hannah_the_home_librarian's review
4.0
Honestly, this book has been the best of the series thus far. In the third installment, everyone must learn to trust Conor again after he gave Rumfuss the Great Boar's talisman to the Conquerors. (This actually made for quite the plot point, especially as Rollan already has trust issues.) Meanwhile, Meilin has run off alone to Zhong and finds her father alive but betrayed by someone in his own army. I have to say, Meilin grew on me quite a bit in this book as she became more of the character I thought she'd be. I absolutely loved her interactions with Rollan in this book, more specifically as she cared for him as the Sunset Death almost claimed him. Um, authors? More Rollan and Meilin scenes like these, please! Abeke and Conor make a wonderful team as well. The bonding that occurred due to the battle was well-deserved and needed. Also, the ending cliffhanger of spirit animals changing masters? I definitely need further info on this!
4.5/5.0
4.5/5.0
mary_r_m's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to netgalley.com and Scholastic for allowing me access to this title.
This series is really starting to get exciting. I feel the characters have grown more in this segment, and now I'm more anxious for the next book.
This series is really starting to get exciting. I feel the characters have grown more in this segment, and now I'm more anxious for the next book.
nkbooklover's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
thepolybrary's review against another edition
3.0
~*Check out all my reviews over on The Bent Bookworm!*~
3/5 stars. The third in the Spirit Animals series, Blood Ties moves the quest of the four Chosen kids - Conor, Abeke, Meilin, and Rollan - onward. This time they are searching for the talisman of the Great Beast Dinesh (the elephant). After the startling end to the second book, this one picks up right after those events, and for the first two-thirds has separate timelines following the separated parties.
The separation of the group really made this book struggle. There was so much back and forth that it was really annoying and a bit confusing. Also, the writing is kind of awkward at times - I think Nix is used to writing for an older audience, and struggled some with writing a middle grade.
The last third of the book is what saved it from a lower star rating. The battle scene was well-written, and the ending broke my heart. As usual, the next step in the quest is revealed as well, and that sounds extremely interesting.
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3/5 stars. The third in the Spirit Animals series, Blood Ties moves the quest of the four Chosen kids - Conor, Abeke, Meilin, and Rollan - onward. This time they are searching for the talisman of the Great Beast Dinesh (the elephant). After the startling end to the second book, this one picks up right after those events, and for the first two-thirds has separate timelines following the separated parties.
The separation of the group really made this book struggle. There was so much back and forth that it was really annoying and a bit confusing. Also, the writing is kind of awkward at times - I think Nix is used to writing for an older audience, and struggled some with writing a middle grade.
The last third of the book is what saved it from a lower star rating. The battle scene was well-written, and the ending broke my heart. As usual, the next step in the quest is revealed as well, and that sounds extremely interesting.
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joanna_the_bannana's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
ezra_mp3's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
skyzinnia's review against another edition
4.0
The editing wasn't the best. I didn't appreciate the lack of commas. Many times the sentences were this and this and this and this, which made it a bit annoying to read. Also a few autocorrect errors like using good instead of could on page 109.
I don't think the author's they chose for this one were very suited to the genre itself. They don't seem to be very big authors, so I'm glad they were given the chance to get their names out there, however they both write mostly sci-fi as far as I can tell and you can just tell this is not their strong suit. Not that they did a terrible job or anything, but going from authors like Brandon Mull, who exclusively writes kid's fiction, to these authors who haven't written any is just a noticable skill gap.
I'm happy to see that Meilin and Rollan are finally moving in a good direction with Jhi and Essix!
I really like how they don't waste time getting into combat. When they're ready, they just start fighting. No several rounds of talking to each other, just straight fighting.
I really liked the change in Rollan when it came to Dinesh's talisman. I always like seeing character growth!
Shane making a reappearance was very interesting and what happened with Lishay was heartwarming.
Can't wait to read the next one as I'm LOVING the story!
I don't think the author's they chose for this one were very suited to the genre itself. They don't seem to be very big authors, so I'm glad they were given the chance to get their names out there, however they both write mostly sci-fi as far as I can tell and you can just tell this is not their strong suit. Not that they did a terrible job or anything, but going from authors like Brandon Mull, who exclusively writes kid's fiction, to these authors who haven't written any is just a noticable skill gap.
I'm happy to see that Meilin and Rollan are finally moving in a good direction with Jhi and Essix!
I really like how they don't waste time getting into combat. When they're ready, they just start fighting. No several rounds of talking to each other, just straight fighting.
I really liked the change in Rollan when it came to Dinesh's talisman. I always like seeing character growth!
Shane making a reappearance was very interesting and what happened with Lishay was heartwarming.
Can't wait to read the next one as I'm LOVING the story!
graeae's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0