Advent

Feb 11, 2012 Lou rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, paranormal, ya

This is a deep cerebral story that involves a young boy and magic. No this is has no similarities with Harry Potter, it has a world of its own. He transports you at times to the origins of this magic world and has included ancient mythology. The boy must be taken upon and accustomed to new ways and abilities. I sense the next book in the series to include even more adventure. This is really tailored for an adult audience, the author has created a richly filled world of beyond the realm of what w...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Kirsty (overflowing library) rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-books, uk-author, did-not-finish

Giving up on this one for now as really not my sort of book despite being beautifully written. Learning more and more than fantasy and me don't mix.

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Jan 04, 2013 A.E. Shaw rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

Oh, no. I didn't enjoy this for a moment, and yet, if you'd told me there was a book written by someone with an excellent command of language, that mashed up Arthurian legend with Faust, the Greeks and still more myth, I'd probably have bitten your hand off to read it.

I've been trying to work out what it is I didn't love, indeed, actively disliked, and the best I can do is an analogy. It's like walking into an old shed, and on first glance, it seems rammed with stuff, full to the brim of fascin...more
Oh, no. I didn't enjoy this for a moment, and yet, if you'd told me there was a book written by someone with an excellent command of language, that mashed up Arthurian legend with Faust, the Greeks and still more myth, I'd probably have bitten your hand off to read it.

I've been trying to work out what it is I didn't love, indeed, actively disliked, and the best I can do is an analogy. It's like walking into an old shed, and on first glance, it seems rammed with stuff, full to the brim of fascinating things, and you can't wait to start investigating, pulling one thing after another off worn old shelves to see what lies beneath it, and beneath that, and you're certain you're in for the most wonderful of afternoons, but the first thing you grab is something you already own, only in worse condition, and then the second thing you get is soggy and ruined, and the third thing you find is something you hate, and, bit by bit, you realise that the shed is full of nothing you want at all, and it is extra-disappointing because you'd been so excited at the start.

I concede that, even in the beginning, the writing didn't help me - the dialogue felt tired and hollow, and the characters were irritating - and then the jumble of myth kicked in and it became, frankly, all too much for no apparent reason, other than that the author wanted to display all the things they'd known and been interested by, all at once. I just didn't understand why most of the things, and didn't feel any pull to keep turning the pages: I had to make myself finish this, and ended up doing so fairly fast, but because I wanted it to be over, rather than because I was curious about where it was going.

So, in conclusion, I don't think I'll put myself through the rest of the series, as it isn't for me. I'm not sorry to have read it, for there were a few good images and turns of phrase, and it's an interesting idea I'd always have been curious about otherwise, but, at the same time, I'll always be disappointed in what it turned out to be, having been so excited.(less)

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Dec 05, 2012 Daniel Withrow rated it 4 of 5 stars

My wife mentioned Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising series as a comparison to this book, and I think that holds up. Sure, it's Yet Another Book about the return of magic to our world, starring a disaffected teenage boy. But unlike many books in that subgenre, its magic is compelling and interesting, not videogamy. In part that's because the magic is deeply rooted in culture: the book is set in west Great Britain, and though I'm totally ignorant about west Great Britain rural culture, the author obvi...more

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Oct 20, 2012 Tina Rath rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was actually published in February this year, but I have only recently seen it reviewed (in the Fortean Times, as it happens) and as soon as I did I downloaded it onto my Kindle and read the lot, staying up until after midnight to finish it.
I love this book. I was rather surprised by some of the reviews which suggest it is too long (no! I would have liked more), with too much description and even what one reviewer called purple prose. I like the style. I was hooked immediately by the main...more

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Sep 26, 2012 Ronald Roseborough rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, imaginative-fiction, magical-adventure, supernatural, young-adult

This is a somber book with some strengths and weaknesses. It tells the story of a teenaged boy, Gavin, who sees things. Well not things exactly. Rather he sees a woman, who he calls Miss Grey. She has appeared to him for years. Gavin knows she is not just his imaginary friend, even though his parents have tried to convince him of this. They demand he stop pretending. He is even kicked out of school for trying to tell a teacher what he is seeing. His parents ship him off to the countryside to sta...more

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Aug 20, 2012 Stephanie D. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The magic in Advent by James Treadwell is strange, dark, and ancient, but has an air of familiarity. Treadwell weaves Arthurian legends, Greek and Celtic mythologies, and Faustian bargains in inventive ways to make for a rich and complex world.

