It is midnight in Crackledawn – a midnight full of magic. Sea dragons stir in the depths of the ocean, silver whales surface beneath the moon and sand goblins line the shores. Everyone is waiting for the phoenix, the guardian of the kingdom’s magic, to rise up from the forests of Everdark.
But there is no sign of the phoenix tonight. Something else surges up out of Everdark instead: a harpy bent on stealing Crackledawn’s magic.
It is up to an eleven-year-old girl called Smudge and an eccentric monkey called Bartholomew to set sail beyond the legendary Northswirl and stop the harpy before it’s too late.
So, grab your compass and roll down your sail – the first adventure in THE UNMAPPED CHRONICLES is about to begin...
Abi Elphinstone grew up in Scotland where she spent most of her childhood building dens, hiding in tree houses and running wild across highland glens. After being coaxed out of her tree house, she studied English at Bristol University and then worked as a teacher.
THE DREAMSNATCHER is her debut novel for 8-12 years (published by Simon & Schuster in 2015). THE SHADOW KEEPER is her second children's book (published by Simon & Schuster in 2016).
When she's not writing, Abi volunteers for Beanstalk, teaches creative writing workshops in schools and travels the world looking for her next story. Her latest adventure involved living with the Kazakh Eagle Hunters in Mongolia…
This is a prequel novella in The Unmapped Chronicles series.
Name a more unlikely heroic duo than an eleven-year-old girl named Smudge and a grumpy monkey called Bartholomew. Despite their seeming unreliability as saviours and the lacklustre origins to their adventure, the pair must journey to beyond the legendary Northswirl if they hope to save their kingdom. Villains set out to thwart them and horrors must be confronted long before they even get there.
I have previously adored this series so was surprised to find myself not rating this as highly as the other instalments. Perhaps the truncated length was responsible for my lack of true immersion. It was a solidly enjoyable read but didn't quite pull on the heartstrings like the other Elphinstone books, for me.
Exquisitely told and packed with adventure and magic, a story of an unlikely friendship and the power of self belief. Abi Elphinstone’s imagination is breathtaking.
Another great read from this author! I loved it! This is the prequel, but I read in publication order, so I was fine reading it after the 1st two books. This has dyslexia friendly text(why can’t all books??), & not only that, but our main character, Smudge, is dyslexic. The word doesn’t exist is this world, but if it did it would have been used to describe her-this from the author in the back of the book. You also learn in the back from the author, that she herself is dyslexic & that the inspiration for Smudge came from her own childhood. I recommend reading all of her authors notes in the back. Made the book even that more special. So this tells how the events we learn in book 1 with Morg came to be in the beginning of it all. Smudge & her white-nosed monkey Bartholomew have been left w/the responsibility to stop Morg. The fate of the Unmapped Kingdoms & the Faraway depend on them. Even though this is a prequel, it’s the 3rd book for me..so don’t want to say too much. But this was full of adventure, danger, deeper meanings at its core, & heart. That grumpy little monkey has my whole heart lol He was such an amazing friend for smudge, & I just love him. It’s a unexpected friendship, which sometimes can be the best kind. There’s a lot of focus on believing in yourself, & how important that is. I loved watching Smudge learn this, b/c she didn’t believe in herself at all to start. She had to learn that being different, or thinking differently than others wasn’t a bad thing. Great world building, amazing characters, full of magic & adventure. Can’t wait for the next book. Highly recommend. Absolutely love this beautiful cover by George Ermos too. Does anyone know if there will also be a US edition? 💜
This was a very visual and adventurous read, with a ton of action and fun! I understand that Everdark is a prequel to a series written by the same author. At the time of writing this review, I haven't started the series yet! Set in Crackledown, there's trouble rising when a famous Phoenix hasn't risen and so the only person that can save the kingdom from doom is main character Smudge. Younger readers will definitely appreciate the world-building and array of characters.
This is a prequel to Rumblestar (which I read earlier this month). Didn't like this one as much as Rumblestar, but is has some really lovely moments and messages and it surely is a wonderful read for younger readers.
