The Robe of Skulls (Book 1 of Tales of the Five Kingdoms) - Vivian French

I'm reading several things at once right now:

Pegasus by Robin McKinley

Of Love and Evil: The Songs of the Seraphim (Book 2) by Anne Rice

The Shadows: The Books of Elsewhere, (Book 1) by Jacqueline West

The Maximum Ride series (read books 4&5 last week) by James Patterson

And I just read The Robe of Skulls (Book 1) by Vivian French.  This makes for a very jumbled brain, strange dreams, odd cravings and an itching in my fingers to write.  Side effects of reading so many stories, I suppose.

Vivian's book is both traditional (recalls to mind Scottish folklore) and original (quirky characters, great dialogue).  I enjoyed the mix -- I wouldn't mind reading the rest of the series just for the dialogue.  (I think for me, writing dialogue is the most intimidating part of crafting a story.  I usually have nothing witty to say or much of anything to say, really, so it is harder for me to imagine characters having something of import to impart)

The Robe of Skulls read like a delightful Highland yarn told to you by a grandparent while whittling the time away until your parents return.

Spunky main characters, funny sidekicks (bats!) and dreadfully evil villains (a werewolf and a sorceress in cahoots!) and one diabolical plot to gain the price for a new ballgown.

I could see this while I read it -- I think it would be a brilliant stop-motion film.