Debut author Pat Walsh’s The Crowfield Curse is a captivating, enchanting, and engrossing mystery that lures the reader into the dark Medieval forest around the Crowfield Abbey, where we know we’re being watched by some hidden, unseen force.
In 1347, 14 year old orphan William Paynel lives in the English countryside with the monks at Crowfield Abbey. On his regular day foray into the forest around the abbey, Will discovers a small, cat-like creature cruelly caught in a iron trap. But it isn’t a cat Will has discovered: it’s a hob– a magical, talking creature, part man, part animal – one of the fay, or ancient magical creatures that once flourished in the old English woods. Will takes the hob, whom he nicknames Brother Walter, back to the abbey to be tended by the wise healer monk, Brother Snail. Discovering the hob in the forest is only the first strange occurrence that will soon befall kind-hearted Will: soon, he learns of the strong presence of ancient magic that surrounds the abbey; that a terrible secret is buried in the dark, dank hollow at the center of the forest; and that no one is really who they seem to be.
The Crowfield Curse is a strong debut that has everything just right: a smart, likeable, easy-to-relate-to young male protagonist; a vividly imagined and expertly described sense of time and place; intriguing plot twists and an engaging mystery; a sense of magic and the supernatural, tinged with just enough danger; and excellently drawn supporting characters. It’s easy to get lost in this delightful historical mystery and it’s a brilliant gem that definitely has me hooked. I’m sure I won’t be the only one eagerly anticipating Will and his friends’ next eerie, exciting adventure.
- Posted by Cori