Luna and the Well of Secrets

The Fairy Chronicles #10

by J.H. Sweet, Tara Larsen Chang (Illustrator)

Illustrations Tara Larsen Chang

Inside you is the power to do anything

When fairies begin disappearing from around the globe, the fairy team must journey to the darkest place in the world to save them – a place that worries even Madam Toad-the Well of Secrets on the road to Eventide, the Land of Shadow.

In their most dangerous mission yet, the fairies will need all their combined strength to pull off a daring rescue. But in the darkest place, where any light may seem welcoming, the fairies are going to learn that not all that is Dark is evil and not all that is Light is good ...

What if you discovered you had magical fairy powers? Meet the girls of The Fairy Chronicles, otherwise normal girls like you who are blessed by Mother Nature with special gifts. Their extraordinary adventures will change the world!

117 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our oldest goes gaga for the fairy books by the group of authors who go by the pseudonym Daisy Meadows. She's read many of the series and is determined to read them all. We just happened to find this series of fairy books at our library last week. She was excited to find a new series and I was happy that she was branching out, even if it was another fairy story. I read this one after she did (although it is the tenth book in the series) and so far, I'm impressed. The vocabulary is tougher and the story was much more serious, with just enough lightness to keep a young girl's interest. I will look forward to reading more of these stories and getting a break from the formulatic tales that we read with the Rainbow Magic books. I also enjoyed reading the additional information included at the end of the book, explaining about some of the real creatures depicted in the story, like the owls and bats.

[Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now that I’ve finished the first 13 books of this series, I’m going to go back to rate and review each one. I’ve not read beyond the first 13, and I don’t plan to. Because I yam who I yam and because this series is beloved from my childhood, I’m probably going to be more thorough than necessary for a relatively unknown series for seven-year-olds. These reviews will contain very mild spoilers – nothing beyond what is mentioned in the blurb on the back or on goodreads – unless otherwise stated.

3.75/5 stars

In Luna and the Well of Secrets, Luna (aka Hope), Snapdragon (aka Bettina), Firefly (aka Lenox), and Primrose (aka Taylor) are informed that 3 bat fairies throughout the world have been kidnapped. Accompanied by Madam Finch (aka Mrs. Thompson), who is mentor to Luna and Helen/Cinnabar, the girls are sent to the Well of Secrets. The Well of Secrets, its location, and the possible culprit who abducted the bat fairies are shrouded in mystery for the girls, as well as for the reader. For the girls, the mystery is so they do not approach this mission with biases. For the reader, the mystery builds suspense more successfully than any of the other books in the first 13 books of the series. I, an adult, was genuinely hooked and wondering what thing the fairies were about to face.

This book had a pretty solid plot. There was an atmosphere of eeriness and spookiness, more so than in Cinnabar and the Island of Shadows. The eerie feelings in this one were far stronger. The story emphasized things like the balance of opposing ideals (specifically light and dark), the importance of choice over instinct, and not judging based on appearances.

J.H. Sweet invented two types of magical creatures in this one, which I did enjoy. Also really loved the art of those creatures, though I thought the placement of one of the illustrations should’ve come much earlier in the book. Tara Larsen Chang illustrated the book and wow, the illustrations of Luna are truly stunning. Like, I’m envious of her skill. She did make the Thai bat fairy look, uh, very white though. Didn’t like that.

Again, the main character’s lack of distinct personality bumped down the rating. I don’t think I can describe anything about Luna, aside from her unique fairy gift. This one also lacked some of the whimsy of the earlier books. This next complaint didn’t impact the rating really, but I do need to mention it. The cover art is Misleading!! I expected significantly more mermaids, but they were around for like a page and no longer. I wonder if mermaids show up again later in the series, because that feels like untapped potential.

Various minor spoilery things that I liked (and some that I didn’t) in this book include:
- Madam Robin lore drop!! I’ve been waiting for that
- Luna’s wand (a thorn from a prickly pear cactus) is maybe my favorite wand in the series. Shame she doesn’t really use it
- The art of the Dark Witch was really lovely and something about those illustrations were comforting
- This is something I did NOT like. At the back of the book, Sweet included a list of fairies’ favorite jellybean flavors around the world, which was fun and I did enjoy reading through the list, but despite listing some very specific and perhaps lesser known countries, she gave all the countries of Africa one favorite?? She didn’t even try to give regional favorites. All the fairies in all of Africa (EXCEPT South Africa, which got its own mention) like orange jellybeans. Also mincemeat jellybeans for Greenland is unhinged.

Overall, enjoyable plot, a spooky atmosphere, and some good messaging.

[Amelia Mapstone]

REALLY WANT FOR CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kiki · Rating 4 out of 5]

full of weird creatures.

[Sarah Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun day read. I will probably read some of the other "The Fairy Chronicles" books.