Reviews

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes, by Jonathan Auxier

notroubles's review

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

4.5

rebeccabiega's review

adventurous funny mysterious medium-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? No

4.5

This was a wonderful adventure, peopled by wretched adults, and brave and clever children. Peter himself is a fantastic hero, and the story is full of oddballs, surprises, and fun wordplay. I really enjoyed it. 

jilljarvis's review

4.0

This was a re-listen for our family! My boys especially like the unique approach to this story!

abigailbat's review

A very imaginative fantasy adventure story told with lots of humor and nonstop action. Hand to fans of fantasy adventure like The Beyonders, The Emerald Atlas, etc.

jazzmatazdanger's review

5.0

Oh so good!

libraryrobin's review

4.0

Thoroughly enjoyable adventure! The first half is filled with creative world building and the second satisfyingly brings all the elements to their conclusion.

kitkatmichelle's review

3.0

3.5 stars. Not as good as Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard, which is the sequel that I read first, but still a lot of fun!

godard's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

briarrose1021's review

5.0

Peter Nimble was found as a baby, floating in a basket in the sea, his eyes pecked out by ravens. Over the years, Peter learned to use his other senses and, at 10 years old, he was the best thief around. One day, while engaging in his thievery, he comes across a mysterious traveling haberdasher. Stealing a strange box from the haberdasher, Peter doesn't realize that this single action will put Peter on the path to an amazing adventure.

This was an awesome book. The main protagonists are well-developed, as are several of the secondary characters. I also love that the main character is blind, using his other senses to have a full life. I also have to admit that the idea of Sir Toad being a kitten/horse combo is quite funny to imagine. The story was definitely fun, and the action, once began, rarely let up.

The audiobook, which was narrated by Michael Page, was a wonderful listen. Page's performance was spot-on with the emotion and tension, and his voice was a perfect fit for the snarkiness throughout the book. I look forward to listening to the next book in the series.

pumpkinsoup's review

adventurous dark funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This was one of my favorite books as a kid. I'd like to revisit sometime to see how it holds up, but based on what I remember from the last time I read it: the story's wonderfully crafted, the characters are unique and complex, and the writing, oh my god the writing style's beautiful. This story is part of why I wanted to be a writer. The only thing I don't like is

Spoiler

the ending, which involves the magical curing of Peter's disability. This is a trope I really dislike

and it kind of sours the experience for me. But other than that it's a wonderful, vividly written tale with a unique story that still feels familiar. Man I need to reread this book.

I'll rewrite this review once I reread it, but for now I'd rate this book 4/5 stars 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Ableism, Gore, Violence, Animal cruelty, and Slavery

Minor: Animal death