Mister Monday (the Keys to the Kingdom #1)

I really did expect to like this series a lot more than I do when I added it to my reading list years ago, and perhaps this wasn't the right time to finally read it, but as it was I was disappointed. From the start it wasn't what I expected in terms of story or style, and my stolid dismissal of Nix's other middle-grade offering (Troubletwisters) makes me think I'm just not the right audience for those works. The world and characters populating it never engaged me, and I never believed in the sickness the protagonist is so staunchly against. It just felt so fill-in-the-blanks to me, and despite being a fairly short read it seemed to drag on. Also I found Nix repeating himself in places I thought should've been edited down as it did nothing for the story or pacing. This book just wasn't for me. I'll happily stick with the Sabriel books and look forward to the day when they've been added to my shelves.

This was an attempt to revisit the joy I felt while reading this series while I was younger, however I think I've grown past the point where this kind of book keeps my attention. I found it very difficult to keep focus, as well as relate to any of the characters. However, it was well written and paced well. Just no longer my cup of tea unfortunately.