I loved the premise for this story. I liked the idea of The Enemy housed in a Vessel. I loved the interplay between Finn and Ellie. I did love how the ending came together and I was glad I made it to the end. Murray's debut novel certainly didn't disappoint.The set-up grabbed me from the start; an independent female inventor living in the only city left in the world (after The Drowning) saves a mysterious boy who has just emerged from the belly of a beached whale... The author of the Anastasia books as well as more serious fiction ( Rabble Starkey, 1987) offers her first historical fiction—a story about the escape of the Jews from Denmark in 1943. I can't put my finger on all the little things that I couldn't properly fit into the puzzle of this story. Again and again, what I felt while reading was as if the author (and by extension the editor and the publisher) of this book cared solely for how thing looked and little for what the could mean. More like a 4.5, but I'm rounding up because it's the authors debut. How does someone just start writing and then write something this good straight away? I'm jealous.

Only Ellie, a fearless young inventor living in a workshop crammed with curiosities, believes he’s innocent. The story mainly follows Ellie who is an orphan in a place called The City. The City is the only city to exist and with this knowledge, the townspeople are very adamant in their beliefs. They believe that there is only one god left in the world (the rest were killed) who latches onto a host and is called The Enemy. If The Enemy finds a hosts and manifests, dark times are sure to come.Arriving on the shores of a colourful tropical island ruled by a mysterious queen, it seems they might just have found the perfect new home. This book was very slow and I ultimately had to put it down when I was just over a third of the way through. The main character was written more like a 20-something adult than a 12 year old child, and the story was too slow and had too many inconsistencies in small details to make me want to continue. The plot of the book was predictable. As soon as you began to understand the world this is set in, it becomes quite easy to guess the outcome of everything. I don’t know how well the age group this is aimed at would guess the plot but as an adult reading this, I thought it was quite predictable. This is the third book in the Orphans of the Tide series, and an epic conclusion at that. This series revolves around the presence of the Enemy. The Enemy of a kind of God, who resides in a Vessel. He can fulfil wishes for the Vessel, but in return gains some power to do as he wishes. He can for example save someone for the Vessel, but then himself gets the power to also save, or kill, someone. And as his name suggests, he does not want to do nice things with those powers. The town is obviously terrified of this Enemy and has installed an Inquisition to find the Vessel. If you are thought to be a Vessel, you are very likely to be killed… because then the Enemy also disappears for 10 years. Orphans of the Tide is set on the last city on Earth - everywhere has been drowned by the Enemy, and for years The City has been terrified of the Enemy returning to use someone as a Vessel to bring about more destruction. When a whale is cut open and a boy falls from inside, everyone thinks he's the Enemy returned - everyone except Ellie that is, and she's determined to save him!

But the Enemy can take possession of any human body and the ruthless Inquisition are determined to destroy it forever. The breathtaking fantasy adventure for fans of His Dark Materialsthat The Timescalls ‘Unputdownable'. Winner of the Branford Boase Award 2021. This activity linked to Orphans of the Tide focuses on the epilogue and planning a sequel to the story. I found it took a little time to warm to the characters of Ellie and Anna and the ending felt left-open, making it not completely satisfying. However, for anyone who fancies immersing themselves in a murky, gritty fantastical world which will throw you around more ferociously than the waves in a stormy sea then this is the book for you. It is a novel which will leave you gasping for air and will stay in your memory long after reading. Ellie, an orphan, no longer lives in the orphanage but makes a living building steampunk type machines and repairing those made by her mother. She is tormented by the death of her brother plus being messy and good-hearted. Her best friend is Anna, still living in the orphanage and in charge of a motley crew of Baker Street irregulars. Seth, the boy pulled from the whale, is mysterious with no memory of his past other than his brothers and sisters are missing.The main characters Ellie, Anna and Seth are well fleshed out and very believable. I really felt connected to them on there journey. The world building was also great and I could picture the sights and sounds that Ellie described. The diary chapters added depth and really helped the story progress. I actually really hope there will be more from Struan Murray in this world as I think there are certainly more stories to tell. But there is trouble brewing in paradise and soon Ellie and Seth find themselves caught up in a dangerous struggle for power - and forced to confront terrible truths from their past . . .

The most original opening I've read in years and a plot twist that turns brilliantly Abi Elphinstone, author of Sky Song Your class will read the following summary of the chapter. They will then re-write in replacing the verbs with more powerful alternatives. Puffin started out as a non-fiction publisher, with its first title appearing in 1940. As the most iconic and well-known children’s book brand in the UK today, we are always on the lookout for innovative ways to tell the world’s favourite stories and for brilliant new debut talent and brands that connect with today’s young readers, from newborn up to twelve years old.

Reason it's actually 4.5? It's a bit wordy in places. The descriptions made it slow going to get into the beginning of the book. But that's honestly such a minor issue, I'm not even complaining. Education Shed Ltd, Severn House, Severn Bridge, Riverside North, Bewdley, Worcestershire, UK, DY12 1AB Struan Murray (Author) Struan Murray is Scottish and grew up in Edinburgh, the youngest of a large, rowdy family of redheads. His first publication was a drawing in Pingu Magazine, aged seven, but his debut novel, Orphans of the Tide has attracted rather more critical acclaim. When he's not writing, Struan is a lecturer at the University of Oxford. Being as I'm 22 and would normally not read something meant for children, I decided to give this book a try because I wanted to read something short and simple. I full-heartedly believe my 12-year old self would have been in love with this book.