I’m freakishly excited to be part of the Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy blog-tour!! I have a gushing logically scientific review and a giveaway at the end! Because giveaways are marvellous.
Also, just to be upfront, I’ve alternated at least a billion times between “marvellous” and “marvelous” (the later being the American spelling, which is on the book, but I’m an Aussie so I spell it with two Ls). Whatever!
Let the celebrations commence!
Unlikely heroine Ophelia Jane Worthington-Whittard doesn’t believe in anything that can’t be proven by science. She and her sister Alice are still grieving for their dead mother when their father takes a job in a strange museum in a city where it always snows. On her very first day in the museum Ophelia discovers a boy locked away in a long forgotten room. He is a prisoner of Her Majesty the Snow Queen. And he has been waiting for Ophelia’s help.
As Ophelia embarks on an incredible journey to rescue the boy everything that she believes will be tested. Along the way she learns more and more about the boy’s own remarkable journey to reach her and save the world.
A story within a story, this a modern day fairytale is about the power of friendship, courage and love, and never ever giving up.
Karen Foxlee is an Australian writer. She is the author of two young adult novels: “The Anatomy of Wings” and “The Midnight Dress”. Her first middle grade novel “Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy” is to be published in January, 2014. She lives and writes in Queensland, Australia.
This is a marvellous book. Okay, I admit! Pun totally intended. All the same, though, this is a fabulous and magical book. I ate it as fast as possible. (I’m a hungry reader like that.) And when I finished?
I’m very guilty of hyping myself up for books. Usually because I either a) love the author, b) love the cover, c) love the title/blurb or d) feel the need to get excited over something so I choose a book at random. But mostly it’s a combo of a, b, and c. Ophelia and the Marvellous Boy has the best cover and title ever. And I totally adore the author! (I loved The Midnight Dress! It absolutely broke my heart. See? Love that.) I was so freakishly excited for it, I wondered if I’d be disappointed?
I’m 100% a very happy snowman.
Note: I’m not actually a snowman and I’ve never seen snow. But Ophelia and the Marvellous Boy is set in a snowy place. Okay? Okay.
Writing? It has a very simple style. It’s clear, clean and uses bare but powerful description. I love that. Of course this makes the book very small…I finished it in a few hours. I want more, please?
Also, I particularly like how it NEVER acted condescending to the reader. I’ve read a few Middle-Grade books recently. The last three spoon-fed everything. Argh! Ophelia deals with a lot of sensitive issues that I’m pretty sure all children face at some time — being lonely, feeling ignored, the loss of a parent, not being believed, and saving the world. They’re all handled beautifully. Particularly the world saving issue. Very informative.
Though it’s not a horror or anything, it certainly has creepy parts. It reminded me a bit of Coraline…minus freaky not-parents with button eyes.
Characters? Ophelia narrates (in third person) and gosh, isn’t she just an adorable world-saving little mite who needs a big hug (no hot chocolate though, no no noooo)? I loved her! She’s not confident, she has asthma, and her glasses are always smudgy. I love she thinks, “What would Mum say?” all the time. It really attached me to her mother, although the mother is dead from the beginning of the story. (The mother was also a horror writer, which is a totally awesome detail.) Ophelia wasn’t brave, she was curious. It’s nice having unconfident characters…gives us smudgy-glasses-clad readers the belief we could face come-to-life statues and wield swords and help a marvellous boy someday.
Probably it’s only draw-back is how much like Coraline it was. I loved Coraline. But, you know, I’ve read it. I don’t want to read it again. Like in Coraline, Ophelia’s parent (her dad) was super involved in work and very uninvolved in her. She kept her adventures a secret. Her dad ended up very involved in the story (I love it when the parents get involved too). And it was simultaneously sad and happy at the end. But there are no button-eyes or cats in Ophelia.
You know what I really liked, though? This book got into my heart. Nope, I’m not frozen over or anything half so amusing. I’m just touched. Teared up a little? No, of course not, I never get emotionally attached to books. Ha, ha. That would be ridiculous and so unlike me.
PS. But the ending is kind of all sad and happy and…yeah. It is a beautiful book.
Monday 17 February
– AUS only
– winner must respond within 48 hours
– winner must wear a floppy yellow hat
– just kidding for the previous one
Cait is often confused between American spelling and Australian spelling. Like realisation and realization. The English language is difficult enough without countries quibbling over spelling! Seriously! Help a bookworm out. Currently, Cait is pretending to write, but really she’s reading BLINDSIDED by Natalie Whipple.
