The Ballad of Perilous Graves by Alex Jennings

The first is that of Perilous “Perry” Graves, a young, seemingly un-magical kid in Nola who has recently had to switch schools due to some undisclosed traumatic event. The chapters flick between two main perspectives. This is one of those stories that tries to unfold in an organic way, which ties in thematically, but also means that a lot of the time you’re left wondering what the hell is going on.

Well… That was a question I found myself asking a lot. And in Nola, music is magic – they’re one and the same. You can almost hear the music, just at the edge of your perception. Where the living and the undead live side by side, clouds of graffiti float down the zombie-patrolled streets, and musical spirits can appear out of thin air to drag the whole street into a party. Different from a lot of its contemporaries but rightfully confident in its own skin.īased on the blurb and the cover, I went in expecting a colourful, musical world stuffed to the brim with ghosts, spirits, and a fair bit of magic-slinging.Īnd I got all of that! In spades! The Ballad of Perilous Graves constructs a magical version of New Orleans - known as Nola - that dances off the page. I don’t know how to describe it without sounding all kinds of pretentious, but it looked like a book that seemed sure of itself. The skull, the beaded necklace, the piano. I suppose it’s fairly simplistic so far as Fantasy covers go (especially with the fashion of highly detailed illustrations these days), but even so, it just had this… captivating sort of personality to it.

It may make me seem shallow and superficial, but the first thing that caught my eye about the Ballad of Perilous Graves was the cover.

Even if they capture the songs, Nola’s time might be coming to an end. But a storm is brewing and the Haint of All Haints is awake. Unexpectedly, Perry and his sister, Brendy, are tasked with saving the city. Nine songs of power have escaped from the magical piano that maintains the city’s beat and without them, Nola will fail. To failed magician, Perilous Graves, it’s simply home. To those from Far Away, Nola might seem strange. A place of sky trolleys and dead cabs, where haints dance the night away and Wise Women keep the order, and where songs walk, talk and keep the spirit of the city alive. In a fantastical version of New Orleans where music is magic, a battle for the city’s soul brews between two young mages, a vengeful wraith, and one powerful song in this vibrant and imaginative debut.

The Ballad of Perilous Graves by Alex Jennings