I was recently going through my Netgalley library and I saw that I have not read this book and it was on a computer hard disk that decided to die on me. So naturally I never gave feedback and I am sorry for that. But I have read and reviewed so many of your wonderful books and will so in the future.

This book was more unique than most. I throughly enjoyed the enchanting descriptions that contributed to the world building, as well as the author’s choppy yet poetic writing style. However the story itself was nothing like I expected, and while I can’t say I loved the plot, it did strike a chord that left me thinking about it long after the last page was turned.

Luke is the only child of Lord and Lady Mounthfathom, one day to inherit the family’s magical mansion, along with the responsibility to remain a peace keeper for the realm. But as Luke’s training progresses, unrest and uprisings break out across the country, and suddenly he and his family are stuck between two warring sides - both of whom thirst for the destruction of Luke’s family, and all who wield the power of magic…

I found this a very difficult book to review.

The opening prologue is rather confusing (although you will get an “A-HA” moment near the end of the book) but that, mixed with the clipped writing style makes the first few pages difficult to navigate. However I soon found myself really enjoying the choppy writing. It keep’s you present, allowing you to live in the story alongside the characters, and I felt it really enhanced the descriptions.

However while the writing felt quick, it also helped balance the slow unfurling of the plot. And by slow I mean crawling. You literally follow the main character Luke from cradle to mid-teens, and while I wasn't bored reading through his childhood, after I finished the book I couldn't help but wonder WHAT the point of it all was - other than a chance to enrich the world.

Mid-way through the book though, we are introduced to a new character, Killian, who spices things up as he is the opposite to Luke in every way. From Killian’s point of entry, the story is then split into Killian and Luke’s dual narratives, which really helps up the pacing.

By the time you are two thirds into the story, the action really begins to snowball, faster and faster… until it suddenly stops. Not just stops, but the action literally disappears, and the story takes a sudden new route. As a reader this really threw me, and left me completely baffled with the ending.

However, what kept me reading was throughout the book there was an underlying theme surrounding Luke, centring around his fear of stepping away from his sheltered life into the unknown - in this case - a magical void of darkness in which lurks a monster.

Is that monster death? Life? Fear itself? In many ways - this sudden philosophical turn in the story is left to the readers imagination, but this was the moment I found Nigel McDowell’s writing truly beautiful, and extremely deep. I also felt like the book was trying to send some kind of message or life lesson, and unfortunately, I hate when books do that.

Therefore somewhat disgruntled by the ending, I then went on to read the authors Bio as I usually do, only to discover that Nigel McDowell passed away at the age of 34, shortly after completion of this novel.

Cancer.

I’m not sure why, but suddenly I appreciated this book a lot more. I’m only surmising, but I felt this story was very personal to the author and is perhaps even a echo of his thoughts and what ifs.

It turned what I thought was a preachy ending, into a story that required some more time for contemplation and quiet reflection.

Even so, I don't think this book is for everyone. Sold as a middle-grade novel, I think children will be ensnared by the magic and imagination of the world and characters, but regardless of age - I think most readers will still find the story itself somewhat flat. All in all, I’d give this book 3 stars. However I will most definitely be reading Nigel McDowell’s other two books, THE BLACK NORTH, and TALES FROM PITCH END.

RIP Nigel McDowell.

Was disappointed by this book as I really enjoyed the tales of pitch end.. I found this too political sounding for a kids book and the writing seemed a bit disjointed compared to his other books.

Family, adventure and magic. A perfect combination for this middle grade book. The House of Mountfathom is set in Ireland during times of unrest. The Driochta, always peacekeepers, must choose a side to survive. 

My favourite aspect was how alive the house felt as it was so full of magic. The House of Mountfathom seemed like another member of the family almost like it had a mind of it's own. There was so much time given to explaining the house, magic and family though, that it reduced the actual plot to the second half of the book.  

