cubbykay's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
5.0
Let's get the bad out of the way. By publication order, this is the most heavy handed Lewis has been with the Christian themes. Sometimes it works pretty seamlessly into Narnia, especially Christianity's more fantastical parts, i.e. the Resurrection. But I know the allegorical parts of these books are a big draw for some people. When I was Christian, it certainly made me love the books more. Now I'm more just tolerant of it, but some moments in this book are overtly preachy.
Also, Caspian has always been a bland character.
So why did I still give it 5 stars? Because I think I love it more than Wardrobe. I know that's bold to say. I do adore that book, but I believe this one is my favorite of the series so far. The characters and adventures make me smile, I was enchanted while reading.
I love that each destination brings it's own mini story. Obviously, not everyone is a fan of this storytelling convention, but I feel like you get several adventures for the price of one. Lewis certainly isn't the first to do this, there was The Odyssey and The Hobbit before him. I've read those books as well, and maybe I'm a literary scrub for saying this, but I found Dawntreader more exciting and enthralling than those. Even the scene That section contributes nothing to the plot, but the imagery swept me off my feet and made me forget I wasn't in Narnia myself.
I've always loved Lucy, I connect with her deeply. I love Eustace because he's perfectly horrible, and I love Reepicheep because he's horribly perfect. All in all, a wonderful adventure.
Spoiler
Aslan literally appearing as a lamb and telling the Pevensies to find Him in their own world is way too jarring in a fantasy story. Did Aslan really need to get meta?Also, Caspian has always been a bland character.
So why did I still give it 5 stars? Because I think I love it more than Wardrobe. I know that's bold to say. I do adore that book, but I believe this one is my favorite of the series so far. The characters and adventures make me smile, I was enchanted while reading.
I love that each destination brings it's own mini story. Obviously, not everyone is a fan of this storytelling convention, but I feel like you get several adventures for the price of one. Lewis certainly isn't the first to do this, there was The Odyssey and The Hobbit before him. I've read those books as well, and maybe I'm a literary scrub for saying this, but I found Dawntreader more exciting and enthralling than those. Even the scene
Spoiler
with the sea people.I've always loved Lucy, I connect with her deeply. I love Eustace because he's perfectly horrible, and I love Reepicheep because he's horribly perfect. All in all, a wonderful adventure.
Moderate: Bullying
esme_may's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Nowhere near as coherent as The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe or Prince Caspian. Eustace is fun though, he has to in order to become even slightly self aware
Spoiler
turn into a literal dragonModerate: Blood, Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, and Violence
Minor: Bullying, Misogyny, Racism, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, Ableism, and Body shaming
The cannibalism tag is there because it mentions that dragons like to eat other dragons more than other foods. I’m not sure if it counts because it’s not about people but I thought I’d add it just in case
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