Advent reminded me very much of when I first started reading The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper, a similarity capitalized upon by the book's tagline "Magic is rising." The strong Celtic imagery and setting, a prophecy involving a teenage boy, an omniprese...more The magic in Advent by James Treadwell is strange, dark, and ancient, but has an air of familiarity. Treadwell weaves Arthurian legends, Greek and Celtic mythologies, and Faustian bargains in inventive ways to make for a rich and complex world.

Advent reminded me very much of when I first started reading The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper, a similarity capitalized upon by the book's tagline "Magic is rising." The strong Celtic imagery and setting, a prophecy involving a teenage boy, an omnipresent, growing sense of supernatural menace presaging catastrophe. In fact, much of Advent can be classified as young adult, as one of its two main storylines involves Gavin, a teenage boy who has always felt different, mainly because from a very young age he sees a creepy woman he calls Miss Grey, whom no one else can see. Shipped off to Cornwall by his exasperated parents, Gavin arrives at his aunt's cottage in Pendurra, only to find is aunt is missing. Her disappearance and the strange inhabitants of Pendurra are only the beginning, the advent of a prophecy suddenly coming to terrifying fruition involving Miss Grey. Old, dark magic is seeping out into the ordinary world and a centuries old magician will stop at nothing to get it back.

The adult part of Advent and its most compelling for me is the alternate narrative of the magician, Johannes Faust. The book begins with one image of Faust - cold, grasping, evil. Treadwell goes backwards, scene by scene, until the magician's full background is revealed, which at its core is a surprisingly bittersweet love story, ruined when he is seduced by power.

"On a wild night in deep winter in the year 1537, the greatest magus in the world gathered together and dismissed his household servants, wrapped himself in his traveling cloak, took his staff in one hand and in the other a small wooden box sealed with pitch and clasped with silver, and stepped out into the whirling sleet, bound for the harbor and---so he expected---immortality.

"...

"Beneath his cloak, the magus kept a tight grip on the box. Inside it, padded around with wool, was a calfskin pouch pricked out with marks of warding and asylum. Inside the pouch were two things: a small oval mirror in a velvet sheath , and a ring which appeared to be carved of wood, though it was not.

"Inside the mirror was a share of the magus's soul. Inside the ring was all the magic in the world."

Advent culminates in spectacular, heart-racing climactic scenes, which although ends in some resolution, is only the first of a planned trilogy.(less)

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Aug 19, 2012 Grady McCallie rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The first half of Advent is terrific: a young man, cursed or blessed with a kind of second sight all his life, is sent off to the country to spend a week with his eccentric aunt. When he arrives, she isn't there, and he stumbles from one encounter to the next, each increasingly bizarre. The early chapters pay homage to such past children's fantasy classics as the Box of Delights and the Chronicles of Narnia, while building a much more adult-oriented plot around Arthurian legends and the story of...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Ellen O'brien rated it 2 of 5 stars

This is a truly peculiar book - neither completely adult fiction nor young adult fiction (not for children in part because of the use of the f-word). It is very, very British. It is supposed to be fantasy and to have to do with the return of magic to the world but the way is so torturous and reading this book depends on so many things - for example, there is a fairly important character in the book named "Holly" who sings part of an English traditional Christmas carol. To fully understand this c...more

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Aug 18, 2012 Kestrell rated it 4 of 5 stars

In the past few years, I've almost entirely ceased to enjoy fantasy fiction, as most of it seems preoccupied with vacuous prettiness constructed from the same old cliches. Therefor, I was very pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed _Advent_, which reminded me quite a bit of The Dark Is Rising series by Susan Cooper, as it contains much of the same sense of the uncanny. This is not a cutesy tame magic. Also, the writing is dark and lovely. I can understand why some people thought this book wa...more

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Jul 29, 2012 Lehho rated it 4 of 5 stars

Fiction undoes me, or so does the thought of it. It exists, as does all art, to serve no useful function. It need not expand my knowledge. But it must move or impress, thrill or change, or grip me. To read a few sentences, a couple lines of dialogue, by a hack - "This happened. And then this. And then that. 'It's quiet. Too quiet.'" - is to feel empty inside for the time it took to read them times ten, and to feel weary of it forever, perhaps promising oneself solely to biography from then on. T...more

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Jul 06, 2012 Joe Jones rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, supernatural, magic, mythology, favorite-books-published-in-2012

Gavin is a 15 year old teenager living in England who just doesn't fit in. His problem is he sees things that are not there, in particular a woman he calls Miss Grey. When he is shipped off to visit his Aunt for a week, Gavin's imaginary world quickly intrudes into the real one. He then has to figure out just what is going on and who he really is before it is too late.

