A family friendly adventure set in the mysterious village of Styxworth. Can Peter Thwaites solve the mystery and summon the power to defeat the threat to the quiet village.

I received a free copy of this book courtesy of the author in exchange for an honest review.

When I spoke with the author about Welcome to Styxworth, I was intrigued by the topline description. But the book is much more than these two lines of description. It follows the childhood account of Peter and his family as they head out on a summer holiday. The family stop off in a small village called Styxworth where they take an ice-cream break.
The car breaks down and the family find themselves stranded in the village. Things become more and more mysterious however throughout their stay, as they discover Styxworth isn’t an average, English village. It’s a place between the plane of the living and dead, a place where those who are on the cusp of death go to wait their turn to cross the river.

This in its own right added a level of intrigue. I really liked the different view on life and death that this book presents. The way the lives of those in Styxworth changes upon realising their status, their decisions and how the approach “life” is almost a lesson on how we should all look at life.

There is a darker, more menacing element to Welcome to Styxworth, that threatens the balance of what passes for life here. While it casts a shadow over things, it works nicely with the overarching story. I found this a warm, pleasant tale and I look forward to reading the second book in this mini-series.

My rating