My rating: 3 of 5 stars
“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
----Anonymous
Garth Nix, an Australian bestselling author, has penned a terrific tale of magic and adventure in his book called, Newt's Emerald, that unfolds the story of a young teenage girl and her quest for finding her lost inherited treasure by dressing up as a man out into the streets and on her journey she meets a handsome man which finally leads to a passionate Regency-themed love story along with lots of adventures and magic.
Synopsis:
On her eighteenth birthday, Lady Truthful, nicknamed “Newt,” will inherit her family’s treasure: the Newington Emerald. A dazzling heart-shaped gem, the Emerald also bestows its wearer with magical powers.
When the Emerald disappears one stormy night, Newt sets off to recover it. Her plan entails dressing up as a man, mustache included, as no well-bred young lady should be seen out and about on her own. While in disguise, Newt encounters the handsome but shrewd Major Harnett, who volunteers to help find the missing Emerald under the assumption that she is a man. Once she and her unsuspecting ally are caught up in a dangerous adventure that includes an evil sorceress, Newt realizes that something else is afoot: the beating of her heart.
At the age of 18, Lady Truthful will inherit her family's treasure- the Newington Emerald that contains magical powers. But unfortunately, on the night of Truthful's 18th birthday, the emerald disappears strangely. So to find the emerald, Truthful, a.k.a, Newt, sets her foot on the way to London, dressed up like a man with a proper mustache, along with her maid. On her quest, she meets a handsome man, Charles, and together they team up to find the emerald. The way to finding the emerald is not an easy one, they come fact to face with lots of challenges filled with magic and witches.
The writing style of the author is layered with lots of humor and action, and is quite brilliant. Although there is not much world building or character development in the story line, but it is very fun to read it. There are lots of funny anecdotes that are sure to crack up the readers. The narrative style is catchy and free-flowing with a tightly packed mystery, that is laminated with few major twists and turns that will definitely keep the readers glued to the story line.
The author have tried to capture an 18th century London by arresting that same fashion, streets, language and culture of that era. The story is covered with light romance featured in a Regency-themed way, that is written with bit of passion. Most of the characters are drawn with a funny bone in their body that will make the readers laugh-out-loud at times. The main character is not that interesting, yet maintains her demeanor in a classic English woman who is quite brave enough to go out on a quest dressed up like a man.
Although there are major drawbacks in the story. Firstly, there is not much character growth, and honestly, the story could have been much better since some of the characters, if provided space to grow, could have made a huge impact on the story line. In fact, the elements of fantasy are very low and doesn't feel like reading one. Overall, the story is very entertaining filled with an exciting adventure.
Verdict: You can surely give this book a pass!!
Courtesy: Thanks to the author's publicist for giving me an opportunity to read and review this book.
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Author Info:
Garth Nix was born in 1963 in Melbourne, Australia, to the sound of the Salvation Army band outside playing 'Hail the Conquering Hero Comes' or possibly 'Roll Out the Barrel'. Garth left Melbourne at an early age for Canberra (the federal capital) and stayed there till he was nineteen, when he left to drive around the UK in a beat-up Austin with a boot full of books and a Silver-Reed typewriter.
Despite a wheel literally falling off the Austin, Garth survived to return to Australia and study at the University of Canberra. After finishing his degree in 1986 he worked in a bookshop, then as a book publicist, a publisher's sales representative, and editor. Along the way he was also a part-time soldier in the Australian Army Reserve, serving in an Assault Pioneer platoon for four years. Garth left publishing to work as a public relations and marketing consultant from 1994-1997, till he became a full-time writer in 1998. He did that for a year before joining Curtis Brown Australia as a part-time literary agent in 1999. In January 2002 Garth went back to dedicated writer again, despite his belief that full-time writing explains the strange behaviour of many authors.
He now lives in Sydney with his wife, two sons and lots of books.
Visit him here
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