Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye - Tania del Rio

I received this book as a giveaway through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers Program.

Warren the 13^th has lived in his family’s hotel his entire life. Run by his lazy uncle, the building has fallen into disrepair and hasn’t seen a visitor in five years. Apart from trying to keep the place together, Warren is also busy thwarting his new aunt from her obsessive search for a legendary family heirloom, the All-Seeing Eye. One day after cleaning up after her destructive behaviour, a stranger wrapped in bandages checks in. From that moment on his life will never be the same again.

The gothic art style is reminiscent of Edward Gorey and the illustrations not only helped set the mood but were also essential in the telling of the story. Every chapter has a title page with gorgeous typography and artwork that hint at what’s to come next. There’s also a secret message hidden throughout the book that spells out where Warren’s going next. This fit in with the mystery in the book as well as the graphical info in the illustrations.

This story is filled with a variety of quirky characters that lean towards the fantastical. There’s a witch who’s missing her voice, a pirate who only comes ashore every ten years or so, a creature who speaks in whistles and more. With each though we only get a taste of their background along with an illustration, leaving the readers wanting more. Part of the reason is the pace of the story. It moves so quickly that readers don’t spend much time with anyone apart from Warren. There could easily have been another hundred pages added onto the book to flesh out people and places.

Clearly this is only the beginning of Warren’s story as the ending was left open with several plot threads unresolved. It will be interesting to see where he goes next. 

The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett

"The sun was shining inside the four walls and the high arch of blue sky over this particular piece of Misselthwaite seemed even more brilliant and soft than it was over the moor. The robin flew down from his tree-top and hopped about or flew after her fromone bush to another. He chirped a good deal and had a very gussy air, as if he were showing her things. Everything was strange and silent and she seemed to be hundreds of miles away from anyone, but somehow she did not feel lonely at all."

Mary Lennox is a spoiled brat. Growing up in India, she has all that her heart desires except the love of her parents, who habitually ignore her. An illness sweeps through the house and Mary, having nowhere left to go, is sent to live with her mysterious uncle, Archibald Craven, in England. The manor is large and scary, dominated by head housekeeper, Mrs. Meadlock who keeps an iron grip over the staff. Mary still sallow and sour keeps to herself and hears strange noises in the night. It isn't until one day when she discovers a garden that everything changes.

When Mary first arrives at Misselthwaite Manor everyone and everything seems to be in a state of dormancy. Mary lacks the skills to function as a normal human being; the manor has rooms closed off she even hears rumours of an old garden, overgrown and lost. Over time Mary starts to heal, psychologically and physically. As she learns to open up to the world, she also brings back life into the manor and garden.

Burnett's writing for the most part is standard fare for a children's book but on occasion she crafts these gorgeous paragraphs, most often when describing the garden. "I think it has been left alone so long-that it has grown all into a lovely tangle. I think the roses have climbed and climbed and climbed until they hang from the branches and walls and creep over the ground-almost like a strange gray mist. Some of them have died but many-are alive and when the summer comes there will be curtains and fountains of roses. I think the ground is full of daffodils and snowdrops and lilies and iris working their way out of the dark. Now the spring has begun-perhaps-perhaps."

Reading this from an adult perspective, I don't think I got as much out of it as I would have if I were a child. I enjoyed the story but I've found other children's stories that I enjoyed more as an adult.

Rating: 3/5