Title: The Riddle
Author: Alison Croggon
Series: The Books of Pellinor #2
Publisher: Walker Books
Publication date: May 2nd 2005
Format: Paperback | 512 pages
Genre: YA | Fantasy
Maerad is a girl with a tragic and bitter past, but her powers grow stronger by the day. Pursued by both the Light and the Dark, she and her mentor, Cadvan of Lirigon, seek the Riddle of the Treesong - the key to restoring peace to their ravaged kingdom. As she travels from terrifying seas to vast stretches of glacial wilderness. Maerad is drawn ever closer to her enemy the Winterking, the auther of her sorrows and the strongest ally of the Nameless One - the greatest tyrant of all.
My thoughts:
The Riddle is the second book in The Books of Pellinor series - I've been a big fan of this series for quite a long time now so reading this book again was pretty nostalgic for me. It reminded me of a lot of things, mostly of how it felt to read this book for the first time, but also of what I was doing at the time. I was still in high school back then and I remember being bombarded with so much work that I had to catch bits of a chapter here and there - I was so desperate to finish this book to find out what happened to the characters. I would put off my friends at lunch just so I could stick my nose in this book until the bell rang for another lesson.
What I love most about this read is most definitely the characters. Without question, these characters really stuck with me from the very beginning. I loved how Maerad became more sure of herself in this book - after being freed from a life of slavery, she became more and more at ease with her freedom and right to voice her opinions. Don't get me wrong, she has some pretty stupid ideas about herself and those around her in this read, but this time, she has no problems voicing them. It gives her the chance to learn more about herself and those around her when people question her opinions - she's made all the better for it.
I didn't enjoy the plot as much as the first book in the series, The Gift, just because in the beginning of the series, everything was so new to Maerad. I loved how everything became a challenge to her - from talking to new people, to being able to have a hot bath. There was a certain charm to her that this book didn't have so much. Aside from that, I enjoyed the new characters introduced and how they played a part in the story, especially the Winterking, he was interesting to say the least.
Overall I love this book for more reasons than I can put down into words. I really recommend this series to anyone who is a fan of this genre and characters that will keep a place in your heart for a good while.
My rating: 8/10
Alison Croggon:
The Books of Pellinor:
- The Gift
- The Riddle
- The Crow
- The Singing
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