Customer Reviews

The Thirteen Curses (13 Treasures)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Fairies! Goblins! Witches! Welcome to The Thirteen Curses.

After reading Michelle Harrison's fantastic debut novel The Thirteen Treasures, I was so excited to get stuck into The Thirteen Curses. Having now read both books, I'd go so far as to say that Harrison is up there with my favourite UK authors, and is now in the good company of Marcus Sedgwick, Sarra Manning and Lucy Christopher. Seriously, she's that good.

The Thirteen Curses is so hard to put down it's almost impossible, and aside from some convenient plotting and the occasional clunky chapter, I have no qualms with it at all. I could never fault the brilliant writing, imagination or magic of the fey characters, and it's quite clear why these books are held in such high regard.

Without spoiling anything about the previous book, The Thirteen Curses picks up almost exactly where it left off, and takes you on an enchanting adventure through fairie realms, scary forests and history itself. All your favourite characters, both human and fairie, come back for more, and there are even a few new creatures for you to meet. Red and Tanya share MC duties, with Warwick and Fabian having more to do and less of a sidekick role.

When I'd finished the first book in the series, Brunswick the goblin was my favourite character. Now, the little tea caddy brownie is my number one dude. He can brandish his walking stick like it's a required skill among the little people, and he just sounds so cute and grumpy. I want one!

I don't know what else to say other than that you need to read these books. They're the most enjoyment I've had in a long time, and are just a great escape from everything going on around you. Hats off to you, Michelle Harrison. You rock.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first in the series, The 13 Treasures, last year. I'm always apprehensive when it comes to reading series books, as in an ideal world every book would be just as good as the first, which is not always the case. The 13 Curses continued the series on the same high level with superb storytelling from Michelle Harrison, and was again another can't-put-it-down read.

In this, we hear Red's story, as her past unravels as she continues to search for her brother, who was taken whilst they were in a care home after their parents died. Red's story is fantastic. Not only does it show you another side to her, the book also expands and adds more history to Elveden Manor. I love the idea that The 13 Curses brings, you hardly notice that most of the action doesn't happen until the middle or after, and by then I was totally absorbed in the plot.

I enjoyed the way that Red, Fabian and Tanya worked together in this. Most of the faye characters bring added goodies to the plot and history. The plot entwines and intermingles so effortlessly, it was a pleasure to read. New characters are brought in, with Nell, the new housekeeper, being one of them.

I managed to keep awake just long enough to read this in one day. The 13 Curses could be read as a standalone book, I don't know why anyone would want to miss The 13 Treasures though! This book is so detailed, even the leading letter in almost every chapter has an illustration with it, which is very cute.

All in all, I can't wait for the next in the series, The 13 Secrets, which comes out in February in the UK. This is the first time I've read another book from the same author since beginning my book blog, and I'm glad I did :)

I found this story had me more on the edge of my seat that the first one. In fact I read it in half the time. Reading these two books has introduced me to adult fairy stories and I am now looking around for more of the same type.
I think in todays times it is good to find some sort of temporary escapism, which these books definitely are.
Brilliant!

`The Thirteen Curses' is an imaginative romp through the faerie world. Michelle Harrison has crafted a magical world of faeries and goblins that is so absorbing I forgot where I was at times! The first few pages take the reader straight into the flow of the story and we join Red as she attempts to rescue her younger brother James, from the faeries who whisked him away from. She's assisted by various characters that were introduced at the start of the trilogy, but although these were unfamiliar to me at first, it didn't take long before I felt like these were old friends. There's Tanya and her good friend Fabian, Warwick the groundskeeper, Tanya's grandmother Florence, who also has the second sight and housekeeper Nell. Harrison spends sufficient time in exploring the characters of each of these figures, even as the narrative rockets along, throwing up a multitude of twists and turns. There's almost no opportunity to stop for breath when reading this book as it's a real rollercoaster of a ride!

The story alternates between the human and faerie world and interspersed throughout are a series of flashbacks, narrated by Red and unravelling the tale of her and her brother and how she first came to encounter the many fey that feature throughout the book (I particularly loved Brunswick, the goblin that lives in the gardens. He's so sweet!) This was good because it filled in a lot of useful background information and made the story even more vivid. Without giving away any spoliers, I would say that I wasn't entirely happy with the ending, but I think it's just a case of personal opinion. Everything else about it, I absolutely loved!

