Casper Tock and the Everdark Wings [Abi Elphinstone]

“…if you feel like a celebratory sob, tissues are in hatch four.”

Casper Tock and the Everdark Wings by Abi Elphinstone of The Unmapped Chronicles is the fantasy I wish I’d had when I was a child. Known as Rumblestar in the United Kingdom, Elphinstone’s brilliantly woven tale about a shy young boy hiding from bullies who hides in a clock that whisks him away to another world where he must embark on a daring adventure to save not only this new place of questionable safety, but also his own world whose future is unalteringly tied to the well-being of the Unmapped Kingdoms.

I cannot stress enough how gorgeously written this entire tale is. It takes very little time to fall in love with the quirky writing style of the author and children are going to just love it.

Eleven-year-old Casper Tock is a notoriously shy and introverted kid whose best skill is keeping time-tables and staying on time with his schedule. He’s the last boy anyone would expect to set off on an adventure, but as the adventure falls into his lap he joins a young girl called Utterly Thankless as they set out to save her world from the evil harpy, Morg, who is determined to steal all the magic for herself.

This book has so much going for it, from diversity–Casper is half Tanzanian–to expert storytelling. The world-building is truly excellent as well, leaving readers feeling as though they are right there alongside Casper and Utterly as the two continue on their perilous journey through the various quadrants of her world, each one related to the type of weather that the inhabitants must create for the Faraway, what they call our world.

Though I did feel that I was a tidbit old for the story, Casper Tock and the Everdark Wings is one that is easy to fall into. I quickly learned to love everything about it. The characters were wonderful and the various pieces of the fantastical world they were in really came together to create something truly brilliant. And while it may be true that I genuinely wish I had this book when I was young, for now, I cannot wait to share it with my own children.

I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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