"In the dead of night, four faceless men bring a sleeping boy to an orphanage in the remote high country of Elster. Here, an ageing wizard, Lord Alwyn, steals away the boy's memory using the magical Book of Lies. But Lord Alwyn is secretly thwarted by a girl called Bea, who hears the boy's name: Marcel.

Marcel learns that the mysterious Book can tell falsehood from truth. But can it tell him who he really is? When a stranger arrives, Marcel discovers he has a vital part to play if the Kingdom is to be saved from evil.

But something's not right. Is the stranger all that he claims to be? And what should Marcel make of the ominous golden verses that suddenly appear in the Book itself? Does the Book really tell truth from lies?"

I bought this book a while ago based purely on it's cover - I didn't even read the blurb properly until I got home. The cover is so pretty :)

It's an interesting idea. I'm sure if I was younger and had not read as many books as I actually have, I would appreciate it a bit more. I enjoyed it, but not overly so.

It was a pretty easy read, and well written. Though the characters were not particularly likeable, except maybe Bea.

I was very grateful for the twist in Part 3. I saw something like that coming, but I didn't quite guess what was to unfold. Before this, I found myself getting a little bored with the direction the book was taking.

All up though, it was a good effort. And by an Australian author!!! Yay!!! Just for that fact, this is going to become part of my permanent collection.