Kids will like this. Girls will like it for romance and boys will like it for the scare factor. - Ann Klausing, Bookseller for Books-A-MillionThis is a cross between fantasy, horror and mythology. It reads like a fairy tale and I liked it.Petronella and her cat are living in her cottage and doing well without the other villagers. Being a bit odd, she has a snail garden. And, one day, she notices a big black tree that she cant recall having been there before. She doesn't know its going to play an important part in her life.Her cat is the one that starts it all. He digs up a skull and some bones and takes them home with him. When the villagers find some other bones in the same vicinity, they dig them up, too. They think they've found a missing family and that Petronella is the killer. When the bones come back to life and they find themselves confronted with people who died long, long ago, the villagers get concerned. Especially since the murdered peasants are reclaiming their homes and land...The Hooded Horseman (another peasant from the past) visits Petronella and tells her that she is the chosen one and has a quest to do to help the peasants and right the wrongs of the land and people long dead. Petronella is willing, even if it means visiting the equivalent of hell.The author does a nice job of writing a tale that is unique and interesting to read. I couldn't stop reading until I found out how it all ended. I bet you won't be able to either.Happy reading. - Jo Ann Hakola, Bookseller, USAI loved this book. The plot was unique to me and the creatures were amazing, there is no need for illustrations as the description of the characters is so good that they leap into your imagination in picture form.This book has mild horror, adventure, and morality which all work so well together. The main character Petronella becomes a much loved focus of the book and the change in the village is masterfully worked. Some children may find the old English speech of some of the characters hard to adjust to but I am sure that they will get there in the end. This does make distinction between the modern time people and the ancient characters much easier.I would be delighted to read more by this author as I found this book totally enthralling and give it a star rating of 5/5 I loved it. - Adele Symonds, Reviewer, UKThis was presented as a supernatural chiller and I must admitit was a fantastic and unique read for MG and YA readers.I do think that the author showed wonderful imagination in creating this world and these characters. - Jolene Haley, Librarian, USAPetronella & the Trogot is introduced as a supernatural chiller. People who lived almost 1,200 years ago, members of the Strincas civilization, start appearing and living in modern day Fort Willow. Needless to say the Strincas resurrection scares (off) many modern day citizens. If that were not enough, Bentley adds a hooded horseman (think Legend of Sleepy Hollow) and a black, evil monster tree in Petronella's back yard.In Part 1 one you get to know Petronella - our protagonist, modern day Fort Willow inhabitants, the Strincas, and the evil Lord Fortesque. In Part 2 Petronella and Percy, a Strinca, investigate the tree and find themselves on a journey. Their journey is similar to Dante's Inferno with a modern twist...Let me put my teacher hat on for a minute. I think this novel would be a good companion to students reading Dante's Inferno. As much as I enjoy the Inferno, a lot of time must be spent on background information. Who are all these people in Dante's hell? What did they do? Why did he punish them in this particular way? In Petronella & the Trogot, you know who all the offenders are. I enjoyed reading the novel. - Rebecca Wallace, Educator, USA