I listened to Rumblestar on Scribd a while ago and absolutely fell in love with it, so when I saw there was a prequel I knew I needed to pick it up!
Following the journey of Smudge and Bartholomew as they try and save the Faraway and the Unmapped Kingdoms from Morg.
This was just as delightful as Rumblestar; Abi always manages to build such amazing stories and characters and this was no different. I love Smudge; she was so brave and kind, even when people thought she wasn’t clever. And Barholomew!! The grumpy monkey who stayed out of love and loyalty, not enchantment!
A delightful and exquisite story of how even the smallest and scared people, can go into save the world. If only you believe in yourself.
Book #7 for Believathon, November 2020: Read a book with a dangerous setting
This books was so good! The story was very engaging and I applaud the author's imagination, as it was truly creative as well!
It's a quick read, full of adventures, humour and magic. The imagery is so vivid and beatifully written, I could easily imagine the whole setting and I loved it. It also puts a big focus on believing in yourself and finding your inner strength, which I feel will be a great inspiration for the young readers :)
I can't wait to continue with the series and I really recommend it!
I really liked this - it took me far too long to read it because I found the font size meant I had to concentrate more lol but I enjoyed it. Smudge is adorable and I loved her a lot. I am looking forward to reading Rumblestar even more now.
Re-read in anticipation of reading the next book in the series The Crackle Dawn Dragon and I really do love this story. The characters are wonderful and the book flows well.
Aren’t you happy that things like the World Book Day exist? I sure am or maybe this little book, Everdark, would have never seen the light of day.
The book in itself is short, just over 100 pages really, but it holds so much. It serves as a prequel to the first of the Unmapped Chronicles, Rumblestar.
We are introduced to the land of Crackledawn and all their peculiarities. Sunriders and Sunsmiths, Rockgoblins and Watergum, Phoenixes and evil Harpies are just some of the things the reader gets introduced to, together with the main character, an eleven-year-old girl called Smudge, who just seems to ruin everything she touches. I loved to see the world of the Unmapped Kingdoms to unfold before me. I felt bright-eyed with imagination, filled with wonder and excitement while the charm and magic seemed to seep off the pages.
Smudge was a convincing main character with a lot of spunk and soul, down on her luck, incredibly messy and clumsy and still full of heart and courage. By her side is old and grumpy monkey, who keeps grumbling and chastising Smudge and stays by her side anyway.
I especially loved how Smudge and Bartholomew became closer with the progress of the story. I somehow seem to have deverloped a soft spot for unlikely heroes and old, grumpy companions that come to care and love each other with the progress of the story. It’s just the best thing.
The storyline of Everdark is very good altogether, although I have to admit that I needed quite a lot of focus to keep up with. It’s kind of a “blink and you miss it” situation where you have to pay attention at all times or you might get confused. That said, I found it a little hard at times to follow but paying attention to the book and maybe slow down the reading sometimes is definitely worth it.
All in all, I loved this little book, the characters that have to overcome so many hardships and the overall world that Abi Elphinstone built. I can’t wait to dive into Rumblestar and am waiting hard for Jungledrop to come out and was just enchanted by everything. I really recommend.
Everdark by Abi Elphinstone is the very short first installment into the Unmapped Chronicles, the edition I read being released as part of the World Book Day 2019 lineup, and easily readable in one sitting at just over 100 pages. World Book Day books always have to be very thin, so in this edition the text is very small especially for a children's book - although the book was released with alternative cover and much larger text. Abi Elphinstone is an author known for her themes of magic in her books as well as being very well written. Both are very present in Everdark, with some great description and (although limited due to the book's length) imaginative worldbuilding. The main character Smudge is a typical Abi Elphinstone protaganist - a young, outsider girl who embarks on a magical journey, which is pretty similar to her other books. However the character of Bartholomew, an upstanding monkey, is a fun and unique companion on the somewhat short journey. Although it is a children's book, for me there is too much convenience in the plot which takes away any sense of high stakes as we find that all problems can be solved by either luck of the 'magic of friendship', which isn't isn't exactly a unique theme.
