anna_hepworth's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This is a competent middle grade fantasy with some really interesting elements, and yet I can't point at anything that I want to rave about, nor do I have any desire to recommend it to people. I think the 'really interesting elements' is kind of the thing - there are lot of ideas, some great set pieces, and yet it didn't hold together properly as a story. And I can't articulate why, which is frustrating.
It isn't that it was somewhat rambling and the high stakes sections didn't seem any more tense than the low stakes sections of the story, because I kind of like kind of rambling and dislike a narrative form that ratchets up the stress levels. It wasn't that it had rather a lot of chosen one fantasy tropes (although that certainly didn't help), because I get that those are tropes for a reason, and it isn't actually a Chosen One fantasy, although it might develop in to it if there is more of a series ('potential to be the most powerful' is find for a kid; 'suddenly the most powerful' pisses me off).
Having said that, it was interesting enough that if there was a sequel/longer series that I would read it, and I'm off to discover if that is the case
It isn't that it was somewhat rambling and the high stakes sections didn't seem any more tense than the low stakes sections of the story, because I kind of like kind of rambling and dislike a narrative form that ratchets up the stress levels. It wasn't that it had rather a lot of chosen one fantasy tropes (although that certainly didn't help), because I get that those are tropes for a reason, and it isn't actually a Chosen One fantasy, although it might develop in to it if there is more of a series ('potential to be the most powerful' is find for a kid; 'suddenly the most powerful' pisses me off).
Having said that, it was interesting enough that if there was a sequel/longer series that I would read it, and I'm off to discover if that is the case
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Violence
the 'unknown old uncle takes in the orphaned young girl' part of the story is creepy, but because the old guy is a generic arsehole, not because he's any particular type of creep.
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