** BGS Gold Mark Awarded Book ***Oric returns from an early-morning foraging expedition to find his home, Dunburton Manor, sacked by a band of marauders. Alchemist Deveril, Oric’s mentor and friend, lies fatally wounded. The old man thrusts a key into Oric’s hand, saying that it will unlock the secret to great wealth. Deveril also warns of terrible danger should the key fall into wrong hands.… fall into wrong hands.
Esica Figg, moneylender and arch villain is determined to steal the key – even if he has to kill Oric to get it. Oric escapes the burning manor and wanders the countryside until he stumbles upon Bayersby Manor, the ancestral home of Sir Edred and Lady Myferny. Together with his new friends, Ichtheus the apothecary and kitchen maid, Dian, Oric experiences many adventures, some hilarious, some life threatening. The trio is helped, but more often hindered by Sir Edred’s comical wolfhound Parzifal, and a donkey named Braccus.
The story culminates in a vicious battle when Esica Figg attempts to unseat Sir Edred.
But does Oric unravel the mystery of the Alchemist’s key?
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When Oric is given a mysterious key from the person looking after him, he’s not sure what to do with it. All he knows is that he’s not the only one who seeks it out and that he must keep it from getting in the wrong hands at all costs.
Oric is an interesting character, both strong as well as questionable. I always like a 3D MC and Oric was definitely that. The delicate mix of angst and some of the decisions he made helped to establish his age in context to the story.
This fun fantasy story had a lot of well described scenes and moments. The POV changes were unique and kept the story fresh. This story really had a lot to offer and seeing it through so many different POVs made it easy to understand why each character made the choices that they did. Even the antagonist’s actions made sense in a way.
At the end of the book, it seemed as if they all came out stronger for the quest, Oric especially. He grew in education, friendships, and the way he saw the world.
Set in medieval Yorkshire, the story begins with the terrible destruction of young Oric’s home. Off on an errand he returns to find all of the household dead or dying. He finds his dying master, who charges him to keep a mysterious key safe, but dies before telling him more. Oric finds a new home and a master but is sought by villains looking to get this key.
The story follows Oric’s adventures as he learns new things, helps his new master, Ichtheus the apothecary, and makes new friends and enemies. The story is at times delightful and serious. I particularly enjoyed the efforts to control the boisterous hound that decides they’re his best friends! The story has a great cast of characters and some risible villains. A very enjoyable read.
I really enjoyed the conflict in this story. I didn’t see the errors mentioned by one amazon reviewer, so I’m glad to see the author did some work on the story. I enjoyed it a lot. The characters are solid and show good development and growth as the book unfolds. I liked the interplay between Oric and Fig and Ichtheus. The dialogue is well done. Although YA isn’t my usual genre, I look forward to reading the next in this series.
This book is a fast read. It moves along quickly so would be ideal for pre-teens. It readily moves from scene to scene so readers, especially younger ones, are kept engaged. I know there are a lot of readers out there who like the way this book is written, but I personally prefer books which have more depth and go at a slower pace so you can immerse yourself in them instead of being in a hurry to see what happens next.
It tells an interesting tale with individual characters and personalities. You have no problems following who is who. My son would have really enjoyed reading this when he was younger.
This was a delightful YA suitable for both the younger and older reader of this genre. Peppered with humor and lovable characters the reader follows Oric after he comes into possession of a valuable key that promises untold wealth to the right person. The arch villain and his dastardly ways makes countless attempts to acquire the key for himself. Some great characters, a good dollop of whit, and a whole lot of adventures lead the reader through the story.
With a great cast of colorful characters with equally unique names, this story describes the adventures of an orphan. I wish the key had more significance than as a memory of a time where he felt loved. As it stands, the key remains a hidden treasure, an object of hope for the future which Oric feels certain will be good. There are plenty of moments in the story which foretell of the plights which will plague Oric in the future, but we only got to glimpse the evil which surrounds the villages. This book is just the beginning of Oric’s story and I’m sure there’s much more to learn as the plot thickens.