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The Phenomenals #1
A Tangle of Traitors (Phenomenals) by F. E. Higgins
The Giant, the Huntress, the Rich Girl, the these haphazard heroes will save us from griefDon’t go down to the tar pits, children – for their shores are lined with the wretched wraiths of all the traitors and murderers who have drowned in its bubbling depths. In the shadows of this putrid place, an unlikely new alliance is being they call them The Phenomenals, and only they can save us from a hideous fate that will befall the town if the wraiths escape their tarry shackles . . .Meet The Citrine Capodel - heiress to a corrupt empire and framed for a murder she did not commit; Folly Harpelaine - a merciless destroyer of Lurids, who dabbles in the dark arts; Jonah Scrimshander - a deadly harpoonist, who has already cheated death, and Vincent Verdigris - light-fingered and even lighter on his feet.
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First published January 3, 2013
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About the author
F.E. Higgins
9 books199 followersF.E. Higgins has been fascinated by the macabre ever since seeing a ghostly apparition as a child. Nowadays Higgins travels the lands that these books describe, collecting strange artifacts and the even stranger stories behind them. When not in pursuit of a story, Higgins may be found in a haunted house in Kent, where a dismembered hand cradles a large diamond on the mantelpiece.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 23, 2015
I, like a few others who submitted reviews, was a bit thrown off by the title of this book and the cover. After reading all of the Tales from the Sinister Series books by FE Higgins, I expected something in that same vein and was afraid that she'd totally switched on me. There was no reason to worry as this book is as great as her others. It has that same dark, mysterious city allure, but it also has a very slight steampunk feel to it as well. After finishing it, I was looking forward to the next book from FE Higgins --as usual. She does not disappoint.
May 28, 2015
From the author of The Black Book of Secrets, this is a story set in a Steampunk city of Deringolade. The city is ruled by superstition and card reading. An unlikely alliance between a pickpocket, an heiress, a hunter and a sailor is forged by coincidence – or was it the cards?
Some children may struggle with the sophisticated language in this book, but it would be great for 10-12yr olds not ready for teen reads.
July 21, 2013
Creativity flows with this one. It's not the type of book where you relate with characters but it has some good parts in it.
March 30, 2014
Meh :/
November 7, 2021
The first in a series.
I have rated it 2* as it is just a bit confusing in places and very confusing in others. I felt I was reading about an established world but without the background as to how it came to be. A glossary might have helped at times too.
The plot also felt that the reader wasn't being given all the relevant information in places. It made it harder to invest in the characters.
Yet despite the above, I would read the next book given the chance. It might give some answers that this one doesn't. I cannot recommend this book as a standalone. I would need to read more to decide whether or not I could recommend the series.
I have rated it 2* as it is just a bit confusing in places and very confusing in others. I felt I was reading about an established world but without the background as to how it came to be. A glossary might have helped at times too.
The plot also felt that the reader wasn't being given all the relevant information in places. It made it harder to invest in the characters.
Yet despite the above, I would read the next book given the chance. It might give some answers that this one doesn't. I cannot recommend this book as a standalone. I would need to read more to decide whether or not I could recommend the series.
October 19, 2019
Interesting read, good characters.
January 15, 2013
I remember being gripped many years ago by this author's debut book 'The Black Book Of Secrets'. This was a brilliant and slightly different read to anything else at that time. It was certainly an exciting platform for the start of her writing career - a book that made me into a huge fan. This is now her sixth book to have been published and the start of a new series. One, that in my opinion, will find a new readership. So step this way into the new world of F. E. Higgins.....
From the very first page, you will note the interesting use of words and, at times, experimental vocabulary that conjures up a flavour to this unusual adventure. I particularly enjoyed this aspect of the writing. I found myself looking up many of the words to find that they were not in the dictionary that I possessed. However, they certainly added to the interest of the story and the plot.
With this story we are thrown into a great twisted adventure full of eerie and somewhat macabre comings and goings that I have come to expect from this author. There is an undercurrent of a supernatural or, in this book, a Supermundane nature that will tug at your soul. I was hoping for more of the story to be developed, but I was left wanting more to quench my thirst.
The book is full of phenomenal characters that will both intrigue and engage you on different levels. Citrine Capodel - heiress to a corrupt empire and framed for a murder she did not commit; Folly Harpelaine - a merciless destroyer of Lurids, who dabbles in the dark arts; Jonah Scrimshander - a deadly harpoonist, who has already cheated death and, Vincent Verdigris (my favourite with such a great name) who is light-fingered but even lighter on his feet. That's just for starters. The next motley crew include Edgar (brother to Citrine evil) and heartless Leopold Kamptulicon, who hangs out with his old pal - a Lurid ghost who has risen from the tar pits. A beastly destination for the dead. This is a putrid place full of Wraiths - the traitors and murderers who have drowned in its bubbling depths.
