Published By: First Ink
Pages: 432
Released On: 27/08/2026
Reading Age: 12+
Castles traded places sometimes. Everyone knew that. It was always something that might happen, except that it never had.
Until all of a sudden it did.
Far above the valleys and villages of the Kingdom of Thaletal, a Great Game is played. Players move castles around the realm like chess pieces – and the ordinary villagers are mere pawns at the whim of their tactics.
When 15-year-old Burr’s peaceful village is disrupted by the arrival of an ominous new castle, he decides he’s had enough. But what starts as a plucky coup soon escalates – and soon the castle is wrenched away to a far-flung corner of the kingdom, where whispers mount of a mysterious ancient maiden whose magpies collect her debts at dangerous prices.
Here, the stakes are higher than the tallest turrets, and every move counts. Burr must work with his sisters and friends – and rely on the unexpected help of a strange and intriguing heiress – to unravel the secrets of the Magpie Maiden and the origins of the Great Game before he becomes just another casualty of the Players’ deadly contest.
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and First Ink for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I have read two of Frances’ books and own three others, but she’s already become a go-to author for when I want a fun book that has a real heart.
There were only a handful of illustrations in my e-arc – I don’t know if there will be more in the finished copy or if that’s it – but they were all lovely and I loved the hand-drawn, quite ancient style of drawing.
It’s historical, fantasy, adventure – a bit of everything. Amazon advertises it as a book for 12 and over. I am on the fence about that. It’s quite long for a young reader and there are quite…not scary moments, but war-based moments, so I would pitch it at slightly older. But either way, I am 33 and thoroughly enjoyed it. Bizarrely, given the fantasy elements, it didn’t feel very fantastical. She’s managed to blend it all in so well with the normal moments, that the magical elements almost become expected – like, why wouldn’t castles move?
I read a lot of books – 400 or so a year – with a large proportion of them being children’s books or YA, and I can say quite confidently that Frances is one of the best at creating a sense of space and place and time and atmosphere, well rounded and interesting characters, thought-provoking messages, and entertaining fun. She just gives everything 100% and it always culminated in a positive review.
There are a couple of main characters but for me this was an ensemble piece. There are so many other characters and often if it’s a big cast they can get really lost because it’s hard to dedicate time to each of them. But there wasn’t a dud one among them, they were all fantastic to read.
It’s not a thriller so there’s no out-and-out twists and turns, but there are some surprises and it kept going down avenues I never saw coming. Which made it exciting and you just wanted to read one more chapter, until you realise there are no more chapters and you’ve finished it.
I only have one negative, and this is a comment on my preferences rather than an insult to the book, and that’s to do with the length. I mean, everything was brilliant and I can’t even say what you would cut without it harming the overall story, but I prefer books about 300-350 pages, so this was quite long for me. There are a few scenes that maybe could have been thinned down and still given the same impact.
If it had been a wee bit shorter this would have got the full five shining stars, but it’s bloody close to being perfect.
Books By Your Bedside 