The Hidden Kingdom

by Ian Beck

A pampered prince who has to give up everything he has ever known. A warrior-like girl who has promised to carry out her duty at any cost. An obedient young servant with a mission to complete and an icy chill in his heart. As ancient demons rise around them and conspire to destroy their world, only these three people can defeat the evil which threatens to engulf them. But to do so they must first find a way to survive in the bitter, snowy lands where they are banished, and discover how to work together despite their differences.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

268 pages, Paperback

First published September 22, 2011

About the author

Ian Archibald Beck (born 1947 in Brighton) is an English children's illustrator and author. In addition to his numerous children's books, he is also most famous for his cover illustration on Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album. He has sold more than a million copies of his books worldwide.

Reviews

[Jess Rishton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much!
It was so detailed and there was so much vocabulary.
It was adventurous and fab!
One of the best <3

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is really good. It's set in Japanese style fantasy world which is a nice break from standard mediaeval Europe fashion. The main character matures considerably in the story and the last battle has some surprising and very unusual twists, which I liked a lot.

My biggest problem with this book, and the reason it loses one star, is probably the one I have with many other books: lack of female characters. While the book has two very important women, overall the amount of women is much smaller than that of men, and for example there's only one female warrior. It's hinted there are more in the army, but they are never shown.

[Antoinette Van Graan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book might have achieved true greatness if only it had been longer, if more time had been spent developing the characters, the magic, the world.

But alas. If the worst one could say about a book is that it should have been longer, it must be well worth the read.
It is a world of pure black and white, good and evil. That's exactly what I was looking for, something simple.

The bodycount and gore may be a bit too much for younger kids, but overall it is a beautiful tale to gift to young imaginations.

[llana]

i read this book when i was like 10 and i loved it but now i can barely remember anything about it. i will read this and see if child me knew what she doing !!!

[Sophie Sorral · Rating 4 out of 5]

I personally loved this book so much! I would read it again anytime. It was easy to read, the font was nice. I liked the theme, and the japanese world:).

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story. It is a book that I would recommend for older children who are just getting started with the fantasy genre.

I thought it started quite slowly and thought it a bit odd that it seemed that there was hardly any chapters on the main character. But about 2/3 of the book it all started going.

I liked how 'beauty' ended up being a key weapon in the story, it really made the ending sweet and poetical, which I really enjoyed. I would love to know more about the goddess that appeared in the story through out, she really interested me with her relationship with the human world. Sadly, I have to just make do with my imagination!

I read this as part of my 2015 Reading Challenge, the book had to be a book you own but have never read. This one has been sitting on my bookshelf for a while!

[Anu-vinkkari · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ööö. Sanokaas nyt joku muu tästä jotain fiksua. Japaaniin sijoittuvaa fantasiaa, joo, mutta miten tää oli musta niin sekavan, hitaan ja takkuisen oloista? Lukeminen ei edennyt ollenkaan. Vai enkö mä vaan ymmärtänyt?
Prinssi Osama heitettiin noin vain ulos palatsista pakkaseen, sille tiuskittiin ja sitä raahattiin päiväkausia puhumatta pitkin maita ja mantuja rahvaan ja raatojen seassa. Roppakaupalla kohtalokkaita katseita, synkkiä vihjailuja ennustuksista, irralliselta vaikuttavia sivuhenkilöitä ja ihmeisiin pystyviä soturisankaritar, mutta kukaan ei tietenkään voi/ehdi/halua missään välissä selittää kärsivälle päähenkilölle (tai lukijalle)yhtään mitään.

[Minna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jostain syystä tämän kirjan lukeminen kesti ja kesti. Syynä ei ollut se, että kirja olisi ollut huono, ehkä syynä oli muut tielle tulevat kirjat, jotka halusivat tulla luetuiksi ensin.
Hyvä fantasiakirja, jossa oli japanilaisia sävytteitä. Hyvän ja kauniin pelastaminen rumalta ja tuhoavalta oli kirjan teemana. Se oli myös kasvutarina hemmotellun prinssin kasvamisesta siihen rooliin, johon hänet oli tarkoitettu. Vaellustarina, jota avattiin pikku hiljaa lukijalle.

[Tasneem · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a lovely tale of adventure, bravery and love. I enjoyed how beauty and the pursuit of beauty was shown to be a quality of value, something that could save the world from the ugliness and torture of Hades.

[janie love · Rating 5 out of 5]

goood

[Nicole]

I ended up really liking it

[Ang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adventure delivered in an easy-read style for simple transport to another time, another world. Nicely paced with a great variety of characters that provide balance to each other and the story.

[Story Squirrel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow start but I got into it quickly after that!

[Hayley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great adventure story, really enjoyed it