Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    The Luck Uglies
    Unavailable
    The Luck Uglies
    Unavailable
    The Luck Uglies
    Ebook311 pages3 hours

    The Luck Uglies

    By Paul Durham

    4.5/5

    ()

    Unavailable in your country

    Unavailable in your country

    Listen to the audiobook instead

    About this ebook

    Luck Uglies was a name whispered around the docks and darkest taverns, places where men played fast and loose with the law…

    Rye has grown up hearing the legend of the Luck Uglies – notorious deadly outlaws who once stalked the streets. Now they have faded to ghosts and rumours and Rye isn’t sure they ever existed. Then on the night of the Black Moon, strange cries are heard from the forest Beyond the Shale, and dark shapes glimpsed in the shadows. Together with a mysterious stranger known only as Harmless, Rye is about to discover that it may take a villain to save you from the monsters…

    Enter a thrilling world of secrets and adventure in this immersive fantasy from a phenomenal new writing talent.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins UK
    Release dateApr 29, 2014
    ISBN9780007547012
    Author

    Paul Durham

    Paul Durham wrote this book and The Luck Uglies in an abandoned chicken coop at the edge of a swamp. He lives in New Hampshire with his wife, two daughters, and an enormous, bushy creature the local animal shelter identified as a cat.

    Related to The Luck Uglies

    Related ebooks

    Children's Humor For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Taking centre STAGE

      Apr 11, 2021

      Taking centre STAGE
      1 min read

    • Article

      My Cartoon Friend

      Jul 1, 2021

      Cartoons are cool, and friends are essential, so having a cartoon character as a friend should be super-cool, right? Errr … not always! After experimenting with some new and unknown animation software, a young African animator, Lwazi, mistakenly expo

      3 min read

    • Article

      Serial Fiction for the Digital Age

      Oct 10, 2018

      For many readers andwriters, the serial novel calls to mind tattered newsprint, Victorian armchairs, and authors such as Dickens, Dumas, and Dostoevsky. For others, the form may hark back to pulp magazines and popular adventures of the early to mid-1

      3 min read

    • Article

      CELEBRITY Gossip

      Sep 2, 2021

      These days singer Shawn Mendes gets recognised pretty much everywhere he goes, but once upon a time he was just a new kid in the biz and being recognised in public was something he had to get used to. Here Shawn talks about the first time he remember

      2 min read

    • Article

      Whoa! How Embarrassing!

      Jun 1, 2022

      I was out to dinner with my family and I was carrying my tray of food back to our table. When I went to set it down I tur ned towar ds the door and saw a boy fr om my class walk in. sort of have a crush on this boy so I got nervous and tripped over m

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Best Children’s Books Of 2022

      Dec 4, 2022

      No matter the state of the real world, there’s nothing quite like children’s books to remind you to marvel at the everyday and find hope in the darkness. Perhaps that’s one reason why the sector in Britain is set for its ninth consecutive year of gro

      6 min read

    • Article

      Young AT HEART

      May 15, 2020

      Young AT HEART
      6 min read

    • Article

      FASHION Queen

      Jun 3, 2021

      She likes her pancakes with butter only, no maple syrup! Zendaya hates chipped nail polish! The star says that if your polish chips, then it’s time to take it off. Her favourite flower and smell of all time is the gardenia. She is very superstitious.

      1 min read

    • Article

      Atinuke

      Oct 6, 2020

      Atinuke
      4 min read

    • Article

      Anna-Marie McLemore Speaking in Magic

      Aug 16, 2021

      A family of tightrope walkers with feathers growing in their hair. Five queer Latina cousins creating the lush estate gardens that reveal their shared love for the same woman. A girl appearing from an enchanted water tower. Magic is often how I write

      2 min read

    • Article

      Top Ten Stories

      Jan 10, 2019

      Top Ten Stories
      18 min read

    • Article

      Monster Zoo

      Oct 1, 2021

      Monster Zoo
      1 min read

    • Article

      FROM PET HAIR To Knitwear

      Mar 16, 2022

      Irene Lerman, 55 As I brushed my cat, Mittens, so much of his silky white fur came away with the brush. This was normal for Ragdoll cats, but I just couldn’t bring myself to throw it away – it was so soft and luxurious. So I started popping it away

      3 min read

    • Article

      Quotients

      May 7, 2020

      Quotients
      8 min read

    • Article

      In Search Of Sanctuary

      Jan 5, 2024

      In Search Of Sanctuary
      16 min read

    • Article

      Flights Of Fantasy

      Dec 9, 2020

      Flights Of Fantasy
      5 min read

    • Article

      Tall Tales

      Dec 22, 2023

      Tall Tales
      2 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Luck Uglies

    4.5/5

    4 ratings4 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      In my mind, exploring new worlds is the best part of reading. Imagine my excitement when The Luck Uglies transported me to the Village Drowning and gave me enough rich backstory to fully immerse myself there. I was dropped into a world where magic and mischief rule the day. Where dark things lurk in the shadows. A story where a brave heart means everything. Needless to say, I adored my trip to Drowning. I honestly can't wait to go back.

