Entangled

By Author / Illustrator

Emma Rea

Genre

Adventure

Age range(s)

Publisher

Firefly Press

ISBN

9781917718189

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

02-04-2026

Synopsis

When Thomas' younger sister, Tia, gets kidnapped during a trip to Venice, no one believes he has discovered a clue as to her whereabouts.

Tia is blind and Thomas is there to help her. So it's up to him to race across Venice, navigating canals, carnival parades and masked balls, to try and rescue her from her captors.

Ever since Tia lost her sight, Thomas has been by her side. But Tia is the second girl to go missing in Venice that week and now it's up to Thomas to race across the city, and uncover a hair-raising conspiracy.

Reviews

Sue

When Tia wins a trip to Venice as first prize for an art competition, her brother, Thomas, is initially relieved as he is sure that she will be unable to go. Since his sister lost her sight, Thomas has felt an overwhelming responsibility for her, whilst sure he embarrasses her with his terrible clumsiness. However, the requirement that Tia is accompanied by a family member means that Thomas ends up on the trip to Venice too. When Tia goes missing, Thomas is determined to find her. Leaving the hotel at night, he finds himself tracking down not only Tia, but another girl who has gone missing as well.

Entangled is a story which celebrates sibling love, friendship and resilience against the magical backdrop of Venice. It offers something a bit different for those who love endearing characters and a wild adventure!

Venice is richly portrayed through the story, offering a tempting glimpse of its labyrinthine ways, busy piazzas, ornate ironwork and network of canals and traditions of masked carnivals and mystery. Such a magical location hints at a sense of danger lurking beneath the beautiful surface, the perfect setting for a tale of kidnap and intrigue.

Thomas is a lovely character, surrounded by a warm, loving and very close family. His bond with his sister is really heart-warming, but the story also allows for conversations about enabling those we love to succeed and thrive rather than smothering them with kindness. The idea of 'entanglement' is sensitively explored through the story, but Thomas's devotion to his sister and the lengths he will go to to save her is a joy to read about. I also love the fact that he reminds people he is Welsh, not English when they make that assumption!

The fact that Tia is blind is really well handled. She is portrayed as a strong, capable girl with a great sense of humour who is happy to ask for help when needed. Thomas's clumsiness is also sensitively presented as is his acute sense of embarrassment when things go wrong, encouraging empathy and understanding of his situation.

Thomas's attempted rescue of his sister and Affie, the other girl who has disappeared, is full of tension, twists and turns, making Entangled a very entertaining and enjoyable read! ‎

256 pages / Reviewed by Sue Wilsher, teacher