When Henry Atherton helps Mr. Fogarty clean up around his house, he expects to find a mess and a cranky old man; what he doesn’t expect to find is Pyrgus Malvae, crown prince of the Faerie realm, who has escaped the treacherous Faeries of the Night by traveling to the human world through a portal powered by trapped lightning. An egomaniacal demon prince, greedy glue factory owners Brimstone and Chalkhill, and the nefarious Lord Hairstreak, leader of the Faeries of the Night, all dream of ruling the Faerie realm and are out to kill Pyrgus.

Enlisting the help of his sister, Holly Blue, and his new friend, Henry, Pyrgus must get back to the Faerie world alive before one of his many enemies gets to him instead. But how many portals are open, and can Pyrgus find the right one before it falls into the wrong hands?

Conjuring scenes filled with vivid color, unforgettable detail, and fearless characters, author Herbie Brennan brings readers to the Faerie world, where nothing is ever what it seems and no one can be trusted

I am very glad that I got this one at the library because if I had spent money on it I would have been very disappointed. This book was just pretty bad. Now I know it is a young adult novel but I actually think to get enjoyment out of this one it would have to be geared even younger, and even then I am not sure.

The first many chapters run very slow and I mean like a frozen river in the middle of a Minnesota winter. Most younger readers I know like things to be a bit more up tempo then that. Some of the humor was pretty good and that is why I plugged along and why it got two stars.

My Gemstone Rating: