I felt Tanya, who had the lead role in The Thirteen Treasures, was a bit shadowy, though. Her characterisation is also really good, especially Red, who is not the stereotypical feisty teenager, but actually has depth. Her description is almost perfect not too flowery or rambling, but short and sweet and very effective. Michelle Harrison is a very talented writer.

However, I empathise with the publishers as The Thirteen Curses has a complex plot, which I also struggled to summarise.

The back gives away more than half the story, and the cliff-hanger is only solved in about the last one hundred pages. This may seem a little odd, but I really regretted it. WARNING: Do not read the back of this book. Meanwhile, Tanya has returned to Elvesden Manor for half term and let's just say that her ability to see fairies comes back into use when the new housekeeper and her pesky parrot land her and Fabian and the whole Manor crew into trouble with the little people. Whilst the journey goes on, she reflects on her past: the car crash that killed her parents and her time at the children's home. And guess what happens when she gets there? She is set another challenge, twisted with the cruelty of the Unseelie (Boo! Hiss!) court. She must seek an audience with the fairy court, but the realm is full of deception and cruelty – it will be a challenge just to get there. Having swapped places with Tanya, she is bound there, but is still desperate to get both her and her brother back into the human world. Red is back, but she's trapped in the fairy realm. Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Books Summary: This time following the feisty and ruthless Red, the sequel to The Thirteen Treasures is gripping and the description is practically perfect, but the blurb gives away more than half the book and its predictability lets it down.

The 13 Curses by Michelle Harrison