At Christmas I was bought a signed copy of The Monsters of Rookhaven which I adored so being allowed access to an early copy of The Shadows of Rookhaven has been a real honour.

At the beginning of the book, the family are gathering for The Great Configuration which happens every 100 years; however, one of the guests isn't actually part of the family but, instead, is there with a specific job to do in order to save his own family. When Mirabelle discovers the truth about Billy, things take a very different turn.

It was wonderful to be back in Rookhaven and to become reacquainted with Mirabelle and her rather unusual family. We really get to see Mirabelle's strength of character in this book and I will always have so much love for Piglet who we see more of in this book; I was pleased to see that there were, once again, chapters written from his point of view - I love the different perspective the character provides.

The writing is deliciously dark and sinister with a good dollop of action and suspense thrown in to keep you gripped (I experienced a full range of emotions whilst reading this, including tears whilst on a train up to Edinburgh!). The Shadows of Rookhaven is a truly wonderful read and I already find myself longing to be back there again!

The sequel to one of the most striking children's books of recent years continues in the same vein. Picking up several years after the Monsters of Rookhaven, we are back in the sanctuary for weird people living an uneasy truce with their neighbouring humans. An event called the Great Configuration brings members of the wider monstering community to Rookhaven, and with it fresh antagonism for the (sort of) protagonist Mirabelle, who we learn is 'Misbegottoen' (half human-half monster). Also on the scene is an uninvited guest called Billy, another misbegotten, who has been sent on a mission to steal something of great power as his sister is held captive. Mirabelle, who is feeling lonely having lost contact with her friends from the previous book, takes him under her wing only to be betrayed, which leads her out into the real world for a dangerous adventure that reveals more of her hidden past.

There is much in this book that will be familiar, particularly to readers of Harry Potter. Unfortunately the world of Rookhaven isn't quite as well defined as Hogwarts, and I found myself willing for the action to escape its slightly cloying surroundings much sooner than it did. Kenny introduces some great new characters, including the morally compromised Billy and a fine new antagonist with a secret. But the books suffers from an extraneous subplot and many of the secondary characters remain as undeveloped as they were in book one. I found myself occasionally checking the excellently illustrated endpapers to remind who was who. When the book really gets going in the second half, it's hard to put down, but I almost didn't get there.

So after reading the first book which was amazing, I was very excited to read this and it didn’t disappoint. I loved everything about it the location, the characters, the descriptions, the illustrations. This is an amazing gothic story and would appeal to so many people especially those drawn to stories with an old gothic feeling to them. Mira belle and Billy are both great characters and are so believable. It was amazing to read and I would definitely read anything from this author again in the future.
Amazing job!

This book begins in London (or a version of it) just after the war when the city is recovering from the Blitz. Billy Catchpole is an outcast who falls into the clutches of the mysterious Mr Courtney and forced to carry out a task for him. The action then moves to Rookhaven where we meet Mirabelle again. She and all her family are preparing for the Great Configuration, an event which happens every 100 years. Guests are constantly arriving and when Billy turns up, it assumed that he is just another guest. However Billy betrays the trust that Mirabelle and her family place in him and escapes back to London with his prize. Mirabelle and her friends follow him to try and avoid disaster falling upon them and everyone else.
This is a marvellously gothic story which will appeal to anyone who loves the Addams family. Mirabelle and Billy are both entirely believable characters and there are a whole host of other characters whose viewpoints add to the depth of the story.
I have loved everything that I have read by Padraig Kenny and this is every bit as good as his previous books.
Thank you to Net Galley and Macmillan Children’s books for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't realise this was the second book in a series when I picked it up, but in all honesty, I didn't feel like I'd missed out by not reading the first one. The characters all made sense to me, and really enjoyed it.

I am ashamed to say this was the first Padraig Kenny book I have read but can also say with certainty that it won’t be my last. I was hooked right from the beginning as I was drawn in to the lives of the monsters in this story. I got a real sense of these characters through Kenny’s writing and I know their feelings during the story will ring true to both children and adults; you don’t have to be actual blood relatives with someone for them to feel so important to you that they feel like family.

The story is told from various character’s point of view and I really feel this enables a reader to get to know each of the main characters well but doesn’t stop any of the excitement as one character picks up the story from the previous one.

This book has all the parts of a great horror story but is also a fantastic story about friendship. I know it will appeal to a whole range of children because of this.

