Drowned Wednesday by Garth Nix (The Keys to the Kingdom: Book 3)

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Rating 6.5/10

It is difficult to say why this book isn't up to the standards of the other two.

Review by Indra

It's Wednesday morning and Leaf is visiting her friend Arthur, who is in a hospital bed, after damaging his leg during his adventures in Tuesday's treasure tower. Under his pillow, Arthur finds an invitation from Drowned Wednesday.

The two friends are swept into the House via the Boarder Sea, however Leaf is taken by a ship, and Arthur is left clinging to his bed, which is in danger of sinking. He is rescued and soon finds out that unlike Monday and Tuesday, Drowned Wednesday is herself a tortured soul, and the first of the Morrow Days to wishes to follow the Will, and allow Arthur to become Rightful Ruler of the House. However, with the aid of magic, Arthur finds out that Leaf is abroad a ship named the Flying Mantis, where she becomes part of the crew and is later attacked and taken by the evil pirate Feverfew. With the aid of the crew of Moth and a group of Raised Rats, Arthur must find Feverfew's secret hideaway, free Leaf and the third part of the Will, after which Drowned Wednesday has promised him the Third Key.

But, is Wednesday all she says she is, and will she keep her promise and freely hand the Key over to Arthur, and what has happened to his friend Suzy?

Drowned Wednesday is the third book in Garth Nix's Keys to the Kingdom series, however it leaves a feeling that something is lacking. The description is still good, but it doesn't draw in the reader in the same way as the two previous books. In parts of the book the story appears to slow slightly and feels almost drawn out in sections. All the components that made the previous books good are still there, however they don't seem to gel together the same, leaving the book feeling like a series of great scenes held together with padding.

As a stand alone, Drowned Wednesday would be excellent, but when read after Mister Monday and Grim Tuesday, the book may not quite make the readers expectations. It is difficult to say why this book isn't up to the standards of the other two, but something is definitely missing somewhere. This said though, the book is still very enjoyable, and full of page turning scenes and ideas and does in the end leave the reader wanting to reach for a copy of Sir Thursday.

The Keys to the Kingdom (3) - Drowned Wednesday (Amazon.co.uk)

Author: Garth Nix
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 400
Publication date: 2005-06-06
Publisher: HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks

RRP: £6.99
Lowest new price: £0.81
Lowest used price: £0.01

On the third day, there were PIRATES! Arthur Penhaligon finds himself on an adventure that will pit him against pirates, storms, explosions and a vast beast that eats everything it encounters. Will our unwitting hero be able to find the third part of the Will and claim the Third Key?
Product Description

Drowned Wednesday (The Keys to the Kingdom) (Amazon.co.uk)

Author: Garth Nix
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 400
Publication date: 2005-05-23
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books

RRP: $12.40
Lowest new price: $4.91
Lowest used price: $0.04

On the third day, there were PIRATES! Arthur Penhaligon finds himself on an adventure that will pit him against pirates, storms, explosions and a vast beast that eats everything it encounters. Will our unwitting hero be able to find the third part of the Will and claim the Third Key? No rest for poor Arthur Penhaligon. As Grim Tuesday ends, he discovers a square of stiff cardboard under his pillow, gilt-edged and inscribed with the following words: LADY WEDNESDAY Trustee of the Architect and Duchess of the Border Sea has great pleasure in inviting ARTHUR PENHALIGON to a Particular Luncheon of Seventeen Removes Transport has been arranged RSVP not required! It's an invitation he cannot refuse. From hospital room to the high seas, Arthur finds himself on an adventure that will pit him against pirates, storms, explosions of Nothing-laced gunpowder, and a vast beast that eats everything it encounters. Through it all, he is drawn deeper into the central mystery of the House. Arthur must find the third part of the Will and claim the Third Key -- not just for himself, but for the millions (if not trillions) who will suffer if he doesn't. The first step? Surviving life aboard ship on the Border Sea!
Product Description

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