SuitabookOrla and the Serpent’s Curse
C. J. Haslam
- Reading
- Read alongside a conversation about spooky atmosphere and environmental change. Pause to ask what feels mysterious, how the group shares responsibility, and whether the ending resolves the curse clearly.
- Themes
- Environmental damage and responsibility: Orla is described as a budding conservationist, while the curse poisons the land and destroys what it touches. The premise connects environmental harm with the central supernatural danger, but does not establish a definite argument or resolution.
- Co-operation and family friendship: Orla receives help from her two older brothers, Raven and Dave the dog while trying to stop the curse. The group is presented as an adventure team, but the story’s judgement of their relationships and decisions cannot be established.
- Supernatural mystery: A glowing necklace appears connected to an ancient curse, and Orla encounters a coven of suspicious old ladies. Supernatural elements clearly drive the plot, but whether they are treated as frightening, playful, symbolic or otherwise remains unclear.
- Worth knowing
- The book includes a long-dead witch, a mysterious glowing object, suspicious older women, a curse, and land described as poisoned and barren. The level of menace and frightening detail is unclear.