Yanni and his family have just moved to the village of Fallow Hall . His parents are exhausted coping with his crying baby sister, Ari , who needs constant attention.Setting out to find some things for Hallowe'en , it takes Yanni a short time to explore all that the village has to offer- not much in his opinion. His parents rip out an iron guard on the old fireplace and scrub away the mysterious marks etched into it.
His Dungeons and Dragons playing cousin Amy is sent to babysit. She is interested in the world of Faerie and fantasy adventure games. When Yanni loses patience with his howling sister it attracts the attention of the Faerie King, Lorde Renwin . Yanni inadvertently breaks all the rules that keep people safe from him at this time of year when the "veils" between worlds are thin.
He must then go to the land of Faerie (which is a negative/mirror image of his own) to get his sister back . He may be ungrateful for Amy's help, but she does know more about this otherworld than he does. Can they combine their forces on a seemingly hopeless quest?

The darker side of this book is balanced out nicely by a great sense of humour. Ross Montgomery I think was once a teacher and he knows how to pace a story and how to write a book which would read really well aloud. He draws on British folklore in the tradition of Susan Cooper, Penelope Lively etc

I loved the talking signpost and the raven characters.. Yanni's Greek heritage adds another layer to an already rich story.

A thoroughly engaging read.

The Chimeseekers is a sparkling work of fantasy steeped in faerie folklore. A main character who's hard to like at first, sets out on a fantastical journey to save a stolen sister. He must face impossible tasks, mythical creatures... and uncomfortable personal truths.

Yanni hates his new house and his baby sister Ari but when an evil faerie replaces her with a changeling, Yanni knows that he has to get her back. With the help of his fantasy-loving cousin Amy, he must journey to the faerie realm of Hallow Fall to embark on an epic quest to save his sister and the faeries from the tyranny of a nefarious overlord. The intricate world-building in this fairytale with strong Rumplestiltskin vibes is amazing. There is a fantastic variety of mythical creatures and an adventure with genuine high stakes. I was fully absorbed in the magic of Hallow Fall and was constantly championing the lovely friendships. A gorgeous winter, middle-grade fantasy read!

This is a truly amazing book! I stayed up way too late trying to finish it. A magical adventure story with humour, pathos and a small amount of menace, in the guise of evil Lorde Renwin. A fantastic middle grade read that I am recommending to everyone!!

I absolutely love Ross Montgomery's books and this did not disappoint. A pacy, dark adventure with a great moral message. It's 100% an 'on the edge of your seat' read and definitely one I'll be recommending to Year 6!

I absolutely adored The Midnight Guardians - one of my most loved books of 2020 - so was highly anticipating The Chime Seekers and it did not disappoint.

The Chime Seekers invites us to leave the world as we know it behind and enter an enchanted realm of faeries and fantasy; of changelings, goblins, shape-shifting creatures. Magic crackles from every page throughout an incredible journey, where impossible tasks are set and resolve is tested at every turn as time ticks away...

I had a definite rush of nostalgia as the book transported me back to watching Labyrinth as a child in the 90s. Mum and dad haven't had much time for Yanni since his baby sister Ari was born, she's taken over everything. So when an evil faerie steals Yanni’s baby sister and swaps her for a Changeling, Yanni is swept into a dangerous race against time to get her back.

Evil faery Lord Renwin has a definite Rumplestiltskin-esque feel to him. A shrewd villain, trickery is his middle name and he delights in out-smarting Yanni and cousin Amy who joins him on this epic quest.

Yanni must travel to goblin palaces and battle-swept oceans, discovering ancient treasures and secrets along the way - it's middle grade fantasy adventure at it's best!

Ross Montgomery has only gone and done it again! His newest adventure, The Chime Seekers is atmospheric, eerie, amazing, wonderful and downright brilliant. Yanni isn't much to get excited about at first - spoiled, rude, and sullen - but throughout the course of the story you really find yourself rooting for him and hoping things all work themselves out. Ross is the king of this type of middle grade adventure, and once again I found myself not being able to pull myself away from the story, hooked on Yanni and Amy's adventures and wanting - no, needing - to find out what would happen next. For anyone who loves an adventure and folklore.

This was such an amazing middle grade! I found the characters to be likeable, the story to be fast-paced and the world nothing short of enchanting. I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. Can highly recommend!

The MG faerie novel I wish I'd had when I was ten! The Chime Seekers features sibling bonds, friendship, change and, of course, magic!

Yanni's little sister Ari has ruined his life. She cries all the time, leaves his parents too exhausted to spend time with him, and she's the reason they've just moved to a dreary house in a sad, grey village. But when a mysterious stranger offers to take her away on All Hallows Eve, Yanni is thrown into an adventure where he'll discover just how much his family means to him.

