Picked this up as it’s been on my shelf for quite a while now as an ARC, apologies, and from the beginning I was entranced.
We follow Jack (I know) from a very boring life in a very boring school where he has worms put down his back and he just doesn’t get the reason for maths (don’t we all).
Grotesque Aunts, even more grotesque Ogres abound while Jack has to find out what happened to Dad who has gone missing, which his boring dad never would.
The book is full of witty asides, nods to past myths and fairy tales, speaking bears, Arthurian legend, and a welcome appearance late on.
Short chapters make it a fast punchy read, not able to put it down for very long I romped through this in a day and enjoyed the whole experience. All of this was supported by funny illustrations and bits from the Monster Hunter Manual.
Fun, fast, thrilling, and silly adventure suitable for all, really looking forward to the second in the series being released.