Review: The Feathered Book

The Feathered Book introduces a new detective duo to rival Holmes and Watson in this utterly delightful mystery adventure which completely enchanted me.

The Feathered Book, rumoured to hold the secrets of alchemy, has been stolen from inside a locked room in an ancient oak tree library. How could this crime have been committed right under the noses of the librarians? And, will the curse placed on the book by its creator, Prendergast the Raven, strike again?

Meanwhile, Monty the Fox has decided on the perfect new career: a detective. After all, he’s read enough detective books to make him an expert! His best friend, Nettle the Rabbit, is not convinced that Monty will stick at this any longer than his many other short-lived careers. But when Monty hears about the missing Feathered Book, he is determined to solve the mystery. The question is: can this case hold his attention long enough to catch the thief before he gets bored and moves on to his next career?

And so begins a really rather brilliant and completely charming, cosy crime caper as Monty and Nettle set out across the Lake to solve a seemingly impossible crime. Whilst hunting for clues and trying to unravel how the crime could possibly have been committed, they face peril from pirates, booby traps and labyrinths.

This is such a clever mystery that has plenty of twists and turns, red herrings and a tantalising trail of clues. I loved following Monty and Nettle as they worked together to try to solve this puzzling mystery of how the Feathered Book could have disappeared from a locked room whilst finding themselves facing more and more danger. I really enjoyed the humour, the fantastic character names (Ticklepenny, Pecksniff and Rokeby to name a few) and that the story was told through anthropomorphic characters, something that I think will appeal greatly to young readers.

Monty and Nettle are firm friends and make a brilliant sleuthing duo, each with their own strengths to bring to solving the tricky case. Whilst Nettle prefers peace and quiet and would rather not be involved in crime-solving, Monty has a way of finding trouble, so Nettle feels she needs to go with him to look out for him when he chooses this new, and dangerous, career path. I loved Monty’s effusive enthusiasm, confidence and optimism even when things don’t quite go to plan. Coupled with Nettle’s tetchiness, sarcasm and sensible nature, there is plenty for the friends to squabble about but it is obvious that they care for each other deeply.

I love books with maps and this has a wonderfully detailed, illustrated map of the The Lake, an archipelago of wooded islands, again with brilliant names such as Spigglewick and Muzzleplash. This detail is continued in the absolutely stunning chapter borders and full-page illustrations which captures both the mystery and charm of this story perfectly.

An action-packed, thrilling mystery adventure, with oodles of humour and heart, danger and daring, perfect for young readers of 9+.

Thank you to Mikka at Everything With Words for providing me with a copy of The Feathered Book. My review is my honest opinion of this book.