Book Review - The Vanished Kingdom Series

This post is more of a science experiment than anything else.

HYPOTHESIS: If I try to revisit all those heavy emotions that resurfaced when I read the final Vanished Kingdom novel, then the review will be twice as long as my last post (Movie Review - How To Train Your Dragon (2025)) and everything will be in shambles.

Or, in other words, I’ll try to stay on track and keep the tears from leaking, but there’s a 50-50 chance I’ll fail at both. 

In this post, I'll review Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard, and The War of The Maps each separately. I'll tell you about their story mechanics the themes and content warnings...actually, I'm just going to write a table of contents below. Jonathan Auxier really over did it in this series, and I hope this post gives you just a glimpse of all the great stuff hiding inside these novels.

In this post, you’ll see-

1. A detailed, updated cover image of each of the three novels in the Vanished Kingdom trilogy

2. The back-cover synopsis for each novel

3. A detailed review from me talking about each story and their story elements (prose, structure, world building, etc.)

4. Some of my notes (ideas/thoughts I had while reading, some fangirling, and possibly a few tears)

5. One of two of my favorite quotes from each respective novel

6. A list of content warnings

7. Genre

8. Total page number

9. Personal rating

(Warning: Few Spoilers Below)

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The Vanished Kingdom, Book One: Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes 

My apologies for the terrible photo, I can't seem to find a good-quality one.

Back-Cover Synopsis– Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes is the utterly beguiling tale of a ten-year-old blind orphan who has been schooled in a life of thievery. One fateful afternoon, he steals a box from a mysterious traveling haberdasher — a box that contains three pairs of magical eyes. When he tries on the first pair, he is instantly transported to a hidden island, where he meets the eccentric Professor Cake. The Professor gives Peter a choice: travel to the dangerous Vanished Kingdom to rescue a people in need . . . or return to a life of crime. Peter chooses wisely, and together with Sir Tode, a knight who has been turned into a rather unfortunate combination of human, horse, and cat, and the magic eyes, he embarks on an unforgettable, swashbuckling adventure to learn his true destiny. 

Review– Peter Nimble is the story of a blind thief who meets a cat-man-horse and goes on an adventure. What could go wrong? 

Well, if you’ve ever read any story, you’ll know many things could turn the story on it’s head. For example: the sea could disappear. Or…maybe the birds start singing. Like, really singing. With words.

It was written fairly well as the first novel Jonathan Auxier ever wrote. But, since overviewing and rereading this post, I realize now that prose is surprisingly hard to review. So you’ll have to stick with me. What I’ll say first is that it’s not perfect. It’s a little telly, the action scenes aren’t spoken about in great detail, the dialogue gets a little clunky at times. What can I say? I would have edited it differently……….but it’s also kind of perfect the way it is. The story structure overall is pretty whole. I can see the journey clearly in my head, pick out the main events and a decision chain. World building is also really dependent on what kind of world you’re in. For Peter’s small port town and the Vanished Kingdom he visits in the end of the story, it’s all pretty clear. I never found a moment where I was guessing or wondering what it looked like for the character (which is a funny thing to say because…Peter really is blind).

The characters, while there weren’t a whole host, were diverse and clear. They all had well-defined voices and important backstories. I would have enjoyed reading about any one of them on this certain adventure.

Then again…would I have? There’s something incredible Auxier did here, where he writes so that the reader can see what is happening, but the main character can’t. It’s really something to admire, as a reader and a writer. 

Notes– Well, it’s not your average story. 

I think the first time I read about Peter was when I was…nine? I’ve reread it twice since then and I’ll probably do so again next year. See, there’s this sort of magical thing that happens to me when I’m reading about Peter Nimble–or even Sophie Quire, which I’ll tell you about in a little bit. It’s like the world fades away–but not entirely. Like when God’s given you peace again and you’ve found your sanity and you’re, I guess, just home.

Peter’s story is not a happy one. In fact, it’s a lot like Peter Parter’s tale, full of bad guys and rough edges and mystical things. 

