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.

This started rather poignantly for me, as the story opens with two of the Pevensie siblings returning to Narnia, with their cousin Eustace in tow. Without the elder Pevensie children I initially felt like some of the earlier allure was lost for me, as it acted as a reminder that we all reach an age where we grow up and magic refuses to become a possibility. I quickly forgot my reservations and was once again swept away by the wonderment and awe this series inspires, however.

The children find themselves thrown from this world into the ocean that borders the Narnian lands. The nearby ship, the Dawn Voyager, quickly hoists them on board and the children are happily reunited with characters from the previous book, King Caspian and Reepicheep the talking (and quarrelsome) mouse. The crew are venturing into the perilous unknown seas with the ambition of discovering more about their world and ending their journey by hopefully venturing into Aslan's country.

I adored getting to explore more of this fantastical world. It added an element of adventure and highlighted Lewis' spectacular world-building artistry. This seemed to read almost like a series of connected short stories, as each island they landed on had a tale relating to it that ended as the crew disembarked.

As with every other story in this series, there was a moralistic edge to the plot that served as a reminder of good behaviour for its young readership. This rather preachy element is one that doesn't fit well with its contemporary readers, in my opinion, and, whilst not ruining my enjoyment of the series, isn't a factor a particularly appreciate.