The Robe of Skulls by Vivan French

Just above the town of Fracture lies a ghastly castle with an even ghastlier occupant Lady Lamorna, who is just plain freaky. Her latest wish is a magnificent black velvet gown that is studded with skulls. When she goes to pay for it she finds that her treasure chest is empty. Instead of canceling her order, Lady Lamorna concocts a plan to pay for that dress. Her plan includes a couple of members of the royal party, some frogs, and blackmail.

Then there is Gracie Gillypot. I shy girl who spends most of her days locked up in the cellar under the stairs of her house. When she's not spending time with the spiders under the stairs she is running after her step-father and complying with his every wish. When a talking bat finds her one day he promises her a better life and takes off. Days later he returns and helps Gracie escape. He's taking her to see the Ancient Crones who will hopefully be able to help her with her wicked step-sister and step-father problem.

Last but not least there is the prince that scoots under Lady Lamorna's radar. Marcus is a rather curious prince who really doesn't want anything to do with royalty. When his brother is turned into a frog he is determined to find the person who committed this heinous crime. Through a twist of fate he is paired up with Gracie and they set off to put Lady Lamorna in her rightful place.

This book was an absolute riot. While it is a super fast read you will find yourself enthralled with the quirkiness of the characters and loving the story. The illustrations are very comical too! While this is definitely a middle grade novel it is definitely suited for older and younger readers alike. While I didn't find the characters too well developed, I really enjoyed the quick moving plot that keeps taking twists and turns. I loved how the author connected everything in a way that wasn't predictable and added to the hilarity of the book. Overall I really liked this book and recommend it.

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