The House of Mountfathom has a strong focus on family. The Mountfathom family are the protagonists of the book. The Order of Driochta are another kind of family. There's no romance subplot which was a big plus point for me. 

Another thing was that the house was in Ireland. I cant think off the top of my head another book I've read based in Ireland. The introduction of both historical aspects and folklore was great. There's also a distinct discussion about class systems. The 'big houses' aka the upper class in Ireland are in trouble, including the Mountfathom house, even though they're trying to keep the peace. 

A problem I had was the format seemed odd, I assume it would be best in a printed book. My kindle seemed to push everything together and it was difficult to discern between chapters. The illustrations would have also worked much better within a book. Since this was an e-ARC though, I wouldn't take that into account. 

Another problem is the book doesn't seem quite finished. Understandable as Nigel McDowell passed away in February. Although the ambiguous ending does give something towards the mysterious aspect of the book as a whole. 

I really enjoyed how McDowell described the hows of magic. The first part of the book follows Luke as he grows up and learns magic. The five principles are distinct in how Luke learns them. I would compare The House of Mountfathom to Lemony Snicket and Neil Gaiman's Coraline. It was a bit dark and creepy in places. Full of intrigue and magic.

This was another book that I just couldn't get into. I liked the opening, with the magic of the house and the way it was written, but after that, not much seemed to happen for most of the book. It was just Luke growing up and learning magic with a couple of adventures scattered in. I have to admit that I was completely bored.

It's a real shame because I really liked the way that the magic system worked. I love the house and the way that it was all blended in with Irish history.

It was a story that I could have really enjoyed if more had just happened in it. But as it was all the action was left until the last bit of the book and by that time I just wanted to finish with it and move onto something else.

I really wish I could have liked this book, but I just didn't.

Oh I loved this book. Set in an alternative Ireland, where magic is real, at the time of the rising. Descriptive prose and fascinating AU world, highly recommend.

<i>The House of Mountfathom</i> by Nigel McDowell
Publisher: Bonnier Zaffre

<i>I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This is a spoiler-free review.</i>

<b>Luke Mountfathom knows he is special and odd. He is told so by everyone he knows. His parents are special and odd too - they are the keepers of the House of Mountfathom, a magnificent stately home where the wrong door could take you to a far away land, and strange animals appear to stalk the grounds at midnight. The house is his home - but it is also the headquarters of the Driochta, a magic-weaving group of poets, artists, politicians and activists charged with keeping the peace in Ireland. They have many powers - have mastered Mirror-Predicting and Smoke-Summoning and Storm-Breaching - and a final ability: that of Mogrifying; taking on a unique animal form.

But Luke's idyllic existence at Mountfathom cannot last. Word reaches the House of protests across Ireland. There is a wish for independence, a rising discontent and scenes of violence that even the Driochta cannot control. In Dublin, death and disease is running rife in the tenements; a darkness is clogging the air, and is intent on staying. And when things quickly spin out of control for the Driochta, it is up to Luke, his cat Morrigan and his best friend Killian to worm out the heart of the evil in their land.*</b>

I loved the look of this book right away. A stunning, slightly creepy Gothic cover will pull me in right away. The back copy sounded promising. So what went wrong with <i>The House of Mountfathom?</i>

I think my main issue was with the language and sentence structure. This is an unusual complaint from me, as I tend not to focus on a writer's stylistic choices. But the language the author uses, intentionally archaic and grand, just doesn't work. It attempts to be rhythmic and almost song-like, but something about it just falls flat. It might be that the promising plot turned out to be, well, boring and the language helped drag it down. It certainly didn't do the book any favors. But even more strange was the sentence structure. McDowell uses a lot of fragments. This would be alright if this technique were used on occasion and for dramatic effect, but it felt like every other sentence. It was so jarring and threw me right out of the story; I felt like I was skipping over words and would go back to them just to find that this wasn't the case. Reading this book was like driving down a bumpy road.

I can't say much for the characters or plot because even after reaching nearly 100 pages, so little happened that I genuinely have nothing to say. I can't imagine how it would capture a child's imagination.