What a great review! My co-blogger also loved this one, so I guess this is a sign from above telling me to read it! Haha. I love how this has to do a bit with the Snow Queen. (Totally non-influenced by Frozen). I agree about Middle Grade books sometimes being condescending! I hate it when I read books and feel like I'm not capable of grasping something at the first try. Thank God this book doesn't do that! -Marianne
mar·vel·ous[mahr-vuh-luhs] adjective1.superb; excellent; great: a marvelous show.2.such as to cause wonder, admiration, or astonishment; surprising; extraordinary.3.improbable or incredible: the marvelous events of Greek myth.Now I'm duly curious and I really want to read this now. And Middle Grade books. oh ugh. I bring my younger sisters to the library, and they have enlisted me in being their official book-decider since they have such difficulties finding MG books that are dull, or consider them dull.
(so you see, I'm excited about this giveaway for myself, but also for my poor sisters who cannot yet read YA, but have such qualms with MG)
SPELLING! Hey, I'm American and I still sometimes spell color as colour. CURSE YOU HARRY POTTER. < that's what I learned to write from…Oh, I want to read this book so badly. My library doesn't have it, that I know of. And the bookstore didn't have it. I love middle grade novels (I lived off those until I found some YA books I could actually read…) and still adore reading them…- Tabby
Blogger won't allow me to post an image, so I'll link to my upload <a href="http://i60.tinypic.com/1zqa8na.pnghttp://i60.tinypic.com/1zqa8na.png<br />It's perfectly safe, nothing untoward Mrs Notebook.
Your reviews make me giggle! I love them!Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings
Thank you for the marvelous giveaway! :)-Ryebrynn
This book looks marvelous! I'll have to look into it more.
This book sounds like it will be marvellous. So excited to read it. Great review. Thanks for the marvellous giveaway, your blog is marvellous.
Marvelous giveaway! Funny story: my dad used to work with Karen Foxlee. She's actually a full-time nurse. I think that's the coolest thing ever. xD
I got this book from HotKeyBooks (yay for winning books). I LOVE Karen Foxlee so I can't wait to read this one. Sounds awesome! And also, I love that you combined GIFs. That is just awesome.
I honestly don't read much middle grade anymore, other than the highly enjoyable Percy Jackson series. This book seems quite interesting, and honestly better developed/written than some books in YA today. I'll definitely be checking this one out :] Thanks for the giveaway, and this review was totally eye opening to the world of middle grade and marvelously written.
This books sounds adorable! Sometimes I wonder if people think I'm weird because I still hang around the YA section in the library, and like to take occasional walks through the MG section. But then again, they probably think me queer for just being at the library. But it's the most wonderful place on earth. I'll have to keep an eye out for this book. It sounds marvellous.
Oh I totally loved this book! I agree about what you said it being not condescending. I hate it when books are like that. And I do agree, I had some Coraline vibes while reading too so I guess Ophelia just wasn't too original. I thought Ophelia as a character was brilliant though! Great review:)-Kimi at Geeky Chiquitas
Woops! I entered then remembered I live in the US and this isn't for US. :(It sounds like a great book and I'll definitely read it sometime. Have you read Peter Nimble? It's another newish book.
I think I was given a galley of this book but never got to read it. Now I want to put it up in my reading plan this year.
Alright, I'm gonna go out on a limb here, but I'm marvellous, ham and cheese toasties are marvellous, farting and being able to blame the dog is marvellous, but these answers aren't. Where is the creativity?Oh crap, my cursor has disappeared. Now look what you've done you boring lot, you broke my mouse.
I wonder how the American version of marvellous ended up on the cover of an Aussie published book? Odd! When in doubt, always go with the Aussie spelling ;)And this sounds wonderful, I've only read The Midnight Dress, but I'll be sure to give this a go, too.p.s now following you girls via GFC & Bloglovin'. Also, I love the Frozen gif!
What a marvellous idea, to give away a booknot just any book, but one that's marvellous!?
This book sounds like it will be marvellous. So excited to read it. Great review. Thanks for the marvellous giveaway, your blog is marvellous. I use this book during my niagara falls bus tours