Shelly's Book Blog

Over the Labor Day weekend I read Knightley Academy, by Violet Haberdasher. Comparisons to Harry Potter are inevitable with this book, as there are so many parallels between the two series. The main character is Henry Grim and, like Harry, he is a mistreated orphan who is surprised to be accepted to a special school. Henry is to learn to be a knight, and when he gets to school he finds Ron- and Hermione-like friends, as well as a Draco-like enemy. There is, of course, evil afoot, which Henry and his friends discover when they travel to a Durmstrang-like school for an inter-school, Triwizard-like tournament. I hope I'm not overdoing the Potterisms, but they are really obvious in this story. Nevertheless, I did enjoy this book very much. Haberdasher has created an interesting world here with a likeable hero. I'm not sure whether I should label this a fantasy, since there so far have been no references to magic or time travel or made-up creatures. One of the subject headings listed in our catalog is "Alternative Histories," and this seems to sum it up well. The story is set in Victorian England, but, of course, Knightley Academy is fictional. I'll be interested to read the next book and see where this series goes.