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riverofhorton's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I remember really enjoying this book when I read as a 12 year old myself.
There was a lot that I didn't enjoy this time, though. I found myself just getting into the story, when boom, misogyny. Then I'd find myself just getting back into the story, when boom, racism. Then I'd find myself just getting into the story, when boom, something utterly non-sensical (like one character saying he prefers to hunt whales with a harpoon, then a page later the same character saying the humans are barbaric for killing the majestic creatures).
I also didn't like all the "I can't say what I want to say because this is a kids book". Just... Write for an older audience if you want to swear?
I did however, appreciate Foaly's humour for the most part.
There was a lot that I didn't enjoy this time, though. I found myself just getting into the story, when boom, misogyny. Then I'd find myself just getting back into the story, when boom, racism. Then I'd find myself just getting into the story, when boom, something utterly non-sensical (like one character saying he prefers to hunt whales with a harpoon, then a page later the same character saying the humans are barbaric for killing the majestic creatures).
I also didn't like all the "I can't say what I want to say because this is a kids book". Just... Write for an older audience if you want to swear?
I did however, appreciate Foaly's humour for the most part.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
jenny_librarian's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Artemis Fowl was the original Kaz Brekker. I couldn't help but compare the two while reading this book. Of course, Fowl isn't nearly as charismatic as Dirtyhands, but the two are just so similar in minds and schemes. You can bet if fairies existed in the Grishaverse, Kaz would have tried this exact thing.
I was pleasantly surprised at how entertaining this book was, and I think it's partly because of what I just mentioned. As a character in himself, I'm not a huge fan of Artemis. But thinking about Kaz (whom I obviously love) and what Fowl could become made me appreciate him more. The plot was good and it had some genuinely funny parts -- even the potty humour was better used than in some other MG books.
Being a product of its time, it's slightly sexist and there's a bit in the beginning that could be considered racist (Eoin Colfer had it right when he wrote the Vietnamese character's name as [last name] [first name] but since Nguyen is the last name and Xuan is the first name, calling that character "Mister Xuan" when Artemis doesn't know him personally would be the same as calling Root "Mister Root" -- which would not suit Artemis' personality at all), but I've seen worse.
I don't know yet if I'll read more of the series because it seems to be all of the same. One or two heist/kidnapping stories is interesting, but 8 books on the same theme might end up boring. We'll see.
I was pleasantly surprised at how entertaining this book was, and I think it's partly because of what I just mentioned. As a character in himself, I'm not a huge fan of Artemis. But thinking about Kaz (whom I obviously love) and what Fowl could become made me appreciate him more. The plot was good and it had some genuinely funny parts -- even the potty humour was better used than in some other MG books.
Being a product of its time, it's slightly sexist and there's a bit in the beginning that could be considered racist (Eoin Colfer had it right when he wrote the Vietnamese character's name as [last name] [first name] but since Nguyen is the last name and Xuan is the first name, calling that character "Mister Xuan" when Artemis doesn't know him personally would be the same as calling Root "Mister Root" -- which would not suit Artemis' personality at all), but I've seen worse.
I don't know yet if I'll read more of the series because it seems to be all of the same. One or two heist/kidnapping stories is interesting, but 8 books on the same theme might end up boring. We'll see.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Vomit, Dementia, and Kidnapping
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexism, Torture, Death of parent, and War