Under the Green Hill
Under the Green Hillby Laura L. Sullivan
Meg and her siblings have been sent to the English countryside for the summer to stay with elderly relatives. The children are looking forward to exploring the ancient mansion and perhaps discovering a musty old attic or two filled with treasure, but never in their wildest dreams did they expect to find themselves in the middle of a fairy war.When Rowan pledges to fight for the beautiful fairy queen, Meg is desperate to save her brother. But the Midsummer War is far more than a battle between mythic creatures: Everything that lives depends on it. How can Meg choose between family and the fate of the very land itself? (goodreads.com)
This fun book was a gift and I am so happy to have discovered it! I am not entirely sure whether to tag it as YA or MG because it feels like it could comfortably fall into both. Older MG readers and younger YA readers? Either way, the story is beautifully written, full of adventure and humour and has a cast of very enjoyable characters (even the ones you hate).This is a very British-sounding book, which is fine when the children are all in England, but it was sort of British-y while they were in the US in the beginning as well. Of course I don't mind that at all! In fact I think the flow of the words is what I loved most about the story. I like British-flavoured writing (and TV! Why is British humour always so much better than anywhere else?)Though I wasn't sure what to expect when I first opened the book, the next thing I knew a couple of hours had past and I wanted MORE. This is a sign of a great book. It was just so... happy. It's not all happiness and sunshine, but the storytelling, the pace, the characters, the plot, it all made me happy. You feel like you've been immersed in this magical world in rural England and you don't particularly want to come home. I felt like I was there, exploring, with the children. I wanted to look in every room of that mansion and devour the libraries. I want to go to England so bad now and wander the forests and hope to find fey creatures that are of the friendlier variety. ;)When I was done with the book and went to mark it as read on Goodreads, I instantly clicked on the author's name to see what else she had written. I was delighted to discover there is a sequel (companion?) due out this fall! I cannot wait! As exhausted as I am over series right now, this was one I wasn't upset about. I wanted to dive back into the world in these pages. The ended is open and could have been left as is or carried on. I am excited to carry on at this moment. I don't want this to become a bazillion book series, but another one with Meg and her siblings is something that makes me even more happy!Even though the book is set in the "modern" world, this book is much more fantasy than paranormal. It's not quite folklore, but not contemporary. I don't know how to explain it. It's just magical!Green Hill series
- Under the Green Hill
- Guardian of the Green Hill - October 2011