Feature and Follow Friday #139

 This weeks question:

Q: What is a book you didn't like that all your friends raved about or what book did you love that wasn't popular?

 What book didn't I like that everyone was raving about?

Easy, Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

There was so much love for that book, it was even on NPR's list of 100 books for Young Adults last year... so I read it, and from the reviews, I expected great things, and what I ended up with was a boat load of disappointment.

I'm not saying there weren't aspects of that book I enjoyed. I think Ms. Blake did a truly excellent job writing up the horror scenes. They were vividly described and managed to etch their haunting imagery in my mind for hours, days and weeks after I'd read the book.

Unfortunately, that's where my enjoyment ended. There were situations that were just *too* convenient for me to be able to enjoy this story (feel free to check out the link to my review above), and the main character was really kind of an a-hole... but not the endearing kind.

 What book did I love that wasn't that popular?

 The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell

This one is simple. It's a series by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell called The Edge Chronicles. This is probably one of the most twisted, wicked Middle Grade series I've ever read. The illustrations are gruesome and beautiful, the writing is engaging and vivid, and the world created is full of history and depth. I've read 1-9 of this series, which follow three different characters. I plan on going back and rereading all 9 of the first books before I attempt the last one, which is supposed to wrap up the stories of all three main characters.
Now, admittedly, I have no idea how the initial book in this series was received, I wasn't really following book blogs back then, but I was when the last book came out, and I can honestly say I didn't see anyone mention it anywhere (I didn't even know the book HAD come out, I found it by happy accident in the book store). Now, maybe I was just following the wrong blogs, but in my opinion, this series is shamefully under-sung, and deserves much more hype than I've ever seen it get.

Barnaby Grimes: Legion of the Dead by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell

 Barnaby Grimes

Legion of the Dead

by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell

 Synopsis (from Amazon)

“The corpses swayed where they stood, their bony arms outstretched before them and tattered sleeves hanging limply in the foggy air. I smelled the sourness of the sewers about them; that, and the sweet whiff of death. Their sunken eyes bored into mine. I was surrounded. . . .”

Barnaby Grimes is a tick-tock lad, delivering messages and running errands all over the city, day and night. Gangland funerals and diving expeditions are hazardous enough, but when the graveyards begin to give up their dead, this tick-tock lad is faced with his deadliest challenge yet. . . .

A blood-curdling tale of greed and betrayal. Will Barnaby be defeated by the Legion of the Dead?

Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell’s incomparable Barnaby Grimes returns for another adventure in the third installment of the brilliantly exciting horror-thriller series set in Dickensian London.

Characters:
Barnaby: The main character, he is a tic-toc lad, in other words, an errand boy. He makes his living doing this, and it leads him into all sorts of trouble.
Blindside Bailey: An old war veteran who now sells newspapers and lives penny to penny... he has quite the tale to tell.
Professor Pinkerton-Barnes: Barnaby's friend who asks him to try out all his zany experiements.

Illustration: One of the best parts of this series is Paul Riddell's amazing, graphic, dark illustrations.


 Writing: I LOVE Paul Stewart's dark, brooding characters with terrible pasts who partake in terrible actions... these books are lighter than The Edge Chronicles, but still pretty macabre!

Ending:

Cute, succinct, and nicely wrapped up.

Plot:

This book was pretty simple, since it is a Middle Grade for the younger audience... but the plot follows a clear, concise line that is easy to follow.

Believability of World:A very well put together world where all of the events that occur are plausible.

Overall Grade: B ~ it was entertaining, but a little slow at points.