      Rye O'Chanter is a wonderful main character. She's brave and resourceful. The type of young girl who readers of all ages will easily fall in love with. In fact, Durham writes a whole cast of characters who are fully formed. From the dastardly regent of the land, to the blind boy who becomes Rye's ally, each one of them were beautifully done. It's not hard to fall into step with them. I had a lot of fun getting to know these characters.

      The story is where this first book suffered a little bit. As I said, the world is large and the characters vivid. It takes a lot of descriptive writing to get them to that point. While there was definitely a fair amount of forward movement in this, and some moments of action-packed goodness, there were big portions of explanations. In my case, it didn't really phase me too much. I love getting to know more about the people and places in my books. Just giving a warning to those of you who might feel that things are a bit slow. Keep going! By the end I promise you'll be extremely eager for more.

      Last month was a tough reading month, and this book helped immensely with getting me out of that slump. It was just so much fun to read! I'm thrilled that The Luck Uglies was only the first installment, and that Rye O'Chanter will be back for more adventures. I can't wait to go back to the Village Drowning.
    • 5/5
      I seriously love this book so insanely much. Rye is a young girl who lives in the Village Drowning, a ramshackle little sea town where women aren't allowed to read, and the power of the nobility is pretty much absolute. She lives with her mother and her little sister, and their cat, and early on we learn about the pendant charms each wear around their necks. The story follows Rye through a little of daily life in Drowning, edged with just enough mystery to not take away from the village life itself. But soon, weird things happen. Bog Noblins are coming back, and to protect the village and everyone in it, the Luck Uglies must be called. There's also the mysterious Harmless, who's identity is easily guessed, but still adorable. The story is well constructed, with well defined life and culture. It's fun. The little house rules that Rye often repeats turn out to actually mean something, and I enjoyed that. This is a story where looking closer reveals a little more that you thought was originally there - for example, near the end, when everything goes down, Rye never actually sees it. I like this, because instead of most kids books where a 12 year old is responsible for taking down the beast, or stopping the dictator, or completing the prophecy - Rye is more realistic. She doesn't do anything that I feel like a child her age actually could or would have. Very fun, very much looking forward to the next foray into the world of Drowning.
    • 4/5
      A very nice fantasy novel, The Luck Uglies is about a young girl learning the secrets of her family and her town as she tries to save them from the Nob Goblins.Riley and her friends Quinn and Folly play on the rooftops in the town of Drowning. They have stolen a banned book called Tam's Tom of Drowning Mouth Fibs, Volume II, wanting to learn the truth about their town. The Earl runs the town and doesn't allow girls to be educated, so Quinn is teaching Rye to read as they learn about the town. On the night of the Black Moon, Riley breaks the house rules and goes to the only side of town that the Earl can't control to see the Black Moon party at the Dead Fish Inn which is owned by Folly's family. Seeing her mother with a strange man and realizing that the doors will be locked for the night, Rye tries to beat her mother home through the dangerous streets as everyone is locked in. When Rye returns home, she finds Quinn hiding in the secret room. Shady, the cat, dashes through the door Riley left open, breaking another house rule that Shady is to never leave the house. Rye chases the cat and sees creatures that indicate the Nob Goblins are returning to Drowning. The Nob Goblins will kill everyone. As the novel progresses, the strange man with Rye's mother takes on a whole new meaning to the family as they and their friends are the only ones who can fight the creatures and hopefully save the town.This is a very enjoyable, fun novel. I liked the characters and the pace of the plot as well as the fantastical elements. It's worth your time to read as a solid middle school book!
    • 4/5
      This book was amazing! The Luck Uglies details the events in Village Drowning where it appears that the Bog Noblins, a creature thought to be extinct, has returned to wreak havoc on the lives of the villagers. Rye, the main character of the book, hopes that the secret society, the Luck Uglies will be able to save her village from the impending doom. This book is a solid first installment in a planned series and has plenty of action of adventure to hook even the most reluctant readers. Paul Durham does a great job with world building and drawing the reader in to the Village Drowning. The characters were well written and easy to connect with particularly Rye and Harmless who are loyal and brave. I highly recommend this book to fans of Peter and the Starcatchers and Harry Potter. 4 stars!