REVIEW TIME: Heap House by Edward Carey

*Check out Foulsham (Book 2) review right here*

Title: Heap House


Author: Edward Carey


Release Date: 7th August, 2014


Publisher: Hot Key Books


Pages: 416 pages


"Clod is an Iremonger. He lives in the Heaps, a vast sea of lost and discarded items collected from all over London. At the centre is Heap House, a puzzle of houses, castles, homes and mysteries reclaimed from the city and built into a living maze of staircases and scurrying rats.
The Iremongers are a mean and cruel family, robust and hardworking, but Clod has an illness. He can hear the objects whispering. His birth object, a universal bath plug, says ‘James Henry’, Cousin Tummis’s tap is squeaking ‘Hilary Evelyn Ward-Jackson’ and something in the attic is shouting ‘Robert Burrington‘ and it sounds angry.A storm is brewing over Heap House. The Iremongers are growing restless and the whispers are getting louder. When Clod meets Lucy Pennant, a girl newly arrived from the city, everything changes. The secrets that bind Heap House together begin to unravel to reveal a dark truth that threatens to destroy Clod’s world."


Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20131012-heap-house

Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/House-Iremonger-Trilogy-Edward-Carey/dp/1471401596/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440271322&sr=8-1&keywords=heap+house

REVIEW TIME

Here was my initial review on goodreads:



Characters:
Clod Iremonger is a strange boy with unusual abilities. He can hear objects. Yeah, strange I know but he definitely has a place in my heart. He isn't like the other Iremongers and for some reason I feel sorry for him. He has money and power sure, but he doesn't have choice or can even leave the house unless he want's to drown in the heaps! (The Heaps are all of the rubbish from London basically) Clod is a lovely boy and he really cares about people and objects...

Enter Lucy Pennant. I really like how fiery Lucy is. She isn't a robot or your typical Victorian era lady. She is a street girl, grown up in poverty and she knows how to look after herself. The term 'streetwise' if you've heard of it, describes Lucy perfectly. She doesn't know how to take Clod at first and doesn't know how she got into this life really. But she hopes for something better and will do anything to make it that way.

Clod's Grandfather is horrible. Like seriously, Grandad's are meant to be lovely old men who give you 20p and tell you to buy yourself something nice. In today's world, you can get two 10p mixes with that and that's about it, but you smile and nod and say thank you. At the end of the day, he has been the kind and friendly old man you know and love. NOT THIS GRANDAD! He is one nasty piece of work and nothing will stop him and the Iremongers getting what they want. Clod being the exception to the rule. You will be so glad that he isn't your grandad, honestly.

Plot:
At first, I found this book quite disturbing and dark for a children's book. Even the gothic drawings may be quite frightening to children. However by the end of this book, I was heartbroken. Completely and utterly heartbroken because it is not necessarily a happy ending but also, it's as if Edward Carey just decided to stop writing. I was like no, seriously?! It ends there?!
I also loved the repetition used in this book, which gave an overall effect of confusion and exactly how the characters are feeling at certain points.
The map in the front of the book really helps with understanding the confusing house and all the different rooms!
Overall, I would recommend giving this book a go. Do not let the cover and strange drawings scare you. Those drawings let you know how unique this book is and how talented Mr Carey is.

P.S. YOU MUST READ BOOK TWO, FOULSHAM!

Overall feelings:

My overall feelings after reading this book are...
"GIMME MORE RIGHT NOW!"
This book is really unusual but well worth it. The language really makes this book truly amazing.

RATING TIME

Moo Rating:

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