Chris Hallatt Wells - King Bones - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books - Greezy Book Review

When Danny's mum and dad get sent to prison for stealing the Crown Jewels, Danny is sent to live with his Aunty Ratbag in the evil-smelling town of Greezy. It's many years since Aunty Ratbag has been able to practice the ancient art of being evil on a child. Once she was an expert, now she is rusty and needs practice. She thinks she has the perfect victim in Danny. But wandering through the murky churchyard of Greezy ( between the dog food factory and the cat food factory) Danny meets King Bones. And King Bones has a very special mission for Danny: he wants his queen back. She has been buried with her ladies in waiting in a separate chamber. Danny discovers that a famous archaeologist has removed her skull and her crown to display them in the British Museum. King Bones and Danny set out for the rescue!

Everything with Words is a small new independent publisher of children’s books. This is the first book that I've read from this publisher which has a big heart and a great ethos. Some of the money will go to helping street children all over the world which is a great cause and one worth supporting. The publisher's aim is to deliver powerful stories that have an edge of darkness and a plot loaded with danger. Chris Hallatt Wells has kicked this off in a magnificent way. King Bones will be published on the 6th November 2017. 

When I received this book in the post, my instant expectations were very low but how wrong I was. It's a brilliant read full of dark energy. The cleverly worded plot gives this book bags of personality and a little uniqueness, in my opinion. It is a rollicking, hilarious, page-turning narrative that will have you gripped to the bones. Chris understands what keeps children gripped and writes with originality and bucket loads of fun. 

The characters burst from the page with gleeful prose. The plot never lets up and marches the reader down a fantasy path that will have you leaping for cover. Aunty Ratbag is a nasty, vile little lady who will have you fleeing the pages with terror. She is fantastically written, loaded with bitterness, hate and has a tongue like a viper. She makes the plot hum with gentle malice. She is one of my new favourite characters as she really stands out from the crowd. The story is silly, outrageous and has a slight Roald Dahl-esk feel which works amazingly well. It is entwined with both a wicked sense of humour that will have you laughing and marveling at certain aspects together. 

The story is very imaginative. Some of the scenes are surreal and play on your fantasy mind in a big way. You will love the quirky story line of floating apparitions on horseback one minute and a museum full of chaos the next. It all fuels a great sense of adventure. This is a great book to escape into and a joy to read. However, you may need to track a copy down from the internet, probably Amazon. I LOVED THIS BOOK! I am looking forward to the next book, Chris.