Tantony

Secrets of Carrick #2

by Ananda Braxton-Smith

Fermion Quirk's twin brother, Boson, is dead. These last few months he'd spent most of his time with the birds; he said they were angels and brought him his visions. Most of Carrick says the boy was a monster, but a few say he was a saint-in-the-making. The townspeople all look at Fermion now, and wait and wonder if she will go mad like her brother. Pa will talk about anything but Boson, and Moo's stopped talking entirely. Soon a voice starts rising in Fermion, telling her that she's the only one who can save her family. The voice says the cure lies on the other island, far out in the sea. But the Quirks have always been bog-folk: they don't go to sea. And even if Fermion manages to get to the other island, then what will she find?

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Fantasy

Unknown Binding

First published May 1, 2011

About the author

Ananda Braxton-Smith is a journalist and children’s writer who is passionate about communicating history to young people in new and innovative ways.

Reviews

[Hannah Greendale (Hello, Bookworm) · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Those who don’t talk to creatures, who don’t hear music in water and wind, don’t trust those who do.”

To read Tantony is to be escorted to the windswept island of Carrick where people speak in Manx and Irish folklore pervades everything, from the rumors surrounding the boy found dead in the skybog to his grief-stricken twin sister who’s goaded by a mysterious voice in her head to brave the unforgiving sea in search of answers.

A cohesive story and a sense of satisfying resolution cannot be found in Braxton-Smith’s sequel to Merrow. Such elements are as elusive and fabled as the strange creatures that grace its pages. Pick up Tantony to follow a trail of bewitching myth and to drink in lyrical descriptions of gembugs and bog mists, of sea foam and kelp forests.

Arrive curious and open-minded.

Depart haunted and smelling of the sea.

[Larissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fermion and Bolson were twins, but despite there sameness they were very different. Though they shared the same face and the same heart, it was Fermion who was older, always in a rush, never believing what she couldn't see and always working for others. Bolson on the other hand always took his time with things, he saw whole worlds were others saw only a drop of water; he believed the birds spoke to him and he worked only towards fulfilling their wishes.

But when Fermion found her brother, the life drained from his cold body, her life was suddenly changed as was that of her whole family. Losing Bolson meant losing a piece of herself, but it was also a loss to everyone at home. Everyone in her family was changed by his absence and for Fermion nothing could make sense again until she could discover the reason why he had died and accept that he was never coming back.

Tantony is a journey through grief and loss, a journey across land and sea, a journey to find your own path in life and what you believe. As one girl struggles with her life, her loss and what she believes she learns to accept others for who they are and herself for who she needs to be. Written with a raw and edgy language that reflects the uniqueness of this country and the quirkiness of its people, this down to earth story is one that settles deep within you and refuses leave.

[Samantha-Ellen Bound · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an entirely strange, weird and wonderful book Tantony is. It is hard to describe and explain; it is something you can only appreciate through experience. I really don’t think there is anything like this in the Aussie YA market, and I absolutely love Black Dog Books for publishing something that is really quite a literary oddity – in an amazing way.

Tantony isn’t perfect but its flaws are easy to love, and there is the same mix of gorgeous, unconventional language, quirky endearing characters and immersive word and place-building that made me love Braxton Smith’s first novel, Merrow, so much. This is an author who genuinely leaves me hanging out for her next book, just to see what else she’s got up her sleeve. GORGEOUS!


Full Review here:

http://bookgrotto.blogspot.com/2011/0...

[Jami Zehr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tantony is the story of Fermoin’s grief after she finds her brother dead. Though a twin, he was much of a stranger to Fermoin. Some people thought he spoke with angels, some that he spoke to demons. But Boson was only ever speaking to the birds. He heard things that other people could not. And so he was called a Monster. Fermoin discovered that other monsters had been born, existed, and were exiled from the island she lived on with her parents. The monsters were sent off to sea. Fermoin longed to figure out what happened to all the Monsters, hoping that knowledge of them would help her to figure out why her brother was dead. So, despite being a Quirk, and in spite of the fact that Quirks were not sea-going folk, Fermoin set off to sea.

Fermoin made many discoveries in her adventures and her talks with old ladies in red felt down by the shore. I learned that people who step off the bog path have a chance of drowning, but they also have the chance of hearing the music that the water plays in the reeds. I discovered, that in each of us resides a Monster, wishing to be different and unique and also paying the price when other people discover what makes us special.

Read a longer review here: http://absurdlynerdly.wordpress.com/2...

[Katharine (Ventureadlaxre)]

Katharine is a judge for the Sara Douglass 'Book Series' Award. This entry is the personal opinion of Katharine herself, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any judging panel, the judging coordinator or the Aurealis Awards management team.

I won't be recording my thoughts (if I choose to) here until after the AA are over.