Sophie also received books one and two in Dave Rudden’s Knights of the Borrowed Dark trilogy, ready for the imminent release of the second book in April. The first book, Knights of the Borrowed Dark, introduces the reader to Denizen Hardwick, an orphan approaching his 13th birthday who knows nothing about his parents or how he came to be left at the Crosscaper orphanage at the age of two. As he approaches his thirteenth birthday, a mysterious visitor arrives at Crosscaper to take Denizen to meet a previously unknown Aunt, but en route to Dublin, the pair are attacked by an impossible monster.

Denizen’s world is turned upside down as he discovers his family was part of a secret organization, the Order of the Borrowed Dark, who are engaged in a centuries long war with the Tenebrous—creatures from another reality who appear in our world to cause destruction. Denizen must quickly learn about his newly awakened powers, the Tenebrous, and the mystery of his parentage, as the King of the Tenebrous accuses the Knights of stealing something precious to him and threatens to escalate the war to new heights.

The second book, The Forever Court, picks up six months later with Denizen exploring his new powers and the Dublin cadre coming to terms with the devastating consequences of the first book’s finale. An unexpected request from the Tenebrous Court brings the leader of the Order of the Borrowed Dark to Dublin, setting off political and emotional turmoil within the Order and the Dublin cadre. But unknown to both, a new deadly threat lurks close by.

These fantasy novels are well written and avoid most of the stereotypical “orphan rescued from the orphanage” and “monster in the dark” tropes. Although aimed at the middle school market, there is plenty here to entertain older readers, particularly those who enjoy creepier stories but stop short of full horror. Sophie enjoyed the rich descriptions and the characters were drawn just enough to care about their fates but leave enough mystery for more of their past to be discovered in the final book.

Rudden is very good at creating a unique world filled with fantasy that is both scary and well placed. I like that about this series. I found some of the plotting a little tedious and thought much of it I'd seen before. Notwithstanding, the author has a touch of humour and I couldn't help but compare it to Gaiman and Landy. A compliment.

I read the first "Knights of the borrowed dark" (it was a physical proof) with great enjoyment, so I wanted to read the next to see if it was as enjoyable. I did enjoy it, but it had the feeling of a "mid trilogy" book, so I will be interested to read the next one. These books are perfect for fans of Derek Landy and Darren Shan.

My son is a big fan of the Percy Jackson and Magnus Chase books so he loved these books. He was absorbed for days

Thoroughly enjoyable children's book. The author has a marvellously subversive way with words, clever similes jostle for place with mixed metaphors. The story races along with the 13 year old hero struggling with his wayward hair, falling in love and evil shadow monsters. The characters grow and change as alliances change and new threats come into play.
Im lookng forward to the third part of the trilogy.

Before I start my review I feel I should be honest. I’m from an Irish family who still carries on the traditions of our culture and beliefs including most of its mythology. I’m admittedly biased and harder on Irish authors or books that purport to base their stories in Ireland and/or its culture. My genetics are soaked in DNA from a land that gives new meaning to the word ‘storyteller’ as we have a rich history of Bards and the people carrying on our legends through oral and written traditions.

When the chance to review Dave Rudden’s books came up I had to jump at the chance. He’s been very active in the Arts scene in Ireland for quite some time, he’s created a huge online presence teaching about the background in Irish culture for his books and this series is based in Ireland.
After reading his two books, I was very pleased to discover that his award winning reputation was well deserved as his work has shown a true talent not only for writing but for showcasing why the Irish are so well known for their excellent fantasies and storytelling.

I don’t normally review 2 books at once but I made an exception for Rudden’s work because along with his books he’s created an amazingly thorough and imaginative continuation of his story online at his website daverudden.com where you can read more behind his mythology and deleted chapters. The amount of effort, research and detail he has put into creating this amazing world with a vibrant history is astounding and akin to what J.K. Rowling has done for wizards. Unlike that type of literature, Rudden has chosen a more unique villain making his plot line unpredictable and attention grabbing.

Rudden has a wonderful writing style that creates images your mind’s eye will see exploding across your vision as his realistic dialogue and setting will fill in the details. I loved how he doesn’t overly describe his characters so every reader has a chance to be a part of the story by using their own imaginations to decide how the characters look, sound and act; influencing how you invest in the story.

The first book, Knights of the Borrowed Dark, defines the genre for children’s fantasy literature but it’s so good adults will find themselves pulled into Rudden’s version of Dublin. He’s created complex characters, both the good and the evil that will bring your childhood nightmares out into the light. Denizen is the kind of kid I felt myself wanting to hug and protect one minute then wanting to be proud of his strength and courage the next.

The second book, The Forever Court, continues to show Rudden’s adept ability to showcase that strong talent for storytelling so prevalent in the Irish culture. You’re treated to a further tour of Dublin through the eyes of a local, as Denizen learns to shoulder his newfound responsibilities in protecting our powerful city. Court has these great action scene which engage the senses and makes you want to ignore the world around you so you can dive full in. Unlike his first book, Court ends much more on an exciting cliffhanger that will leave you stalking Rudden until you know when the third book is released

I adore Rudden’s work as his dialogue and sentence structure sound like lyrical prose whose adventure, suspense and skin crawling fears will quickly become addictive.

Here’s hoping I can hold out until the conclusion is released!