Throughout your day, you have learned that the people of the town have been covering for Julian, but he believes that doing so is putting them in danger. And he now comes to the topic that he's been meaning to talk to you about all day. Julian says that he is a disaster waiting to happen and that he doesn't want that disaster to happen to you, too. The two of you sit at the edge of the docks together, leaning against one another.
He points to an island on the horizon called the Lazaret and tells you that it's where the city sent their infected people during the worst of the plague. Julian, an angsty man, calls it a perfect monument to his failures. He tries to break up your relationship before it's even really begun because he's afraid of hurting you.
You notice that none of the reasons that he gives for breaking things off have anything to do with your relationship. You have no idea how he really feels about you. At this point, you have the option to ask Julian if he wants you. Julian's cheeks immediately turn bright red until he collects himself enough to start dancing around the question. Eventually, he admits his feelings for you, saying that even though you've only had a short time together, he feels like he's known you for years.
He quickly turns back to his martyr complex, arguing that a life with him could only end in tragedy for you. But Julian shows his soft side once again by imagining the kind of life that the two of you could have together. If you don't choose that option, you state that you'll leave, much to Julian's surprise even though that is exactly what he has been trying to convince you to do.
Julian walks you back to the shop and kisses your cheek before he, as per usual, makes a dramatic exit. Asra welcomes you home but immediately recognizes that all is not well with you and invites you upstairs to talk. You confide in Asra about everything that's happened with Julian. Asra replies, "The only thing he loves more than drama is his own suffering.
And he's determined to chase both. You give the deck of cards back to Asra, still thinking about Julian. Portia comes to find you at your shop to talk about Ilya. She says that she doesn't want her brother hanged and asks if you want the same. You are still hurt, but you ask her if she knows where he could be.
She leads the way, and the two head to an inn called The Rowdy Raven where you find Julian. He looks awful, and there are five empty glasses on his table. You and Portia go to confront him. He didn't expect you to be there, but he's glad that you are, even if he's rather ashamed of his behavior last night. After he tries to avoid talking and invites you to have some Salty Bitters, which he actually finds rather disgusting, you and Portia convince him to stop drinking and start investigating in order to remember if he murdered Lucio.
You come up with a plan to sneak into the palace with Julian in disguise. In order to disguise him, you use a spell that makes him look and sound like Asra. Julian is unconformable in Asra's body, but you figured that you wouldn't pique anybody's suspicion if it appeared like you were walking around with your master.
The three of you leave to start your investigation at the palace. Portia is surprised to find that the palace is unguarded. You head straight to Lucio's wing, and you hear some strange sounds coming from Lucio's chamber. There, you find Nadia with some servants who are cleaning up the mess and the ashes in Lucio's room. Nadia is surprised to see Asra there, but she is glad to meet him. Julian seems to be incredibly nervous, but he manages to pretend to be Asra. When Nadia becomes suspicious, you try to distract her to pull her attention away from Julian.
The spell you cast on Julian will start to fade soon, so you want to leave Lucio's room as soon as possible. You tell Nadia that you'll be in the doctor's library to work on investigating the murder. The pair of you arrive at the library just in time for the spell to wear off, making Julian look like himself again. You begin your research, and Julian seems to know exactly where to look and what to search for. He takes a key with a red stone in its eye from his desk. He still feels ashamed about hurting you and wants to know if you're mad.
If you choose to tell him that you're not, he'll call you too forgiving, but you know that he has punished himself enough already. You are interrupted by a conversation between a nervous Portia and Nadia, who wants to enter the library. Portia tries her best to stop her from entering. Julian doesn't want to drag you down with him if the two of you are found, so he tells you to hide and run while he's arrested. But there are no hiding spots, and you are not leaving him.
You manage to convince Julian that the two of you are in this together, both Julian and yourself manage to squeeze behind a bookcase to hide. But it's not enough. You remember about a spell that Asra taught you that will open a small portal, but it's a spell that needs time.
The door opens, but Nadia is stopped by the real Asra, asking if she was looking for him. Neither you nor Julian can believe that Asra has just saved you. You escape through the portal and reach the gardens. Portia finds you, and she takes both of you to her cottage.