Elements of the book at the very beginning, reminded me a little of `The Book of Lost Things' by John Connolly and it had that same fairy-tale feel but the story was so original and exciting that it stands alone as a superb addition to the YA genre by an amazing new author.

The author has done such a good job to bring a "grown up" spin to fairies with realistic facts in this book. My 10 year old daughter could not put down either of these books (13 Treasures - 13 Curses). She is now waiting on pins and needles for the third in the series to come out (13 wards). If you are looking for a completely appropriate book of this age that will catpure a childs attention this is it!

February has been a month of sequel reading for me with this being the second of a proposed trilogy by Michelle Harrison. Reading this and The Thirteen Treasures back to back means there is more likelihood of finding flaws in the plot, lack of continuity etc but I'm pleased to report that this novel is absolutely flawless.

The focus this time is on Red aka Rowan, a 13 year old orphan who featured in the Thirteen Treasures and her efforts to rescue her baby brother who has been snatched by the fairies. Another dark, almost Victorian tale which immerses the reader in the dark shadows of the fairy realm where nothing is as it seems. Fabulous read reminiscent of my favourite childhood reads by E Nesbit and John Masefield. Cannot wait to read the next instalment

In The 13 Treasures, Michelle Harrison introduced us to second-sighted Tanya and her dark, dangerous world of fairy. We also met secondary character Rowan 'Red' Fox, an orphaned thirteen year old girl determined to rescue her baby brother from the fairy realm. The 13 Curses takes us back to the very same fairy world, with the very same characters - but this time, our focus is firmly on Red herself.

Although Red is our MC this time around, we do get a chance to revisit Tanya and Fabian. When Red scores an audience with the fairy court, she's set a task: the thirteen treasures from Tanya's charm bracelet are scattered far and wide. It's down to the three friends to track them down if Red's going to stand a chance of getting her brother back. Except these aren't ordinary charms, and it's not going to be that simple. What it will be is perilous, full of suspense, and wicked good fun.

I loved The 13 Treasures, so at first I was taken aback to find that the sequel is not Tanya's story but Red's. After all, I'd bonded with 'the tricketty one'. I knew her. Red, on the other hand, was a mere acquaintance. An unknown quantity. And, as it turns out, the absolute best protagonist The 13 Curses could have. Red has a fascinating backstory, and we learn about this in tantalising flashbacks that explain exactly how she's become so tough and so guarded at such a young age. Her adventure is an exciting one, but it's also a journey of self-discovery. To defeat the fairies, Red has to know herself.

When it comes to sequels, I don't tend to dwell on the world-building as much I would with a first book or a standalone. After all, it's usually all been set up - we're just returning to a world we already know, right? The 13 Curses, however, is the type of sequel that highlights just how well the world was built in the first place. It's satisfyingly detailed, it never breaks its own logic, and it made me want to go back and read The 13 Treasures again, just so I could marvel at how well the foundations for Red's story were laid. I'm already looking forward to more of the same in the third book, The 13 Wards, which is currently set to be the last in this series.

Like The 13 Treasures, Michelle Harrison's second book has major crossover appeal. Younger teens will no doubt appreciate the fact that Harrison never talks down to her readers: Red has heartbreaking choices to make, and there's no easy way out. The general YA readership will also find much to charm them in the complexity of the storytelling and the authenticity of Harrison's fairy lore. Hogwarts fans suffering from Harry Potter withdrawal symptoms? Step this way, if you please. There's magic here.

This is one if the best books I have ever read!
It's full of excitement and adventure and would definitely recommend it to anyone who lobes adventures and mysteries.

Amazing book
I times I thought it was easy to predict but it always twisted into the most unpredictable turn of events
I love this book, a real complement to the first book. Left me yearning for more, can't wait to get started on the last of the series
I would recommend this book to absolutely anyone

This was a brilliant sequel to Michelle Harrison's first book, the 13 treasures. Red has been trapped in the fairy realm ever since she volunteered to take the place of Tanya. She soon realises that time passes differently in the parallel world. All is well until she falls into the hands of the hedge witch, an evil glamour maker. On a mission to find her brother she must reunite the 13 treasures, but are they really 13 curses?!! This was an epic book about friendship and adveneture and I loved it!!