Almanac (I love that name) receives a letter inviting him to take up a job in a grand house as an apprentice second footman. Having spent his whole life living in an orphanage this sounds like a dream come true but his arrival is very odd. There is no one to greet him and stepping across the threshold of the house is very disturbing. His feet fly out from under him and pain shoots through him. He recovers quite quickly but still no one appears. Instead he finds a letter instructing him to put on his uniform and expect the arrival of another new staff member. Next to arrive is Etta. She comes from a huge family and as the youngest child of twelve she has felt unwanted her whole life. Just like Almanac, Etta is also 'attacked' as she crosses the threshold of this mysterious house.
What is going on here? Almanac and Etta seem to be the only servants. There are voices of others in the house but they cannot be seen in person - are they ghosts? Right from the start is is clear Almanac and Etta have different talents and that they will need to work together and use their talents to solve the mystery of the house starting with its name which Etta thinks is Spoilnieu Manors while Almanac is certain the sign said Sir Palemoon's Ruin.
Now onto those talents. Etta knows all about magic and the way it is sometimes hidden in libraries. Searching for and then searching in the library of this strange mansion becomes Etta's task. Meanwhile Almanac has a talent for organisation. He is skilled at putting things in order and the basement of contains years of mess and muck that need clearing and sorting.
Etta is sure there is a spell on the house. The ghosts - Ugo the chimney sweep and Olive who lives in the boiler room can communicate with Almanac and Etta but they have to follow certain rules. While they cannot lie they are also unable to answer urgent questions about the house itself which is surely under a powerful spell and more importantly they are not able to talk about the way Almanac and Etta can escape.
Every so often I am able to start a book like Her Perilous Mansion and find myself enjoying it so much that I finish the whole book in just over one day. Huge thanks to Beachside Bookshop for my advance reader copy. Her Perilous Mansion will be published in May, 2020. I think it will appeal to readers aged 10+.
One strength of this fantasy comes from the beautifully drawn main characters. Sean Williams tells his reader just enough background details so that it is easy to understand why and how Etta and Almanac react to their strange situation and cope with their own differences of upbringing and temperament. I especially loved Almanac. There is a great scene where Etta and Almanac are fighting over their theories about the spell. Etta flings water from a full glass all over Almanac. His reaction is to laugh. What a brilliant way to diffuse the tension of this moment.
The other big character in this book is the house itself. It is so well described that I felt able to see every grand room and enjoy every hot chocolate in the warm kitchen.
I am going to make a huge (early) prediction that this book will be listed as CBCA Notable title in 2021.
I would follow this book with these:
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