I felt so guilty setting this book aside unfinished, but I found that I was avoiding reading it. I pushed through as far as I could, but was disappointed by what should have been a fantastic novel. I hate to assign a rating to a book I didn't finish, but I'll do my best. Ultimately, The House of Mountfathom had great potential but was poorly executed.

Rating: 2/5

<b>*copy courtesy of Goodreads

Usually when I really hate a book, I can’t quite put my finger on what it is that I hated, or else there’s just a whole list of little things that irked me until I ended up having bad feelings toward the book.

However, in this case, I know exactly what it was that turned me off The House of Mountfathom. It was the writing style. Its choppy and truncated sentences never gave me a chance to get into the flow of the story, as I was always wondering what word was missing from the sentence to give it that incredibly staccato feel.

For some, it might have added to the looming sense of tension and doom in the book, but for me it really was just a constant frustration as I ground my teeth at every sentence. McDowell misses out non-crucial words in almost every sentence, both descriptive and dialogue, meaning that the book is still perfectly understandable, but really intensely frustrating.

This meant that essentially from the first page I was predisposed towards disliking the book, and any weaknesses in it I picked up on and resented even more. So when the main character, Luke, was paper-thin and showed no personality other than an aptitude for magic, that was frustrating. When Killian, presented in the blurb as his best friend, doesn’t so much as make an appearance until the second half of the book, I was frustrated again. When huge aspects of the book were left unexplained and impenetrable, I was actually quite upset.

There was so much potential in this book – a pair of young boys, saving a country gripped not only in the midst of political upheaval (the book covers the period of the Rising, the Free State, etc) but also in magical upheaval, as old races are dying out and new types of magic are being brought to the fore, and trying to forge a new way between the ancient order of the driochta and the necessity of adapting to their modern world. Plus faeries! Ash-dragons! Gyants! Boreen men!

Only… what is an ashdragon? Why are they so bad? It’s never explained in the book, and google says that an ashdragon is a scoop for clearing out fireplaces.

What’s a boreen man? I know what a boreen is. And what a man is. But together, they definitely don’t seem to describe the almost… naiad/dryad-like characters in the book.

Basically, this book left me with a whole lot of feelings of WTF and irritation, rather than the dark and entrancing fantasy I was expecting.

I didn't think I would enjoy this book at the beginning. I started reading it and I just wasn't drawn in. The leaping of time was too much - each chapter a new year and I wasn't seeing enough character development in Luke... and then you added Killian to the story and for me, this is what saved the book. The second he was brought in, I was so intrigued. It took me weeks to read the first 100 pages and then I read the last 300 in two nights! I became emotionally attached to characters and was sad when certain people died. I like the part where Killian and Luke see the flashbacks of Luke as a little boy at the end. Another great aspect is that you are left with questions, but they aren't great enough for you to be annoyed at the ending. All I want to know is: who was that lady? and will they meet again? There's enough for a second book, but at the same time there doesn't need to be one. One aspect that I do believe needs a bit of work is that some parts read like a script and I didn't enjoy those parts as much.

The house of Mountfathom by Nigel McDowell.
I'm not so sure on this one. The story is told by Luke and Killian two best friends. Luke knows he is different. I liked the story although a bit confused by it. It was interesting in parts of the book. Although a good story I was not captivated by it and kept putting it down. So I only give this book 3*. Thanks to hot keys books and netgalley.

"No journey can be made without the risk of stepping into the dark"

I was hesitant to assign this book a rating, given that it felt unfinished, more akin to a draft than a completed novel. Upon learning that The House of Mountfathom is to be published posthumously (and so possibly never was finished to the satisfaction of the author), I have decided to leave my review unrated. The House of Mountfathom is a tale of magical realism, of a living house, of a family, and of a war.

"Why can we not believe, for example, that we could return to our past? Do we not do it all the time? Do we not at times become utterly lost in memory?"

