shaekin's review against another edition
2.0
This one wasn't my favorite. One of the characters lies a lot and no one really calls her out on it, they almost seem to admire her for how easily and believably she can do it. It was a little disturbing. I kept waiting for something to happen to show her she maybe shouldn't lie, but nothing. They just acted like it was a normal everyday thing. Not exactly what I expected from a kids book.
dana_tibbetts's review against another edition
4.0
It was a nice little read! Glad to have finally actually read the last part of the series.
cas_the_second's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
captainatl's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
jakes_booktakes's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
lisaperl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
stardustpetal's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
mystic_dclouds's review against another edition
3.0
Finally, I have completed this series more for closure than anything else.
I liked how this series explored the complex relationships and emotions between step siblings and second marriages. However I felt it was a bit lacking since many times there were “unexplainable” jumps such as sudden remedies and extreme dislike. I think if the book was a bit longer, then it’s possible these topics may have been fleshed out better. Currently it seems like the book tries too hard at giving a happy ending with everything patched up nicely.
The giants were our main focus in this book with a trickle of the fairies story. Honestly, I’m not sure why the fairies were even there. It felt more like they were being a nuisance and the kids weren’t even interested in helping them. Maybe they were to add to the plot but besides the first book they always were on the back burner. I also felt a lacking appeal from the giants and the Hydra. I don’t know but unlike the first series these characters were just there. They didn’t add to the story or make it interesting so it fell flat.
The Grace siblings make a recurrence in this series from the end of the second book to the third. But let’s not get too crazy because our highlight was Nicholas. I’m not against highlighting a single character or portraying one as super strong or smart but it has to be reasonable within the given context. We know from the original series that the Grace kids are not only smart and crafty but also daring. So it was odd and weird that they lasted only a few seconds in front of the Wyrm King, from a distance with no actual fighting and basically doing nothing.
Overall, I really only gave this book three stars because the plot was somewhat interesting and had potential. I enjoyed the idea of giants waking up from a slumber to control the Hydra population and the Hydra themselves creating sinkholes in the roads. It was pretty believable. The last fight was pretty much anti climatic and I felt a lack of description in the overall scenes. I also felt that most characters were just there and not really helpful to the story. Not sure if I’ll ever recommend this series but it was a quick, short read if you ever need one.
Read more reviews @ Mystic's Review Shelf
I liked how this series explored the complex relationships and emotions between step siblings and second marriages. However I felt it was a bit lacking since many times there were “unexplainable” jumps such as sudden remedies and extreme dislike. I think if the book was a bit longer, then it’s possible these topics may have been fleshed out better. Currently it seems like the book tries too hard at giving a happy ending with everything patched up nicely.
The giants were our main focus in this book with a trickle of the fairies story. Honestly, I’m not sure why the fairies were even there. It felt more like they were being a nuisance and the kids weren’t even interested in helping them. Maybe they were to add to the plot but besides the first book they always were on the back burner. I also felt a lacking appeal from the giants and the Hydra. I don’t know but unlike the first series these characters were just there. They didn’t add to the story or make it interesting so it fell flat.
The Grace siblings make a recurrence in this series from the end of the second book to the third. But let’s not get too crazy because our highlight was Nicholas. I’m not against highlighting a single character or portraying one as super strong or smart but it has to be reasonable within the given context. We know from the original series that the Grace kids are not only smart and crafty but also daring. So it was odd and weird that they lasted only a few seconds in front of the Wyrm King, from a distance with no actual fighting and basically doing nothing.
Overall, I really only gave this book three stars because the plot was somewhat interesting and had potential. I enjoyed the idea of giants waking up from a slumber to control the Hydra population and the Hydra themselves creating sinkholes in the roads. It was pretty believable. The last fight was pretty much anti climatic and I felt a lack of description in the overall scenes. I also felt that most characters were just there and not really helpful to the story. Not sure if I’ll ever recommend this series but it was a quick, short read if you ever need one.
Read more reviews @ Mystic's Review Shelf
paperbackd's review against another edition
4.0
A great conclusion to the Beyond Spiderwick series, and I hope this is not the last book Black and DiTerlizzi will work on together. Fans of the original series will love this one, as the Grace siblings return to work together with Nick, Laurie and Jules.