Reviews with content warning for Death - The Secret Commonwealth

The main conflict between Lyra and Pan is alright but there were moments where their arguments seemed too harsh. Yes, coming from the end of “The Amber Spyglass”, their relationship is strained. In the original HDM trilogy, I enjoyed Lyra and Pan’s camaraderie and their interactions were one of my favorite aspects. While in “The Secret Commonwealth”, they spend a good portion of the book either arguing with or being separated from each other. It fits the story but it isn’t how I envisioned the characters grown up.

The characters from “La Belle Sauvage” get re-introduced (since TSC takes place when Lyra is 20 years old; years after HDM ends) and I REALLY enjoyed that aspect! Pullman blended the familiar and new characters well.

The plot itself is somewhat confusing. Since the audiobook is 20 hours long, I found myself tuning in and out (and I sped up the narration) which led to some details being lost. I got the gist of it as the book progressed but I think the author tried to cram a lot into the book (which is basically 640 pages), spending time on flushing out less important details. And knowing there will eventually be a third book is very interesting!

Still docking points for the “Unabridged” audiobook version having some vulgar language and a few triggers.

Overall, I like “The Book of Dust”. I prefer the stories of “His Dark Materials” but “The Book of Dust” fits well as a continuation!

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lucecanon's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.5

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balfies's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The HBO His Dark Materials finale had got me down so bad that I purchased and read this 700 page tome in a day. I read the first of the Book of Dust trilogy a few years ago and wasn't taken by it, but this was a more compelling read.

Feels more akin to Pullman's Sally Lockhart series than the rest of His Dark Materials - it is a balancing act between a magical spy thriller and a philosophical argument for the necessity of imagination and folklore. Also they let Lyra drop the f bomb.

Altogether enjoyed it a lot more, and how it expands on the ineffable relationship we have to our souls. Also every ten pages Lyra thinks about Will and misses him and wants to be more like him and that was DEVASTATING.

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kateships's review against another edition

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adventurous dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I am really glad this sequel exists and am waiting patiently for the next one. This does not feel the same as the original series, but Lyra is different herself so it shouldn’t. Do not read this if

you just want a happy story with some kind of Will reunion

because this is not that. It’s complicated and I found it irritating because I just wanted to shake the characters and tell them to figure it out! But I found it to be a realistic version of events post-HDM and it’s fun to get to see more of Lyra growing up and dealing with life. If you loved the original series and want more, this is a good read.

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theoreads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious fast-paced

5.0

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norwegianforestreader's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

5.0

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