I picked up this book after reading and enjoying Nimmo's Snow Spider Trilogy and Midnight for Charlie Bone. Nimmo writes as though she is making nothing up, as though she is merely recording events that have unfolded. Her narratives, no matter how imaginative, always seem unforced.

Another thing I like about Nimmo is the respect she has for her younger readers, in her refusal to sugarcoat or sidestep weighty issues. A mother can both love and resent her daughter, a baby can die due to parental neglect, children are the product of a sexual union, a father can be both violent and loving. Her writing is unapologetic, and her child characters are bold and independent.

This book actually comprises two novels: Griffin's Castle and Milo's Wolves. I didn't like the first as much as her other books; the characters seemed detached and unsympathetic, too changeable to follow. However, I liked the gothic feel of the story, with its ancient crumbling house and the gargoyle-like animal statues which come to life as the force of Dinah's resentment and anger.

The second story was excellent, atmostpheric and suspenseful, with as many twists and turns as the mountain roads on which some of the action unfolds. It's difficult to say much about the story without undermining its mystery, but I will recommend a book with a similar subject, a very different story but also excellent: Nancy Farmer's The House of the Scorpion. ( )