The Ickabog
Once upon a time, there was a tiny country called Cornucopia
Summary:
The Ickabog follows the story of Daisy and Bert and their upbringing. The King rules with a soft hand, and their childhood passes relatively normally. Daisy and Bert are good friends, and the scariest thing they deal with is the “stories” surrounding the Ickabog. With no solid evidence, neither child really believes in, nor is scared of the monster. Their lives take a drastic turn for the worse when Fred visits the Marshlands. Lord Spittleworth is the king’s best friend, but the people of Cornucopia have a different feeling towards the Lord.
Characters:
There are many characters featured in The Ickabog, however, the main characters are Bert and Daisy, as part of the common people, and Flapoon, Spittleworth, and Fred as the royals. Daisy and Bert are childhood friends who grew up together. Since their parents worked for the king, the two lived in relative ease. Following the deaths of family members, the two begin to drift apart. King Fred the Fearless rules the kingdom, but with a weird twist of irony, Fred is not fearless, and is instead vain, selfish, and cruel. Spittleworth and Flapoon are lords close to the king and take advantage of his naivety.
Sebastian: 9.2/10
I can honestly say that when I received this book, I had no idea what to expect other than the fact that it would most likely be right up my alley. Now for those of you who have read some of my other novel reviews or if you go to my top picks page you will know I am fond of J.K. Rowling and in particular a certain famous series of hers. However, though I went into the book optimistic I had not read any of her recent works, and with this being her return to children’s novels did not know if she had lost her charm but I am happy to report that I loved this book. The first thing I liked about the novel was the writing style that while different than Harry Potter still builds mystery in a way that I thoroughly enjoyed and made it hard for me to put down. I also enjoyed this world that the story inhabits as it is new and creative with a real emphasis on the food of the kingdom which does factor into the story. While the story does aim a bit more child-friendly than some of her other works Rowling still manages to have some important themes and messages as well as some pretty dark storylines mixed in with the lighthearted world and adventure. The characters presented are all unique and well written from the feisty and courageous Daisy, the good-hearted and brave Bert, the cowardly and bumbling King Fred, and the cunning and manipulative Lord Spittleworth who each bring a unique dynamic to the novel. This book is not a hard read nor is it a long book which makes it perfect for young readers looking for something fantastical to start with. The type of narrative is something I enjoy as they tease the truth throughout while we are constantly given doubts which just makes the mystery the more intriguing and the pay off all the sweeter. Lastly, I would be amiss if I forgot to mention the wonderful illustrations that children did detailing the events of the book. This definitely makes me look forward to anymore future J.K.Rowling novels to come in the future.
All in all, this was a great children’s novel that I couldn’t put down and would highly recommend to kids and families alike if you’re looking for your next book to read during the pandemic.
Austin: 9.1/10
J.K. Rowling is back and in a big way. This book is a lot of fun, and one of the more enjoyable books I’ve read as of late. It was super easy to read and hard to put down. There is no doubt this isn’t J.K. Rowling’s best piece of work, but it flows slightly differently than her slightly more famous novel series. This is written like a children’s story, but it holds some characteristics that make it a surprisingly good book.
We get a handful of incredibly well-written characters. Bert and Daisy are great contrasting characters, and their relationship is very fluid. The development is great, and we see completely different characters by the end of the novel. We also see characters that bounce in and out, but they don’t feel like a waste of paper. That was probably my favourite part, the way secondary and tertiary characters were worked in to grow the plot and develop our main characters, protagonists, and antagonists.
Personally, I love this plot. It does take a few chapters to get going but once the plot has some wind in its sails, it flows so nicely. At just under 300 words it isn’t a very long book, but the plot covers a lot of ground. It makes for both an easy yet exciting read. I actually ended up reading the last 90 pages in just under an hour straight just due to the fact it gets really, really good at the end. I found the format to be a little bit jarring from time to time, but the idea behind short chapters was well executed.
I wouldn’t be doing this book its justice if I didn’t point out the great illustrations in this novel. It is one of the most creative ways I have ever seen, and it adds to that feeling of reading a children’s novel. Then the dark plot pulls you back to reality, but I digress. I really enjoyed this book, and I think you will too! J.K. Rowling has had this one in her back pocket for a long time, but I am happy she chose now to bring it out.
Nathanyal: 8.8/10
The first thing I’m going to say is that this novel surprised me with its content. I’m going to first talk about a major downside of the novel, which was its slow beginning. The intro to this novel had a slower pace in order to build up the setting and the characters. Although the purpose of the intro is to introduce these aspects, I felt the pacing of the reveals missed their mark.
Now, on to the better features of this novel. The first thing I noticed were the names of the characters. J. K. Rowling uses the characters’ names more symbolically, as their names reveal a lot about their character. For example, Spittleworth is a character that talks a lot. Besides the names, I do enjoy the characters themselves as well. Although they may seem generic at first, most of their interactions seem natural enough given the circumstances. When it came to the physical book, the inclusion of illustrations done by other children based on their visualizations was a nice touch. Although it may seem childish, it seems to add another layer to the story in general.
This book’s story is framed for young readers, but it doesn’t discourage older readers to enjoy the novel. This novel deals with some heavy themes, like manipulation and deceit. The details in the novel are a bit tamer, as to censor some of the violence from young readers, but this still didn’t discourage me from reading a “childish” book. Throughout the novel, there are many deaths and dark scenes as the lies of Spittleworth grows, and I really enjoyed how all those small decisions culminated in the last act of the novel.
Overall, this was an enjoyable book to read. For those familiar with other works by Rowling, this novel still captures the same air as her other novels. For younger readers, this is a nice story to learn some valuable life lessons, and for older readers, it’s a nice commentary of corruption and manipulation.
