ssjonoyoung's review against another edition
4.0
Such an incredibly fun, quick read to start my week. Garth Nix is one of the best writers I've read for creating complex worlds so easily in middle grade. The magic systems are always astounding and I think this one was solid. Following Tal after his failed attempt to get a new Sunstone he falls from the tower and the castle and is left trying to make his way back to his home.
Tal as a protagonist was massively enjoyable. He's obviously very young but also has a superiority that when contrasted with the societies around the Chosen has some really strong allusions to racism. The Underfolk are treated as servants because they aren't worthy of Sunstones and he views the Icecarl with complete disdain. The problem is that as a kid he has been lead a certain way but by the end we get to see him beginning to alter his stance a little.
Mainly of course because of Milla, who is intense. I will say that much. She is strong willed and slightly wild but also young and slightly uncertain of herself. Take Tal's simple comment of the quest to bring her back in line with his plans. Which wasn't very nice but honestly Tal isn't the nicest. But that's good in my eyes because I like mean characters. He is incredibly privileged for his position in society, no matter how tentative it is because of his father's unknown whereabouts, whilst Milla is a foil of what it's like outside the castle and to be raised in a tougher environment.
The magic system with the Sunstones was really cool and it's complimented of course by the Shadowguards and the Spiritshadows. They serve as guardians and they are a awesome feature of the book. Tal's shadowguard is always helping and standing by him and even though it had no lines or physical form I thoroughly enjoyed it's presence throughout. Of course it yields more snobbery because Milla and Icecarl have natural shadows and that is disdainful in Tal's eyes.
The world itself is really only hinted too in this book. We get the magic system and we get the towers and the Veil. But we don't get an explanation. The Veil itself is a mysterious blanket of darkness over the Castle which I'm assuming will be explored in book 4 and then Aenir in book 3. Aenir is a spirit world that's all we really get in this book and it's where all the spiritshadows and shadowguards come from. I cannot wait to explore that. I just think Garth Nix does an astounding job of writing middle grade, he is one of my favourite authors without a doubt and if this series is anything like Keys to the Kingdom it's gonna be stunning.
Other awesome things
- The Living Sea - Selski are like massive fantasy whales. A really cool touch but giving a twist on what we know. Crossing it on the other hand massively intense.
- The Merwin - The whole fight scene was great because it highlighted the Sunstone's magic and limitations whilst Milla was a badass.
- Milla wanting to be a shield maiden hopefully means there won't be any romance in this series. Fingers are crossed.
- All of Tal's attempts to get a Primary Sunstone where brilliant. He tried so hard bless him, the battle game thing was really cool and I hope that makes another appearance. Also the Empress's spiritshadow twas a little on the creepy/scary side. Wanna see more.
- The whole themes of the class differences and the society itself is really intriguing and I love how Nix kind of explores it a little in this book. Hopefully we see more.
Tal as a protagonist was massively enjoyable. He's obviously very young but also has a superiority that when contrasted with the societies around the Chosen has some really strong allusions to racism. The Underfolk are treated as servants because they aren't worthy of Sunstones and he views the Icecarl with complete disdain. The problem is that as a kid he has been lead a certain way but by the end we get to see him beginning to alter his stance a little.
Mainly of course because of Milla, who is intense. I will say that much. She is strong willed and slightly wild but also young and slightly uncertain of herself. Take Tal's simple comment of the quest to bring her back in line with his plans. Which wasn't very nice but honestly Tal isn't the nicest. But that's good in my eyes because I like mean characters. He is incredibly privileged for his position in society, no matter how tentative it is because of his father's unknown whereabouts, whilst Milla is a foil of what it's like outside the castle and to be raised in a tougher environment.
The magic system with the Sunstones was really cool and it's complimented of course by the Shadowguards and the Spiritshadows. They serve as guardians and they are a awesome feature of the book. Tal's shadowguard is always helping and standing by him and even though it had no lines or physical form I thoroughly enjoyed it's presence throughout. Of course it yields more snobbery because Milla and Icecarl have natural shadows and that is disdainful in Tal's eyes.
The world itself is really only hinted too in this book. We get the magic system and we get the towers and the Veil. But we don't get an explanation. The Veil itself is a mysterious blanket of darkness over the Castle which I'm assuming will be explored in book 4 and then Aenir in book 3. Aenir is a spirit world that's all we really get in this book and it's where all the spiritshadows and shadowguards come from. I cannot wait to explore that. I just think Garth Nix does an astounding job of writing middle grade, he is one of my favourite authors without a doubt and if this series is anything like Keys to the Kingdom it's gonna be stunning.
Other awesome things
- The Living Sea - Selski are like massive fantasy whales. A really cool touch but giving a twist on what we know. Crossing it on the other hand massively intense.
- The Merwin - The whole fight scene was great because it highlighted the Sunstone's magic and limitations whilst Milla was a badass.
- Milla wanting to be a shield maiden hopefully means there won't be any romance in this series. Fingers are crossed.
- All of Tal's attempts to get a Primary Sunstone where brilliant. He tried so hard bless him, the battle game thing was really cool and I hope that makes another appearance. Also the Empress's spiritshadow twas a little on the creepy/scary side. Wanna see more.
- The whole themes of the class differences and the society itself is really intriguing and I love how Nix kind of explores it a little in this book. Hopefully we see more.
constant_reader_19's review against another edition
4.0
Cool concept…will definitely check out the others in the series.
bl0ndekitten's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
roshk99's review against another edition
2.0
Stereotypical fantasy - lives up to all the cliches known to fantasy
imyerhero's review against another edition
3.0
It’s hard for me to judge this book since it represents my first foray back into YA fiction in nearly six months. After tackling “classic” novels and stories which were nearly 600 pages long, this 195 page book caught me off guard. I’ve settled into feeling I have at least a hundred pages for character development and plot introduction, not to mention room to spare for details. But with YA fiction, you don’t have that luxury. Teens have short attention spans. So all of a sudden, I was dropped into a fantasy world with no introduction or point of relationship to my own.
However, once I was initiated, Nix’s magic did it’s thing. He has an incredible ability to create. If any of you have read his “The Old Kingdom” trilogy, you’ll know what I mean. This story, while much more accelerated than any of his previous works, still is a great read. He has set himself up nicely for a wonderful series, including honest and believable characters and a sense of intrigue leaving you ready for more.
I was torn in how to review this book. It’s quality encouraged me to review it somehow, but since I have never reviewed a series before, the presentation aspect was tough. So, I’ve decided to review each one individually, but only answer the questions whose answers will change with each installment. I hope it works…
However, once I was initiated, Nix’s magic did it’s thing. He has an incredible ability to create. If any of you have read his “The Old Kingdom” trilogy, you’ll know what I mean. This story, while much more accelerated than any of his previous works, still is a great read. He has set himself up nicely for a wonderful series, including honest and believable characters and a sense of intrigue leaving you ready for more.
I was torn in how to review this book. It’s quality encouraged me to review it somehow, but since I have never reviewed a series before, the presentation aspect was tough. So, I’ve decided to review each one individually, but only answer the questions whose answers will change with each installment. I hope it works…
hawkelf's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
A very densely built world, maybe it has too many concepts? It feels like a book built to sell based on the trends of the time it was written, for better or worse. I won't finish the series, but I would play some version of that tabletop game it mentioned.
kendalf's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
I read this as a kid and remembered loving it and now as an adult can say I still enjoy it.
iffer's review against another edition
3.0
Let me start off by saying that I really enjoy series by Garth Nix. I always find it refreshing to read his books because his ideas and the fantasy worlds that he builds, are always extremely creative, much more so than many young adult and children's fantasy adventure series that now glut up the market due to the massive success of Harry Potter. Garth Nix's fantasy novels also always contain at least a hint of "darkness," I suppose I would say, some sort of complexity or abstract ideas about human nature and/or society that I think elevate them above mere fantasy fluff.
Anyhow, I enjoyed Nix's Seventh Tower series, but not nearly so much as his later works Sabriel and The Keys to the Kingdom series, both of which are more developed and more elegant in their writing style. Due to the fact that the Seventh Tower series was one of Nix's earlier works, and because they're geared toward younger children (I would guess 3rd-5th grade), they seemed more simplistic, especially in the characterization near the beginning. However, the polarization (no light pun intended) of the characters' personalities did provide room for them to grow throughout the series. Also, Nix again succeeded in creating a fantasy society, and "magic" that were refreshingly different from the Tolkein-esque.
Anyhow, I enjoyed Nix's Seventh Tower series, but not nearly so much as his later works Sabriel and The Keys to the Kingdom series, both of which are more developed and more elegant in their writing style. Due to the fact that the Seventh Tower series was one of Nix's earlier works, and because they're geared toward younger children (I would guess 3rd-5th grade), they seemed more simplistic, especially in the characterization near the beginning. However, the polarization (no light pun intended) of the characters' personalities did provide room for them to grow throughout the series. Also, Nix again succeeded in creating a fantasy society, and "magic" that were refreshingly different from the Tolkein-esque.
davidscrimshaw's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't enjoy this as much as I've enjoyed books in other series by Garth Nix, but it went quickly and I like his other stuff so much that I'll read the next one.
No talking animals of any kind so far.
If you haven't tried Nix, I recommend starting with:
- [b:Sabriel|518848|Sabriel (Abhorsen, #1)|Garth Nix|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1293655399s/518848.jpg|3312237],
- [b:Mister Monday|47613|Mister Monday (The Keys to the Kingdom, #1)|Garth Nix|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1298425074s/47613.jpg|1243291], or
- [b:Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz: Three Adventures|12479311|Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz Three Adventures|Garth Nix|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328658168s/12479311.jpg|17463822]
No talking animals of any kind so far.
If you haven't tried Nix, I recommend starting with:
- [b:Sabriel|518848|Sabriel (Abhorsen, #1)|Garth Nix|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1293655399s/518848.jpg|3312237],
- [b:Mister Monday|47613|Mister Monday (The Keys to the Kingdom, #1)|Garth Nix|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1298425074s/47613.jpg|1243291], or
- [b:Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz: Three Adventures|12479311|Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz Three Adventures|Garth Nix|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328658168s/12479311.jpg|17463822]
akarman's review against another edition
2.0
اون قشنگی و جذابیت بقیه مجموعههای گارت نیکس رو نداشت
حتی کلیدهای مادشاهی با اون بچگونه بودنش کمی هیجان انگیز تر بود
حتی کلیدهای مادشاهی با اون بچگونه بودنش کمی هیجان انگیز تر بود