Honour Among Ghosts product reviews

It has been many a year since I have read a book aimed at an audience significantly younger than myself, but every now and then it is good to touch base with what is current in the literary world, and every so often a real gem pops out. Having read and reviewed many tales by Sean Williams in the past, I know the quality of his work is of a standard I find a delight to read, so was gleeful about diving into this book.

To call it a bit of a slow-build would be a disservice, but it would not be accurate to describe it as an action-packed rollercoaster. There is an equal portion of mortal as supernatural monkey-business going on, so the purely human dramas must perforce be woven through the more intriguing elements of the grander mystery. Sean brings this balancing act off to perfection, with enough interpersonal interludes between metaphysical manifestations to give the readers time to catch their breath and engage with each new development.

It wasn't until the very end that I recalled that this was the second story set in this little universe, and I now kick myself for not chasing down a copy of "Her Perilous Mansion" when I had the opportunity to review it too. The magical mischief possible in this world Sean has built would be endlessly entertaining. His characters are always well-developed and slow to reveal their secrets until the plot demands it, which keeps the reader guessing as to what exactly is going on... and as soon as things start to fall into place, you realise it's a false flag and you've been led down the wrong path. Sean has certainly mastered the literary triple-take when it comes to plot twists.

Overall, this is a lovely story suitable for kids of almost any age. There are ghosts, but they are benign, the magic is neither harsh in action or consequence, and the petty human politics will only serve to inoculate the next generation against these kinds of toxic behaviours in future. A fun story with a neat twist at the end that brought a smile.