There, she prepares a soup for her brother that is just like their grandma used to make. Julian seems to love what Portia has managed to do during all of those years without him. He would love to have what she has. You encourage him and suggest that you three could simply run away and become pirates. Julian is amused and reveals that he was a pirate back in the days. Pepi seems to love Julian, and you are all having a good time.
But Julian is determined to find out the truth about his past and because of this, he feels like he cannot simply run away. With tears in her eyes, Portia says that he always sabotages their chances to live together in peace and runs inside. Now you and Julian are alone, and he finally understands that you won't abandon him. He's not used to being helped, but he promises that he won't try to push you away again. Julian kisses you, and it's a moment that both of you wish could last for forever. But you are still close to the palace, so you head to the forest for cover.
The apprentice joins Nadia and Asra for breakfast at the palace. They had a late night before, seeing Julian to the palace gate. Asra asks the apprentice to meet him at the fountain. There, they have a conversation about Julian. When Asra realizes the apprentice is determined to keep looking for answers, he tells them to seek out the Scourge of the South at the Coliseum. She tells them Julian is much happier when the protagonist is around. You have the option of asking what he says about the apprentice 50 gold or saying nothing.
Julian and the apprentice go to the Coliseum. Julian explains that there is an illegal Red Market operating underneath the abandoned structure. Julian, attempting to show off, fails to find the secret entrance. The protagonist locates it, using their ability to sense magic. They head down into the market. You and Julian travel down to a secret marketplace to find Scourge. When you finally arrive, you pull him to the shadows to avoid being seen by the others at the marketplace. You cast a spell on him that makes him unnoticed in the sea of people.
You and Julian finally make it to the Memory Dealer, and they bring you into their shop. The Memory Dealer stops you at a deep well-like place and tells you to look inside. Looking inside of the well causes a memory to play. In that memory, you can see what looks like Muriel being booed. There, Scourge Muriel is accompanied by Count Lucio. Lucio referred to Scourge as "his champion" in the memory reel.
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Shortly after, Lucio asks for them to boo more. When such is done, Scourge is to cease someone with his ax. He carried out that task with ease. After the heinous and gruesome scene, you mention that you wouldn't like to see it again as it may have slightly scarred you. Afterwards, the Memory Dealer tries to sell you two artifacts supposedly from Scourge himself.
You and Julian both point out that the first two are fake. In the end, he sells a real artifact from Scourge himself; a brush of some sort with a few fibers of hair. Julian hands over fake pirate money and rushes you out of the Coliseum before the Dealer can take action. You and Julian make it into the forest. When there, you let your magic lead you. Where it leads you is a house. The door is bigger than Julian himself. Once you get inside, Julian warms you up with a fur coat he had found nearby. Julian is about to kiss you once again when the door is kicked open.
Scourge finally reveals himself. He asks who you are and why the two of you are in his home. Scourge is accompanied by his companion, Inanna. Julian tries to help Inanna because Inanna has been, but Scourge rejects his offer.
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Scourge shields the wolf and protects her all while seeming both stubborn and aloof. Moments later, you mention that Asra sent you and Julian to Scourge's aid. This statement helps Scourge soften up. Julian is finally able to help Inanna with her injuries. He uses the "curse" that Asra put upon him and heals Inanna. Scourge checks on her eagerly.
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He becomes content with Julian's doings, hesitantly thanking Julian. You, Julian, and Scourge begin to talk. Scourge reveals that he doesn't do what he used to do, and thus renamed himself. He tells you that he now goes by Muriel. The death of Charlie's mother several years earlier and his suspicion that his new stepmother's a witch drive the plot. His friends have their own weighty worries, including a boy dealing with teasing and a girl whose mother suffers from severe depression.
Their adventures in the Netherworld can be harrowing: They're in constant danger, and menacing characters lurk everywhere. Add your rating See all 1 parent review. Add your rating See all 3 kid reviews. Twelve-year-old Charlie hasn't had a decent night's sleep in months -- not since his family moved into the creepy purple mansion belonging to his stepmom, Charlotte. She's a witch, he's certain of it, and she's probably partly to blame for the menacing witch who taunts Charlie every night as he sleeps.
During the day, Charlie irritably snaps at his brother, his dad, and even his friends, who are concerned about him. Charlie feels guilty, but he's more worried about the witch, who's threatening to take him -- or worse, his brother -- to the Netherworld for good. The only way to end his nightmare is by crossing into the Netherworld and facing his fears, with help from his friends and the walking nightmares who live on the other side.
The writing is a little flat, and the children, armed with positive affirmations and frequent epiphanies, rise a little too easily to formidable challenges. But children are likely to enjoy the warmhearted, affectionately told tale and the appealing characters. The Netherworld is richly imagined with a nice balance of humor and horror -- this is one nightmare young readers will eagerly revisit. Families can talk about how Charlie's friends and family try to help even when he's being so hostile. Have you ever pushed people away when you really needed help? Have you had friends who tried to hide their fear or hurt?
One of the coauthors based his story on his childhood nightmares. Try writing a story based on your own dreams. Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate. Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization, earns a small affiliate fee from Amazon or iTunes when you use our links to make a purchase. Thank you for your support. Our ratings are based on child development best practices. We display the minimum age for which content is developmentally appropriate. The star rating reflects overall quality and learning potential. Learn how we rate.
For Your Family Log in Sign me up. It took me kind of a long time to get through the whole thing, but that was mostly because I usually was only reading it in snatches on my Kindle when I couldn't sleep which is kind of fitting, considering the plot of the book. The beginning was a little slow-going for me. It takes almost half of the book before the main character, Charlie, goes into the "Netherworld"——the dream world where most of the important part of the story takes place.
Before that it's mostly just Charlie being terrible to his stepmother and brother. I get that he's mourning the death of his mother and going through a lot, but sometimes in the beginning I found it hard to sympathize with him——especially when he was calling his stepmother a witch to her face.
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But once Charlie finally enters the portal into the Netherworld, that's where the story hit its stride. I really liked the creative world-building of the Netherworld. It's creepy and unique, both funny and scary. It's kind of like Neil Gaiman and Rick Riordan had a baby or something figuratively, of course.
I became more invested in the story as Charlie encountered his group of friends in the dream world, and helped them conquer their nightmares.
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Sometimes I did feel like the book kind of beat the reader over the head with those messages, but I thought they were important nevertheless. A few minor things that I also really appreciated: We need more boy-girl friendships! And girls who are friends with boys without shaming other girls! Many children have parents with mental illnesses, or suffer from such illnesses themselves.
And especially as someone who has had anxiety and panic attacks since I was 11 years old, I appreciate that this was acknowledged in a children's book. Not only that, but that depression is discussed as what it truly is——a medical condition that is chronic and often requires help from doctors. So I really applaud the book for that. And Charlie's other friend, Alfie, who does much better in school, tells Rocco something along the lines of: Maybe I'm biased because I went to a college that had no tests or grades, but I was really glad to see those words in a kids' book.
While I do think tests can help kids learn to a certain degree, for the most part I've always thought they're more about how good you are at memorization than you are at actually learning. And I think it's important for kids to understand that even if you don't always do well on tests, it doesn't mean you're stupid. Although this book was a little slow in the beginning, I liked it well enough in the end. The second half of it had a compelling plot, some fun world-building, and some bold and important messages that I hadn't often seen in children's literature. I didn't think it was amazing, but I liked it enough that I might still try the sequel.
Dec 27, Becky rated it really liked it Shelves: So, I bought this book as soon as I saw it, simply because of Jason Segel's name. I just got excited when I saw this because I was interested to see what he'd do with a midgrade book, and the title was intriguing, and the cover is gorgeous. So I bought it, despite the fact that it's pretty rare that I buy hardcover books anymore unless I've read them first and know that I like them, and even more rare that I intentionally buy books in any format with deckled edges, because seriously, WHY do they exist in the 21st century where paper trimming is automated and the work of seconds??
