This is my fourth journey into the fantastical lands of Narnia, as I have chosen to read the series in chronological rather than publication order.

From the very first line I knew I was sure to love this book as it details the return of the Pevensie children from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the most famous and my most beloved Narnia tale. Only one year later in the human world, and centuries later in Narnian time, the children return to find their beloved castle an ivy-clad ruin and the land they knew and loved altered beyond all recognition. Another form of evil has taken control of the lands and the children must once again work with the magical Narnian beasts to free it from the tyrant's control.

Whilst I adored the actual story, some elements of it did make me wince a little. Referring to some little girls as 'plump' and mentioning their 'fat legs' seemed like an unnecessary addition to the text but I also need to remember that these books weren't penned in this century, where such writing is unacceptable.

This entire series touches me on such a deep emotional level, despite the simplicity of the tales. It is such a wonderful feeling to read something that ends with such purity and goodness. I think this is the magic of reading stories aimed at children: in the adult genre this suspended belief would not be tolerated and the 'happily ever afters' would not be believed. We often look for more complex conclusions, but it is so refreshing to read something where good is sure to conquer evil and be content that all that is wrong will be rightfully restored.