The Telling Stone, while a sequel to Beyond the Door, stands perfectly well on its own. Full of adventure from the start, the story keeps its readers hooked though intrigue, suspense, and compelling characters. . The Telling Stone too, will bring me back in the future because it is told by a writer who correctly handles her research. She includes interesting details that don’t overwhelm, has realistic characters and exciting plot twists, all of which prove McQuerry’s powers as an exceptional storyteller. We need more books like this in today's world!]

ARC-Netgalley

High, High Fantasy for Middle Grade

There are three things you should know about this book right up front.

First, it is well written, fast paced, and populated by strong major characters and fascinating supporting players. Even if you aren't big on Celtic mythology this is a fine and ripping quest/fantasy/adventure choice.

Second, the Celtic angle is handled just right. Some books just drop a few references to Merlin or Taliesin and call it good. Some books are so slavishly committed to reflecting all of the author's knowledge and deep research that they read like text books instead of ripping fantasy tales. This book hits the Celtic mythology sweet spot. It is deeply and richly connected to the great traditional tales and characters, but that does not get in the way of the well told story.

Third, this is a sequel. Some have said that you could start with this book, but I'm not sure. The first part of this is really is a wrap up of the preceding book, and if you aren't familiar with that first book you could easily become lost, or at least discouraged. It's like the "Lord of the Rings". You could start with "The Two Towers", but you'd miss a lot and it would take a while to figure out the characters and the plot. If you are going to like this second book you're going to like book one, ("Beyond the Door"), so you might as well start there.

And I trust you will like this book. I'm mostly Welsh. I know my Mabinogion, and my Taliesin and my Red Book of Hergest. Heck, I used to sing the lullaby "Ar Hyd y Nos" to my daughter. I was very happy with the way Ms. McQuerry incorporated Ceridwen, the Green Man, Herne and the Wild Hunt, the battling trees, and so much more into this story. I'm not so strong on Irish mythology, and even did a little Filidh research on Wikipedia to get up to speed on that as I read this book. My larger point, though, is that you don't have to do research or know that sort of material in order to really enjoy this book. Like Susan Cooper's "Dark is Rising" sequence, or Jenny Nimmo's "Magician Trilogy", all of that mythic background informs the story, and sets off little flashes of recognition, and provides insight and richness, but it is not necessary to enjoyment of the tale. Like those books, the story is "self-explaining", meaning that you learn enough about the characters in the body of the story, and there's enough monologuing and explaining and exposition, that you don't need some annotated concordance in order to enjoy what's going on. If you do get some of the more obscure references, that's just a bonus.

But, put all of that aside. You have a brother and sister hero pair, along with an extra guy and an extra girl. That way you get sibling bonding, and a chance for mild crushes to liven up the story. You have all sorts of reliable and supportive adults. You also have deception and betrayal and, of course, rising darkness. There's peril and suspense. And puzzles. A quest. Lots of talking animals and a few time-out-of-time other worlds and eras. All of this is set against a world of magic and myth that connects the story to the original high fantasy that has existed in story form for, literally, over five hundred years. And it's fast paced. And it's aimed right at confident middle grade readers, (or any older readers who like a good story). I'm not sure what more I could ask for.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that, and meeting the author once at the L.A. Times Book Fair, I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)