Spellhound: A Dragons of Hollow Book by Lian Tanner

Title: Spellhound: A Dragons of Hollow Book

Author: Lian Tanner

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Allen and Unwin

Published: 4^th April 2023

Format: Paperback

Pages: 352

Price: $17.99

Synopsis: What do a minch-wiggin, a Queen, and a rather large magical pup have in common? They need to find the dragon that has turned their worlds upside-down . . . even if it means revealing all they want to keep hidden. A delightfully pleasing whimsical fantasy novel for readers who love Cressida Cowell or Katrina Nannestad.

There are Three Great Secrets in Hallow, a country that loves secrets almost as much as it loves green jelly babies. No, I’m not going to tell you anything more about them. I am a loyal citizen of Hallow, and would never betray—

Oh, you have jelly babies?

Green ones?

Well, I suppose I could tell you a little more.

Come closer. Open your ears and your heart, and pass the green jelly babies.

I will tell you a story about an enormous magical pup, a child Queen and a very small minch-wiggin with the unfortunate title of Destroyer-of-Dragons.

A fascinating tale filled with falsehoods, fortitude and friendship (and just the right number of green jelly babies), from the award-winning author of A Clue for Clara and Museum of Thieves.

~*~

Felicia is a Queen whose parents were kidnapped by a dragon, and whose uncle is also missing. She hates being a Queen and wants to run away. So she does – and this is when she meets Flax, a minch-wiggin who is meant to be a dragon destroyer, and the pup – a Spellhound who doesn’t have a name yet, but is also looking for the dragon and the parents. Felicia – known as Rose the chambermaid to Flax and the pup wants to go with them, because they all want to find the dragon and save their families – the dragon has turned their world upside down, and they are also trying to find out the Three Great Secrets in Hallow – but only the narrator knows these secrets. At the same time, Rose, Flax, and the pup want to keep secrets hidden – there are things they don’t want to share because it might mean ruining everything and ensuring that they never reach their goals. And it is set in a fantasy world called Hallow, that feels like it is in the early twentieth century – automobiles exist but magic is the thing. And dragons and witches.

Witches in Hallow are feared, and dragons are feared too. Minch-wiggins fear humans, so Flax doesn’t know how to cope with Rose. This tension slowly dissipates as they go on their journey and find that they have similar goals – the find the family they’ve lost thanks to the dragon. The story is told in alternating chapters and perspectives – Rose, the pup, and Flax – but also a narrator – an all-seeing narrator who loves green jelly babies and has their own secrets, and own motivations. I loved this – because it allowed for the fourth wall to be broken, for a little bit of authorial intrusion, and to get a glimpse of what the world of Hallow was like from all sorts of perspectives and what it means to each character – where they fit in, where they live. And what drives them as a beautiful, budding friendship builds between Flax, Rose, and the pup – they are determined to help each other, even if it takes a while to learn to trust each other, especially Flax. The pup came across like any dog to me – if you have something they like, then they are happy to be your mate. But back to the witches.

Witches and dragons are feared – Rose doesn’t know why, and it is a secret (though not a Great Secret) that Flax and the pup keep from her. All she knows is that they don’t like dragons as much as them – and nobody knows what the Great Three Secrets are apart from our narrator, who cleverly redacts things that they don’t want us to know, and at one point, tricks us into thinking the story is over halfway through. I loved the way the narrator came in at the right moments, because it made the story so much more than what it was. The foundations of friendship are there – together with how stories and the truth can become distorted and misunderstood, or words mistranslated over generations – it means that the way the world is understood is altered dramatically to the point things are questioned – but of course, friends like Flax, Rose, and the pup are sure they can find out what is really behind everything and make sure they get to the truth.

The power behind the story is in how it all comes together – everything is revealed at the right time, and clues are dropped throughout – and yes, the green jelly babies are always important. At first, they might seem quite innocuous, but there is something quite special about them, so if you’re confused, just read the book and it will all make sense in the end. I love little things like this in books – because it shows how the author has really thought about their story and their characters – what they like, and how they operate in their world. This is why Spellhound is such a magical book – every thread is important and they all come together in a lovely tapestry to show what a powerful story can do.

These characters are fun – kids will love them, because they can relate to them – their uncertainty, their anxieties, their fears, and their dreams, because whilst some of the goals are fantastical, they’re still represented in ways that kids will love. As an adult, I loved it, cause I wanted to find out what happened – the structure of the story has ensured that as a reader you keep going – just to see how it all unfolds and what happens when things seem to go wrong – when they find out the truth, and who is really behind all the disappearances and angst in the world of Hallow – who wants to use the magic of the world to destroy things and get their way. This is also the first book in the series and what a cracker – it introduces the characters perfectly, whilst still giving us a mystery to sink our teeth into. I think combining mystery and fantasy is really clever, and Lian has also injected her signature humour that we know well from A Clue for Clara and Rita’s Revenge into this – she gets into the voices of animals and non-human characters so well. It is one of my favourite things about her books – it is such a great talent, and I love the way she just brings it all to life so beautifully – everything makes sense so wonderfully – she really gets into the hearts and minds of her characters.  

I loved this book and I can’t wait for the next one.