The Chime Seekers is fantastically dark, creepy and tense. It's impossible not to keep turning the pages once you start - the stakes are so high!

It's also filled with brilliant characterisation. Yanni is very relatable - lots of children struggle with new siblings and change and will empathise with Yanni's difficulty accepting Ari. I loved his growth throughout the novel. Amy is brilliant too - especially when she starts to stick up for herself - and I loved the presentation of the exhausted parents (I could definitely relate!)

Montgomery's world building is superb - I loved the grumpy toad, the helpful signpost and the way the real world and faerie world reflect each other.

And the best thing at all? A brilliantly creepy, completely evil villain who it's impossible not to be a bit unnerved by no matter how old you are (especially when he first makes an appearance) There's lots of trickery and dodgy deals and you have to pay careful attention to what's being said if you don't want to fall victim to this trickster fae like Yanni.

Thank you Walker for letting me review an advanced copy on NetGalley.

The Chime Seekers by Ross Montgomery
Warning: May contain Faeries!
Yanni’s life is changing. New baby sister, new house in the countryside, new school, new life. But Yanni hadn’t wanted to leave his old life. He liked things as they were, before his baby sister Ari took all of his Mum and Dad’s attention and left no room for him. Nothing is about him anymore, it’s all about Ari. When his parents go out for dinner at Halloween and leave Yanni and his (second) cousin Amy to babysit, things get too much for him and he says out loud the things he has only been thinking up until now. Suddenly a strange visitor arrives, making Yanni uneasy and things take a more ominous path.
This allegorical story is steeped in folklore and the supernatural. The setting is spooky and sinister and the main characters have a perilous quest to follow to put right past and present mistakes. In the shadow faerie realm they do not know who they can trust and must surmount almost impossible obstacles, using only their knowledge and wits. The main character Yanni has a long personal journey ahead of him and only one night to undertake it. We join him while he explores how we feel about our families, friends and siblings; figuring out our place in life and moving from being self-centred children into a more grown up world. The baddies are gloriously bad and tricksy and you wonder what you would do if you were in Yanni and Amy’s shoes.
I loved this book. Ross Montgomery is a very clever storyteller, weaving many plot strands together in this epic faerie-tale. I loved that Amy’s character was into role-play gaming and had the background knowledge to aid Yanni on his quest. I loved all the characters that they meet in the faerie realm, from the delicious, trickster Lorde Renwin to the talking signpost and classically stupid goblins. I was delightfully frightened by the scene at the churchyard and how the two worlds echoed each other like a distorted reflection in a cracked mirror.
In the battle between good and evil, things always seem darkest just before the dawn; you won’t regret joining Yanni and Amy on their quest to save Ari – a must read!

When you thought Midnight Guardians was peak Montgomery, The Chime Seekers comes along to show you that this is an author who consistently delivers absolutely top notch novels.
Faeries, magic, tricks and spookiness…the ingredients for an absolute page turner.

Well, first of all, can we stop and appreciate this cover? It's absolutely gorgeous!

Now, The Chime Seekers is a wonderful children's story, ideal for the spooky season we are in. I say spooky season, meaning autumn and winter, because that's when I usually tend to go for spooky reads.

This gave me all those feels. From the first page, I felt sort of an unease, sort of a darkness lurking behind the pages...It's obviously not too dark, it's a kid's book, but enough so that you would feel the atmosphere.

Yanni ventures into the fae world and discovers a lot of different creatures...It's very engaging, and you follow him on his mission to save his sister, and of course, to do this, he has to go through all these tasks... I wasn't bored with it, it was quite interesting.

I would absolutely recommend this to a younger audience.

The Chime Seekers deals with some key themes of growing up. Yanni not only takes part in a dangerous mission in a different world he has to grow up to do so. It has enough horror and peril to engage the reader without being to scary. Oh and I love the tie in with d&d which is becoming more and more popular in the last few years.
Great kids book.

You need to be very careful when you speak to a faerie especially when they are drunk on power and determined to enslave as many people as possible. Yanni needs to find the courage that is buried deep inside of him to rescue his baby sister. After all, it’s his fault she’s a pawn in this dangerous game and time is running out, for everyone.

I loved this book, the way Yanni came out of his own enforced shell and worked not only with the challenges of his new surroundings but to try to beat it was really compelling. Amy was a delightful addition, and it was good to have the female character being interested in D&D instead of the male one. She holds a lot of the wisdom that sets Yanni onto the right path. He would’ve been stuck without her knowledge, this made for several moments that made me cheer.

Tricky situations lurk around every corner in this dark, delightful tale. Montgomery has done it again, it’s tremendous!

