Book Blurb

How do you find your way out of the dark?

On her twelfth birthday, the last thing Cecilia expected was to find herself lost in a labyrinth of tunnels beneath London. Afraid, alone, but determined, she sets to work on her escape, and soon realises that perhaps there is a reason she and the mysterious marble her sister gave her have ended up so far from home.

Deep in the darkness roam the terrible Corvus, tyrants of the magical realm below. Cecilia’s struggle to return to her family becomes a mission of great danger and adventure, as she tries to help her new friends to free themselves and their beautiful, unique world. But will her heart be brave enough to ensure she doesn’t stay trapped in the darkness forever?

My Review

I expected a different kind of story just by interpreting its cover, but I didn't know the story itself could be more amazing than what I thought of initially. It's a fast-paced, exuberant storyline and a whole lot adventures to take in accompanied with strings of wisdom words that can teach us how to adapt ourselves in changing environments. What I can say is, when I was reading this book, I was reminded of Alice in Wonderland because of how eccentric, bizarre its journey is but at the same time wonderfully crafted for life-learning lessons.

It's all started when Cecilia Hudson, a 12 years-old-girl, who's supposed to spend her birthday trip with her family but then a commotion befalls her that she's suddenly transferred to another world, the tunnels under the train station, in which its world-building is significantly different to the world she's living in. The transmigration is stemmed from her recent gift given by her lovely 8 years-old sister, Hester - the mysterious marble. The marble has an inkling of how and why Cecelia being in the magical realm.

The inhabitants inside this magical realm are called dwellers, they come out in many forms of animal-faced but exuding human attributes. To be precise, they're human-sized animals. They can speak, sing, eat, play some jokes, in short, they can do everything that humans can do, you name it. In Cecilia's journey, she has met a number of human-sized animals ranging from the one who has met her first, called Kuffi, a six-foot-two fox-faced man, Luke; a stag-faced boy who seems in her age and always gets on her nerves but finally intertwining a long-lasting friendship with her all the way, and many more; feline, birds, chimpanzee, etc. There are also a few dwellers who can make flavours by singing. In this world, the term 'hear' is deemed as 'taste'. That's mean any form of musical instruments is imbued with food references such as the fruitolin player (violin player), flutsical (trombone), and marsh-cello (you guys guess!). Kuffi doesn't know what piano is XD.

The conflict is unveiled when Kuffi is in the hands of the evil community lead by a magpie-faced named Jacques d'Or. Jacques d'Or has something up his sleeve, planning to exploit the goodness of the dwellers for his own benefit. Plotwise! I would say the execution of the story is clean. The story doesn't feel like dragging and It does keep me on my toes because I'm looking forward to seeing how Cecilia would be able to return to her home. And thank goodness, the ending is satisfying, a star for that.

What falls short to me that since this is written from the omniscient view, I couldn't relate with the characters. Suffice to say, it's a plot-driven story. However, the author successfully delivers her story through classical yet easy to digest writing and her imagination that can bring us beyond the mundane existence. I also have a soft spot for a heartwarming story about family and this book nails it. To wind up, The Tunnels Below has taught me that in order to cope with changing environments is to accept the circumstances you're in for in order to move forward. I think this message can be applied in our daily lives especially for those who haven't found a sense of belonging they truly desire. Do I recommend this book? A big yes.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nadine Wild-Palmer lives in South London. Her day job means she can be heard on Channel 4 as the voice-over artist announcing the programme schedules. Nadine is also a singer-songwriter and a poet and has worked as a children's librarian.

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