Susan, the heroine of The Left-Handed Booksellers of London, has never met her father. But she wants to.

“I think I’ll go up to London early. Get acclimatized. There’s bound to be pub work I can get. And I… I’ll try to find my dad.” pg 8, ebook

Her search takes her to London where, after a night of violence and supernatural scares, she discovers a whole other world existing alongside the every day one.

This is a world of magic and legend, and mysterious, ultra-cool booksellers.

“Susan hesitated and looked back. The monstrous bug was still writhing, but something else was happening now. A dark fog was flowing up the stairs.”

Enter a teen named Merlin and his sister, Vivien.

“Children’s writers,” said Merlin. “Dangerous bunch. They cause us a lot of trouble. … They don’t do it on purpose… But quite often they discover the key to raise some ancient myth, or release something that should have stayed imprisoned, and they share that knowledge via their writing. Stories aren’t always stories, you know.” pg 59, book

The characters and their sparkling dialogue are the high points in this fantasy tale for young adults.

I was also fond of the heroes being a bunch of booksellers. The only change that would have raised that, in my opinion, was if author Garth Nix had made them librarians. But that’s just me. 🙂

The world Nix has imagined, though intriguing, never moves beyond the entirely predictable. I suppose I wasn’t the intended audience for the story, but I believe a great book entertains all ages.

“I never knew anything about the Old World or any of this stuff before I met Merlin.” pg 67, ebook.

Although, now that the world is created, I could see this being the first entry in a fun, light-hearted series. We shall see.

Only recommended for young adults who are looking for fantasy reads. Adults readers may find themselves longing for more complexity.

Thanks for reading!

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