anousa_p's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
nadiaherondale's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
So, I had been really excited to read about the sequel to His Dark Materials as a big fan of the series (it's my whole childhood), but I just didn't vibe with this. I like that Pan and Lyra have problems, it was bound to happen considering what happened in the original trilogy and they have grown up. And having adventures is just what they do. But my problem is called Malcom Polstead and the ick his obssesion with Lyra gives me. I'm not gonna elaborate on it. I didn't quite enjoy him in La Belle Sauvage, but I did think that book was a bit boring (I would have liked it to be more about Asriel and maybe a bit of Mrs Coulter, not gonna lie), but here I just... honestly, he can just go for all I care. 3/5 I will read the final book once it comes out, but I'm not enjoying this.
whippetyfriend's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
nbhatta's review against another edition
4.0
Pullman writes some real engrossing novels, man.
I've literally been reading this all day. ALL DAY.
I liked it! Pan and Lyra's estrangement broke my heart, but it made sense. I liked the stance Pullman is taking with the "logic and reasoning is the only valid thing and emotion and art are silly" that's in our world as well.
The adult aspects of the book took me aback, but only because I was recently re-reading the His Dark Materials trilogy which is firmly YA.
I need the next book. I really do. When is it coming out??
I've literally been reading this all day. ALL DAY.
I liked it! Pan and Lyra's estrangement broke my heart, but it made sense. I liked the stance Pullman is taking with the "logic and reasoning is the only valid thing and emotion and art are silly" that's in our world as well.
The adult aspects of the book took me aback, but only because I was recently re-reading the His Dark Materials trilogy which is firmly YA.
I need the next book. I really do. When is it coming out??
lucym80's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
theultimatecalpal's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
ielerol's review against another edition
3.0
There is a ton going on in this book, parts of which I loved and parts of which I did not. The worldbuilding and political machinations are as good as ever from Pullman, and on the one hand I was very impatient to know what the heck is going on with the rose oil and the red building and the blue hotel. I love the idea of a quiet network of daemon-less people, and the further investigations into Dust and all that. Marcel Delamare is a vile snake in a way that's fun to hate!
But then there were whole stretches of this book that I found very unpleasant to read. The idea of Pan and Lyra arguing is heartbreaking of course, but it could have been in a good way, and instead it felt like a weirdly contrived excuse for Pullman to get preachy. Especially because I don't understand how one fictional novel about a world where daemons don't exist is somehow an argument that...in the real world, daemons don't exist? Even though they're plainly visible/can be sensed by everyone and have been around for all of human experience in Lyra's world and also everyone knows that they're also part of their own soul? Like, why would anyone find that compelling as an argument about the real world and not just an interesting thought experiment? Does the idea of speculative fiction not exist in Lyra's world? Seems like a weird choice for a fantasy author to make!
And then there's there parts where Lyra is randomly mean to other girls for no reason and with no further payoff or stakes? Like, if Pan's main reason for estrangement with Lyra was that he was mad at her for becoming an asshole to other women I might have been more here for it, but no it was just a shitty scene that's never returned to. And then there's Olivier Bonneville's general grossness, and...Lyra gets brutally assaulted by men who want to rape her. She heroically beats off the attackers with a literal stick so we all know that she's the right kind of rape victim, no "gray rape" or "maybe she was asking for it" or weird power dynamics that actually make it really hard for women to say no clearly or even identify what's happening to them as assault or literally anything that could make an interesting feminist commentary on rape culture. Nope, Lyra just needs to be at the lowest possible point, therefore, the way to get her there is to try and rape her! I was totally waiting for the captain to make a much more subtle and more typical-of-actual-rape move against Lyra after that one attack, and genuinely I think I might have preferred it? Or we could skip all of it. What if...there were ways to make sure your female character suffers that didn't involve sexual violence? What if I just never again read a scene about sexual violence against women that wasn't written by a woman? What if I imagined that alternate reality for myself instead of this one.
I also don't need more stories about 30-year-old men falling in love with 20-year-old women, written by men. Especially as Lyra at this point in time doesn't seem particularly lovable to me. I'm with Pan, she's been self-centered and shitty! It's not my least favorite part of this book, but it didn't make me like it better.
But then there were whole stretches of this book that I found very unpleasant to read. The idea of Pan and Lyra arguing is heartbreaking of course, but it could have been in a good way, and instead it felt like a weirdly contrived excuse for Pullman to get preachy. Especially because I don't understand how one fictional novel about a world where daemons don't exist is somehow an argument that...in the real world, daemons don't exist? Even though they're plainly visible/can be sensed by everyone and have been around for all of human experience in Lyra's world and also everyone knows that they're also part of their own soul? Like, why would anyone find that compelling as an argument about the real world and not just an interesting thought experiment? Does the idea of speculative fiction not exist in Lyra's world? Seems like a weird choice for a fantasy author to make!
And then there's there parts where Lyra is randomly mean to other girls for no reason and with no further payoff or stakes? Like, if Pan's main reason for estrangement with Lyra was that he was mad at her for becoming an asshole to other women I might have been more here for it, but no it was just a shitty scene that's never returned to. And then there's Olivier Bonneville's general grossness, and...Lyra gets brutally assaulted by men who want to rape her. She heroically beats off the attackers with a literal stick so we all know that she's the right kind of rape victim, no "gray rape" or "maybe she was asking for it" or weird power dynamics that actually make it really hard for women to say no clearly or even identify what's happening to them as assault or literally anything that could make an interesting feminist commentary on rape culture. Nope, Lyra just needs to be at the lowest possible point, therefore, the way to get her there is to try and rape her! I was totally waiting for the captain to make a much more subtle and more typical-of-actual-rape move against Lyra after that one attack, and genuinely I think I might have preferred it? Or we could skip all of it. What if...there were ways to make sure your female character suffers that didn't involve sexual violence? What if I just never again read a scene about sexual violence against women that wasn't written by a woman? What if I imagined that alternate reality for myself instead of this one.
I also don't need more stories about 30-year-old men falling in love with 20-year-old women, written by men. Especially as Lyra at this point in time doesn't seem particularly lovable to me. I'm with Pan, she's been self-centered and shitty! It's not my least favorite part of this book, but it didn't make me like it better.
emmatulip1's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
katebull's review against another edition
4.0
More people should share honey cakes and stories on long train journeys. Bravo, Mr Pullman. It was like I'd never been away.