The Thirteen Treasures: A Review

 RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Thirteen Treasures is a trilogy by Michelle Harrison that follows the story of a young girl called Tanya, who has the ability to see mythical creatures. With her friends Fabian and Red, Tanya has to face the various problems and challenges that come with the ability to see fairies.

No one else can see the evil fairies that rouse Tanya from her sleep, torturing her at the slightest mention of their existence, but they are real to the 13-year-old as anything she’s ever known. She cannot rid herself of them, nor can she ignore them. But it is her insistence on responding to them that has her banished to her grandmother’s secluded countryside manor.

There is much to explore and even more to fear in the woods surrounding the estate. But, the forest isn’t the only source of dark secrets, and Tanya soon finds herself entangled in a mystery that could trap her in the fairy realm forever.

 

Michelle Harrison’s trilogy, which involves her debut novel, is a series that I was obsessed with when I was a little girl. The books in the series are:

·      The 13 Treasures

·      The 13 Curses

·      The 13 Secrets

The first book came out in 2009, when I was nine years old, the perfect age for the book. This series introduced me to the world of fairies, goblins and witches. It was the first book series that I read in its entirety and it kickstarted my love of reading. I had always loved reading, but this series was so good I couldn’t put it down. 

            It has been eleven years since the series came out, so I decided to read it again. I loved it just as much as I did when I was a child. I have reread it a couple of times over the last decade but not enough that I could tell you exactly what happened in each of the three books, so I really enjoyed rereading them!

 

The series follows teenager Tanya who has the ability to see fairies. However, these aren’t the fairies we’re used to reading about in typical children’s stories. These fairies are tricksters and punish Tanya at every opportunity they get, especially since she keeps researching about them. So much trouble is caused that Tanya is sent to stay at her grandmother’s, Elveden Manor. However, instead of being safe from trouble, Tanya and her friend Fabian, who’s dad is the caretaker for the manor, find themselves embroiled in a 50-year-old mystery involving the disappearance of a young girl. Through their adventures, they meet Red, a troubled orphan with the ability to see fairies just like Tanya. Red is searching for her brother James who was taken by fairies to be a changeling. Working together, the trio uncover old secrets and find themselves entangled in the intricacies of the fairy realm. With each book, the teenagers end up involved with the fairy world and in trouble in more ways than one. 

 

As a future primary teacher, this is definitely a series that I will be sharing with my future classes! These books are so amazingly written with so many twists and turns that keep you gripped throughout. While they are traditionally for children, the story will interest readers of all ages. It has so many twists and turns that will grip the attention of everyone. With the strong focus on friendships and family relationships, it is also a heart-warming series. I will definitely be rereading this series again in the future and recommending it to all of my classes!

 

Until next time, I’ll continue reading with wanderlust.