For such a short book, I felt that the author structured the story well enough without it feeling rushed, and there were some particularly interesting components of the book, like nightdagger rain. However, the portion including the two main characters teaming up with the presumed dead adventurer Nefarious Flood and then taking on the harpy villian called Morg was mostly forseeable and uninspiring. The bond between Smudge and Bartholomew showed the power of friendship well, but using that power of friendship as a way of survival felt weak. This book serves as a set up for the current three other full-length books in the series, and sets up a fantastic world with some great ideas and central promise, and although this book was nothing special in of itself, makes me excited to continue the series.
From the start I was excited at how promising this book sounded. The prologue had me hooked, but I wasn't sure how a new series was going to begin with such a tiny book, however don't let that mislead you! The font is tiny and this didn't feel like the "simpler" world book day books I've read in the past. It had a complexity to it that raised my expectations futher still.
I loved that our main character is accompanied by a straight to the point, talking monkey and sentient ship. It was a lovely touch and added to the fantastical. This reminds me of the Peter Pan narrator so has a magical nostalgic feeling.
This is definitely for more advanced younger readers as there are a lot complex, run off sentences that even I struggle to keep track of. I loved how the plot developed but some things were predictable, for example, I had a feeling the guy in the coffin at the bottom of the sea was going to be a certain somebody, although I did imagine he'd be in it more at the end, but I understand that the strength was for Smudge and Bartholemew alone, to give a stronger message. Speaking about messages, I love how they encourage the strength of self belief.
The only thing that kept eating at my enjoyment a little was how unbelievable it was to have a young, inexperienced, child doing what others couldn't do to save everything and everyone, but that's besides the point because it's a fun, middle grade, fantasy adventure at the end of the day and belivabilty isn't it's top priority, I'd imagine, nor should it be!
The extract for a Pinch of Magic by Michelle Harrison has really interested me. I'd like to read it so I will be looking out for it.
Sometimes I dabble in books aimed at a younger audience to keep things interesting. This particular book is small, action-packed at aimed at an audience of young kids with stars of adventure in their eyes and a fondness for quirky people and a few big words.
The status quo has been disturbed and an unknown enemy has been released into an approaching night. The plot is simple, the characters minimal and world building enough to keep the interest of children. The 'moral' of the story is simple but profound. Older teens might roll their eyes at the underlying message but I liked the basic simplicity in it.
This was a light, refreshing read which I picked up at an appropriate time.
P.S: There is magic, associated magical creatures and a crucial quest in this book.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is completely based on my own reading experience.
Smudge thinks she's just a bit of a disaster who will never learn to be a proper Sunraider or Sunsmith, but there's a niggle inside her which makes her believe that maybe she's actually meant for something else, something more. The magic and wonder in the whole book is charming. Almost every thing or person mentioned is enchanting and full of imagination. I even love the place names, their sounds are so pleasing, Crackledawn and Jungledrop. I think I enjoyed the other books in this series slightly more in audio, as the narrator does such an amazing job, I don't feel like I read it myself as well as she does.
Quick sweet read that reminds me very much why I still love reading Middle Grade kind of books. Smudge is a fun character and Bartholomew was also really fun to read about. The world sounds very intriguing and I can't wait for Rumblestar to come out soon! Woohoo!
I had such fun reading this prequel to Abi Elphinstone's new series- Smudge is a fabulous heroine, Bartholomew is brilliant and I love this world already. Can't wait to see more of it come Rumblestar! 4.5/5
WOW! I absolutely loved this book, brimming with adventure and imagination. It's amazing what imagery can be conjured up in so little pages. Fell in love with the character of Smudge - her bravery, determination and friendship would be what any KS2 classroom needs!
An incredible adventure filled with magic, mystical creatures and 2 brilliant main characters. I have a particular affinity for Bartholomew. This will be the most perfect book to read aloud to children!
It is hard to build a new world and a new quest in just over 100 pages. The author did well in building this one.
I intend to read "Sky Song" eventually. I have owned it for over a year. The indications from this short story is that I will enjoy it. This is a well built world with a lot of imagination. The story doesn't feel rushed despite the length of the book and the many elements used in it.