This is book one of a new trilogy that is a mash up of the Faust and Gawain legends. I'm still trying to decide if this is suppo...more

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Jul 02, 2012 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

See My Full Review Here: http://www.hippiesbeautyandbooksohmy....

First Impressions: Advent is a tale of mystery and magic salted with a bit of myth. It sounds great on paper, just as communism might. But instead, it turned slow. The events unfold in a very slow speed which makes impatient persons like me cringe. I rather found myself forcing to stick with the story, although that’s not to say that Advent is a bad story.

Plot and Writing Style: Advent is articulated, I will certainly give it that....more See My Full Review Here: http://www.hippiesbeautyandbooksohmy....

First Impressions: Advent is a tale of mystery and magic salted with a bit of myth. It sounds great on paper, just as communism might. But instead, it turned slow. The events unfold in a very slow speed which makes impatient persons like me cringe. I rather found myself forcing to stick with the story, although that’s not to say that Advent is a bad story.

Plot and Writing Style: Advent is articulated, I will certainly give it that. Mr. Treadwell must be one heck of an educated person to be able to spin words together in such an interesting fashion. The experience in reading the writing might be reason enough to pick up Advent. Every detail is spun together beautifully.

The plot is a little less praise worthy though. It’s slow. The idea is good though. Mr. Treadwell intertwines a couple of plot lines together with direct bearing to each other. In one hand you have the story of Gavin, a confused teenager struggling with his mysterious relationship with a certain Miss Grey. In the other hand, you have the legend of Faust, a superior Magus. The story of Gavin is told chronologically, as events unfold through his journeys. Faust moves backwards, explaining details from the end of his journey to the beginning.

The fashion in time line makes sense as certain key measures of the story unfolds. Details are sparse to say the least. Key details trickle out slowly through the book as the two journeys proceed through time together as key events take place.

Final Review: I can’t say that I will be the biggest fan of Advent. I do love mythology of all kinds from all cultures. Old mythology fascinates me. But the story of Gavin is very slow. For instance, you have this ghost named Miss. Grey whom you learn very little of for some time. She is just an annoyance at first that causes Gavin’s life to be hell.

I can’t entirely say this is Mr. Treadwell's fault. The timeline of the story is thought out incredibly well. Unfortunately, I just finished reading an exciting book before Advent that moved at an extremely fast and action packed pace. This tends to set my mood for the book I read next if I read them one on top of the other very quickly.

Second, the details and story seem to be lost in Mr. Treadwell’s very fine writing. He is an excellent writer that blurs the boundaries of narrative writing and poetry. This same praise I think is also accountable for the slow pace of the story. A simpler writing style could have advanced Advent much quicker, thus making it more exciting.

In the end, Advent is one of those mystical stories that deserve a place on the shelf next to books such as ‘Lord of the Flies,’ It’s sure to become a classic used in English classes as a fine example of the beautifully written word. But for the general audience looking for a good time, the story will pass as stale. Still, with that said and the taste of Advent still lingering on my palette, I can’t wait for the second book to release despite my annoyance with how slow the plot moved.Revi(less)

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Jun 28, 2012 Linda Baker rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley

Advent is a promising beginning for a new fantasy trilogy by British author and academic James Treadwell. Gavin is a 15 year old who has always felt different from everyone. From earliest childhood, he has had an "imaginary friend" he named Miss Grey and often has visions of the future. His family tolerated Miss Grey, but now that he is older his mother is just worried and his father doesn't seem to like him very much. He tried to just ignore Miss Grey, but she will not cooperate. He goes to a t...more

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Jun 26, 2012 Allison Barron rated it 2 of 5 stars

Advent was a book I looked forward to reading for its wonderfully strange world seeped in mythology. The world was intriguing and made me think odd creatures and magic really could be lying in wait at the far corners of the earth. As much as I wanted to love the story, however, I just couldn't get into it. It started extremely slow, with pages and pages about Gavin traveling to his aunt's house and then meeting the people in Pendurra. Although there was the mystery of why Gavin was seeing someth...more

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May 20, 2012 Annette M Guerriero Nishimoto rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Today's review is on Advent by James Treadwell

Many think that reviewing books is an easy "job", when in fact is is anything but. Sure, when you love the book you have just finished the words of praise come fast and steadily. It's when you have to write about a book that you didn't enjoy when the harder work begins. That is the situation I am in right now.

