And Maerad, despite all her wild emotions, is usually calm, capable, and intelligent. Cadvan is sometimes solemn, but there's always a hint of humor lurking somewhere behind that mask. I'm pretty sure this has something to do with my unending love for these characters. It fills every word with a magical, comforting quality. It is clearly evident how much Alison Croggon loves to write. But then I looked over it again, marveling at how genius the whole thing was. I read it quickly first, relishing the angst and emotions that pour out of the pages. There was one passage I remember vividly, a huge argument between Maerad and Cadvan.

But on my reread, I sat back and basked in the beautiful world of Edil-Amarandh and the comforting companionship of Maerad and Cadvan. When I first read this, I sort of skimmed the boring parts so I could finish faster. I know these characters better than the back of my hand. I devoured The Riddle for the first time in May 2020, and I've read it seven times since. I think I left part of my soul behind after finishing this book. Her libretto for Mayakovsky, score by Michael Smetanin, was shortlisted in the Drama Prize for the 2015 Victorian Premier's Literary Awards. She also writes opera libretti, and the opera she co-wrote with Iain Grandage was Vocal/Choral Work of the Year in the 2015 Art Music Awards. As a critic she was named Geraldine Pascall Critic of the Year in 2009. She is a prize-winning poet and theatre critic, and has released seven collections of poems. Other fantasy titles include Black Spring (shortlisted for the Young People's Writing Award in the 2014 NSW Premier's Literary Awards) and The River and the Book, winner of the Wilderness Society's prize for Environmental Writing for Children. Her latest Pellinor book, The Bone Queen, was a 2016 Aurealis Awards Best Young Adult Book finalist. Her most recent book is Fleshers, the first in a dazzling new SF series co-written with her husband, acclaimed playwright Daniel Keene. You can sign up to her monthly newsletter and receive a free Pellinor story at Alison Croggon is the award winning author of the acclaimed fantasy series The Books of Pellinor.

The riddle by alison croggon