If you would like to see my review for book one of this series please click here: Midnight for Charlie Bone. If you haven't read the rest of the series, or in the middle of reading it, there are some minor spoilers regarding the series below. So feel free to read everything except the "Opinions" section.
Title: Charlie Bone and the Red Knight (Book 8 The Children of the Red King series)
Author: Jenny Nimmo
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: mid-grade fantasy
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: Some battle scenes
Premise: Charlie and the Children of the Red King must call upon all of their strength to defeat the darkness and finally learn the fate of Charlie's family, the evil intentions of the Bloors, what has become of Septimus Bloor's will, and the destiny of the Red King's heirs. (King County Library System)
Opinions: Finally a series that I've loved that is now finished. Yes, it is true. This is the last book in the series. So anyone who prefers to hold off reading a series until it is all finished and published, then now is your time to delve into this series. YAHOO!!! Now I may be about to create an avalanche of criticism for what I am about to say, but I will brave the criticism and speak my mind. I love the Harry Potter series...it rocks. HOWEVER...this series beats it hands down in my book. Written for a slightly younger audience than the Harry Potter series this book still delves into a world of modern fantasy. Also like Harry Potter it is about a young boy with special powers who is being sent off to a school to hone that talent. However, unlike Harry Potter this school is Bloor's Acadamy, which hosts only a small amount of endowed children (known as the Children of the Red King). The remainder of the school is filled with regular children gifted in various aspects of the arts. So Charlie works with both endowed and unendowed in the battle against evil. Another aspect that is different is that each endowed child has a different ability allowing each one to compliment the others' abilities as they strive to overcome those endowed who are on the side of evil rather than good.
In this, the last and final installment of the Children of the Red King series, Charlie must decide whether or not to forgive old enemies in order to fight against the Bloors and their evil companions as they strive to take over the entire city with the help of ancestors who have been drawn to the present. Dealing with more and more adversaries, Charlie also struggles with wondering why his parents are on vacation instead of helping him to fight evil. I love how this story deals with struggles on multiple levels and learning how to trust and believe in others. Through all 8 books I have been intrigued by the characters, the plot, and the imagery. Jenny Nimmo has done a fantastic job and a large part of me is sad to see it come to an end. Of all the mid-grade series I have read, The Children of the Red King series is in the top 5 favorites of all time for me.
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