When I was first contacted to review Advent I thought I was in for a fantastic story. After all, it comes from a well known publishing house; I...more

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Apr 05, 2012 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

I love mythology. I've always enjoyed reading about the myths and legends of various different cultures and Treadwell blends bits and pieces of some of my favourites up in a blender and laces Advent with them. I also love poetic prose. I like narratives to weave and wander. It's one of the reasons I love Tolkien or the meandering narrative of Susanna Clarke. Given my liking of these things, I feel Advent should have sat quite nicely with my tastes... and yet I can't quite say that it did.

Even t...more I love mythology. I've always enjoyed reading about the myths and legends of various different cultures and Treadwell blends bits and pieces of some of my favourites up in a blender and laces Advent with them. I also love poetic prose. I like narratives to weave and wander. It's one of the reasons I love Tolkien or the meandering narrative of Susanna Clarke. Given my liking of these things, I feel Advent should have sat quite nicely with my tastes... and yet I can't quite say that it did.

Even though the book has quite a lot going for it, the main reason it isn't sitting pretty with might not even be Treadwell's fault. When I put the book down, my first thought was of the his editor, whoever that may have been. I couldn't help but wonder why this 448 page book was allowed to stay 448 pages long when, frankly, a solid half of those pages were unnecessary.

Now, much of Treadwell's writing is actually quite lovely. In places it's almost poetry. Unfortunately, somewhere within these lovely sentences and long, artsy paragraphs, the story got lost. At the beginning of the book I quite liked Gavin...even though he was called "Gavin". I sympathised with his situation and was curious to know more about the mysterious things he could see but nobody else could. I was curious about the missing aunt. I was curious about Marina, the strange girl of Pendurra who had never heard swear words before.

I was less curious about Johannes Faust. His narrative was told in reverse chronological order and, honestly, it was boring. I felt I was having to wait long enough for action to occur in the main narrative, without these tedious intermissions. Maybe it was because they were set in 1537... I've never been one for historical fiction...

Unfortunately, my curiosity fizzled out well before the narrative started to get going on roughly page 150. I slogged through it, but this was a book I was kind of relieved to close. All I can say at the end of it is that I can see James Treadwell is a very educated man who can write. That's what will stick with me. Not the prose. Not the characters. Not the re-imagined mythological figures. If he (or his editor) could have sliced and diced this 448 page whopper, then I think there might have been a good and gripping story within those pages.

I hate saying bad things about free books. Hell, I hate saying bad things about any books! This one might sit better with someone more concerned with the art of pretty prose than with story. Unfortunately, I'm not that person.
(less)

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Dec 20, 2011 Karen Rye rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

Set in the present day, Advent is about the return of the forgotten magic. The main protagonist is a fifteen year old boy, Gavin, who knows that there is something different about him, but has spent most of his life trying to conform to the expectations of the adults around him. He has learnt to studiously ignore the ghostly Miss Grey who never speaks and scares him senseless half the time, but he knows she's there. Eventually he tries to explain this and other magical concerns to one of his sch...more Set in the present day, Advent is about the return of the forgotten magic. The main protagonist is a fifteen year old boy, Gavin, who knows that there is something different about him, but has spent most of his life trying to conform to the expectations of the adults around him. He has learnt to studiously ignore the ghostly Miss Grey who never speaks and scares him senseless half the time, but he knows she's there. Eventually he tries to explain this and other magical concerns to one of his school teachers - and gets suspended for his troubles! His frustrated parents have a holiday booked, so Gavin is packed off to Cornwall to stay with Aunt Gwen, who he hasn't seen for years.

Interspersed with Gavin's story are chapters set in 1537 about the greatest magus in the world. The story in these chapters unfolds in reverse, which allows both stories to unfold in parallel. The arrogant magus comes into possession of a simple wooden ring that contains all the magic in the world. The magus has enslaved sinister spirits to do his business and has created a copy of his soul so that should he die, he may be reborn again. As in all good stories, the tragedy unfolds and the ring and mirror are lost at the time of the magician's death, only to be found again in the present day by Gavin's own Auntie Gwen. Which explains why she is missing when Gavin arrives in Cornwall... And why he is thrown into a dawning new world where everything he has tried hard to not see or believe in, is finally real. Where he will finally learn truths about himself and the world that he didn't even know he needed to learn.

