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The Rahana Trilogy #1
The Monster Apprentice
The only weapon Dance has is her name.
When pirates threaten the tiny hidden island of Luar, Dance knows her home has only one hope of survival: the magical monsters that killed her twin sister.
Dance loses her friends one by one as she attempts to prepare her strange apprentices for the showdown between monsters and pirates. Can she do it alone?
The Monster’s Apprentice is a powerful story of looking at the world differently and finding an answer in an unexpected place.
When pirates threaten the tiny hidden island of Luar, Dance knows her home has only one hope of survival: the magical monsters that killed her twin sister.
Dance loses her friends one by one as she attempts to prepare her strange apprentices for the showdown between monsters and pirates. Can she do it alone?
The Monster’s Apprentice is a powerful story of looking at the world differently and finding an answer in an unexpected place.
144 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2018
3 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 16, 2018
A fun, light read about a teen girl's coming of age in a world filled with monsters and pirates. Complemented by sumptuous illustrations by Tash Turgoose, middle grade readers will love it.
August 12, 2018
The Monster Apprentice is a fantasy novel that explores the themes of courage, friendship and love. Written by Felicity Banks, a Canberra author specializing in fantasy and interactive fiction, the text includes captivating descriptions of mythical creatures, pirates, conflict and a young girl’s quest to save her home.
The Monster Apprentice tells a story that a girl named Dance, who lives in an ice island with her family and friends. When pirates come to the island, and the people are frightened because they have no way to fight, Dance decision to try to save her home sends her on a journey of courage, survival and personal growth.
While the conflict with the pirates – who attempt to invade the island – is a main plotline of this story, it creates a backdrop of the reader to observe the Dance’s ability to thrive in the most brutal of circumstances. Furthermore, the plot also focuses on Dance’s change and growth during the process. Like so many other teenagers, she has some conflict with her parents and wants to prove herself to them. The relationship between Dance and her friends are always changing as well. While everyone has their own secrets, they still love each other and attempt to maintain their friendships. Young readers, especially, will be able to resonate with the plot as it mirror’s so many elements of young adulthood.
One moment of the book that I personally empathized with was a conversation between Dance and her dad; after she has broken her neighbor’s window. Rather than being allowed to escape punishment, her father states: ‘This is where I tell you that you’ll be paying for it yourself. In full.’ This is exactly what adults do: take responsibility for their own behavior; regardless of their intent. It reminded me of my own parents, who have said the same words to me.
Banks’ writing, within this novel, is both beautiful and vivid. ‘The night air was hot and still. My sheets lay in a crumpled heap on the floor. At the open window my curtains hung in unmoving black lines. No wind slid through to ease the stifling heat. My long black hair felt heavy around my head. I didn’t dare move.’ Furthermore, Banks showed the intelligence of a seasoned author to portray Dance’s emotions and inner thoughts.; like nervousness and anxiety. She clearly made a conscious effort to ensure the reader absorbs the humanness of Dance. Like Dance, we have all grown up with parental love and the company of friends. The things we meet, and the memories we make along the way, decide who we are. We might not face the same fantastical struggles as Dance, but we have all felt the same heartbreak, conflict and bravery she felt between the pages of The Monster Apprentice.
This review by Ziqi Yue has featured in the Swinburne Journal ‘Other Terrain’, Issue 5.
The Monster Apprentice tells a story that a girl named Dance, who lives in an ice island with her family and friends. When pirates come to the island, and the people are frightened because they have no way to fight, Dance decision to try to save her home sends her on a journey of courage, survival and personal growth.
While the conflict with the pirates – who attempt to invade the island – is a main plotline of this story, it creates a backdrop of the reader to observe the Dance’s ability to thrive in the most brutal of circumstances. Furthermore, the plot also focuses on Dance’s change and growth during the process. Like so many other teenagers, she has some conflict with her parents and wants to prove herself to them. The relationship between Dance and her friends are always changing as well. While everyone has their own secrets, they still love each other and attempt to maintain their friendships. Young readers, especially, will be able to resonate with the plot as it mirror’s so many elements of young adulthood.
One moment of the book that I personally empathized with was a conversation between Dance and her dad; after she has broken her neighbor’s window. Rather than being allowed to escape punishment, her father states: ‘This is where I tell you that you’ll be paying for it yourself. In full.’ This is exactly what adults do: take responsibility for their own behavior; regardless of their intent. It reminded me of my own parents, who have said the same words to me.
Banks’ writing, within this novel, is both beautiful and vivid. ‘The night air was hot and still. My sheets lay in a crumpled heap on the floor. At the open window my curtains hung in unmoving black lines. No wind slid through to ease the stifling heat. My long black hair felt heavy around my head. I didn’t dare move.’ Furthermore, Banks showed the intelligence of a seasoned author to portray Dance’s emotions and inner thoughts.; like nervousness and anxiety. She clearly made a conscious effort to ensure the reader absorbs the humanness of Dance. Like Dance, we have all grown up with parental love and the company of friends. The things we meet, and the memories we make along the way, decide who we are. We might not face the same fantastical struggles as Dance, but we have all felt the same heartbreak, conflict and bravery she felt between the pages of The Monster Apprentice.
This review by Ziqi Yue has featured in the Swinburne Journal ‘Other Terrain’, Issue 5.
October 29, 2019
This book was everything I could ask for in a coming-of-age story. Female empowerment, finding strength in yourself where you'd never thought to look before, a fascinating world so close to the one we know yet just different enough to keep you constantly curious, kind-of magical creatures, and the thing that makes every story better no matter how good it already was, pirates.
Dance's mind is an amazing place to be, and I 10/10 cannot wait to read this again.
Dance's mind is an amazing place to be, and I 10/10 cannot wait to read this again.
December 11, 2019
I really enjoyed reading this story about a girl who has a plan to save her people from pirates. Seeing Dance's character grow over the course of the story made it such a rewarding read. The ending has left questions in my mind that must be answered, so I will read the next book.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews