Thank you to NetGalley and Publishers for this ARC

Unfortunately I did not get to listen to this audiobook as I missed my chance. My apologises

I loved this book! I could not stop listening to it. It was an action-packed thrill ride that readers of all ages are sure to enjoy. I loved all the history and intrigue and the narrator captured all the emotion and personalities of each character beautifully. Great start to what is sure to be a great series for middle grade readers. I cannot wait for the next installment of the Britfield series. Thanks so much Net Galley for the advanced copy!

What a great adventure that was. I enjoyed it a lot, even though I'm not a middle-grade reader. The narrator was excellent, and it was probably an even better experience than if I read it myself. I would recommend it to all that like middle-grade adventures.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this! All opinions are my own.

The book reminded me of a modern Oliver Twist, in so far as its beginnings were concerned. Like Oliver, 12-year-old Tom, the hero of this novel, is an orphan, one of many who are given a measly meal and assured of shelter in exchange for working hard in a factory that the owners of the orphanage own. For the Grievous family, the orphanage, Weatherly, is a good way to be assured of cheap labour to run their factories while getting a good subsidy from the government.

One day while smuggling out a book from the Grievous family library, Tom comes to know that his parents may be alive. He is determined to find them, but he won’t leave without Sarah, his best friend, who is in solitary confinement.

Staging a daring rescue of Sarah and a subsequent escape, Tom and Sarah escape in a hot-air balloon. They head to London in search of his family, armed with just one clue, Britfield.

They discover soon enough that the name Britfield is no longer welcome in England today. There is a dangerous history attached to it, and the danger is very much alive.

As they travel through Windsor Castle, and Oxford University, and a church, they depend upon the kindness of strangers to escape notice. And strangely, many go out of their way to help them. But Inspector Gallowstone (or is it Gowerstone?) is hot on their trail as is Speckle, a cruel supervisor from Weatherly. Will Tom and Sarah find out the truth about Britfield? And will they find his parents?

 

This was my third audio book. The best part of this book for me was the narrator, Ian Russell. He enlivened this book so much that I didn’t even miss reading for myself. His voice was pure magic. He succeeded in pulling off so many voices, including a Russian accent for a small piece of dialogue. 

He even managed to hum and sneeze while remaining in character. The only parts at which I cringed were when he tried to speak for Sarah. It made Sarah come across as slightly dim-witted and annoying. A fact not helped by the fact that she wasn’t coming up with too many great ideas on her own and seemed to depend on Tom.

The book is filled with a colourful cast of characters, including Speckle, the supervisor, Mr and Mrs Grievous, Inspector Gallowstone and Professor Hainesworth.

 

I liked the way each chapter ended. It was also good to see the solidarity and the banter between the orphans. It was also good to see Tom getting over his claustrophobia and Sarah her fear of heights in order to plan their escape. There’s a positive lesson for kids right there.

But I wasn’t so sure about the hot air balloon escape. It was unbelievable that a hot air balloon might be available just like that, and that the kids would figure out how to use it, as if it were the easiest thing in the world, just by fiddling around with the levers and the knobs. 

Unbelievably, it’s also running on a full tank, so they don’t need to re-fuel either. They spend the whole night in the balloon and come out unscathed, not needing to use the bathroom even after they land.

The fact of Tom’s identity was so obvious but nobody seemed to catch on.

Generally, I don’t mind cliffhangers, as long as they are tastefully done.  But here, I felt more than a little disappointed. The author has been saying that this is the first of seven books. I can’t imagine that there would be six more books before resolution comes.


The only reason I enjoyed this one was the narrator.

Britfield has a slow start but once it gets going is a fun adventure filled with mystery. The audiobook has wonderful narration that brings the story to life. I would recommend this to young readers looking for an intriguing read.

This is an action-packed middle grade adventure novel that will keep you on your toes. I enjoyed myself while I was reading it. I did find some parts dragged, which is why I couldn't give it a solid five star rating, but I definitely had fun the whole time reading. It was pretty easy read time wise since you get so engrossed that you lose track of time.

A British setting, mystery, intrigue, tea and action -- why not give it a go! Tom and Sarah flee from an orphanage that is more that what they appear to be. While running they try to stay hidden from police and especially Detective Gowerstone.

I highly recommend this book to middle grade readers as they will have a ball following the children on their journey. Great read!

Wonderfully performed, engaging and well written.  My tween loved this.  It was entertaining and delightful to the very end.  Quick paced and harrowing. It is always nice when I can find a book that keeps both my child and I interested at the same time.  While I did receive this book from Net galley free in exchange for a review Due to technical issues downloading it. I ended up purchasing it on audible/amazon.

This was a really fun story about two orphans travelling through England. I love how everyone helped each other, even if they were strangers. 
As a non-English person, I really liked that they explained what all the places were, even though English people definitely knew what they were.
I will definitely listen to book 2 when it's out!

Britfield and the Lost Crown was fantastic.
My 10 year old son listened to the audio book, he was extremely engaged by this story and was very keen to listen to it.
The original story line and dynamic characters, along with brilliant descriptions, made it a wonderful adventure book.
The narrator was good to listen to, clear and entertaining.

In the realm of Physical and E-books, Audiobooks is my newly attained love. Listening to Britfield was impeccable, and not once did I crave holding the book in hand or reading between the lines. I guess it all depends on the speech characterization of the raconteur, and the voice did an outstanding job. The escape course of two youths from their orphanage and everything that ensues throughout the adventuresome journey is a complete delight.

This book is ideal for middle-graders, where teens can quickly relate to the adventures. Nonetheless, the oldies will savor this one equally. The writer concluded the novel with an unforeseen twist, and the readers are left astonished. It's the classic novel to read while having your evening cup of tea. I am eagerly waiting for the following book in the series. A fast-paced novel leaving you spell-bound.

Thank you, NetGalley, Author C.R. Stewart, Publisher Devonfield Publishing, for the Audio e-ARC of this book.

Thank you Netgalley for proving me with a copy, What an adventurous book. Following Tom and Sarah's adventure was pure fun! It's been a while since I enjoyed a book like this! Loved the audiobook production too, excellent narration, I am going to pick a physical copy for my little niece.!

Loved! I usually don't younger fiction, but this was wonderful storytelling with a fabulous reader! It had all of the elements for adult and youth fiction and a with a nod to history filled with fabulous adventures! I look forward to Book 2!

I listened to this book courtesy of the publisher and Netgalley.

I found the story to be very engaging. You start at Weatherly Orphanage, experience a great escape made by Tom and Sarah who travel by balloon to evade a determined detective. They are aided by kindhearted people and a tired professor as they make their way to London.

The author, C.R. Stewart, keeps it lively. The narrative is very descriptive and each time you think you can pause for a breath, a new challenge is presented to our heroes. The story moves at a good pace and will likely keep all readers engaged as it tells Tom's story.

Initially, I questioned WHEN does this story take place. The description of the orphanage had me thinking it was in the early 1800s but once we reach Oxford, Tom uses the internet to do some searching. It turns out, it takes place in our current time.

Also, I'm both happy and sad that this will be the first book in a series of 7. I like the story and will be happy to learn more about Tom and Sarah's adventures, but there were plotlines that appeared rather slowly and are likely to be drawn out until the very end.

Overall, an enjoyable story and one that should be a huge hit with its target audience and their parents.

After almost a month, I can finally say I have finished this book. I listened to it thanks to Netgalley and narrator Ian Russel had a really nice voice; he did almost all the characters really well and changed his voice for each. However, I really didn’t like it when he did the voice of Sarah, it was quite irritating. Now the story. I did not enjoy it. In my opinion only the first five chapters and the last two were useful to the story, the other ones were just about Tom and Sarah running away and running away some more. It was just so repetitive. Everybody seemed to be against the children being free and the timeline was really slow, the whole story takes place over like three/four days but it seems much more. Moreover, I didn’t like the characters of Tom and Sarah. Maybe it’s due to the voice but Sarah was not really useful and seemed sometimes a bit silly. Tom was getting on my nerve by the middle of the story, always telling Sarah what to do, not thinking a lot about the consequences of his actions… I liked the professor though and was pleasantly surprised by the ending of the book. You can kind of guess it but not all the details. I know this is a middle grade fiction and I found the beginning of the book quite promising which is why I kept going and listen to it all but I wouldn’t really recommend this book, even to children due to the fact that the only female character present in this book was not even strongly pictured. She could have helped Tom more instead of being the one being helped. I don’t think I will read/listen to the second book.  
2.5/5

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the advance copy of this audiobook!

I loved this book. The atmosphere was everything I wanted it to be. I loved the plot and storyline in the book. I loved the characters in this story. It gave me all the feels I was looking for when I started reading this. I highly recommend this author. I loved the writing. I will be looking for other works in the future from this author.

C. R. Stewart has written a great adventure story for older children and  teens, fortunately,  it is the first in a series so more to come! Britfield and the  Lost Crown tells the story of Tom, who has spent more years than he cares to remember as a prisoner,  to all intents and purposes, of the abusive Weatherley Orphanage.  When Tom learns that his parents may be alive, he and his best friend Sarah,  escape from Weatherly, their only clue being the word 'Britfield'.

The two young people are pursued by the police including a famous Scotland Yard detective,  but will they be able to elude capture long enough to solve the mystery? I am long past my teens but I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it's very exciting. It's well written and thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish.  I was  lucky enough to listen to the audiobook and I would like to add that the narrator, Ian Russell, does a really excellent job. First class and I can't wait for book two!

A sweet, fun, and exciting middle-grade fiction book! Easy to stay engaged with and keeps you on your toes. Definitely some mystery hidden throughout the story but it really becomes the main plot maybe 1/3 or 1/2 way through. The characters are relatable and encouraging. I hope the sequel is as engaging as this is!
I was able to listen to this as an audiobook thanks to NetGalley, a few technical issues towards the end chapters. Perhaps some inconsistencies in the accents but still wonderful and engaging.

What an exciting adventure!  I give Britfield and the Lost Crown a 4.5 stars.  

The book centers around two orphans named Tom and Sarah.  They begin their adventure at Weatherley; a terrible orphanage where the owners exploit the children for work labor and deprive them of food and comfort.  The nasty and mean cast of characters you meet in the beginning of the book is tempered with the charming and clever personalities of the children stuck at the awful orphanage.  

The children band together to help rescue Sarah from isolation in the attic and break Tom and Sarah out of Weatherley for good!  From there, adventure ensues; involving a famous detective hard on their heels, a sweet and helpful professor, a hot air balloon, and surprising twists and turns.  Will Tom and Sarah figure out the secret behind Tom's past and escape to London?  Or will they be captured and returned to miserable Weatherley?  

Britfield and the Lost Crown was such a wonderful and well-paced adventure story.  The main characters were quite charming and very resourceful.  The auxiliary characters were also well-written and supported...even if they were sometimes a little unbelievable.  However, this was the sort of book where you need to be able to suspend disbelief and just enjoy the ride.  For a middle-grade book, I was a little surprised how often murder was talked about and attempted, however this could just be my own naivete and desire to shield children from such ugliness.  

One of the elements that I, as a history buff, really enjoyed were the many nods to the history of England.  I thought the author did a clever job making the story educational while continuing the break-neck pace of the chase.  Also, he set the scenes well enough that you could visualize what the children were seeing with the same level of ah that they were feeling.  

As far as listening to the audiobook went, I really enjoyed the narrator when he was speaking the dialogue of the story.  When he was narrating the plot of the story, his inflection took on sort of a true-crime vibe, which was a little distracting at first, however I was able to get into it after a while.  Also, one other complaint about the editing of the audiobook was that the dialogue, when the narrator was speaking as some of the angrier adults in the book, was extremely loud, whereas the narration of the plot and setting was rather quiet.  This just meant that I was constantly turning the volume down and up, down and up.  I would have liked to see the audiobook edited a little better so that the volume changes weren't so abrupt. 

Ultimately, a fantastic middle-grade book that I would have greatly enjoyed as a child.  I look forward to the second in the series!

This is a great book full of adventure. Tom and Sara decide to escape from the orphanage, and from that point they are met with adventure. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the narrator was excellent.

I received an ARC of the audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

Britfield and the Lost Crown was a story built on convenience. Tom and Sarah were runaway orphans that seemed to have an endless supply of good luck and favorable outcomes. They relied on the kindness of strangers and people's willingness to help two children they've never seen or heard of before. I'm not saying it's impossible, but it is extremely unlikely they would have made it as far as they did. Another thing: the synopsis gives away waaaay too much about the book, so it doesn't leave a lot for readers to discover on their own as the story unfolds. Very little imagination required.

As they were leaving the orphanage (where they were malnourished, overworked, and mistreated) everything just clicked into place for them. Sure, they had to struggle and overcome obstacles, but it did seem incredibly easy for them to evade numerous adults and the authorities. I was overly suspicious of everyone they met, but each encounter proved beneficial for the children regardless of their circumstances. They just seemed like "good kids" and people wanted to help. They were even willing to to help Tom and Sarah evade the authorities, which doesn't seem like something people would do.

They just kept running into good Samaritans and stumbling across things that would help them on their journey. For example, they're running through a field and find themselves next to a hot air balloon (not a spoiler; it's on the cover and in the synopsis). What twelve-year old knows how to fly a hot air balloon on instinct? Yes, they fiddle with knobs and levers until the balloon does what they want it to, but they were more likely to crash and explode than fly across the country. Also, they were in the balloon for like 15 hours, yet neither of them had to pee? They were constantly drinking water they found in the balloon, but potty breaks (or more specifically, the lack thereof) weren't mentioned. It caused the story to lose some of it's credibility, even with how easy their escape had been thus far. (Honestly, they should have died or been captured countless times, but managed to barely evade death and everyone else for the entire book.)

Additionally, I wasn't all that invested in Tom or Sarah as characters. They weren't relatable, and we also don't really learn very much about them over the course of the book. Sarah frequently mentions that she "wasn't always in an orphanage," but rarely reveals details about her life before Weatherly. Tom doesn't know what his life looked like before, because he can't remember anything except for the half-formed memories that pop up in his dreams. The detective, professor, archbishop - - they were all a means to an end and didn't really add anything to the story (other than helping hands).

There's a reveal towards the end that I didn't see coming, but I also thought it's inclusion was taking things a bit too far. The person's behavior up until that point had been atrocious and unforgivable, so I didn't buy their sudden transformation/revelation. To their credit, Tom and Sarah didn't believe them either. As for Tom's big secret, it didn't take very long for me to figure out his history and what it meant (it's also IN THE SYNOPSIS). The clues were not subtle, although it took everyone else a VERY long time to put the pieces together. A Harvard professor and a renowned detective couldn't see what was going on? Really?

I also went into this book thinking it was a standalone (something I apparently missed from the synopsis), so I was miffed when the book ended on a cliffhanger. The other children at the orphanage don't know what happened to Tom and Sarah, but we do get to see how their lives and living situations have changed by the end of the book. Unfortunately, Tom and Sarah STILL don't have all of the answers, and their story was left unfinished. I feel like everything else was wrapped up, so they should have gotten a conclusion as well. Dragging this story out feels unnecessary, and like the author is trying to squeeze SIX MORE BOOKS out of nothing. It would have taken one or two more chapters to resolve everything, so making them work even more for the same goal they've been trying to achieve since the beginning, seems unfair and overly ambitious. Britfield and the Lost Crown isn't a series I will be continuing in the future.

Audiobook review: The narrator was amazing! Ian Russell had very distinct voices for each of the characters, and I really loved how they were portrayed (especially his accent and cadence for Sarah). At first, I thought it was the same person who narrated The Night Circus, but it's not. (However, if you liked how that book was narrated, you'll probably like this narrator as well!) I look forward to listening to more books read by him in the future. (★★★☆☆)