When I look at that book on the shelf, I’m reminded of childhood and what it felt to be whimsical again. 

I don’t think I ever cried while reading this story, but there was something lighter in my soul when I went back to it. I can’t quite put it into words, which is odd. You’d think two years of writing would have taught me how to better articulate my feelings and turn them into sentences and phrases and so on. 

Favorite Quote(s)–

1. ‘Now, for you who know anything about blind children, you are aware they make the very best thieves.’ - Page 1

2. ‘If you ever find yourself in serious trouble, remember your nature above all things.’ - Page 70

Content Warnings–

1. Fantasy violence

2. A few characters smoke pipes

3. Child labour

Genre–

Middle-Grade Fantasy

Total Page Number–

381

Personal Rating–

5-stars

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The Vanished Kingdom, Book Two: Sophie Quire and The Last Storyguard

Back-Cover Synopsis–  It's been two years since Peter Nimble and Sir Tode rescued the kingdom of HazelPort. In that time, they have travelled far and wide in search of adventure. Now Peter and Sir Tode have been summoned by Professor Cake for a new mission: find a 12-year-old bookmender named Sophie Quire. Sophie knows little beyond the four walls of her father's bookshop, where she repairs old books and dreams of escaping the confines of her dull life. But when a strange boy and his talking cat/horse companion show up with a rare and mysterious book, she finds herself pulled into an adventure beyond anything she has ever read.

Review– Why does it take so much courage to protect the things you love?

Allow me a few moments of your time, then we’ll get into all those big questions. 

In regards to the technicals inside this piece of writing, they aren’t all that bad either. The prose is not unlike that of Peter NImble–clean enough to be acceptable but a little telly and nondescript at parts. But oh my goodness the contrast in character is incredible! In Peter Nimble, we meet a character named Sir Tode (said cat-man-horse above, whose history will remain a secret to you, dear reader, until you buy and read the book) and I figured him and Peter had enough squabbles to solidify enough tension for the entirety of the story, but I was wrong. Both Peter and Sir Tode reside in Sophie Quire and The Last Storyguard and, yes, Peter and Sophie do catch feelings, but it’s nothing mushy. They are only twelve, after all. 

In regards to structure and plot, I give the story a 10/10. There were no dire questions I had unanswered, and I was satisfied with the ending.

Notes– When courage falls short, when it’s hard to be brave…that is the very moment you must be brave. This, above, is a short summary of a few of the themes the book deals with.

Like Peter Nimble, Sophie Quire is full of magic and adventure–and books, if you want the whole truth. And big thoughts. Who knew books for youngins were so thoughtful? I call them brain books–books like The Mysterious Benedict Society, and I once read this one called The Tree of Knowledge, which really wasn’t that good, but it got my brains working like none other. 

But it was a quote on page 146-147 that got me thinking harder than I’d ever before: ‘Stories are not mere diversions to occupy us on rainy days, they are a type of magic spell–perhaps the most powerful in existence–and their effect is to summon possibilities. Every time the spell is cast, the impossible becomes a little more possible.’ - Professor Cake

(I talk a little more about this quote in my post ‘A Book Quote That Stole My Heart And Why It Works So Well’.)

Professor Cake is one of my favorite characters. He’s a teacher and a parent and a protector all wrapped up in one. The Professor appears the most in The War of The Maps (see below), but the only reason he means so much in that tale is because the part he plays in Peter Nimble and Sophie Quire. He is the one who sends each character on their fantastic quests, after all. 