The main protagonists are supported by a cast of literal and mythical beings and creatures, ranging from Cassandra the prophetess to Mermaids. There are nods to Arthurian legend and Faust and a (slightly incongruous) appearance by a killer whale! This is pacy and stirring writing, gripping and with exquisite timing in switches between Gavin's story and the unfolding magus story. The language is mature and the writer doesn't shy away from adult themes. A thrilling YA novel, sure to have a ready adult audience too.(less)

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May 01, 2013 Holly Ice rated it 3 of 5 stars

Advent. 439 pages long and I felt most of them go by.

That’s not to say the book is awful. It isn’t. The side note that the protagonist, Gavin, likes Victorian novels does seem to be an autobiographical comment, as another reviewer has noted before me. However, this does not give the book an excuse to lose tension. Between page 250 and around 340 or so I lost interest. It was an uphill battle as I forced myself to keep reading.

In the middle section of this book not much interesting happens, simpl...more

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Jul 07, 2012 Allison Campbell rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-copies

ADVENT by James Treadwell: I love fantasy. I re-read LORD OF THE RINGS every couple of years. I excel at suspension of disbelief and immersing myself in alternate worlds. So I expected to fall in love with ADVENT, the first in a trilogy that weaves together the Faust legend, Greek mythology including the always-fascinating Cassandra, and Celtic folklore, all propelled by a confused teenager who has always conversed with people who aren't there. It may be that in the context of the entire trilogy...more ADVENT by James Treadwell: I love fantasy. I re-read LORD OF THE RINGS every couple of years. I excel at suspension of disbelief and immersing myself in alternate worlds. So I expected to fall in love with ADVENT, the first in a trilogy that weaves together the Faust legend, Greek mythology including the always-fascinating Cassandra, and Celtic folklore, all propelled by a confused teenager who has always conversed with people who aren't there. It may be that in the context of the entire trilogy, ADVENT makes sense, but as a novel in its own right, it was a sprawling (though often beautifully written) mess with frustrating pacing. Perhaps my expectations were too high.

Gavin, the teenaged boy sent to live with his nutty aunt at the mysterious estate of Pendurra, is a likable child, poised to learn more about his gifts in a classic coming-of-age fantasy arc. This part of the story was engaging. Gavin has been told his entire childhood that the people who are most real to him are imaginary, so he has a distrust of adults. When his aunt, always a favorite and the one most interested in and accepting of his strangeness, fails to pick him up at the train station, a batty professor gives him a lift to Pendurra, and she is the first person he has encountered who shares his visions. Their interactions are some of the best moments in the novel. As they approach the mysterious estate, Gavin describes it beautifully:

"Beneath them, a pair of rough stone posts flanked a driveway leading off into wooded blackness. Beside the driveway, a little way beyond the gateposts, was a house. Hester Lightfoot had cut off the engine and was getting out. Still slightly dizzy, Gavin followed. A gusting wind blew about. There was nothing to hinder it. In all directions, the land fell away gently. Gav thought he knew now what it had been like for the first man on the moon, his foot touching down on the rim of another world, suspended in empty space. He saw a word carved in the nearer gatepost: Pendurra."

This is typical of the expansive, evocative language Treadwell uses in descriptions from Gav's point of view, and one of the book's highlights. It is less successful in the sections from the sixteenth century. The "greatest magus in the world" (as he is referred to in practically every mention of him) is bombastic and not terribly interesting. Once I'd ascertained that not much essential was conveyed through his ramblings, I began skimming these parts and was happier for it. Pendurra through Gav's eyes is mysterious, magical, downright creepy. He meets the odd child who lives there, Marina, and learns odd tidbits about the estate: a river where Marina sees a woman, a chapel housing water with healing powers, and Marina herself: oddly innocent and unaware of the outside world.

Besides the annoying ramblings of "the greatest magus in the world" (early on, I began rolling my eyes whenever I read that phrase), the compelling story of Gavin discovering the truth about Pendurra and about himself is interrupted by large chunks of backstory dumped into the narrative and interrupting the action. I can only imagine that the author delighted in his world-building and couldn't bear to keep it from the reader, but glimpses of backstory worked directly into the narrative would have been far less disruptive, repetitive, and redundant. At one point, in the midst of the book's climax, the reader's interest is derailed by page after page of an internal history lesson, much of which could have been inferred with the inclusion of the few actually relevant details in the narrative. More than halfway through the novel, we begin reading passages from the point of view of Horace, a tangential character and friend to Marina, which add absolutely nothing except to distract from the story. The points of view of random people from the neighboring village, a confused priest, and a journalist staying at the inn are thrown in for good measure. But Gavin is really the only fully-formed character. Marina is vague and out of touch with reality (I wanted to smack her when she dithers as Gav is trying to save her life) and we don't learn much about the professor or Marina's father.

