smorrison4's review
4.0
Another fun installment in the Candy Shop Wars series. I love Brandon Mull's writing, his stories are magical and imaginative. Looking forward to reading Carnival Quest next.
shaekin's review
4.0
I like reading books by one author where you can see the progression of their writing. Brandon Mull is definitely getting better. I liked this book quite a bit better than the original. The author stated he originally intended the Candy Shop war to be a stand alone novel. With that in mind, this is an excellent sequel with a lot of good tie-ins to the original. It sounds like there will at least be another novel in the series and I'm excited to see where he takes it.
raquel_reading_stuff's review
3.0
This book isn't as good as its prequel. It's a lot more violent, and there really isn't any magic candy- only these stamps that have magic effects. I kind of felt like some of it came from the hunger games- but not in a good way: there are teams, according to which stamp you are stamped with, and they end up competing almost violently against each other in missions. There isn't any reconnaissance at all.
I would recommend that you read it anyway, just to keep to the series.
I would recommend that you read it anyway, just to keep to the series.
bestpartofafire's review
1.0
The worst. SO annoying and uncreative. Listened to as an audiobook in the car and wanted to die the whole time. Absolute trash.
embingham's review
5.0
Wow! I've never found another author quite like Brandon Mull who can write a book that I can read with my 8 year old daughter, and we both have a hard time putting it down. This sequel to the Candy Shop War was so much better than I was expecting. I love Mull's creativity. The worlds he creates in his books are always full of fun surprises. What a great, entertaining, and clean read!
dandelionsteph's review
4.0
Though the series title seems a little out of place since the characters are no longer fighting a candy shop owner, I can't detect any other flaws. Sure, the list of questions at the end of the book felt demeaning, but if it helps endear Brandon Mull to teachers, it can be excused.
This book wasn't heavy on character development. Of all the characters, Nate developed the most, as he seemed willing (if reluctant) to sacrifice himself by destroying Uweya.
I don't mind its lack of focus on character development. Sentimental coming-of-age novels with hamfisted changes of character (the first example coming to mind being Vicki Blum's The Dragon Prince, though it might not fit the full definition*) bother me. The action in this book is appreciated.
However, this doesn't mean there's nothing but action. The characters (Nate at least) are clever negotiators and have prudence. Mr. White is also a competent villain with plenty of backup.
The varieties of candies used are limited. Flame Outs, Melting Pot Mixers, and most other candies other than Moon Rocks introduced in The Candy Shop War aren't used; even Shock Bits, which were mentioned, aren't used. (Despite the Shock Bits apparently being used on the cover) This is justified because magical candy interferes with the effects of the magical stamps, so it's normally risky to both be under the effects of a stamp and candy.
However, it's not like this book is Pokémon, which must arbitrarily give every kind of the distinguishing subject attention. It's a little jarring that the series has 'candy' in the title when this book involves much less candy than before, but this doesn't really count as a flaw so much as a minor nitpick.
Some new magical candies are used, though not all (Spider Bites and to a lesser extent Camouflage Caramels) are shown in action. While the Bestial Biscuits' effects bring to mind Animorphs, that's just because the Animorphs series popularized the animal-shapeshifting concept. While the results are the same, the execution and specific details are different. (Besides, the whole book doesn't focus on Bestial Biscuits alone.)
*Note: I read Vicki Blum's The Dragon Prince years ago, so I might not remember much but the ending.
This book wasn't heavy on character development. Of all the characters, Nate developed the most, as he seemed willing (if reluctant) to sacrifice himself by destroying Uweya.
I don't mind its lack of focus on character development. Sentimental coming-of-age novels with hamfisted changes of character (the first example coming to mind being Vicki Blum's The Dragon Prince, though it might not fit the full definition*) bother me. The action in this book is appreciated.
However, this doesn't mean there's nothing but action. The characters (Nate at least) are clever negotiators and have prudence. Mr. White is also a competent villain with plenty of backup.
The varieties of candies used are limited. Flame Outs, Melting Pot Mixers, and most other candies other than Moon Rocks introduced in The Candy Shop War aren't used; even Shock Bits, which were mentioned, aren't used. (Despite the Shock Bits apparently being used on the cover) This is justified because magical candy interferes with the effects of the magical stamps, so it's normally risky to both be under the effects of a stamp and candy.
However, it's not like this book is Pokémon, which must arbitrarily give every kind of the distinguishing subject attention. It's a little jarring that the series has 'candy' in the title when this book involves much less candy than before, but this doesn't really count as a flaw so much as a minor nitpick.
Some new magical candies are used, though not all (Spider Bites and to a lesser extent Camouflage Caramels) are shown in action. While the Bestial Biscuits' effects bring to mind Animorphs, that's just because the Animorphs series popularized the animal-shapeshifting concept. While the results are the same, the execution and specific details are different. (Besides, the whole book doesn't focus on Bestial Biscuits alone.)
*Note: I read Vicki Blum's The Dragon Prince years ago, so I might not remember much but the ending.
anonymous_loves_idk's review against another edition
adventurous
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.25