Luke Mountfathom is the sole child of Lord and Lady Mountfathom. He is quiet (he is often mistaken for being mute) and studious, but also childish and loves his parents and cousins. He keeps a collection of animal skeletons. He also has a gift and an aptitude for magic. Luke is a rather plain character, he isn't really likeable or dislikeable because there isn't much to dislike. I also have no idea what he looks like. The book opens with his Naming Ceremony, which is promptly interrupted by a messenger bearing a warning and a threat: the government and magic will not keep the nobility safe in their houses.

The problem with The House of Mountfathom is that it is entirely confusing and thus makes for a frustrating read. As you continue, elements of the world and the plot become clearer, but not altogether so. Luke's parents are members of the Driochta, a group of magical shapeshifters who serve as diplomats between the government and everyone else. At first I was under the impression that they were the only ones who could do magic, then it becomes clear that this is not so. Some people are magic and others are not, there is never any clear distinction made.

"The day this land chooses battle and blood over discussion will be a sorry day for Magic, and a sorrier day for all in Ireland"

The book is also set in Ireland, during a time of unrest. I'm not sure whether or not this setting is supposed to be entirely fictional, or a reflection of the Irish Troubles: there's soldiers present at the start, who are "fighting for the revolution".

"It is when we, the past keepers and custodians of this ancient House, decide to leave it that you will begin to worry. When the past has no place in the world, that is when things begin to burn"

Despite the narrative flaws, The House of Mountfathom is a book full of wonder and joy. The house itself is alive, the wallpaper moves and plants grow from its foundations. The staircase can become unending and on the secret floor, the floor where Luke is not allowed, there is a door that leads into the Gloaming, the unknown. I was also rather fond of the prose, though I'm aware that might be a divisive preference. It was sort of old-fashioned and antiquated, I suppose, though I rather thought it flowed nicely and reflected the mood of the setting and plot rather well. It also has a handful of gorgeous illustrations inside, as well as a beautiful front cover.

Overall, The House of Mountfathom is a curious read. It is slow and melodic and beautiful upon occasion, but also confusing and dull in parts. It feels unfinished, which is a shame, because there is a lot of potential in this story.

Will not review this book since it doesn't work for me!

Upon receiving this book, and after reading the synopsis, this was the kind of book that sounded like something I would absolutely love: magic, family, and adventures. It seemed like the perfect read and I couldn't wait to delve into it.

Luke Mountfathom knows he is special. He is told so by everyone he knows. His parents are special too - they are the keepers of the House of Mountfathom, a magnificent stately home where the wrong door could take you to a far away land, and strange animals appear to stalk the grounds at midnight. The house is his home - but it is also the headquarters of the Driochta, a magic-weaving group of poets, artists, politicians, and activists charged with keeping the peace in Ireland. They have many powers, but Luke's idyllic existence at Mountfathom cannot last.

When I first started reading this book, I was so confused. The writing style seemed very disjointed and it was very hard for me to follow the plot; there were also many characters introduced at a time which put me off. There just seemed to be something about this book that put me in a massive reading slump for a good couple of weeks, and if you follow me on Goodreads, you will know that I was tempted to DNF it. However, I powered on through, and I'm actually quite glad that I did.



"Be glad for what we have! We should never get used to being in the world - it is a gift, and we should be aware every moment of the uniqueness of our lives and the newness of now. For it is a only fleeting thing, this world."

- Nigel McDowell, The House of Mountfathom




The plot didn't pick up until about 62% of the way which isn't good at all. That's more than half the book where I felt bored. I think the book was building up towards the end fight scene that the Drichota have because as soon as the tension started building up, the book started to get so much better and I didn't feel like it was a chore to read it. But, like I said, this didn't happen until 62% (ish) of the way through.