The less said about the ending, the better. It's no doubt the perfect set-up for book two, but when the end finally comes (and it's a long time coming - at 65% of the way through the book (according to my Kindle), the climax begins, but the endless exposition and unnecessary point of view switching bogs it down) it is abrupt and feels entirely contrived, with a previously unknown character the sudden focus. I am sure the next book centers on this girl, but I don't see myself sticking around to find out how the trilogy weaves together all these threads. I'm not sure to whom I would recommend this book. Die-hard fantasy fans with a high tolerance for exposition? Ultimately, the promise of the book's beautiful language and compelling coming-of-age story wasn't realized for me, and I was relieved to see the last page.

Source disclosure: I received an e-galley of this title from the publisher.

Allison Campbell, On My Bookshelf (less)

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Sep 09, 2012 A. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: discovered, fiction-and-literature, sci-fi-fantasy, library-book

There were some things I didn't know about certain legends before I started reading Advent. Like, I had not heard of Cassandra and her curse. And I did not know anything about Faust.

Having read Advent, I now want to read more about both of these legends. I typically do not read intros and authors notes because, frankly, they're not really relevant to me. I am reading a story and I don't really care what someone says about the author or the impact the story has one some community... or what the a...more
There were some things I didn't know about certain legends before I started reading Advent. Like, I had not heard of Cassandra and her curse. And I did not know anything about Faust.

Having read Advent, I now want to read more about both of these legends. I typically do not read intros and authors notes because, frankly, they're not really relevant to me. I am reading a story and I don't really care what someone says about the author or the impact the story has one some community... or what the author wants to "extra point out" after you've taken the time to read his book.

When I DO read these extras, I know that I have enjoyed the book. I am in a place to read more ... often times, anything more I can get my hands on.

In this case, the author's note at the end of the book was a rewarding (and thankfully brief) read. It explained that the legend of Faust is like that of Arthur -- little solid is known, allowing for great flexibility in the telling of the story.

Advent was great. Whether you know anything about Faust / Cassandra or not, it is just great, a well-told story with vivid characters and a colorful setting.

Advent starts with a teenage Gavin who is escaping from the stifling rule of his parents' upbringing. He has a dad who seems to hate him, a mother who weakly mimics love while cowering under the heavy handed rule of her husband, and a friend - a best friend - who isn't real. As he has been told countless times by the adults in his life, who know better.

Gavin has been permitted a brief escape to his aunt's house in a small town a train-ride away, while his parents are on vacation -- largely from him. Gavin's aunt is unlike the other adults in his life - in fact, while others have assumed imaginary friends, his Auntie Gwen encouraged his visions and often asked for details -- a little too excitedly.

However, when Gavin arrives, his scatter-brained Aunt is not at the train station to pick him up. Gavin, fortunately, has made friends with Professor Hester who drives him home, around the long winding road, to his Aunt's lodge at the front of the Pandora Estate... oh, i'm sorry, Pend*ur*ra. ;)

As you can see from the above, which truly is just the very very beginning, Treadwell packs a lot into each sentence, pulling the reader into the world at Pendurra completely. The entire book occurs over the course of a weekend, or so. But rather than being weighed down with the details, Treadwell's book instead brings the world therein alive.

Treadwell is a gifted writer and I am eager to read more. I found myself often straying back to Advent, even when time did not actually permit. I savored the book and found myself with an appetite for reading again. After so many "false-starts," it was nice to find a real book-book. A book with a hearty plot, believable and endearing characters, and an intriguing story line.

It wasn't a five-star book only because it wasn't. I don't have any precise criticisms and I can't point out specific flaws. But this book wasn't the next Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, though it had flavors of it. And it didn't make me rabid for more, but it almost did.

I highly recommend and I will certainly read more Treadwell.(less)

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Aug 26, 2012 Pctrollbreath rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

This is a book that manages at once to intrigue you and to annoy the hell out of you.

The storyline is interesting and certainly hints at more interesting things to come. But all we really have at this stage of the series is hints. The story in this book was, besides the fairly interesting base concept, pretty much run of the mill fantasy. Someone who has read a lot of fantasy will not find any surprises here.

