Fast paced action/fantasy story for 12+ readers. Jane Doe has had a hard life so far - made to live in a cellar with her dad and regarded with suspicion by her fellow villagers. Events then cause her to flee into the magical Manor, a building that encompasses many worlds and has ever changing rooms (definite Harry Potter influences can be seen in the book). Jane is at the start of a dangerous quest that will save the world and she has heart stopping adventures throughout this first book of the series. Her burgeoning romance with Violet, a friend from childhood, is sensitively dealt with and there's a real cliffhanger of an ending to keep kids reading on.

Jane Doe and her father are pariahs io the island on which they live, and Jane is blamed for all the troubles the islanders experience. But Jane appears to be able to control earthquakes, and is the subject of a vision of the future which predicts her role in saving Bluehaven.
This story is full of swashbuckling action and the interior of the Manor appears to have been heavily influenced by Indiana Jones. It's definitely a story to read for the plot and the banter (Jane has a good line in dry asides) - any reader wanting the insights into the morals, politics and ethics of our own societ,y which some dystopian novels can provide, will be disappointed.
I felt that the book concluded too abruptly, and even if a novel is part of a series or a chronicle, for me it still needs to finish with some sort of resolution.

Earthquakes have plagued the island of Bluehaven from the moment Jane Doe and her father emerged from the mysterious Manor fifteen years ago. Their appearance also signalled a sealing of the Manor, the entrance to other worlds through a dangerous labyrinth. From that day father and daughter have been despised by the residents of Bluehaven.
After the strongest quake to have ever hit Bluehaven strikes, coinciding with the disappearance of Jane’s father into the Manor, Jane must return into the Manor to save not only her world, but all the worlds connected to the Manor. A seemingly impossible burden to rest on the shoulders of one teenage girl.
The Cradle of All Worlds is billed as ‘Stranger Things’ meeting The Northern Lights volume of His Dark Materials trilogy. The Cradle of All Worlds is actually less cerebral than The Northern Lights and closer to ‘Stranger Things’ meets ‘The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles’.
This means The Cradle of All Worlds is an excellent adventure read, pure and simple, with the main protagonist, along with her resourceful friend, Violet, constantly trying to keep life and limb together rather than a read with a subtle interplay on philosophy and religion. It is also a book about the strong friendship, with all its ups and downs, of two brilliant female leads who will grow to care deeply about each other and who readers of any gender should warm to.
The Manor is a Nania type of place with wonderfully imagined huge, fantastical halls and rooms, complete with the type of scenery you’re likely to encounter in any fantasy adventure films.
Jane is an outcast always on the run, even in her home of Bluehaven where she lives as a tenant in the basement of the Hollow’s house with her father, who is insensible to the world around him and in need of her constant care, which she does with great love and unreservedly. The rest of the town unjustly blame her for all the ills of the town.
Her only friend is Violet, the Hollow’s pyromaniac and errant daughter. After Jane enters the Manor, Violet becomes instrumental in Jane’s voyage of discovery within the Manor and the two make a great narrative pairing.
Away from the book I am still greatly taken by the vast structure of the Manor, its stairways, hallways, corridors and rooms and the massive rivers, forests and snowscapes that can be found within them. The thought of hurtling down a river with chandeliers hanging overhead captures my imagination. It is the type of place to inspire fan art from readers.
This is a great book for 12+ readers, but also classes as a ‘grab a large pot of tea, a huge plate of biscuits and curl up for a great non-stop read’ sort of book for an adult.
My advice to Jeremy Lachlan? You’d better hurry up and get the next one out or I’ll be sending the Tin-skins and Leatherheads to get you.

This young teen fantasy adventure starts in a pretty dark place, with Jane being the despised and hated figure in Blue Haven. If Harry Potter thought he had it bad sleeping in a cupboard under the stairs, at least he’s not locked in a basement, sole carer of an ailing father, while once a year the locals throw a big party and burn effigies of the two of them. To say that Jane’s life is rough is an understatement, yet somehow, when told that she’s the only one who can save the place, she doesn’t simply turn around and say, “Why should I?”

Jane might be a reluctant type of hero, not able to trust that what people are telling her is the truth, and missing some pretty obvious clues at times, but she’s brave, incredibly loyal and always willing to try – even when she might be forgiven for walking away. I liked her. She’s not super smart or brilliant at anything, she’s not a great fighter and she can’t solve riddles or puzzles in seconds. I think the only thing she is actually any good at in the whole book is climbing, and she only finds that out by accident. She’s just a normal girl, who had a terrible upbringing and seems to have the kind of destiny that throws her into life threatening situations every ten minutes or so.

The action is fast and packs the book from start to finish. There are rarely any dull moments, or pauses for breath, and although Jane’s situation is often dark, the book isn’t grim or heavy and there’s plenty of humour to move things along. There are also a couple of great side characters, and I particularly liked Violet and her pyromaniac tendencies. The Manor is fascinating too, with so many intriguing twists and turns, and mysteries aplenty that keep on piling up.

If you love your fantasy with plenty of action, loads of adventure and packed with fast-paced, plot-twisting fun, then give this a shot. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for book 2.