yayyab's review against another edition
3.0
what if His Dark Materials but also rape wielded as a plot device (again) / gross 'romances' between a professor and student with a big age gap / white saviourism / scholastic red-pilling / unimaginative, colonial depictions of the Middle East / ISIS has joined the chat ???
I have questions, Philip!!!
scott_you_reading's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
aworthi's review against another edition
3.0
Another three star rating but an improvement for the two star I gave the first book. We're back with LYRA and I couldn't be happier about it. It made the narrative 10x more engaging however she was not the only pov but one of five(?) which made this slow reading as few of the others have as strong a narrative voice as hers. Again large parts of the book were overlong and boring. The start was very strong, middle weak and it wasn't until the very end I felt properly engaged. I do need to note that Michael Sheen is a fantastic narrator throughout the first book and this one and without him I'm really not sure if i would have finished either books.
emrache's review against another edition
2.0
This review contains spoilers...
I had a lot of problems with this book. I see and appreciate the big picture ideas that Pullman was trying to get at, but there were so many plot points and details that were unneeded and unwanted.
Why does Malcom have to be in love with Lyra? Uncalled for and weird.
Why does she have to almost get raped? Excessive.
Why does this line have to exist: "to add to all the other discomforts, she began to feel a familiar deep dragging ache low in her belly. Well, it was due."? Unnecessary.
Regardless, I'm sure I'll still read the last one when it comes out.
I had a lot of problems with this book. I see and appreciate the big picture ideas that Pullman was trying to get at, but there were so many plot points and details that were unneeded and unwanted.
Why does Malcom have to be in love with Lyra? Uncalled for and weird.
Why does she have to almost get raped? Excessive.
Why does this line have to exist: "to add to all the other discomforts, she began to feel a familiar deep dragging ache low in her belly. Well, it was due."? Unnecessary.
Regardless, I'm sure I'll still read the last one when it comes out.
whatthefawkes's review against another edition
5.0
I am extremely impatient to wait god knows how long for the next book.
sonofatreus's review against another edition
4.0
I would have liked to have enjoyed this more. The heart of the story is that Lyra and Pan are coping with the personal consequences of the events from the main trilogy. Of course, this is a new trilogy, so it is also connected with events of the first book, La Bella Sauvage, and some characters return from that book. Malcolm returns and has his own storyline here but he isn't the main character by any means.
For a second book in a trilogy, I think this works rather well. It expands upon some themes and the characters of the first book really well. We learn about the titular secret commonwealth that was introduced in La Belle Sauvage (without our knowing, perhaps). The Secret Commonwealth also does a good job teeing up for the third book in the trilogy by tying up some loose ends that were central to this book but also providing new ones to follow.
Unfortunately, as a single book, not everything works well. The Malcolm storyline is left hanging, and not with a cliffhanger, per se, so much as just...left there. Another storyline is likewise not really ended by the end of this book (but I won't say which). There are also some story choices that don't seem to have any real reward in this book; maybe they will in the third of the trilogy but that's yet to be seen. One character is in love with another in a relationship that seems somewhat problematic for a few reasons. These feelings are never really explored either, so we get a questionable expression of love that never really goes anywhere. Separately, there is an attempted rape scene that also doesn't seem to have any reason for being since it comes very close to the end of the book.
That said, it felt like a good followup to La Belle Sauvage, if not quite His Dark Materials.
For a second book in a trilogy, I think this works rather well. It expands upon some themes and the characters of the first book really well. We learn about the titular secret commonwealth that was introduced in La Belle Sauvage (without our knowing, perhaps). The Secret Commonwealth also does a good job teeing up for the third book in the trilogy by tying up some loose ends that were central to this book but also providing new ones to follow.
Unfortunately, as a single book, not everything works well. The Malcolm storyline is left hanging, and not with a cliffhanger, per se, so much as just...left there. Another storyline is likewise not really ended by the end of this book (but I won't say which). There are also some story choices that don't seem to have any real reward in this book; maybe they will in the third of the trilogy but that's yet to be seen. One character is in love with another in a relationship that seems somewhat problematic for a few reasons. These feelings are never really explored either, so we get a questionable expression of love that never really goes anywhere. Separately, there is an attempted rape scene that also doesn't seem to have any reason for being since it comes very close to the end of the book.
That said, it felt like a good followup to La Belle Sauvage, if not quite His Dark Materials.
minty's review against another edition
4.0
This is probably 3.5 stars, as so little really HAPPENS. But of course, I enjoyed being back in the world, and this one had a lot of heartwrenching elements, plus some truly harrowing sequences. It helps, too, that we're currently watching the show so I am in a Lyra-Pantalaimon place.
monarcadelibros's review against another edition
3.0
It didn't feel like the same Lyra we grew to love.
sams_tower's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
dott's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75