I loved the storyline as it was both clever and funny. Although the imaginative elements, at times, were very creepy. The depiction of the tar pits and Vincent's encounter with the torture chair were both gripping and enthralling to read. Fiona has stretched her creative juices and let everything go in this book. The expectations for this book have been delivered making it a mouth-watering beginning for the next book "A Gaggle of Ghouls" which is due to be published in August.
From the very first page, you will note the interesting use of words and, at times, experimental vocabulary that conjures up a flavour to this unusual adventure. I particularly enjoyed this aspect of the writing. I found myself looking up many of the words to find that they were not in the dictionary that I possessed. However, they certainly added to the interest of the story and the plot.
With this story we are thrown into a great twisted adventure full of eerie and somewhat macabre comings and goings that I have come to expect from this author. There is an undercurrent of a supernatural or, in this book, a Supermundane nature that will tug at your soul. I was hoping for more of the story to be developed, but I was left wanting more to quench my thirst.
The book is full of phenomenal characters that will both intrigue and engage you on different levels. Citrine Capodel - heiress to a corrupt empire and framed for a murder she did not commit; Folly Harpelaine - a merciless destroyer of Lurids, who dabbles in the dark arts; Jonah Scrimshander - a deadly harpoonist, who has already cheated death and, Vincent Verdigris (my favourite with such a great name) who is light-fingered but even lighter on his feet. That's just for starters. The next motley crew include Edgar (brother to Citrine evil) and heartless Leopold Kamptulicon, who hangs out with his old pal - a Lurid ghost who has risen from the tar pits. A beastly destination for the dead. This is a putrid place full of Wraiths - the traitors and murderers who have drowned in its bubbling depths.
I loved the storyline as it was both clever and funny. Although the imaginative elements, at times, were very creepy. The depiction of the tar pits and Vincent's encounter with the torture chair were both gripping and enthralling to read. Fiona has stretched her creative juices and let everything go in this book. The expectations for this book have been delivered making it a mouth-watering beginning for the next book "A Gaggle of Ghouls" which is due to be published in August.
April 25, 2015
The Phenomenals is a new fantasy series from F.E. Higgins, and it starts with A Tangle of Traitors. At just over 200 pages, and with short chapters, it’s marketed at 9+, although I would suggest it’s for more confident readers. The + is important.. I’m certainly a lot more than 9, and I really enjoyed it!
It’s set in the city of Degringolade, where the inhabitants are highly superstitious, and criminals are hung then thrown into the tar pit, where they become Lurids. These are smelly, ghostly entities, bound to the tar pits – unless someone can find a way to free them.
We are introduced to four characters, who eventually have to work together. Vincent is an outsider, an expert thief and pickpocket. Folly is a secretive character, living in a burial vault, and very knowledgeable about the Lurids. Citrine is a wealthy heiress who misses her father. Jonah is a harpoonist who keeps to himself after being swallowed by a whale.
This isn’t the easiest book to get into, hence my comment about more confident readers. Higgins is building a brand new world, where even time is expressed in a different way, and commonplace articles have different names. These are well explained though, but it took a while to adjust to the world, and the writing. Once there though, I fell in love with the setting and the characters, and sped my way through the book. There are certain books I connect with, and this is one of them – I didn’t like finishing it, and will be expectedly awaiting the next. It’s hard to compare this with anything else, but it did remind me of The Edge Chronicles.
Ideal for younger readers looking for their next step, but also for oldies like me, who enjoy fantasy and adventure!
It’s set in the city of Degringolade, where the inhabitants are highly superstitious, and criminals are hung then thrown into the tar pit, where they become Lurids. These are smelly, ghostly entities, bound to the tar pits – unless someone can find a way to free them.
We are introduced to four characters, who eventually have to work together. Vincent is an outsider, an expert thief and pickpocket. Folly is a secretive character, living in a burial vault, and very knowledgeable about the Lurids. Citrine is a wealthy heiress who misses her father. Jonah is a harpoonist who keeps to himself after being swallowed by a whale.
This isn’t the easiest book to get into, hence my comment about more confident readers. Higgins is building a brand new world, where even time is expressed in a different way, and commonplace articles have different names. These are well explained though, but it took a while to adjust to the world, and the writing. Once there though, I fell in love with the setting and the characters, and sped my way through the book. There are certain books I connect with, and this is one of them – I didn’t like finishing it, and will be expectedly awaiting the next. It’s hard to compare this with anything else, but it did remind me of The Edge Chronicles.
Ideal for younger readers looking for their next step, but also for oldies like me, who enjoy fantasy and adventure!
April 11, 2013
I was quite sad when I heard F.E. Higgins new book was not going to be 'a Tale from the Sinister City' but I loved those so much there's no way I wasn't going to read 'The Phenomenals'.
First impressions, to be honest I didn't much care for the title, although the sub title was better, ' A Tangle of Traitors'. the cover didn't do much for me either and why isn't it a hardback like all her previous books! I'm a bit gutted about that.