They are my nightmare. I'm glad that I bought this book, hardcover and deckled edges be damned! At one point, I found myself a little disappointed that my nephew isn't old enough to appreciate this book, because I would love to read it to him. I think for the age group that this book is intended for, it may be scary. To me, I didn't really see what the big deal was in the beginning, because we never really get to see Charlie's original, repeating nightmare in action - we only get to see it after it's been affecting him for some time and the dynamic is changing a bit.
BUT, in hindsight after finishing the story, the nightmare makes total sense, including how mundane it seemed. Still, I thought that the variety of the nightmares the kids had in this book, and the plot as a whole, was pretty great. The description of Coraline meets Monsters Inc. I also liked how the nightmares had fears and doubts of their own which of course is true of the Monsters Inc. So what I'm trying to say is that I think this book was very well-written.
I don't know how much of that was Kirsten Miller - I've never read anything of hers so I have no idea what her style is. I know I liked this book a whole lot though, so kudos to both of them for a book well written. Also, the illustrations in this book were freaking amazing. I don't know who Karl Kwasny is, but I like his work!
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And looking at his website , he seems to be pretty in demand, which makes me happy. The artwork in this book fit the style and tone perfectly. I'd definitely recommend it to the semi-grown humans who enjoy reading stuff. This was a neat little audiobook. I know Jason Segel as an actor, but he's a pretty good writer as well. It was a nice bonus that he narrated the story. I only gave it three stars because it wasn't ground-breaking for me.
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I thought it was a cute idea, and I liked the message about conquering your deepest fears, and dealing with grief. I felt bad for Charlie's step-mother, whom he treated really awfully, because of the fact that she wasn't his mother and his dad and brother seemed to be moving on This was a neat little audiobook.
I felt bad for Charlie's step-mother, whom he treated really awfully, because of the fact that she wasn't his mother and his dad and brother seemed to be moving on and he wasn't. I actually thought stepmom Charlotte was pretty interesting. I would have liked more interactions between her and Charlie, especially more positive when he dealt with his issues towards her. Ultimately, this never got to the point that I didn't want to turn it off when I had something else to do.
The nightmare world was a bit creepy.
The descriptions and the characterizations of the the nightmare realm were on point. I think for a young reader, it might be genuinely scary. Some of the nightmare characters were actually the real draw of this book, like Meduso and his mother you know who. And who would have thought a clown would be a good guy yes I do have a bit of coulrophobia. I think this is one you definitely want to get the audiobook for. I think it's the best way to experience this book. Nov 02, Ashley Brooks rated it really liked it Shelves: Why did it take me so long to pick this up? If you're looking for a good middle grade book I definitely recommend this!
The illustrations were wonderful and the message of overcoming fears and the obstacles we create for ourselves had a lot more depth than I was expecting! Will definitely be continuing the series. Okay well back 2 years ago I stumbled upon this book and it had me hooked. I mean I couldn't stop reading. So if you like adventure books then read this Charlie Lard is a brave man in this action packed novel full of twists and turns everywhere View all 3 comments. Y el buen Jason Segel es uno de mis favoritos.
Lo sigo diciendo, es simplemente perfecto. Ahora bien, la historia. Jason Segel es tan bueno escribiendo como lo es actuando. Una pandilla de amigos muy diferentes pero a la vez muy unida. Y si un libro me hace sentir muchas cosas mientras lo leo, ese libro se convierte inmediatamente en un libro especial. Jun 01, Jessica rated it really liked it Shelves: I'm really wavering between four and five stars on this one, actually. I have been super-duper jazzed about this book since I first heard about it.
But was the story up to the hype? The book is absolutely charming, and the story is truly inventive. I loved Charli I'm really wavering between four and five stars on this one, actually. I loved Charlie, and I loved his friends, too. I love the idea of this book: It was very well written and very clever. But why I hesitate to give it five stars is because I wanted. I thought it would be a bit scarier.
I thought there would be a lot more detail about the witch who has been haunting Charlie's dreams. I think they could have given us more, more, MORE!