The style in which the book is written is just annoying. The author is addicted to descr...more This is a book that manages at once to intrigue you and to annoy the hell out of you.

The storyline is interesting and certainly hints at more interesting things to come. But all we really have at this stage of the series is hints. The story in this book was, besides the fairly interesting base concept, pretty much run of the mill fantasy. Someone who has read a lot of fantasy will not find any surprises here.

The style in which the book is written is just annoying. The author is addicted to describing every minor event or any thought that any of the characters have, at great length. There are two problems with this. Firstly the author is fully signed up member of the “thesaurus” school of description, where his method of description is a meandering repetition of words or short phrases, faintly nuanced, but meaning pretty much the same thing. This means that you can expect about 5 lines of description for every line of actual story, which is pure overkill. This is annoying enough in the non action scenes where the author is trying to build an atmosphere and fill out the characterisation of his main protagonists, but it sort of works. When it comes to action scenes, it turns into a train wreck. There are no pithy descriptions nutshelling what is happening in one single phrase, so that you can get on with the action in this book. You almost get the feeling that the author is not so much trying to tell a story as impress with his literary powers of description. He fails. Large parts of the descriptive text come across as pure padding, and there is so much of it that you often find it difficult to see the story for the stuffing.

The only positive parts of this book are the characters. They are genuinely interesting, and it very refreshing to see fantasy characters that are not super hero's from point dot, where there are times when you are genuinely not sure whether they are going to get through the thing alive, and where they win not because they are brave and heroic and super talented, but by bloody mindedly facing their fears and getting on with it. Because of this I might consider reading the next book, but it will be a long way down my list.(less)

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May 02, 2012 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-2012

Gavin has always been different, but never known why. He sees things the others don’t see, including a lady, Miss Grey, and when he tells anyone they dismiss him. His father seems to hate him, and his teacher suspends him from school, so it is arranged that he will spend a week with his aunt Gwen, in Cornwall. The train journey proves eventful, with the up-to-now Miss Grey suddenly launching into a screaming fit, and a meeting with Hestor Lightfoot, a former professor who left her job under stra...more Gavin has always been different, but never known why. He sees things the others don’t see, including a lady, Miss Grey, and when he tells anyone they dismiss him. His father seems to hate him, and his teacher suspends him from school, so it is arranged that he will spend a week with his aunt Gwen, in Cornwall. The train journey proves eventful, with the up-to-now Miss Grey suddenly launching into a screaming fit, and a meeting with Hestor Lightfoot, a former professor who left her job under strange circumstances.

When his aunt doesn’t meet him at the station, Hestor gives him a lift, as she lives close to the estate, Pendurra, where Gavin is bound. From the moment he arrives at the lodge at the edge of the estate where aunt Gwen lives, things become strange, not least when Hestor herself appears to hear Miss Grey insisting Gavin be allowed into the house.

I’ve always thought Cornwall would make a brilliant setting for a tale of mystery and magic, it’s such a beautiful place, and this book proves that right. Pendurra is an estate shrouded in secrecy, in its hidden passages, concealed rooms and strange array of inhabitants including Caleb, who seems to have an instinct as to where people are, Tristram Uren, a man resembling a wizard, and his daughter Marina, who tries to confide her own secrets to Gavin. If there is magic anywhere it’s easy to imagine it would be on this remote estate.

Key story elements are revealed a little at a time, so it’s not always clear what is going on, and conversations and scenes from earlier in the novel gain significance as the narrative progresses.

Running alongside Gavin’s story is the tale of the mysterious John Fiste, the greatest magus the world has ever seen, and with whom the real magic in the world supposedly died. He bargains with the spirits to show him the most beautiful woman in the world, and from that meeting he falls into a love that will endure through years.

The book closes having moved from Cornwall to far across the other side of the world, involving a new set of characters. It’s a great way to end, but also really bad, because I don’t know how I’m going to wait for the next instalment. (less)

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Jan 31, 2012 Paul rated it 4 of 5 stars

For centuries it has been locked away

Lost beneath the sea

Warded from earth, air, water, fire, spirits, thought and sight.

But now magic is rising to the world once more.

