A mystery book about grief, loss and childhood.  It is a about a young girl (Romilly Kemp) who is living in the countryside with her father, an artist who gains fame for both of them when he immortalizes her in in a series of illustrated books. The books take on a life of their own when reaers start to believe t they also contain clues to some treasure. 

Beneath all of that is the story of child growing up, separated from her mother who seems to have had mental beakdown, and someone trying to discover herself and make friends in an isolated place. 

I liked the book and was engaged with Romilly's story even if some of the stories developments did not come as a surprise to me. Indeed it felt more like  children's book for the most part (this is not a criticism).

Reviewed from Netgalley ARC proof copy.

A slow moving story about a young girl and her father who move to an old house. 
The father is an artist and is writing an book full of pictures of his daughter and her kitten.
Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, it starts off as a whimsical tale about a father and daughter moving to a big old house in the country. The daughter becomes the muse for the father's painting which are turned into children's books. There the mystery begins. People believe the books are hiding a secret, treasure to be found. There are twists and turns, tears and laughter. A bittersweet story that kept me intrigued.

Whatever you do, avoid reading anything about this book before you read it! (Possibly too late if you're here reading this but I did try at least!)

An utterly magical read, inspired by Kit William's Masquerade, this dreamy book is unique, creating a special bubble between Romilly and her father. He paints books and she is the star of them. They live together in a creaky old house and that is all I am going to tell you.

Do all you can to get your hands on this this twisting, shimmering, mystery within a mystery. Enjoy the mastery of the storytelling and emerge breathless at the end. 

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ebook.

It's hard to believe this is a debut novel, it's beautifully written and mesmerising. It's a book everyone should read at least once. I will definitely buy this book on publication day. It's a future classic.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this amazing book.

Beautifully imagined story with memorable characters. The writing is exquisite, the details about the paintings are especially good. The story draws out, keeping the reader enchanted. This is a book that almost demands to be reread, to be savoured chapter by chapter instead of the big gulp of reading it for the first time, seeing where the story leads. Amazingly assured; I loved it!

What a enchanting debut, such innocence. Beautifully written, magical story. The characters will stay with you long after you finish reading this.

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is not my usual genre, I’m more of a crime/thriller reader however this story intrigued me. I absolutely loved it, truly one of the best books I have read. I am extremely pleased and grateful to both for opening up my mind to something totally different.

I seem to have noticed a buzz around ‘The Illustrated Child’ for a while and therefore was desperate to get my hands on one of the gorgeous proofs I saw on literary Twitter. I wasn’t that lucky, but I did get approved for a Netgalley ecopy and settled down to read it this weekend, the first book of 5 I have put aside for my literal staycation.  I thought I was getting a charming, whimsical coming of age story, but The Illustrated Child, although full of whimsy and charm, is a lot darker than that. 

Romilly Kemp lives with her father in a large, ramshackle house in the middle of the countryside. They have no other family, no friends apart from the occasional appearance of home-schooled, wild village child  Stacey who comes and goes on a whim, and no money, until her father writes a children’s book starring Romilly and her beloved cat and it, along with its sequels, becomes a hit. Readers are convinced there are clues int the clever, detailed illustrations and Romilly finds herself famous, always nine and naïve, as treasure hunters besiege her house, desperate to figure out the mystery. But what if there is no treasure? What if the clues are for Romilly alone, when she’s ready to figure them out?

Clever and lushly written, the Illustrated Child is a sad, melancholy book, Romilly neglected, if loved, by the people who are supposed to take care of her. Her mother is an intermittent, unstable presence, her father allows her hair to matt, keeps her off school but doesn’t educate her, fills their fields with dangerous inventions. Left to herself, Romilly grows up shy and fey and naïve, as her world crumbles around her. 

Inspired by the excitement caused by Kit Williams Masquerade in the 1980s, the Illustrated Child is imaginative, rich and original, at times desperately sad and always beguiling.

Review 
The book starts with 9 year old Romilly Kemp living with only her artist father for company in a rambling ancient farmhouse called Braër. 

The house is in disrepair and there is not enough money for food so Romilly’s father, Tobias, comes up with the idea of publishing a book featuring Romilly and her kitten, Monty. However, the beautifully drawn pictures also contain clues to a treasure hunt. 

In the meantime, a lonely Romilly meets Stacey, a little girl of a similar age and they become close friends for a while. 

Things change for the Kemps as Tobias develops dementia and Romilly struggles to care for him as he deteriorates. 

Romilly is able to solve the clues which have caused lots of interest over the years from treasure seekers. 

The book started off on a fairly gentle note but it was actually quite harrowing in places with some parts that were hard to read. I felt sorry that a young girl was in such a situation. However, in reality, would this have happened? Especially given the publicity surrounding the family. 

I did enjoy the book and rate it 3 stars 🌟🌟🌟

Thanks
Thank you to the author and publishers HQ for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an independent review.

Another reviewer called this a strange and intriguing read. I couldn't agree more. It follows the story of the child, Romilly, as she progresses through adulthood. Beautifully written. I was lost in places but the pure joy of the written word dragged me along to the surprising conclusion. A modern-day classic in the making.

This is a fascinating tale., always keeping you off balance, delaying revealing information so you only join up the last dots on the last page.

There are good books, great books, and exceptionally good books, that need to be read at all costs. This is one of those books. A book that you live in, and a book that changes you inside. I could not recommend this book anymore.

Romilly Kemp Lives in a ramshackle of a house. with her artist father. They live an idealistic and eccentric life with a small kitten called Monty. They have traveled around and finally settled in the house.  Her father comes up with an idea for a series of books based on  Romilly and Monty's adventures. He illustrated the books with his paint that are packed with intricate detail.  The books sell extremely well, and fans are convinced that the books contain clues to a treasure hunt.

People travel the globe and turn up at the house and it's surrounding wanting to catch a glimpse of Romilly and her father. Her father starts to become increasingly withdrawn and begins to disappear.  Romilly discovers that the books contain clues to something much more valuable than simple treasure. This is the brief of the book, but that in itself is extremely clever as it hides the true meaning of those statements. It deals with one of the biggest issues of loss facing the world today.

The book deals with childhood and growing up. It also deals with loss, in more than one way. It is a journey of the heart and mind. It is NOT a book with clues and a surprise ending, it is so much more. It starts off with idyllic childhood of joy, but as time progresses, things start to change. All of the main characters are well wounded and defined. The journey is continuous and never flags or gets bogged down. I believe that the author has experience of the issues and has poured their heart and soul into this project. 

It is a must read 5 starts.

I would recommend this book for the delight of imagining the children’s’ books and the illustrations within them. The author paints such a wonderful picture of them and how they follow on from each other and what the drawings look like. 
Romilly begins as a nine year old and progresses throughout the book to being 16. She lives with her Dad, a writer and illustrator, in an old house in the country. 
You wonder where her mum is and this is explained later in the book.
She also makes friends with a girl called Stacey who comes and goes. 
I found the book very strange and yet intriguing. Even at the end I am still unsure what was really and what wasn’t. I will definitely be reading this again!!

This is the story of Romilly, whose father has written a series of illustrated adventure books featuring herself and her cat Monty. The books contain clues to a treasure and become very popular, as in Masquerade by Kit Williams in the 1980s with many people following the clues. Her mother has left, although she appears a couple of times, as does her grandmother, but Romilly grows up lonely except for a mysterious friend Stacey, and she stops going to school. Her father's behavior becomes increasingly bizarre and she is neglected. The plot is very slow and it does become quite dark. The treasure is not what people think, as Romilly finally discovers.

This is an intriguing book. It is mystical but also very sad. The Illustrated Girl has as sad a life as it is possible to imagine. Her mother is absent,her father caring but not aware of the needs of a growing child. Romilly has one friend off and on called Stacey and is supposedly homeschooled which means bringing herself up. As the years pass more is revealed about her past and the future brings more problems. The title comes from her father becoming a renowned author publishing books in which his daughter is the star. That brings money,notoriety and other reminders of her past. All of this is in an amazingly well devised context of imagination and mystery. It can be sad then joyful within a paragraph. It is a book to lose yourself,take it as it comes and refrain from being judgmental! In our society,this girl would have been supported. Forget that and enjoy a very well crafted,unusual book.

Thank you to HQ and Netgalley for the ARC of The Illustrated Child by Polly Crosby.

This book follows the tale of a young girl growing into a teenager, her childhood haunted by a series of books her father wrote about her.  The books are said to contain clues for a treasure hunt, and for Romilly this becomes intensely personal.

The Illustrated Child was not an easy book to read, in that it addresses a lot of really deep topics and Romilly's childhood is anything but normal.  The kind of childhood that was idyllic, but as she grows up it becomes a little harrowing and slightly sinister, as if there is always a small shadow of something hanging around on the edges.

For me, it felt like I was intruding on someone's deeply intimate fantasy, a feeling of misplaced reality and hazy hued day dreams, but I feel like this is what makes the book - you end it and feel like you're awakening from a dream.  And that is what really made the book stand out so much for me, the imagery in the book is so vivid that a whole new world is painted and you're transported to another place far away.

To describe the book to a non-reader, I'd call it bizarre, a strange mix of the corporeal with the ghosts of reveries past.  Would definitely recommend to anyone that likes a book that creates a strong mental picture, family secrets galore and cats.

CW: child death, early onset dementia, self harm, hallucinations

Romilly lives with her eccentric artist father and their cat Monty.  Her father writes children's books starring Romilly, bringing them fame and fortune, however her father starts to get suspicious of the outside world as people turn up for a 'treasure hunt' that is suggested in the mystery of the books.  Romilly starts to look for the secrets hidden in the children's books and finds that the treasure hunt may lead to something even more precious than gold... the truth.  A unique story that is beautifully written and enjoyable, and is good if you like mysteries.  Thanks to the publisher, author and NetGalley for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest review.

When I saw the cover of this book I thought this will be a quick read. It won't get under my skin. Oh my god. This book is amazing. 5  stars it is the detail, the descriptive writing. I want a copy of this so i can read it over and over.

I read this book over two days and I have to say that it’s the most unusual book I’ve read in a long time. Romilly and her father live together in a huge ramshackle house with its own moat.  Romilly’s mother is not part of her life and she doesn’t know why but she is very much loved by her eccentric father and lives an almost feral life  in the grounds and surrounding areas.
Her father writes and illustrates books based on Romilly and her childhood, but there is mystery in the books which readers feel is a sort of hidden treasure hunt, and this causes problems for for them as their home becomes an unwelcome tourist attraction.
It’s almost impossible to describe this book, as there is so much mystery, so much unsaid, so much slowly revealed.  If you like to read something different, this book is for you.