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The Shadowland Chronicles #1
The Spyglass and the Cherry Tree
Lured by an eerie green glow in the old, abandoned lighthouse, Skye Thistle discovers a forgotten spyglass. One look can't hurt... Or can it?
After Skye is catapulted to a strange world filled with goblins, orcs and other creatures she thought only existed in fairy tales, she has to overcome her fears and prejudices. When she learns that this world is being overcome by a dark force, she sets to help her newfound friends fight against the rising darkness.
But can Skye fulfill an ancient prophecy, and be the glimmer of hope in a war against evil?
If you like the dark mythology and fantastical worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien and Garth Nix, you'll love The Spyglass and the Cherry Tree - the debut novel in Matt Beighton's Shadowland Chronicles. Travel to Ithilmir: a magical realm filled with creatures of darkness, and join Skye Thistle as she becomes trapped by the mysticism and prophecies set to guide her future.
After Skye is catapulted to a strange world filled with goblins, orcs and other creatures she thought only existed in fairy tales, she has to overcome her fears and prejudices. When she learns that this world is being overcome by a dark force, she sets to help her newfound friends fight against the rising darkness.
But can Skye fulfill an ancient prophecy, and be the glimmer of hope in a war against evil?
If you like the dark mythology and fantastical worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien and Garth Nix, you'll love The Spyglass and the Cherry Tree - the debut novel in Matt Beighton's Shadowland Chronicles. Travel to Ithilmir: a magical realm filled with creatures of darkness, and join Skye Thistle as she becomes trapped by the mysticism and prophecies set to guide her future.
302 pages, Paperback
First published June 6, 2018
About the author
Matt Beighton
18 books10 followersMatt Beighton was born somewhere in the midlands in England during the heady days of the 1980s and continues to spend most of his days in the same shire. He is happily married with two young daughters who keep him very busy and suffer through the endless early drafts of his stories.
As an ex-teacher, Matt's knows how to bring his stories and passion for reading and writing to the classroom. He loves visiting schools to share this passion and to help motivate children and staff. Contact him via his website for more information.
His Monstacademy series for readers aged 7+ is popular with boys and girls, particularly those who enjoy Jill Murphy, Roald Dahl and J.K. Rowling. Now with 4 books in the series and more on the way, it's a perfect time to dive into a school for monsters and find out how Trixie Grimble, a perfectly ordinary, non-monstrous girl, copes.
Love the fantastic worlds of Garth Nix and J.R.R. Tolkien? Enjoy immersing yourself in richly built worlds? Take a journey to Ithilmir, a strange world filled with Goblins, Dark Queens and well-woven mythology, in Matt Beighton's Shadowland Chronicles; a series of fantasy novels pitching young Skye Thistle in an epic battle of swords and sorcery. The Spyglass and the Cherry and the sequel The Shadowed Eye are available now with a third and final instalment to follow.
To find out more and to join his mailing list, visit www.mattbeighton.co.uk
As an ex-teacher, Matt's knows how to bring his stories and passion for reading and writing to the classroom. He loves visiting schools to share this passion and to help motivate children and staff. Contact him via his website for more information.
His Monstacademy series for readers aged 7+ is popular with boys and girls, particularly those who enjoy Jill Murphy, Roald Dahl and J.K. Rowling. Now with 4 books in the series and more on the way, it's a perfect time to dive into a school for monsters and find out how Trixie Grimble, a perfectly ordinary, non-monstrous girl, copes.
Love the fantastic worlds of Garth Nix and J.R.R. Tolkien? Enjoy immersing yourself in richly built worlds? Take a journey to Ithilmir, a strange world filled with Goblins, Dark Queens and well-woven mythology, in Matt Beighton's Shadowland Chronicles; a series of fantasy novels pitching young Skye Thistle in an epic battle of swords and sorcery. The Spyglass and the Cherry and the sequel The Shadowed Eye are available now with a third and final instalment to follow.
To find out more and to join his mailing list, visit www.mattbeighton.co.uk
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 5, 2018
3,5/5
I received a free copy in exchange of an honest review.
The beginning is like a lot of other fantasy: a normal girl who has a mother who strongly believes in Fairies and Goblins, is forced to spend her holidays with her grandparents.
But when she watches throught the old spyglass she doesn’t believe at her own eyes! A new planet? Skye hasn’t the time to be happy about that, because the Spyglass transport her on that planet!
She is lost and alone, afraid of the dark and the sounds of a forest, and soon she is surrounded by Goblins. And not the kind of Goblins we usually know.
I must admit that I didn’t give a high rating at this book because a lot of world-building information are given to us step by step, with long and sometimes boring monologues by this or that character.
When finally the long journey of Skye began, I was there thinking that this story reminds me of another: The Hobbit. We had a main character who is afraid in a perilous world; we had a group of people that are not the same race of the MC; we had a powerful enemy and a long journey in the wild world.
However, this book is really adventurous and it’s not predictable. I like a lot all the mythology of the different species and the background story. Skye is really a likeable character, totally human at the beginning and who grows during the entire book.
I received a free copy in exchange of an honest review.
The beginning is like a lot of other fantasy: a normal girl who has a mother who strongly believes in Fairies and Goblins, is forced to spend her holidays with her grandparents.
But when she watches throught the old spyglass she doesn’t believe at her own eyes! A new planet? Skye hasn’t the time to be happy about that, because the Spyglass transport her on that planet!
She is lost and alone, afraid of the dark and the sounds of a forest, and soon she is surrounded by Goblins. And not the kind of Goblins we usually know.
I must admit that I didn’t give a high rating at this book because a lot of world-building information are given to us step by step, with long and sometimes boring monologues by this or that character.
