Francesca Gibbons Books

There are many things Imogen should be doing. She should be nice to her sister and her mother’s new boyfriend. There are also things she definitely should not be doing- like following a strange moth into a deserted, overgrown garden. But Imogen rarely does as she is told and now she has landed herself and her little sister Marie in a whole load of trouble. The strange moth leads them through a door in a tree to magical world where monsters are not just the stuff of nightmares. There is a real prince (spoilt and unloved), a huntress, a bear, a king and a villainess. The two sisters are trapped in this land with no way back.

This is the first of a trilogy and a debut book by Francesca Gibbons. It is a classic fantasy story, full of detailed characters and thrilling adventure. Some of the more minor characters are truly exciting and and I’m hoping they appear in the next book. The clockmaker himself and the beautiful, magical clock were deeply intriguing, and I wanted to find out more about both. A familiar theme in fantasy is whether the monsters are more or less monstrous than some of the people. In this story it a close-run thing. Some of the acts of violence on both sides are quite shocking and it is not a story for the fainthearted.

A highlight of this book is the illustrations by the well-known illustrator Chris Riddell. His style is instantly recognisable, and he brings the main characters to life with his detailed line drawings.

This book is a brilliantly original fantasy – not quite like anything else, but very much in the line of classic fantasy story telling. I will be looking forward to reading the next instalment.