Rating System:. 1 star = abysmal; some books deserve to be forgotten. 2 star = poor; a total waste of time. 3 star = good; worth the effort. 4 star = very good; what writing should be. 5 star = fantastic; must own it and share it with others. THE STORY:. Arthur Penhaligon is a boy weakened by asthma and in having to live in the shadow of a very successful family. His normal life of interrupting his family's lives because they have to rush him to the hospital due to asthma attacks changes when he finds himself the chosen heir to the House. Arthur with the lesser key to the lower kingdom of the House in hand, must travel into the House to find a cure for the mysterious plague that is striking the people of his town and his loved ones and find out why there are beings intent on getting the key from him, even if it means killing him. THE GOOD:. Garth Nix is becoming one of my favorite authors of all time. His fantasy works are not cliché or based on traditional fantasy but they are full of fresh, imagination and worlds and characters we can learn to love. I got hooked on this author after reading Sabriel, which is a fantasy about necromancer magic. Very cool! So when I saw he had a new series out I had to check it out and was not disappointed. 1) Great world creation in the House and the denizens of the House, their purpose, their origins, etc. Made for an interesting and unique setting. 2) Likeable characters that are led by the plot of the story, where options are reduced forcing the protagonists down certain routes but without the reader knowing what those results those routes will produce, per se. Kept the plot and characters engaging and fun to read. 3) Magic. Unique and fun and innovative. Loved everything about it!. 4) 98% of all storylines and subplots resolved in this single volume. Chapters had great cliff hangers and transition points to keep the reader turning and the end of the book has its own cliff hanger that makes us want to read the next book in the series though it isn't necessary. 5) As much as the storylines are resolved, the resolution was also satisfactory and didn't make me feel cheated or the author tried too hard or too little to provide a satisfying ending. THE BAD:. I don't have anything that comes to mind other than this wasn't a hugely character driven story but more plot driven and setting driven in my mind. To get more in the characters and their motivations would have been a plus but because the story focus is on the discovery of the House and things related to the House, I didn't expect to get into the characters more than we did and thus I really wasn't too disappointed. OVERALL:. I left with the feeling of having been in a fairy tale. This would make a GREAT movie in my opinion. Read Garth Nix for unique and engaging fantasy. Either read the Abhorsen Trilogy for more of an adult fantasy, where the main protagonist is 17-18 yrs of age. Read this series for a protagonist that is around 12 yrs of age and the scenes are less "dark" than the Abhorsen trilogy. Either way, both stories are a big win
Arthur with the lesser key to the lower kingdom of the House in hand, must travel into the House to find a cure for the mysterious plague that is striking the people of his town and his loved ones and find out why there are beings intent on getting the key from him, even if it means killing him