The Ickabog by J.K Rowling

I know! I know! How excited you’re to see her name on a New book!!!

A few day ago the famous J.K Rowling drop a huge surprise for her fans by announcing the release of her new children’s novel, The Ickabog. The best thing about this book is, she has planned to publish the content of the book on an installment basis on her website and that too for free. Since then, she has been very regular on her website and so far, ten chapters have been released. And she has also announced an illustration competition for kids aged between 7 – 14 years of age. These illustrations might get featured on the printed version of the same book. Amazing right ? I so wish I was a kid and had the opportunity to participate in this competition, I know that’s what most of the Potterheads are feeling right now.

J.K Rowling says, she wrote this book more than a decade ago and used to read it to her children every night chapter by chapter. She intended to publish it after the Harry Potter series but then didn’t publish it as she started to focus on adult fiction. That’s how the manuscript ended up in the author’s attic. Now during the lockdown, she felt how difficult it must be for the kids to stay home and how boring that must be. So she took this book again, did a little bit of work and now she is releasing it on installment basis on her website. The Ickabog is a standalone fantasy novel for children and it is the first children novel by J.K Rowling which isn’t related to the Harry Potter series.

The story is based in a fictional country called Cornucopia which is ruled by a King called Fred The Fearless, who is not so fearless. Though the southern part of Cornucopia is flourish and prosperous, the northern part of the country is the exact opposite of the south. It is said in the ancient folklore, at the farther end of the North, a monster called ‘The Ickabog’ lives and it eats children, adults, sheep and what not ? The stories of Ickabog is said by every parents in Cornucopia to threaten their children to behave. But one day The King is forced to look on to the complaint given by a poor old man who was said to be affected by The Ickabog. So is Ickabog a real thing ? Or just a folklore as believed by the adults of Cornucopia ? Is it as dangers as it was portrayed by the people ? To know them all, we will have to wait for J.K Rowling to update more chapters in the upcoming days.

It’s still very early to come up with a review. But I really can’t help talking about The Ickabog. When I first came to know about the release of a new book by JK Rowling I was really excited as everybody else but when I came to know it was for free, my happiness had not bound, because we all know how difficult and costly it is to buy J.K Rowling’s books that too during the first few months of its release. The writing was very cool, it will instantly take you to the land of Cornucopia without much difficulty. Just like the Harry Potter world, this one is too significant but you cannot expect the Harry Potter kind of magic in here. But I can assure you, it’s really addictive to read. The story is just beginning to take shape and characters are starting to develop. So far, so good. And I really hope it will continue to be so and will reach up to all of our expectations.

This book is particular written for kids, but who are we kidding ? Can anybody stop us adults from reading it. Never right ? So I would suggest this book to all the Potterheads, kids and adults who are into fantasies.

Click here to read The Ickabog by J.K Rowling for free

Keep a close eye on J.K Rowling’s twitter handle for the upcoming chapters

I hope you enjoy it as much as I’m enjoying it!!!

Happy Reading Folks!!!

~ Meenu