The Night of the Solstice by L J Smith
| The Night of the Solstice by L J Smith | |
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| Category: Confident Readers | |
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Reviewer: Keith Dudhnath
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| Summary: There's plenty to enjoy in The Night of the Solstice, but it is quite far-fetched in places and always stays a few steps short of the spectacular. | |
| Buy? Maybe | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 352 | Date: September 2010 |
| Publisher: Simon and Schuster Children's Books | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-0857070500 | |
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Claudia knew she wasn't really supposed to follow the fox - not on her own, to the old, forbidden house on the hill. But she did. And it will change everything. The fox is the familiar of Morgana Shee, powerful sorceress and only guardian of the passageway to another universe, Wildworld. But Morgana has gone missing and she must be found before the solstice, for then the gateway will be open to all, including Cadal Forge, an evil magician dedicated to conquering Earth. Claudia, and her siblings, Charles, Jane and leader Alys, must find her. And find her quickly, for everything hangs in the balance on the night of the Winter Solstice.
One of the things I really liked about The Night of the Solstice, that I didn't expect to, was having the four siblings as the main characters. Rather than being distracting, I thought the mix of personalities really made this book stand out, especially since it's so unusual (the only thing I can think of that has a similar character dynamic is the Famous Five series by Enid Blyton). I loved how their relationship with each developed throughout and I found it gave the book a really genuine feel. Unfortunately, the plot was pretty far-fetched, but this gradually improved as I got more used to the idea of Wildworld and by the end, I found myself able to ignore the plot flaws.
L J Smith's writing isn't the absolute best in the world, but it's reliable and makes for an enjoyable book nearly every time. I would recommend borrowing, rather than buying The Night of the Solstice. It's not amazingly fantastic, but it's a good read.
If you enjoyed this, then you'll love The Poison Garden by Sarah Singleton, or, of course, more of L J Smith's work.
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