"Ondine: The Summer of Shambles"


"Ondine: The Summer of Shambles"
by Ebony McKenna

Source: from Jenny at Egmont UK


My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

My Review:

Ondine feels like a failure at psychic summer camp, so she packs up and runs away to home. In Ondine's world, the small country of Brugel, magic is accepted as a part of everyday life, so her parents are only a little surprised that she has brought home a talking ferret named Shambles. Actually, Ondine is one of the few who can actually hear Shambles talking- in an old-fashioned Scottish brogue no less! It turns out he used to be a man, but was cursed to live as a ferret. When he's not sneaking food away from the kitchen, Shambles overhears a murder plot against the duke. All sorts of chaos follow Ondine and Shambles as they try to warn and save the duke, all the while trying to lift the curse so that Shambles can be a man again.

This fantasy story was so sweet and so much fun! Ondine was spunky and Shambles was such a handful! I have to admit, I really want a talking ferret that I can wear as a stole and take everywhere with me! Shambles is so lovable as a foul mouthed ragamuffin! McKenna describes him so well that I can just see all of his shenanigans so clearly, and it's totally believable.

But you know how in "Beauty and the Beast", you were just a teensy bit disappointed when the lovable beast turned into a boring prince? (or am I the only one?) This book isn't like that at all! When Shambles is in his human form, Hamish, he's just as wonderful but in a different way. He's sweet and polite and jaw-droppingly handsome!

The author uses footnotes a lot in this story to tell about Brugel and give other insights. The footnotes were always really funny and I appreciated that McKenna was trying something unique. Sometimes, they were a little distracting, though, and I would have liked the information better if it had been in the body of the work instead.


Main Characters: 5/5
Supporting Characters: 4/5 (there was a lot of drama in Ondine's family :)

Setting: 5/5

Romance: 5/5
Uniqueness: 5/5
Cover: 5/5 (captures the story perfectly! love the silhouettes and all the fun glittery shapes)

Writing: 5/5

Extras:
I love that Egmont UK is devoted to ethical publishing! From the use of sustainable papers to making sure that workers are treated fairly. Way to go!


Bottom Line:
I loved this book, especially Shambles. The story was really fun with lots of madcap action. And there was a good message underneath it all, too. Now, where can I find a talking ferret?

17 comments

  1. Wow...look at all the stars it got. Great review! I enjoy a fun YA book now and then. thanks! (queen bee)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great review Carrie!I think I'm going to love this as well..Already listed in my TBR list!

    ReplyDelete
  3. A talking ferret? I might have to read this for no other reason than the ferret! My cousin had a pet ferret when we were young. Can't remember his name for the life of me! I'll have to mention this book to her, too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh . . . my . . . gosh . . . !!! Thank you from the bottom of my heart. The Egmont crew took a chance on me and we all worked so hard on this book (I am so in love with the cover it's crazy). To get such a fantastic reaction shows all the hard work was worth it.

    Thank you again.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow - this one looks great! You know I'm all about the animals - you had me at talking ferret!! lol

    ReplyDelete
  6. If you can find a talking ferret, please send me an e-mail so I can come and get one too. :)

    I'm glad you enjoyed the story, I thought it was fun too and thought it was just too sweet.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This sounds fantastic! Great review. I've been curious about Ondine since I first heard of it. I'm so glad you liked it. Hamish sounds like quite a character. I can't wait to read this.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ooooo now I want a talking ferret too! Sounds way cool. I'm off to make sure its on my GR TBR list. Thanks doll for the awesome review.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great review! This book sounds cute and the cover is beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sounds like a fun, great book and I love the Beauty and the Beast comparison. I'm jotting the title down now.

    ReplyDelete
  11. This book does sound like a lot of fun, and you've convinced me that I now need a talking ferret as well. I wonder where you get one of those...

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thank you for the awesome comments, everyone!! I'm so glad you stopped by, Ebony!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great review Carrie! Shambles sounds so awesome and fun. And I had no idea that Egmont UK is devoted to ethical publishing! Wow. I love that! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  14. sounds pretty good, ill look it up now :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. so glad to see a good review for this one. i was planning on getting this one.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Great review! This book sounds very fun! :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Count me in! I want to read this on too!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for your lovely comments!