Customer Reviews

Griffin's Castle

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dinah is an eleven year old girl neglected by her mother and despised by her mother's new boyfriend. All she has ever wanted was a home to call her own. When her mother's new boyfriend moves them into his family's dilapidated mansion, Dinah fantasizes about the way she wants it to look, believing she can wish it into existence. She calls upon the stone figures of a nearby castle to come to life and come to her garden to protect it from being torn down. The book was well written and a pleasure to read. However, the abrupt, happily-ever-after ending was unexpected and disappointing. There was nothing leading the reader up to the way the book ended it was just suddenly thrust upon the reader to accept. I would most definately give this book a four out of five stars.

Pre-teen Dinah is determined to make a run-down old mansion a home at last for her and her mother, when her loneliness leads her to wish the animal statues at a nearby Welsh castle would come to life and keep her company. When magic brings them to life she's delighted at first - but when they limit her freedom she comes to realize they are not a delight but a danger - a danger which could threaten her new life. GRIFFIN'S CASTLE is packed with delightful fantasy and a 'must' pick for any who enjoy fantasies and strong characterization.

This is a very well written book with a strong female lead, beautiful imagery, and haunting magic. I was enthralled right up until the end but the weak ending changed it from potentially great to mediocre. Such a missed opportunity!

*** SPOILERS ALERT *** SPOILERS ALERT *** SPOILERS ALERT ***

It doesn't take long for you to start wondering why a wealthy man would put his fiance in a house that stinks of mildrew and dry rot, is falling-down dangerous, has faulty electricity, and has no heat in the winter. The author made Gomer relentlessly bad throughout the book. This was unnecessary but could be forgiven by the reader because it sets up the premise for being in this secretly magical house.

The magical creatures were mysterious and wonderful but no explanation is ever made for why they wanted to keep Dinah at the house, what their powers were for keeping her at the house, or why those powers failed. It made the book feel incomplete.

On Christmas Day, Dinah almost dies. If she had, the book would have finished with a powerful, hearbreaking event, reminiscent of Pan's Labyrinth. Failing that, there should have been about 50-100 more pages with her solving the mystery of the magical creatures and conquering them (with the help of the cat.) Instead, her great grandfather appears out of nowhere, the magical creatures stop whatever they are doing, and the story ends with a highly unbelievable "happily ever after."

Unless it was all a metaphor for Dinah dying after all and meeting her great grandfather in her imagination ... but I don't think so.

This is a strange book that put me in mind of Pauline Fisk's award winning "Midnight Blue". Dinah is a bright young girl with a challenging childhood. Her mother has a new boyfriend with a dilapidated house in Cardiff that they move into. But the relationship between Dinah and the boyfriend - Gomer - is a poor one, with no love lost on either side.

Somehow Dinah manages to unleash forces relating to the stone images at the nearby castle. The ensuing story is somewhat disturbing - and the question is whether she will be able to control the forces she has unleashed. Will her school friends be able to help?

This is an interesting, and somewhat strange book. Worth reading though.

I KNEW WHAT i WAS ORDERING BECAUSE MY DAUGHTER RECCOMENDED THE BOOK. WHEN I FIRST ORDERED IT IT WAS NOT IN STOCK BUT i WAS NOTIFIED AND I ORDERED IT.