Tuesday 1 December 2020
Review: The Midnight Guardians
What if there was a place where our childhood imaginary friends came to life?
A place where not just our private imaginary friends resided, but where the collective fantastical characters of mythology lived too?
Col no longer believes in his imaginary friends. He had three of them when he was younger – a tiger, a badger and a miniature knight, his guardians, all sworn to protect him.
But now he’s too old for that, so he is as puzzled as he is wary of their sudden appearance in his life.
Unfortunately, Col needs protection.
Set during World War 2, Col has been forced to flee his home in London and take refuge in the country with his cantankerous old aunt.
He misses his adult sister Rose, particularly now that they have become orphaned.
He is determined that they should spend Christmas together, so he runs away to London to find her.
However, a vision of London being bombed and reduced to fiery rubble galvanises him – the quest has upped a notch to saving Rose.
His guardians join him on his quest. But the problem with his imaginary friends being able to breach the barrier between worlds means that mythical creatures are able to as well – so not only doe Col have to contend with the very dangerous events in our world, but also the eternal struggle between timeless enemies: the evil Midwinter King who would have our world permanently frozen, and the Green Man, the embodiment of spring and rebirth.
And this time, the Midwinter King has a plan to overthrow the Green Man for good.
Overall, this story is a fun adventure. With so many elements included, it could have ended up disjointed and messy, but Montgomery does a great job in drawing the threads together and giving readers a fun journey and a satisfying ending.
Title: The Midnight Guardians
Author: Ross Montgomery
Publisher: Walker Books, $18.99
Publication Date: 7 October, 2020
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781406391183
For ages: 8-12
Type: Junior Fiction
Overall, this story is a fun adventure. With so many elements included, it could have ended up disjointed and messy, but Montgomery does a great job in drawing the threads together and giving readers a fun journey and a satisfying ending.
Title: The Midnight Guardians
Author: Ross Montgomery
Publisher: Walker Books, $18.99
Publication Date: 7 October, 2020
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781406391183
For ages: 8-12
Type: Junior Fiction
