a plan to pay for the dress.
Her plan includes a couple of members of the royal party, some frogs, and blackmail.
Then there is Gracie Gillypot, a shy girl who spends most of her days locked up in the cellar under the stairs of her house. When she's not spending time with the spiders under the stairs she is running after her stepfather and complying with his every wish. When a talking bat finds her one day, he promises her a better life and takes off. Days later he returns and helps Gracie escape. He's taking her to see the Ancient Crones, who will hopefully be able to help her with her wicked stepsister and stepfather problem.
Last but not least there is the prince that scoots under Lady Lamorna's radar. Marcus is a rather curious prince who really doesn't want anything to do with royalty. When his brother is turned into a frog he is determined to find the person who committed this heinous crime. Through a twist of fate he is paired up with Gracie and they set off to put Lady Lamorna in her rightful place.
This book was an absolute riot. While it is a super-fast read, you will find yourself enthralled with the quirkiness of the characters and loving the story. The illustrations are very comical, too! While this is definitely a middle grade novel, it is definitely suited for older and younger readers alike. I really enjoyed the quick-moving plot that keeps taking twists and turns. I loved how the author connected everything in a way that wasn't predictable and added to the hilarity of the book.
Overall, I really liked THE ROBE OF SKULLS and highly recommend it!
Just above the town of Fracture lies a ghastly castle with an even ghastlier occupant, Lady Lamorna, who is just plain freaky. Her latest wish is a magnificent black velvet gown that is studded with skulls. When she goes to pay for it she finds that her treasure chest is empty. Instead of canceling her order, Lady Lamorna concocts a plan to pay for the dress.
Her plan includes a couple of members of the royal party, some frogs, and blackmail.
Then there is Gracie Gillypot, a shy girl who spends most of her days locked up in the cellar under the stairs of her house. When she's not spending time with the spiders under the stairs she is running after her stepfather and complying with his every wish. When a talking bat finds her one day, he promises her a better life and takes off. Days later he returns and helps Gracie escape. He's taking her to see the Ancient Crones, who will hopefully be able to help her with her wicked stepsister and stepfather problem.
Last but not least there is the prince that scoots under Lady Lamorna's radar. Marcus is a rather curious prince who really doesn't want anything to do with royalty. When his brother is turned into a frog he is determined to find the person who committed this heinous crime. Through a twist of fate he is paired up with Gracie and they set off to put Lady Lamorna in her rightful place.
This book was an absolute riot. While it is a super-fast read, you will find yourself enthralled with the quirkiness of the characters and loving the story. The illustrations are very comical, too! While this is definitely a middle grade novel, it is definitely suited for older and younger readers alike. I really enjoyed the quick-moving plot that keeps taking twists and turns. I loved how the author connected everything in a way that wasn't predictable and added to the hilarity of the book.
Overall, I really liked THE ROBE OF SKULLS and highly recommend it!
