Surprisingly, this is better than the first. I like Celandine as a character - she's feisty and brave. Fin is another terrific character and the action in the novel moves apace. There was a little slump towards the end and I think the book is a tad too long, but it held my interest. I think I'll read something else before I read the last one, but I'll definitely finish the series. ( )

I couldn't wait to get my hands on this after finishing The Various, and it lived up to the anticipation. Definitely up there with The Stolen Child and every other wonderful magical children's adventure tale. ( )

Reviewed by Joan Stradling for TeensReadToo.com

In book two of THE TOUCHSTONE TRILOGY, we are introduced to Celandine and her life in 1915.

Her governess is horrible and enjoys making her life miserable. When she's sent off to boarding school, she hopes things will be better. Instead, she discovers things can and do get worse. She's bullied and accused of being a witch, and to make matters worse, her country is at war with Germany.

When Celandine has the chance, she runs away from school and goes to the only place she thinks she'll be safe - the secret world of the little people.

Unfortunately, her existence among the Various doesn't stay safe. A new tribe, the Ickri, descend upon the forest. They bear the Touchstone and are seeking the Orbis. Unbeknownst to the tribe, their king has gained his power through deceit and murder. Now he's willing to do anything to obtain the Orbis, even if it means killing Celandine and the other tribes.

Like THE VARIOUS, CELANDINE is a thrilling book told from several different points of view as we are taken back in time before Midge's adventure to learn how the Various and Celandine became acquainted and come to a better understanding of the events mentioned in THE VARIOUS.

I enjoyed being introduced to CELANDINE, though I missed Midge and the characters in THE VARIOUS. I am looking forward to seeing how Midge and Celandine's stories wind up in WINTER WOOD, Augarde's final book in the trilogy. ( )

Sequel to 'The Various' or, actually, prequel: this takes us back to 1915 and the story of Celandine, Midge's ancestor and the first of her family to encounter the Various. This is very much a book of two halves: the story of Celandine, which is largely taken up with a long, miserable period of exile at a strictly-run boarding school peopled by hateful fellow-students and teachers who are little better and, running alongside that, the Ickri's pilgrimage from the cold north in search of their lost brother tribe, the Naiad. It's Celandine's escape from school that makes her seek refuge with the Various, and the arrival of the Ickri that leads to her banishment from their world – the reason for which only becomes apparent to her too late.

Set against the background of the Great War, this is an unusual and poignant children's fantasy. ( )

Didn't finish it - didn't really like it ( )