Natalya Shcherba, Chasodei: book reviews, genre, books in order, summary

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Reviews of the book "Chasodei" will interest all fans of domestic fantasy. This is a series of books authored by Ukrainian writer Natalia Shcherba. They are written in the genre of teenage fantasy. This is a chronicle of the exciting adventures of the young watchmaker Vasilisa Ogneva and her friends. Books were published from 2011 to 2015.

Readers' Impressions

From the majority of readers, reviews of the book "Chasodei" are extremely positive. Many admit that they have finally started reading, as a work has appeared that can interest them to the core.

In reviews of the book "Chasodei", many note that the story is simply replete with exciting and unexpected events, the adventures that happen to the characters will definitely not make anyone bored. And the characters themselves are written soundly, they are interesting, bright and unusual.

At the same time, you should be prepared for the fact that after reading the first book you will have many questions, answerswhich you can only find in later parts. Therefore, it is worth being patient in order to master the entire cycle. But it's worth it, because the book "Chasodei", according to reviews, turned out to be solid.

Author

The author of this teenage fantasy is Ukrainian writer Natalia Shcherba. It was she who wrote the Chasodei series of books.

Shcherba was born in the Belarusian town of Molodechno in 1981. At the same time, her childhood was spent in Russia. She started trying to write when she was in school, amusing her classmates with fascinating stories. Thus began her teenage fantasy novel about a geography teacher from another planet.

The future writer received her higher education at the National University of Design and Technology in Kyiv. However, after the fourth year, she decided to leave the university, since by that time she had already worked in her own fashion studio. She decided that it was not necessary to graduate from the institute, if everything was going well anyway.

Creative path

Her literary debut was the fantasy story "At the Bottom", which was published in 2005. Three years later, the first novel was published under the title "Being a Witch". He was immediately awarded several prestigious awards.

In 2010, Shcherba received an incentive prize at the Eurocon 2010 award as the best emerging science fiction writer in Europe. The Chasodei cycle by Natalia Shcherba remains her biggest success so far. A film adaptation is even planned for the near future.

Moreover, since 2015,several additional editions to the cycle "Chasodei" by Natalia Shcherba. For the last three years she has been working on the Lunastra series. Three novels have already been published - Leap Over the Stars, Flight Through Stones, Steps in the Void.

Awards

The novels from the series "Chasodei" were awarded a number of prestigious literary awards and prizes.

In 2009, they received the "Debut of the Year" prize at the "Star Bridge" award. In 2010, they were recognized as the best debut already at Eurocon.

In 2011, the writer was awarded the "Silver Caduceus" at the "Star Bridge", and the following year her novels were recognized as the best books of children's literature at the annual Runet Prize.

Hour key

Opens the cycle of the novel "The Clock Key". In "Chasodei" the main character is the simplest earthly girl, who is called by the old Russian name Vasilisa. She does not know her parents, she lives in a foster family with her guardian Marta Mikhailovna.

Suddenly, the girl finds out that her father is an influential magician of a special mysterious world built on some clockwork magic. This world is called Eflara. The girl finds herself in a country of lyutes, fairies and watchmakers. Soon she finds herself at the center of a dangerous game in which others involve her.

After some time, the situation becomes so confusing that even her friends are no longer able to understand who she really is. At the same time, the reader becomes more and more interesting. Together with the characters of the novel, he wonders who Vasilisa is. An incompetent who knows nothing about her origin, a spy sent by her father specifically to get the throne, or a powerful sorceress who is able to control time. Can she save the magical world from the coming collapse?

Hourly Heart

The second novel from the series "Chasodei" - "Hour Heart". It describes in detail two fairy-tale worlds - Eflara and Ostala. Their inhabitants fear catastrophe as they inexorably approach each other and threaten to collide with each other. You can only save yourself by increasing the Time Gap. Only the legendary Scarlet Flower and the unanimous wish made by all the keykeepers can do this.

However, the problem is that there is hostility between the keykeepers, which flares up with new force from time to time. In addition, the enemy of all watchmakers, the Spirit of Astragor, enters the fight. However, he suddenly intends not to interfere with them, but to help, having his own interest in this.

Heroes will have to understand how sincere the Spirit of Astragor is in his intentions, whether love and friendship can help all the keykeepers to unite in order to save the Basilisk from the terrible curse of the Black Key.

Clock Tower

The third novel from the "Chasodei" series - "The Clocktower". In it, Vasilisa goes to master magical skills at the School of Bright Hours. She gets the highest security clearance, but she's still not accepted,since director Elena Mortinova has been planning to kill the girl for a long time.

Only with the intervention of Astarius, she is accepted to the zero level of training. Her mentor is Rodion Kraft, a teacher with a third watch degree. Success accompanies Vasilisa, she invariably gets the highest scores.

During the Fall of the Leaves, the main character meets with the Black Queen, who helps her get to the field of old clocks. Ogneva goes a long way to make Diana happy. In gratitude, she asks for rubies to give gifts to Danila.

In the end of this novel, the keykeepers find the mysterious Broken Castle, and North and Mark carry off the arrow that Astragor needed from the Clock Tower. Their goal is to kill Vasilisa. However, the girl manages to stand in the place of the arrow in order to rewind time on all clocks and restore the Broken Castle. After that, watchmakers begin its research. The father of the main character agrees with his mother the Black Queen to start teaching Vasilisa everything she needs in the Castle.

In conclusion, Astragor offers Fash and Mark a contract, promising to fulfill any wish in exchange for the numerical name of Vasilisa.

Clock name

In this novel, it turns out that Flash Dragotius decides to keep Vasilisa's mysterious name a secret, even though he knows it. Despite the quarrel between them, he continues to love the girl, so he does not tell his relative Astragor.

Meanwhile, Vasilisa gets to the castle of the Black Queen, where she meets the watchmaker firstdegrees of Maar. It is he who will have to master the Black Key.

Maar unrequitedly falls in love with Vasilisa, because the girl actually still has tender feelings for Fash. During the next meeting, they reconcile, the young man confesses his love to her. Their attempt to kiss is noticed by Norton Sr. When he is alone with Flash, he tells him the story of his parents' deaths. It turns out that he himself is not to blame for their death. They call a temporary truce.

After that, Flash flies to Vasilisa's room, where they convene the Order of Friendship. As they wait for everyone to get together, Flash tries to kiss the girl again, but this time Zaharra stops him. Vasilisa demonstrates to all those gathered her finds made in the Broken Castle. Including a shard and a map. The kids decide together to take a trip to the clock towers, but they don't yet know how they can do it.

The Fifth Novel

The next novel in the "Chasodei" series is "Hourogram". In it, the heroes are trying to figure out what kind of mysterious fragment, similar to an arrow, Vasilisa managed to find. The young wizards manage to find the codes for the Chasolet, which they plan to take on a journey through the towers depicted on the map. In one of them, they accidentally overhear a conversation between Vasilisa's father and his friend Miracle, in which they discuss Fash's parents.

Miracle after a gala dinner teaches her to know the future and the past of things that come her way. At the end, Nick gives Vasilisa the ring that Flash made. In her room, she discovers Rock, who came through the null mirror. He suggests that she learn to really use her watch flair. Vasilisa decides to go to Zmiulan.

Hour Battle

In the final novel of the series, Vasilisa has to make a decisive choice to change someone's destiny. At the very beginning, she helps Fash get out of the Void. The candle lit by them is noticed by Rock, who persuades Astragor to rescue his brother in the Order.

The sudden appearance of Flash holds many secrets. Vasilisa herself receives a gift from Astragor in the form of Clockwork Transformation. From the gala evening, Vasilisa is taken to Dragolis, where they are forced to work as a ticker and learn amber. She tries to run with Flash but fails.

In Zmiulan, Astragor tells Flash that he will transform into him. He resists. Meanwhile, Vasilisa has to unravel the mystery of the Ruby Room on her own.

Ahead of the battle between Vasilisa and Astragor. However, the girl's father interferes with them, the evil wizard has to leave the body of the young man in order to fight Norton Sr. He defeats him, leaving him dying.

Again Astragor appears before Vasilisa in the form of Marcus, to whom she tells that the cup of the Scarlet Flower is the crown that will belong to Time. Astragor manages to put it on, it begins to change its color. Vasilisa manages to save Fash, but she loses consciousness, and when she wakes up, she sees her great-grandfather, who talks about the mission that she has to fulfill. At the crucial moment she steps into the mirror,Flash goes after her. Once in Castle Broken, they find the crown. Moreover, Vasilisa sees the female, and Fash sees the male. The crown splits. It turns out that two times should now appear. Vasilisa and Flash become New Time, together they go to another time parallel.