Favorite Quote(s)– 

1. ‘Suffice to say, if one hopes to live in a world of wonders, he had better locate himself in a place where wondrous stories abound.’ - Page 147

2. ‘She had, in fact, never met an author in her life. As you can imagine, it was a singularly thrilling experience. Should you ever be so lucky as to encounter an author in your life, you should shower him or her with gifts and praise.’ - Page 162

Content Warnings–

1. Mild violence

2. Fantasy

3. One (evil) character uses the d-word once on page 159

4. Some characters smoke pipes and drink beer

Genre–

Middle-Grade Fantasy

Total Page Number–

444

Personal Rating–

5-stars

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The Vanished Kingdom, Book Three: The War of The Maps

Back-Cover Synopsis–  The War of the Maps is a breathtaking fantasy in the vein of His Dark Materials and The Last Battle that dares to give new answers to age-old questions—inviting readers of all ages to sail beyond the edges of the map into a world of magic, myth, and boundless adventure.

Since time before time, two opposing forces have been locked in an endless battle: It is the war between magic and reason—between what if and what is. And the victor will not just shape the future but the very nature of reality.

Peter Nimble and Sophie Quire have spent the last four years fighting to protect a world of magic from the insidious, unstoppable forces of “progress.” But, every day, the wonders that once surrounded them are vanishing. Lurking behind this transformation is a mysterious group called The League of Maps that seems to hold the answers.

As Peter and Sophie fight to untangle this mystery, they find themselves thrown into opposing sides of a vast war that stretches from the very beginning of humanity and into our present age.

Review– Perhaps you’ve heard me talk about this story a little in this post (Coming Soon - The War of The Maps by Jonathan Auxier), although back then (in May, Claudia. I wasn’t that long ago) the book hadn’t been released and I hadn’t had the chance to read it and cry over it a few times. 

I don’t think I’d be able to say a word against this novel if I tried. Maybe there was a little repetition, maybe there was a plot twist that twisted too hard, I don’t even care. Where all the technicalities lie, there is nothing to mention. 

This is the terrifying story about losing the wonder. About losing hope. And for so long after I read it, it didn’t matter as much to me to see these characters struggle through real hardships. It took too long to realize that there is more to this story, there is so much more. 

‘It’s a war, though, right? It’s not a book about loss of wonder, it’s a book about fighting–and winning–terrible battles…. Right? … Right???’

Maybe…but most likely not. This book answered all the questions I didn’t even know I was asking–it answered the cries of my heart. How I ever lived before it, I have no idea.

There is master worldbuilding. Wonder and Anguish and Hatred and Love and Peace and Joy all wrapped into one story that convicts the soul and puts the mind to work.

The characters are dipped up and down through a new set of arcs, then blasted in the face with loss and…grace? Yeah, that’s probably the best word for it….

Only then, do they find their happily ever aft–

HOLD UP!  Scratch that.

Only then do they find peace again. 

…

That’s better.

Notes– If you’ve ever been through hardship, you’ll know it is so easy to only want one thing: to forget. 

But after the fact…maybe you’ll realize something, like me. You’ll realize that you don’t want to forget anymore. 

I suppose, if you look at it the right way, this book talks about trying to forget. The League of Maps is trying to forget an age where there were wondrous things. The Rooks are trying to forget that there ever was a modern revolution. The main characters (Peter and Sophie) are trying to forget their hardships in the past and look toward a different future. 

But what happens when they want to remember?

That is where the battle begins.

Suppose this story is more about battles and wars, what would it be about? 

Growing up.

Losing all recollection of what it was like to be a child, full of wonder and joy and purity.

Learning true happiness doesn’t come from things.

Favorite Quote(s)–

1. ‘He removed his spectacles and wiped joy from the corners of his eyes.’ Page 183

2. There’s this one page…page 403 that is a favorite quote in and of itself.

3. ‘Tally-ho.’ Page 429

Content Warnings–

1. Fantasy violence

2. Mild romantic tension

3. Mild medical gore

4. Careful, it’ll make you cry too

Genre–

Upper Middle-Grade Fantasy

Total Page Number–

436

Personal Rating–

10,000-stars (this is what I wrote in my reading journal)

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The War of The Maps is the only book in this trilogy that ever ends with a ‘The End’. So, instead of signing off like I usually do, I’m just going to say thank you for reading. 

I hope you have a wonderful day. <3

-Claudia