Amazing!! The Shadows of Rookhaven by Padraig Kenny is just as wonderfully written as the first book The Monsters of Rookhaven.
We again follow Mirabelle as she and her Family get ready for The Great Configuration, an event which happens every 100 years. We meet other monsters from other houses who all come to take part in the Configuration, but something goes horribly wrong.
The Shadows of Rookhaven is an amazing story about family, friendship and forgiveness. Perfect for any reader who likes mystery, action and magic.

Up until very recently, I was the sort of person who would always start a series with the first title in the sequence, fearing some sort of divine retribution if I failed to do so. As I’ve read and reviewed more books, I’ve realised that, although that will always be my preference, when I have reviewed titles further along the chain, without exception they have filled in any gaps and so when I saw this on Net Galley, I took the plunge and requested it.

I imagine for the vast majority of readers this is no big deal, and they are wondering what planet I am on, but for me – someone with numerous anxieties and foibles – this has been entirely out of character. The book preceding this, The Monsters of Rookhaven, is one that I have been waiting to come out in paperback for what seems like an eternity so that I can buy a copy to read and share with my class, but until then, I can assure anyone else who hasn’t read that title that they too can jump straight in with this book.

Rather than Rookhaven, our story opens in the house of Billy Catchpole where the two individuals he calls Mum and Dad are encouraging him to go outside to find them a snack. Leaving them and little sister Meg behind, Billy goes out into the cold and starts to search the streets. Stopping to fuss over a stray dog, Billy curses himself for not paying attention to his surroundings when he is suddenly caught up in a net and attacked by two men. Despite putting up a strong fight against them, the men overcome him – knocking him out and carting him away. Coming to, Billy finds himself in a laboratory amongst several more strange men, one of whom – Courtney – tells him that he requires Billy’s help and leaves him with no option but to comply with his demands.

Meanwhile, at Rookhaven, members of the Family are gathering in order to observe the Great Configuration – something which happens only once every 100 years, and which for Mirabelle will be her first time. As the guests assemble, Mirabelle greets them, not being phased by the arrival of stranger Billy when he turns up, assuming he too is there for the big event. Making him welcome, Mirabelle introduces him to everyone else and helps him to settle in while he worries about trying not to stand out and attract unwanted attention.

When the time for the Configuration comes, Billy puts Courtney’s plan into action before fleeing the house. With Mirabelle’s faith in him shattered, she decides to pursue him and heads towards London intending to force him to put right his actions. But there are those who would stop her and who are determined to use Billy to accomplish something truly terrible. Will Billy and Mirabelle be able to stop Courtney in his tracks, or will he succeed in his wicked plan?

I absolutely loved both Mirabelle and Billy. She is confident and warm-hearted but discovers early on in the book that some of the Family do not consider her to be one of their own because – unlike them – she has a human parent, making her vastly inferior in their snobbish eyes. Fortunately for her, she has enough strength of character and support from those closest to her to rise above this and is determined to be the best she can to undo the wrong that Billy commits.

Billy, on the other hand, lacks confidence and finds himself backed into a corner by Courtney – unable to find a solution to the difficulty he finds himself in other than to comply with what is demanded of him. It is only once he has done so and sees the consequences of what then transpires that he is able to start to follow his conscience and work towards righting that wrong.

Although so different from one another, Mirabelle and Billy complement one another perfectly and with the book presenting the action from both points of view, there is lots of scope here for some fabulous class discussions about difference, what really makes a family and moral dilemmas. I would also suggest that much of the text could be used as a starting point for some wonderful creative writing in upper KS2.

Wildly imaginative, with fantastic descriptions throughout, I found myself totally immersed in the world created in this book and my only regret is that the illustrations by Edward Bettison were not included in my advance read, as all of the reviews I have seen for Book 1 state how glorious they are. That is of little consequence, however, as the story is so beautifully crafted that I had no difficulties in picturing all that I read. Perfect for Years 5 and 6 and KS3, this is a title that would make a stunning read-aloud story and has left me even more desperate for the end of September to come so that I can finally buy that paperback of the first title.

Enormous thanks go to MacMillan’s Children’s Book and Net Galley for my advance read ahead of the hardback publishing on 30th September. A monstrous 5 out of 5 stars.

Anything that's gothicky is a winner in my eyes and this didn't disappoint. A fab retake on the 'Monster' story. Loved the illustrations.