Cover design & illustration by Holly Ovenden
Published by Everything With Words
No Tune Ned is a brilliantly exciting adventure that completely captivated me, and took me on the most wonderful journey brimming with music and monsters, with humour and heart.
In Dravenloch, the music of its bards holds real magic, having the power to defend against monsters and heal the wounded, making them heroes to the people. Eleven-year-old Ned Numbles’ father, who has gone missing, was a bard, so it is hardly surprising that Ned aspires to be a one himself.
Ned is taking part in the Muddleburg Annual Bardic Trials but, perhaps, rather surprisingly, he can’t sing in tune or play his lute despite being apprenticed to the great bard, Sir Ballantree. After Ned’s disappointing performance, the great bard takes himself off to the forest for a spot of lesser monster hunting, leaving his apprentice behind.
Finding an old barn, the perfect location for a spot of sulking, Ned meets Clove: a talking goat. Yes, that’s right – a talking goat – and a rather sarcastic one at that! Utterly brilliant throughout! When Clove shares that the monsters are acting strangely, Ned begins to fear for Sir Ballantree so convinces the goat to accompany him on a rescue mission …
And so begins the most wonderful, action-packed, heart-warming adventure as Ned, Clove and a new monster-hunting friend, Yara, set off to search for the missing bard. After an encounter with a Banshee, they are warned to be wary of an ancient force: the Crooner Below, who they discover is responsible not only for missing bards, but for controlling monsters. Could this ancient being have taken Sir Ballantree – and for what purpose? Could Ned’s imperfect, honest tunes be just what is needed to break a curse? Be prepared for danger and daring, for brave deeds and monsters galore as the friends work together to bring harmony back to Dravenloch – but in their own unique ways.
Ned, Yara and Clove are incredibly likeable characters who develop strong bonds of friendship as they open up to each other and share secrets. I loved the quick-witted interactions between Clove and the two children which adds lots of humour. I also really liked the message in this story about being true to yourself and following your own path even when it might sometimes feel wrong – what an empowering message for young readers.
A heart-warming, exhilarating adventure that will sing to readers of 9+.
Thank you to Mikka at Everything With Words for inviting me to take part in the Blog Tour, and for providing me with a copy of No Tune Ned. My review is my honest opinion of this book.
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