I also didn't feel very much for the characters. There just seemed to be no reader-character relationship that was being built. What surprised me, was when a character called Killian was introduced. He quickly became my favourite character because he seemed real. He didn't put on any airs and graces and just said whatever was on his mind. Also... was it me, or did Killian and Luke seem like a couple? I just shipped them both so hard from the moment the met each other.

Another thing that I liked was that there were a handful of gorgeous illustrations at the beginning of each part of the book. I remember them catching my attention every time and I would be looking at them for about five minutes.

There also seems to be an air of politics and class systems that surround this book. We are given an insight into the upper-class lives of the Mountfathoms and how they get to live in luxury. But, when we are introduced to Killian - who is from an area in Ireland that is in poverty - we are introduced to another aspect of the world, and I am really glad that we were because I was getting pretty bored of reading about how good the lives of the Mountfathoms were. The story also got better at that 62% because of the politics that were introduced. We were made aware that the lower-class families of Ireland wanted a change and were sick of the class system and of living in poverty. I thought it was very interesting how McDowell incorporated that into a middle-grade novel.

Overall, I didn't think that this book is the greatest. I know that I've put it in the category of 2 stars, but it's probably 2.5 stars, that ending just made me bump the rating a little bit. I'm not even sure if I recommend it or not - I mean, obviously, there are people out there who might love this book so hey, go ahead, give it a read and tell me what you think. Do you agree or disagree?

I would also like to take the time to say a farewell to the author: Nigel McDowell who passed away shortly after writing this book. I know that he was a much-loved author and I hope that he is in a better place.

Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Released 9th March

For fans of Debi Gliori, Dave Rudden and Moira Fowley-Doyle, The House of Mountfathom is as eclectic as such a multifarious description would suggest: its melting pot of magical realism, historical fiction and action adventure is close to boiling over, it’s so stuffed. It’s got spells, shapeshifters, soldiers, servants, poets, priceless treasures, tradition, rebellion, wallpaper that comes alive, orchards, inexplicable powers, political tensions, class struggle, and room upon room of strange and wondrous workings. All that’s missing is the kitchen sink, and even then I’m sure Mountfathom has one somewhere.

The novel is populated by a vast array of characters, naturally named things like Findlater and Vane-Temple, theirs is an eccentricity in keeping with the most bizarre elements of the world concocted around them. The book never lingers too long on any of them which leaves some a little flat – the most interesting, like Lord and Lady Mountfathom, seem like they have oodles more to add than Luke’s viewpoint allows for. By far the most striking feature of the book, however, is the writing style. Its distinctive, choppy prose is forceful but evocative: jewel-like visuals and precise metaphors lurk in lopped off sentences and juddering lists. This may wear a little thin after fifty pages or so and a rather confusing narrative will occasionally not so much challenge readers as baffle them – more focused description and fewer jumpy paragraphs would give the storytelling a necessary steadying – but the story is strong.

The addition of historical fiction has some mixed results: on the one hand it’s a unique and bold decision, but on the other it can be a little jarring when the transition doesn’t quite work. However, this unusually complex pursuit of the genre – for example the fact that the Mountfathoms are aristocracy occupying a complicated position in historical events – is emblematic of an ability, aided by flashes of humour and lightning-quick points of reference, to appeal to an audience of children and adults alike.

The final novel by late writer Nigel McDowell, The House of Mountfathom’s shines best in its playful use of magic and wonder. It deploys magic spells and creations with reckless abandon. The impossible lopes about the House and its rolling grounds with the self-assured freedom of pure childlike imagination. There are streaks of dark to the book’s villains and themes, but it’s the fantastic and strange that the young fan will re-read this book for.

Fantastic children, young adult fiction. i love books like this that take me into another world of fantasy and magic beyond belief. You just flick threw the pages and fun spills out. love it, i want more.

As interesting the description and as beautiful as the cover was, they simply couldn't make up for the fact that this book was just, well, boring! It was Lemony Snicket meets The Dark is Rising with none of the humour and depth.

Antiquated prose coupled with poor description made reading this book a chore, so it unfortunately went unfinished.