It’s wintertime at Greenglass House. The creaky smugglers’ inn is always quiet during this season, and Milo, the innkeepers’ adopted son, plans to spend his holidays relaxing. But on the first icy night of vacation, out of nowhere, the guest bell rings. Then rings again. And again. Soon Milo’s home is bursting with odd, secretive guests, each one bearing a strange story that is somehow connected to the rambling old house. As objects go missing and tempers flare, Milo and Meddy, the cook’s daughter, must decipher clues and the web of deepening mysteries to discover the truth about Greenglass House–and themselves.
–from the inside flap of Greenglass House
Completely unintentionally, I picked the perfect book for this week! It snowed a ridiculous where I live, so Greenglass House made for a timely read. There can’t possibly be a better book to read by the fire with a hot drink!
Obviously, Kate Milford’s Greenglass House came out a while ago in 2014. It’s been on my shelf for quite some time, and I’m happy I finally got around to reading it! Now, let me tell you why.
Review
I found the opening of this book to be perfect. Milford skillfully introduced a multitude of characters without making the story dull. She did so in a way that reminded me of the start of The Hobbit; obviously, I loved it!
As for those characters, they were definitely the heart of this story. They each had their quirks and secrets, all of which were integral to the main plot. Honestly, the plot couldn’t have existed without all of those characters; I wouldn’t dub this as an entirely character-driven book, but they did play large roles in the plot.
Admittedly, the plot seemed fairly simplistic. But this is a middle-grade book and I’m obviously older, so that had more to do with me not being the target age group. I still enjoyed it, and for middle graders, I think this would definitely be an intriguing, captivating plot with plenty of plot twists and secrets to be revealed!
Finally, I can’t finish this review without mentioning Milford’s writing style. The sense of magic and intrigue reminded me of Maile Meloy’s The Apothecary. And I used to absolutely love that book, so that brought out a little bit of nostalgia for me!
TL,DR Recommendation
Overall, Greenglass House makes for the perfect winter-time read. It’s cute, magical, and mysterious; and you won’t be disappointed. Obviously, I would recommend this for a younger age group, but I think it’s enjoyable for people of all ages. After all, everyone can use a sweet story about magic and childhood every now and then!
Find it here!
