Thursdays With The Crown by Jessica Day George | Book Review

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Castle Glower has been acting weird, so it’s no surprise when two towers transport Celie and her siblings to an unknown land. When they realize that no one from home is coming to get them, the kids – along with Celie’s pet griffin Rufus – set out through the forest to figure out where they are and what’s happened to their beloved Castle. Instead, they discover two wizards and an entire lost people, the oldest inhabitants of Castle Glower. And it seems they may know more of the Castle’s secrets than Celie. But do they know how to get her back home?

This bestselling series continues with the story of the origin of Castle Glower. Readers who’ve been enchanted by the Castle’s moving walls will be delighted by the Castle’s rich and magical history.

A few years ago, I was on the CYBILS judging panel for middle grade science fiction and fantasy. Through that panel, I received my first introduction to many authors — a few actually sticking with me as favorites. Among those authors, I read my first Jessica Day George book — Tuesdays At The Castle which is the introduction to Day’s middle grade series about a magical castle and it’s favorite cartographer inhabitant, Princess Celie. Following Tuesdays At The Castle was the sequel, Wednesdays In The Tower which features the discovery of a pet griffin named Rufus. The latest addition to the Castle Glower series picks up immediately where Wednesdays At The Tower leaves off.  Thursdays With The Crown opens with Celie, her sister Lilah, brother Rolf, friends Lulath and Pogue waking up in a strange land where the tower has taken the duo.

Thursdays With The Crown features Celie and the characters I mentioned above in a whole new land that they’ve never visited before. It turns out the characters in the land speak the same language they do, yet unfortunately feel this rivalry with Celie because they feel that the Castle and the griffins ought to be theirs. You see, the land that Celie ends up in, Arkower,is the same land that sent the griffins and their riders to Sleyne after a terrible plague struck. Yet, as Celie and her group discovers, there are still griffins in Arkower, both wild griffins and royal griffins. In addition, there are two mad wizards who refuse to let an ancient rivalry go. Will the gang ever find their way back to Sleyne? You will have to read Day’s latest addition to the series in order to find out.

One thing that I enjoyed about Thursdays With The Crown was the addition of a new land to explore to the series as well as expanding on the history of the Castle Glower. I loved reading about the griffins and how they choose to bond with a specific person and what happens if the griffin does not bond with someone. I loved reading about the two wizards that hate each other. I loved learning about the Builder, who created the Castle Glower. It was also cool finding out where the decorations and food came from for their Christmas feast. I pretty much ended up staying for the griffins and the tomb exploration, not going to lie.

Overall, this was a cute addition to the series. It was a fast read with some adventure. However, I did not think it was as good as Tuesdays At The Castle. Don’t get me wrong, I like all the griffins and all the adventuring, but it just doesn’t have that same feel to me as the first book in the series. I did not connect as quickly with this book or feel as invested in the outcome. I will still read each book in this series as it comes out, of course. After all, the next book seems to promise unicorns at this point, so you know I will be there for that noise and also to see how Celie’s character development goes and to see the griffins again.

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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