Another absolute cracker from Ross Montgomery. Beautifully written, twisting and turning storyline that makes you not want to put this down until you've read it from cover to cover. Another of Ross's books that will make it straight on to the school bookshelves and will be among the most popular books there. Fantastic as a read alone or as a book for sharing.

Love adventure, fantasy and a good quest? You can't go wrong with Ross Montgomery's latest novel. Released a year after the outstanding The Midnight Guardians, The Chime Seekers continues the authors rich vein of form. IF you know any upper primary or secondary school children get a copy of this in their hands. This is a whirlwind adventure which puts you on the edge of your seat and keeps you there right up to the tumultuous conclusion.

Another cracker by Ross Montgomery.

An evil fairy steals Yanni's baby sister and Yanni needs to work with his cousin to defeat an evil changeling, who is rather clever, to get her back. But Yanni and Amy have many disagreements on the way, choose the wrong turns more than once and make it really difficult for themselves. Especially when it seems like Yanni makes the wrong deal with the fairy.

I do love Ross Montgomery's writing style. He has such a way with words and builds up settings beautifully. I love the characters - even the evil changeling - and the little details, like the post, are just inspired.

I will be purchasing 2 copies of this book - one for my daughter and one for my classroom shelf. Thank you netgalley for this eArc.

Essentially an eleven year old boy Yanni has his perfectly happy life turned upside down with the arrival of a baby sister (Ari) and for the first year of her life, he still hasn't managed to get over it.

It explores the challenges faced by the eldest child when a sibling comes along and commandeers a huge swathe of parental attention, even more keenly felt when the older child has had 10 years of parents to himself. Also, the fact that they newcomer is not the easiest baby to deal with doesn't exactly help. Yanni feels left out of everything, that he's not important anymore and it's all his new sister's fault. He quite hates her!

Yanni swans through life disgruntled and rather selfishly, something which by the end of the book he realises with the help of Amy, his cousin who he has tended to ignore in the past.

So fairly early on in the book, Yanni manages to lose his sister to a nasty fairy who swaps her for a Changeling (who at first sight seems even worse that Ari) - something Yanni thought impossible). Feeling like he really should get her back, if only for the sake of his parents, he embarks on an adventure (with the help of Amy) to defeat the wicked fairy and rescue his sister. . Along the way he gradually seems to find himself and realise what is truly important.

It took me time to get into the book. The storyline is an interesting one and does deal with challenges of a baby when the current child or children are already quite grown up. I am sure that a number of children will relate to this and enjoy the quests that Yanni is made to follow as appreciate how Amy gradually gains more confidence in herself and recognition from Yanni.

This is a perfect book for the spooky season. It follows the story of Yanni, an 11 year old boy undergoing some massive changes in his life! He has a new baby sister, a new house and is starting a new school. His new village seems dull if a little mysterious and Yanni is desperate to return to his old life. Everything turns on its head when a mysterious figure turns up at his house on Halloween resulting in a quest through the Faerie Kingdom and a journey of self discovery for Yanni.

This book genuinely gave me the creeps in the best way. At points my skin crawled through Montgomery's vivid detailing of the Faerie world and its inhabitants. A wonderful book with would appeal to lovers of Michelle Harrison and Sophie Anderson.

Yanni’s baby sister Ari has been stolen by the fae! Faerie love their tricks and this particular faerie is no exception. Yanni, along with cousin Amy and a changeling, must navigate the fae realm to find Ari before the portal closes. They need to outwit the evil Lord Renwin and beat him at his games, whilst traversing goblin palaces, battle swept oceans and discovering ancient treasures. And they must remember…you cannot give a faerie your name…

Last year, I read The Midnight Guardians to review and I was instantly swept away into a completely magical tale of adventure and mystery and wow does The Chime Seekers do the same! Ross Montgomery has this fantastic way of creating such a charming, fantastic world and writing stories that just hook you in instantly, with twists and turns that keep you guessing the whole way. The language and detail are so rich and wonderful throughout. The plot was perfectly paced, but I must admit after I got to about halfway I couldn’t stop myself reading and had to finish the rest in one sitting! Truly fantastic writing that I cannot wait to share with upper KS2 classes.


I love the tricksy fae and their mysterious ways so there were so many characters in this fantastic cast that I enjoyed. Particular highlights include the magical signpost and the stone frog who made me laugh. Lord Renwin was a completely maddeningly evil villain who just embodied what I know and love of the fae and their games and tricks. Cousin Amy and her board games and what is essentially D&D (! I know!) was another brilliant addition as a tough female character who won’t let herself be trodden over, especially when she knows she’s capable of helping out. Main character Yanni’s character development throughout the story was captivating and he really took a journey to discover who he is now he has a baby sister and he’s more grown up in his family.

A magical world of fae and folklore. Instant classic. 5 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Walker Books for providing an e-book review copy.