This book was originally given as a free book option on World Book Day 2019 and I received it for free from The Book Trust in a competition. It is only £1 to buy and definitely worth that for any reader of any age.
EVERDARK was originally released as a world book day book - a small little story (in very cheap printing to keep costs down) that kids can get for £1 here - ahead of RUMBLESTAR's release. As happens with these special little releases, it went out of print after the next year's celebration. However, as it's so integral to the overall story of the series, it's been re-released with a new cover to match the updated series' design. It's also in the same printing format (aka, UK standard and not a cheap binding.)
This book includes the origin story of the series' villain, how she first came to be terrorising the Unmapped Kingdoms, and how she was first defeated. There are a a lot of references to this story in the other books so far, so it was nice to finally understand what happened. You can very much read and enjoy the other books without this one, but it does add another layer of understanding to read this one.
It's set in the ocean kingdom, so it's a boat book! Smudge and her friend Bartholomew take and enchanted boat further than any living explorer, facing whirlpools, giant waves, and sea witches. Bartholomew stole a lot of page time, being a fussy little monkey who likes tea and golf. His antics made me giggle a fair bit.
EVERDARK's heroine, Smudge, is dyslexic, based on the author's own experiences. The last few years have seen an increase in diversity in MG, which means books like this no longer stand out so much as "rare", but they're definitely not "the norm" yet, so it's always nice when you stumble upon these books by accident.
Apparently this summer's release of THE CRACKLEDAWN DRAGON is the final entry into this series! I thought we were getting two more books rather than one!
I really need to get a move on with my own writing because this book hit a little too close to home for comfort, which is a nice compliment, but still, can't dawdle much longer. I liked the world-building and the magic system, and Abi's writing was flowery and magical like the world itself. I would definitely love to explore more of her books when I get the chance.
However, there were a couple of things I didn't entirely enjoy. First, the message was shoehorned down our throats in EVERY SINGLE PAGE. Once or twice would've been fine but no, subtlety was definitely swallowed by a black hole when this book was being written. I guess very young children would be the beneficiaries in this but still, have some mercy for those of us who are older. Also, predictable plot is predictable, but I guess that is to be expected with only 100 or so pages. Also, there's an extract of 'A Pinch of Magic' at the end which I really have no idea why it's there since it's by a different author. Maybe same publisher or something, idk.
Also, also, can't believe it took me a whole week to read this I've really been struggling the past few days, normally this is something I'd gobble up in one sitting.
Plamka nie jest jak jej rówieśnicy: nie zdaje dobrze egzaminów, robi mnóstwo błędów ortograficznych, jest niezdarna, rozkojarzona, zdarza się, że nie potrafi wykonać prostych czynności i zapamiętać regułek z lekcji. Z tego powodu często jest wyśmiewana i woli spędzać czas sama ze sobą. Aby nie była samotna otrzymała od Wzniosłego Ludu towarzysza, starą małpkę.
Gdy pewnego dnia nie następuje odrodzenie feniksa zapewniającego magię w Nieodkrytych Królestwach, a Elfy zostają pozbawione możliwości ruchu, okazuje się, że to Plamka i jej towarzysz, Bartolomeo, są tymi, którzy mogą ocalić i swój lud, i Zamorze, zależne od magii Wzniosłego Ludu.
Wspaniała, niewielka książka dla dzieci, pokazuje jak ważna jest wiara w siebie, podążanie za głosem swojego serca, spełnianie własnych marzeń, nawet gdy wydają się one innym dziwne. Nieszablonowe myślenie, bogata wyobraźnia, intuicja oraz czyjeś wsparcie i dobre słowo mogą zdziałać cuda.
"Większość ludzi przeżywa swe dni nieświadoma siły, jaka w nich drzemie". "(...) wiara w siebie czyni cuda niemal takie jak magia." "Ludzie, którzy na pewne sprawy patrzą pod innym kątem, są niezwykle potrzebni innym."
Warto polecić tę książeczkę młodym czytelnikom, by zobaczyli, że inność nie jest czymś złym, że warto mieć marzenia i dążyć do ich spełnienia. Wystarczy tylko trochę uwierzyć w siebie.