luboskrah's review against another edition
3.0
Svet je to naozaj zaujímavý, Nixova fantázia je úžasná a nemá medze a ďalšie si určite prečítam :)
imyerhero's review
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
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
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
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
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
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
pickett22's review
2.0
It wasn't bad, but not very memorable either. There are a lot of things I would like to have had explained; there wasn't much of an introduction to the world. Also, Milla is an awful character. I will read the next one, hopefully it will be better.
callmeluna's review
3.0
So I read these as a kid and couldn't remember if I'd finished them or not. After the first one I realized I didn't care enough to go through them all. It's not a bad book, it just comes of very dry and every chapter tries to end on a cliffhanger (THE MONSTER CAME RIGHT AT TAL'S HEAD) that is promptly resolved at the beginning of the next chapter (....and missed him, so he escaped)
Am I being mean to a kids book? Maybe. But it just wasn't that fun
Am I being mean to a kids book? Maybe. But it just wasn't that fun