Junior Review: Left-Handed Booksellers of London

It is 1983 and 18 year old Susan Arkshaw has just been wrapped up in a surprising, frightening world. First, she discovers her mother’s friend, Uncle Frank Thringley, is a Sipper (some sort of Vampire). 

Then she meets Merlin, a handsome blonde-haired man who explains to her the ways of two worlds - the one the humans live in that we call ‘Reality’ and another that is called the ‘older world’. Sometimes these worlds merge and monsters can emerge from the shadows.

Susan has been attracting unwanted attention from all sorts of monsters, from scaley goblins to dangerous Fenris wolves. 

The booksellers in all their shops agree she is a danger and their Great Aunt Merrithew and Great Uncle Thurston think of her as a definite threat.

As Susan, Merlin and his sister Vivian go on a remarkable adventure with danger and casualties, they realise there must a traitor in their midst. Who would be evil enough to attempt to kill and capture Susan? Has her world been changed forever and will her feelings for Merlin grow despite her efforts to smother them?

I liked this book because it has a thrilling plot that made me struggle to try and work out the twists before the characters. This book had some difficult words that I was grateful to add into my vocabulary. Garth Nix’s writing is creative and gives a nice thrill to the story.

I would recommend this book to ages 14 and over because of mature content and explicit language. Younger ages will require parental guidance. There are also a violent, death scenes that would frighten children younger than 14.

Title: Left-Handed Booksellers of London
Author: Garth Nix
Illustrator: Leo Nickolls
Publisher: Allen and Unwin, $24.99
Publication date: September 2020
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978176063124 6
For ages: 15+
Type: Young Adult Fiction