When finally the long journey of Skye began, I was there thinking that this story reminds me of another: The Hobbit. We had a main character who is afraid in a perilous world; we had a group of people that are not the same race of the MC; we had a powerful enemy and a long journey in the wild world.
However, this book is really adventurous and it’s not predictable. I like a lot all the mythology of the different species and the background story. Skye is really a likeable character, totally human at the beginning and who grows during the entire book.
November 28, 2018
The Spyglass and the Cherry Tree by Matt Beighton is the first book in The Shadowlands Chronicles. Skye doesn't believe in her mother's goblin ramblings. Now she's in for a dreadfully dull holiday with her grandparents and away from her best friend, Arthur. Her holiday takes a turn when she discovers an old spyglass and suddenly gets swept into a world full of goblins and other beings she thought were only in stories. She's thrown into the middle of new dangers and rescued by goblins who claim she's part of a prophecy meant to save them. Before she can confront the Dark Queen, she sets out on a journey to find the magical stone, Akeldama, where she'll have to find her bravery and face her fears.
Skye embarks on an adventure beyond her belief, turning a summer with grandparents from dull into a dangerous adventure in a unique take on journeying into another world. She'd often belittled her mother's rantings about goblins and other assorted creatures so it's an interesting change for her to see these creatures up close. Matt Beighton opens up a magical world full of danger and darkness with deadly creatures and an evil queen. Skye's part of this epic prophecy that says she's meant to save all the magical beings from a dark queen so she's placed in a position of power and strength where she is finally feeling strong and not helpless. Skye has a hero's quest where she has to steal the Akeldama in order to stand a chance against the queen, but this is only a fraction of her journey.
Beighton weaves a subtle psychological component into the plot as Skye has an emotional journey to confront her fears and to find her strength as the hero this world needs her to be. The Dark Queen has psychologically based abilities and uses these powers to manipulate Skye emotionally by preying on her fears and insecurities. Skye has to confront these feelings and accept them to become a hero. She demonstrates strength and bravery that carry her through every dangerous situation and against these magical creatures who want to harm her. Beighton uses a variety of creative names matched to the characters, such as Brabble, Brack, Snowbroth, Weard, and Snudge. The Spy Glass and the Cherry Tree is a brilliant fantasy adventure with a journey about confronting fears and trials to become a hero, with a variety of eccentric characters, an evil queen, and the quest for a magical stone.
Skye embarks on an adventure beyond her belief, turning a summer with grandparents from dull into a dangerous adventure in a unique take on journeying into another world. She'd often belittled her mother's rantings about goblins and other assorted creatures so it's an interesting change for her to see these creatures up close. Matt Beighton opens up a magical world full of danger and darkness with deadly creatures and an evil queen. Skye's part of this epic prophecy that says she's meant to save all the magical beings from a dark queen so she's placed in a position of power and strength where she is finally feeling strong and not helpless. Skye has a hero's quest where she has to steal the Akeldama in order to stand a chance against the queen, but this is only a fraction of her journey.
Beighton weaves a subtle psychological component into the plot as Skye has an emotional journey to confront her fears and to find her strength as the hero this world needs her to be. The Dark Queen has psychologically based abilities and uses these powers to manipulate Skye emotionally by preying on her fears and insecurities. Skye has to confront these feelings and accept them to become a hero. She demonstrates strength and bravery that carry her through every dangerous situation and against these magical creatures who want to harm her. Beighton uses a variety of creative names matched to the characters, such as Brabble, Brack, Snowbroth, Weard, and Snudge. The Spy Glass and the Cherry Tree is a brilliant fantasy adventure with a journey about confronting fears and trials to become a hero, with a variety of eccentric characters, an evil queen, and the quest for a magical stone.
May 10, 2021
This book was not well written. It struggled a lot with repetition – IE We must go talk, lets go somewhere to talk, the goblin said. It also struggled with too many concepts. There is a wicked forest with creatures, and a goblin city with slaves, and an evil warlord, and tree trolls, and a shadow realm of the dead, and a town, and a commune for prophets, and wyverns, and orges, and a snow filed of madness, and and and and …. a million different things. I personally think that if it focused on a few of those concepts/ cities and really developed those I think this would have been a stronger book. It also would have been more interesting for the reader, instead of rushing to the next scene we could have learned more about this world and had Skye more involved with it. She seemed just along for the ride, and I didn’t feel any connection with her and the other characters. There was also no development of relationships, or skills. She got like one hour of training, and then two weeks later is slaying monsters left and right. Skye is also allegedly a firm scientist who loves order and logic. Yet she doesn’t apply any of that to this new world she is in. She doesn’t apply any scientific method or even make up new constellations to help her navigate.
This book has both too much and not enough. I think I will be getting rid of my copy and not searching for more from the series. For weaker readers in seventh grade who need something super-fast paced, and repetitive.
This book has both too much and not enough. I think I will be getting rid of my copy and not searching for more from the series. For weaker readers in seventh grade who need something super-fast paced, and repetitive.
November 2, 2018
The Spyglass and the Cherry Tree by Matt Beighton 5 stars
An enchanted fantasy adventure had by a young girl on summer break. Exciting travel into another world where she grew to be braver than she ever imagined. She made lots of new friends Goblins and others. This is not the end of her adventures, there will be another book I'm sure. A good read for all ages.
An enchanted fantasy adventure had by a young girl on summer break. Exciting travel into another world where she grew to be braver than she ever imagined. She made lots of new friends Goblins and others. This is not the end of her adventures, there will be another book I'm sure. A good read for all ages.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews