Review: The Goblin's Puzzle: Being the Adventures of a Boy with No Name and Two Girls Called Alice by Andrew S. Chilton

The Goblin's Puzzle: Being the Adventures of a Boy with No Name and Two Girls Called Alice by Andrew S. Chilton
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Release Date: January 19th, 2016
Purchase: Amazon

Brimming with dragons, goblins, and logic puzzles, this middle-grade fantasy adventure is perfect for readers who enjoyed The Princess Bride or Rump.

THE BOY is a nameless slave on a mission to uncover his true destiny.
THE GOBLIN holds all the answers, but he’s too tricky to be trusted.
PLAIN ALICE is a bookish peasant girl carried off by a confused dragon.
And PRINCESS ALICE is the lucky girl who wasn’t kidnapped.

All four are tangled up in a sinister plot to take over the kingdom, and together they must face kind monsters, a cruel magician, and dozens of deathly boring palace bureaucrats. They’re a ragtag bunch, but with strength, courage, and plenty of deductive reasoning, they just might outwit the villains and crack the goblin’s puzzle.

My thoughts:
This was such a fun read!  I know I have said this before, but I am really digging the whole Middle Grade genre these days!  The ones I have read lately have such unique story lines and I have to say could really give some YA books a run for their money!

In the Goblins Puzzle we get to set out on several adventures that eventually merge together in one amazing story line.  I truly enjoyed seeing each story play out and I think each character stood front and center of their own story.  Sometimes characters can get lost in the shuffle or I won't feel as connected to certain ones, but I was fully engaged with each character in this story.  I did feel a little more towards the boy with no name because his story started with the goblin, but this still didn't take anything away from the other amazing characters.

The story was also one of my favorites!  There were so many amazing twists and turns and my goodness I did not see that ending happening!  This is also very action packed!  We have dragons, ogres, an evil sorcerer, and a very tricky goblin!  Throw all that in and you know you have a fun adventure!  The author did a great job pacing everything and I thoroughly enjoyed watching each character use their wits to outsmart their opponents!

The only thing that threw me in this was the way slaves were presented.  It was quite heavy handed and while I do understand the thought behind it all I still felt a bit uncomfortable at times and I think it was a bit much for younger readers.  I wish the author would have pulled back a bit because I don't think it was all needed.

That being said though I still felt like this book was definitely fun and I loved seeing the puzzle unfold.  If you are looking for a fun adventure this book is for you!

4 snowflakes