The Midnight Swan

Disgrifiad Cymraeg / Welsh Description

Yn nhrydydd teitl y gyfres arobryn The Clockwork Crow , rhaid i Seren a Tomos geisio cynorthwyo Crow i ailddarganfod ei ffurf dynol. Wrth iddynt gyfarfod a merch anweledig, senedd o dylluanod a phin ysgrifennu sy'n ysgrifennu ei hun, tybed ai dyma fydd yr antur beryclaf iddynt hyd yma?

Disgrifiad Saesneg / English Description

With an invisible girl, a parliament of owls and a pen that writes by itself, the journey to the Garden of the Midnight Swan might be Seren's most dangerous adventure yet. In this third book of the award-winning The Clockwork Crow series, Seren and Tomos must try to help the Crow find the way back to his human form.

Dosbarthu

Byddwn yn dosbarthu eitemau sydd mewn stoc o fewn 3 diwrnod gwaith, fel arfer drwy Royal Mail Tracked 48. Ar gyfer archebion o flaen llaw, byddwn yn dosbarthu’r eitem o fewn 3 diwrnod gwaith ar ôl ei derbyn gan ein cyflenwr.

Dispatch

In-stock items will be dispatched within 3 business days, usually by Royal Mail Tracked 48. For pre-orders, we’ll dispatch within 3 business days of receiving the item from our supplier.

Bywgraffiad yr Awdur / Author Biography

Catherine Fisher is a poet and children's author who lives in South Wales. Her best-selling books include the Snow-Walker trllogy, and the , Incarceron and Chronoptika series. She was the first Wales Young People's Laureate. Her novel The Clockwork Crow was shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Awards and nominated for the Carnegie Medal.

Adolygiad y Cyhoeddwr / Publisher Review

Midsummer: ”a time of magic and music; a dangerous day”. Readers of the magical Clockwork Crow trilogy have travelled with heroine, Seren, through a brooding winter, an eventful autumn into a memorable midsummer. They will not be disappointed. New readers too are drawn straight into the action with the excitement of the local Summer Fair, near Plas Y Fran, the house of Seren’s godfather. There is definitely magic in the air as Seren, Lady Mair, her son Tomos and faithful servant, Denzil, savour the momentum of the coach journey which will begin the adventures. This is a novel of signposts and is particularly rich in use of the senses to create an evocative landscape where no detail is insignificant: the heady scent of the honeysuckle, the ominous creak of the roundabout recalling the toy carousel form Seren and Tomos’s earlier adventure but most importantly, Seren’s eerie experience in the shop of “unreadable books” where she finds the box of the Midnight Swan”, the very heart of the story. In many ways, the magic and enchantment of the tale seem all the more potent because of the grounded and pragmatic characters who come within its grasp. The genuinely frightening Tylwyth Teg, The Fair Family of folklore, whose desire to acquire human children haunts the story, meet their match in Seren, no fairy princess but a girl with her feet firmly on the ground. Seren is driven by a desire not to lose her new found stability in Plas Y Fran nor her friends, godparents or even the curmudgeonly clockwork crow. This desire drives her resourcefulness and imagination as she pits herself against the familiar foe. Seren is not totally alone in her quest to defeat the Tylwyth Teg and help the crow. Bonds of family and friendship are particularly strong in the story. Treating people well is at the heart of each character here, including the servants of the great house who provide warmth, wisdom and a loyalty bordering on love. Indeed Denzil’s wisdom is of the very best kind as he has a very special insight into the evil spirits which threaten the harmony throughout. The story is shaped by some vivid adventures and breathtaking encounters. All are brought to life by particularly evocative images. The Parliament of Birds, coming at such a crucial moment in the story, is at once both dark and humorous and provides a stark contrast to the serenity of the midnight swan herself. The cacophony of sound here is particularly effective as well as the visual descriptions of the “wise” owls, all as pompous as the Crow himself. Ultimately, this is a story of transformations; all is not as it seems to be and this makes Seren’s desire to release the Crow and protect others she loves particularly poignant. Every reader will be cheering her on in her desire to realise her dreams. There is something reassuringly familiar yet refreshingly original in the fusion of fairy tale, folklore and fantasy in Seren’s quest for love and stability. A tense journey it may be, but in the end darkness gives way to golden light and a very satisfying finale.