Book 35: “a book that scares you”

This book was definitely a bit spooky and creepy, though not outright scary per se. It reminded me a lot of an old-school dark and grotesque fairy tale like something from the Grimm brothers, or a traditional-style ghost story with its sense of foreboding. The young protagonist finds himself in a magical world that seems idyllic, but quickly becomes worryingly perfect. I don’t want to spoil anything, so everyone should just go read it. It’s a quick read, and definitely has Barker’s sense of imagination when it comes to disturbing images and fantastical creatures. As he does with his Abarat series, Barker did his own illustrations for this novel, peppering the short snappy chapters with sketches of the creepy creatures.