Gavin has given up on the adults in his life, and they’ve given up on him. His father appears to hate him, his mother is scared of him, his teachers think maybe he should be in a different school. What he has is a gift – one he neither wants nor understands. At fifteen, his closest friend and confidante is the mysterious Miss Gr...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Esteban rated it 1 of 5 stars

Wow, where should I start?
First of all I should point out that this book is very well written.
So, why only one star you may very well ask?
For about 80% the only thing it does is build up, and it isn't even very gripping or that much interesting, we meet our hero, a very out of the ordinary teenager, very much misunderstood and, because of it, he keeps to himself, we learn some of his history, not very fast mind you, we get to experience his flashbacks and memories, and the author for the sake o...more

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Sep 29, 2012 Mary rated it 2 of 5 stars

Advent started out as a very promising read along the lines of Harry Potter. The protagonist is a young boy/man 15 who knows there is something different about him. His parents struggle to change him, and he gets kicked out of school. So while his parents go on a ski vacation, he travels to see him new age style aunt who he hasn't seen since he was very young.

Gavin aka Gwain is haunted so to speak by a woman that only he can see. He calls her Miss Gray. Over the years, he has wanted the comfort...more

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May 20, 2013 Kelly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Definitely not one of my favorite books though it interested me enough to try the sequel when it is released. The book was quite confusing and appeared at times as if the author made assumptions as to what the audience should be able to follow based on his own knowledge of the story. I know that doesn't make much sense . . . almost as if half of the story was still untold lingering in Mr. Treadwell's brain.

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Aug 15, 2012 Christine Edison rated it 2 of 5 stars

Interesting concept -- a young man often sees a shadowy figure he calls Miss Grey, but when he tells others about her, they say she's just in his imagination. Then he goes to visit his aunt and finds others who have seen her too. In a parallel story, a man in the 1500s studies magic and tries to become immortal.

I wondered at first why this book was listed for literary fiction rather than for young adult, because the main characters are in their teens, there's no swearing, and the romance elemen...more

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Mar 11, 2012 SJH (A Dream of Books) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review, own, young-adult, fantasy

This is the first book in an exciting new trilogy. Don't let the length of the book put you off because it's well worth every second spent in the company of Gavin and co.

'Advent' got off to an intriguing start - the very first chapter is set in 1537 and centres on the greatest Magus in the world. My interest was immediately piqued and I couldn't wait to read on and further immerse myself in the story. After the first chapter, the focus changes to the present day with young Gavin setting off on t...more This is the first book in an exciting new trilogy. Don't let the length of the book put you off because it's well worth every second spent in the company of Gavin and co.

'Advent' got off to an intriguing start - the very first chapter is set in 1537 and centres on the greatest Magus in the world. My interest was immediately piqued and I couldn't wait to read on and further immerse myself in the story. After the first chapter, the focus changes to the present day with young Gavin setting off on the train to stay with his Aunt Gwen in Cornwall. Almost straight away, we know that there's something different about Gavin. He's no ordinary boy as he can see people who aren't really there. This has always frightened his parents with whom he doesn't have a very close relationship. He's gradually learnt to keep many things to himself for fear of what others will say.

During the second half of the book, the emphasis is more on the magical and fantastical parts of the story and this is where a lot of things gradually began to click into place for me.

Pendurra, Conrwall was a brilliantly entrancing setting. I could almost feel the magic in the air and there's a tangible sense of something mysterious and unseen to normal human eyes about the place. The possibility that anything could happen is very real and Pendurra almost seems like it's from another time with residents who are enigmatic and mysterious.

The book is based on the Faust legend of a scholar making a deal with the devil in exchange for knowledge and worldly pleasures. I thought this was really clever and added an extra dimension to the book. There are also elements of Arthurian myths and legends which is another aspect I enjoyed.

The story is multi-layered and although I can't confess to understanding everything that happens in the book I think that is actually part of it's charm. 'Advent' seems like the type of book that you'll pick up over and over again and each time you'll reread it and discover as well as understand, more of the secrets contained within its pages.

This book is exquisitely written and will definitely appeal to lovers of the fantasy genre. I also think it has crossover appeal for adults as well as teens. The intriguing ending has left me in great anticipation of the next book in the trilogy which will hopefully be out next year.
(less)

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Feb 02, 2012 Lauren Murphy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, ya

When 15 year old Gavin, gets on a train to Cornwall, he is relieved to spend a week away from his parents, who are not very fond of him. Gavin has always been a little odd, having an imaginary friend, Miss Grey, since he was a young child which he never seemed to grow out of. It’s not until he meets ‘nutty professor’ Hester Lightfoot on the same carriage heading to the same town, that he realises Miss Grey isn’t actually fantasy and he isn’t the only one who can see her.

Gavin arrives in Cornwall...more

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Advent (Advent Trilogy #1)

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