The Unchosen One
Amy Sparkes
Walker Books

This is the first instalment of a new series set in the Isles of Peryll way back in time. At the start of this story twelve year old orphan, Tassalonia Monk, Tassie for short drops from a tree into the cart of a stranger who introduces herself as The Wisest of the Wise. The stranger takes Tassie to the tower to see the Chief Steward who is also the girl’s guardian. He informs his ward that according to an ancient prophecy she is the Chosen One, whose destiny being to save the people of Peryll from the awakening of a shadow banished around a thousand years ago. Could this be the adventure Tassie has been longing for?

Perhaps not, for her guardian goes on to tell her that the quest means that she will be locked in a highly guarded room at the top of a tower and have to read a protective spell every hour for the rest of her life. This feels like the exact opposite of everything this accident-prone girl would be suited for; she’s totally wrong for the task and equally unwilling. Surely she isn’t the Chosen One; however the supposed birthmark on her neck indicates that she is.

The answer she decides is to find somebody else for the job. She calls upon her best friend and inventor, Spin, a tiny golden griffin, to accompany her on her mission and off they set, two adventurers, or researchers, as Tassie calls them. Soon they encounter an elf, Darley; can he be trusted to lead them on the right path? Will they discover who is the true Chosen One?

Wonderful world-building, full of suspense and humour too; and with a well-meaning, kind-hearted, courageous protagonist, this is a captivating book for fantasy enthusiasts from around seven