That's all the moaning out of the way. I needn't have worried about this book not being a tale from the sinister city because it is fab. It has a very similar setting and feel to her earlier books but there is a touch more fantasy to it, the undead make an appearance and there is a hint of magic about the place. There are even some nice steampunky elements in the mix. Murder, mystery, adventure, chills, horror, dark sorcery, mechanical arms and harpoons, you couldn't really ask for more. I even liked the title more by the end.
I'd recommend this book to anyone and can't wait for the next one in what promises to be a great ongoing series.
First impressions, to be honest I didn't much care for the title, although the sub title was better, ' A Tangle of Traitors'. the cover didn't do much for me either and why isn't it a hardback like all her previous books! I'm a bit gutted about that.
That's all the moaning out of the way. I needn't have worried about this book not being a tale from the sinister city because it is fab. It has a very similar setting and feel to her earlier books but there is a touch more fantasy to it, the undead make an appearance and there is a hint of magic about the place. There are even some nice steampunky elements in the mix. Murder, mystery, adventure, chills, horror, dark sorcery, mechanical arms and harpoons, you couldn't really ask for more. I even liked the title more by the end.
I'd recommend this book to anyone and can't wait for the next one in what promises to be a great ongoing series.
October 28, 2014
Originally bought this book for cheap at the supermarket years ago thinking I wouldn’t like it but I remember reading it and finding it amazing!
Has been a year or two since I read this book but really wanted to do a review on it because I don’t think the book has the recognition it deserves.
really like Higgins style of writing everything so descriptively so it was easy to picture the world and the characters in my head.
I think its is a great fantasy read for both children and adults, and would recommend to anyone who likes hints of steampunk in their books or has read the Percy Jackson series or to someone who would prefer to read children/short fantasy books compared to very long ones.
Has been a year or two since I read this book but really wanted to do a review on it because I don’t think the book has the recognition it deserves.
really like Higgins style of writing everything so descriptively so it was easy to picture the world and the characters in my head.
I think its is a great fantasy read for both children and adults, and would recommend to anyone who likes hints of steampunk in their books or has read the Percy Jackson series or to someone who would prefer to read children/short fantasy books compared to very long ones.
November 17, 2016
I say I've read this but I wasn't able to finish it as I was so confused by everything that I gave up. I love steampunk and all things related, but this book gave no explanation of weird and wonderful terms or machines or people. I found myself just struggling to understand it that I found I wasn't enjoying the story that was going on in the background. It's hard to picture something that's mentioned and imagining what it's like... then later on in the chapter they give you a random piece of information which changes the image you had in your head so dramatically that you get side tracked. Maybe I'll give it another try another day... but for now... I can't be bothered to work everything out.
September 29, 2013
A fantasy following the first meetings of four quirky characters: Vincent is an expert thief, Folly is a hunter of Lurids, Citrine is a rich girl unjustly framed and Jonah is the disfigured guard whose past made him the man he is. These four come together to save the city from evil and to save each other from certain death.
A dark and violent fantasy written using extraordinary language probably better suited for adult readers or especially advanced readers able to navigate the verbose use of words.
Recommended: advanced readers 12+
Subject/theme: good vs evil, fantasy
First in a series: The Phenomenals: A Tangle of Traitors
A dark and violent fantasy written using extraordinary language probably better suited for adult readers or especially advanced readers able to navigate the verbose use of words.
Recommended: advanced readers 12+
Subject/theme: good vs evil, fantasy
First in a series: The Phenomenals: A Tangle of Traitors
July 25, 2013
This is a lot of fun. The first in a new series set in the improbable world of Degringolade where a young thief joins forces with a huntress (of what we don’t know), a sailor who survived being swallowed by a whale (his name is Jonah, of course) and a young heiress framed for murder, to clear their names and fight a growing evil! It is a macabre world where tarot cards reveal the truth, where a tar pit holds the seething spirits of the wrongfully executed and where everything seems slightly familiar but is oh, so different. A great beginning to this fast paced adventure series!
December 1, 2015
It was just a bit flat. The basic ideas were good, just underdeveloped and uninteresting. And clichéd. I think I would have liked it better at about age 10 -12, despite the extensive use of polysyllabic words (I've been capable of such since I was 8). I think I would have liked the characters to have been a bit more developed.
Oh , and the slang annoyed me - saying nanyone for no-one, nany for not any, etc. And the supposedly-steampunkified words that didn't work at all like pedalated instead of pedalled. Again, I would have found that funny when I was 11.
Oh , and the slang annoyed me - saying nanyone for no-one, nany for not any, etc. And the supposedly-steampunkified words that didn't work at all like pedalated instead of pedalled. Again, I would have found that funny when I was 11.
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April 6, 2013I didn't finish this book because I didn't get some of the points of view. Maybe I'll try again when I'm a bit older.
March 7, 2016
Disappointing. Feels like Higgins' publisher came to her with a GREAT IDEA FOR A NEW SERIES. Rushed, overly arcane vocabulary, and too many coincidences.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews