Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier

Title: Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes

Author: Jonathan Auxier

Publisher: Amulet Books 2011

Genre: MG Fantasy

Pages: 400

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Spring TBR

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Night Gardener, Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes is the utterly beguiling tale of a ten-year-old blind orphan who has been schooled in a life of thievery. One fateful afternoon, he steals a box from a mysterious traveling haberdasher—a box that contains three pairs of magical eyes. When he tries the first pair, he is instantly transported to a hidden island where he is presented with a special quest: to travel to the dangerous Vanished Kingdom and rescue a people in need. Along with his loyal sidekick—a knight who has been turned into an unfortunate combination of horse and cat—and the magic eyes, he embarks on an unforgettable, swashbuckling adventure to discover his true destiny.

I picked this book up because of the strength of The Night Gardener and while it’s not that book, I did enjoy this story. We think that we are getting a version of Oliver Twist, but very quickly, things take a very strange turn. I loved the weird twists and turns that takes Peter to knew adventures and friendships. Auxier’s writing style is a strange mix of straight-forward prose and almost a stream of consciousness narrative. There’s a sequel to this story that I may or may not read. But I did enjoy this great middle grade fantasy novel.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier

Title: The Night Gardener

Author: Jonathan Auxier

Publisher: Amulet Books 2014

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Pages: 372

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; Unread Shelf RC - Because of the Hype

The Night Gardener follows two abandoned Irish siblings who travel to work as servants at a creepy, crumbling English manor house. But the house and its family are not quite what they seem. Soon the children are confronted by a mysterious spectre and an ancient curse that threatens their very lives. With Auxier’s exquisite command of language, The Night Gardener is a mesmerizing read and a classic in the making.

Oh this was perfectly creepy for a couple of night’s reading time. I grabbed this one way back in October from my favorite podcast’s (Currently Reading) Indie Press List. I just had to grab all the spooky books and then I let them just hang out on my shelves per usual. I finally picked this on up and sped through it. I loved the creepy setting and storyline involving two orphans, a creepy gardener, a family wasting away, and a wish-granting tree (or is it?). After speeding through and reading the author’s note, I definitely got the influence of Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes. Both books had similar autumn creepy vibes. I loved it! Even I was a little spooked when waking up in the middle of the night. I could just imagine the Night Gardener standing over my bed.

Next up on the TBR pile: