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slypig's review against another edition
4.0
Finally, six years after attending the launch party and throwing projectiles at Brandon Mull in the world's largest marshmallow war, I got around to reading this book. I know, I'm horrible. But Mull's storytelling is fun as always! This was a very satisfying followup to the first Candy Shop War.
justareadingmama_charly's review against another edition
3.0
My kids (8, 7, and 5) loved this just as much as the first. I liked it well enough, but I liked the first one more. This one felt a lot like an inferior repeat of the first. I did really like the Lindy plotline and that felt unique to this book. While it still has great friendships and themes, the ending in particular was a letdown after the first book.
But again, my kids absolutely loved it and are begging to read the third one now.
But again, my kids absolutely loved it and are begging to read the third one now.
joeelowe's review against another edition
5.0
Loved it as much as the candy shop war. Hope there’s another one coming down the pipeline! I mean how could there not if there’s a third sibling?
xpicth's review against another edition
3.0
This sequel didn’t have the tween attitudes that bothered me in the first book. It was fine, nothing extraordinary.
user613's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Death, Gun violence, Blood, and Kidnapping
rytheguy19's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Arcade Catastrophe is another great story from Mull, and is definitely a worthy sequel to the Candy Shop war. This book manages to keep the same action, intensity, and sense of adventure that made the first book so memorable, while also introducing new ideas and concepts that allow the story to stand apart on its own. This time around, there is new form of magic introduced that revolves around simulacrums, which is weaved so well into plot of the book and again feels like a more original idea for a magic system. Speaking of which, the magic candy of the last story and the new magic introduced in this story really seem to mesh with one another, since their rules and limitations are fairly consistent and don't obviously contradict each other. The plot itself is also a great standout. It once again follows the main kids as they search for magical items on behalf of a magician; however, this time they're competing directly against other magically enhanced children in bid to win more abilities, as well as to find out what happened to their missing friends. This allows the story to be somewhat familiar but still novel enough to be highly engaging. The premise also allows for some greatly entertaining and captivating action scenes, which once again can become intense and visceral enough to make the whole book feel like it's straddling the line between middle grade and young adult; something I still wish more high middle grade books would try.
Now, while their aren't exactly any serious problems I can think of to apply to this book, there are a couple minor nitpicks I want to bring up. Firstly, while the first was humorous enough to make me chuckle a few times, this installment seemed to be noticeably devoid of those same kind of funny moments, and I didn't really chuckle at any point while reading. Secondly, the arcade title and theme of this book don't seem to actually carry through the text all that much, unlike the first book where the theme of candy and candy stores worked throughout the text via the magic candy. Again, these are just small nitpicks of mine and don't effect the enjoyment of the book that much.
So, to sum this all up, Arcade Catastrophe is another fantastic book from Brandon Mull, as well as a worthy sequel to an already great book. I'm once again impressed with Mull's imagination and talent for writing, and still can't wait to read more of his work.
Now, while their aren't exactly any serious problems I can think of to apply to this book, there are a couple minor nitpicks I want to bring up. Firstly, while the first was humorous enough to make me chuckle a few times, this installment seemed to be noticeably devoid of those same kind of funny moments, and I didn't really chuckle at any point while reading. Secondly, the arcade title and theme of this book don't seem to actually carry through the text all that much, unlike the first book where the theme of candy and candy stores worked throughout the text via the magic candy. Again, these are just small nitpicks of mine and don't effect the enjoyment of the book that much.
So, to sum this all up, Arcade Catastrophe is another fantastic book from Brandon Mull, as well as a worthy sequel to an already great book. I'm once again impressed with Mull's imagination and talent for writing, and still can't wait to read more of his work.
lootgoblin's review against another edition
4.0
http://readfantasybooks.wordpress.com
Plot
After reading the first book I was pretty excited to read this one, but it wasn't until I started it that I realized how much more I enjoyed it than the first book!
Most of the book takes place at Arcadeland when Nate, Pidgeon, Summer, Trevor, and now Lindy decide to investigate this new arcade. After playing games for awhile they noticed that some of the children were collecting thousands of more tickets than it looked like anything could be worth. Soon they discover that everyone is competing to win one of four different stamps: jet, tank, sub, or a racecar, but until they win the stamp they have no idea why they seem to be so important or what they do.
Eventually, they learn that Mr. White is the owner of Arcadeland and once all the stamps are won he will need the children to go on missions, or in this case more like competitions, to obtain certain items that will lead him to the greatest treasure of all.
The basic plot of the book is actually very similar to the first book, but instead of receiving candy for going on missions the children get their stamps renewed. The reason why I believe I enjoyed this book so much more was because the missions themselves were not so dark and horrible, but more appropriate for the children reading this book. The story was exciting, engaging, and flowed a lot better than the previous book. The pace was perfect and I was never annoyed that there was too much or too little information. I also enjoyed the action scenes in this book because they provided great detail, were not overdone, and will hold the interest of any child reading the book.
Like most children's books, this one was pretty predictable because I was certain how the story was going to turn out in the end, but the actual ending and what the item was that Mr. White wanted was pretty surprising.
Brandon Mull wraps up this book by the end just like he did with his previous book. However, there were subtle hints that lead us to believe there will be a third book in this series.
Characters
The plot of the book is great, but the series lacks engaging and unique characters. I suppose that children wouldn't mind these characters, but I am a lot more picky and need to be able to really distinguish between each of them. I like to know everything I can about each of the characters and make a personal connection. That is not the case with this series.
All the characters are almost identical. I can't even tell them apart, especially Nate and Trevor. The only exceptions are Pigeon and Lindy who I believe we learn the most about throughout these two books. He is a lot different than his friends and he really stands out, but he just doesn't get to play a big role in the books. Lindy is a completely different character than she was in the previous book and is very interesting because she doesn't remember who she was. With Nate being the main character and spending the most time with him I thought we would have learned a lot more about him in this book, but I was greatly disappointed. I still don't know much about him. :( These books are definitely more plot than character focused.
Writing
I actually thought the writing was better in this book. It wasn't so choppy and flowed more easily. I really enjoyed Mull's writing and I think it would be easy for children to follow.
Overall Thoughts
Despite the lack of character development and slightly repetitive plot, Brandon Mull creates an exciting and engaging story that I know children will love to read. They may love it even more than me! I highly recommend reading this series, but be sure to read the first book since there are many references to it in this one.
My rating: 4/5 stars!
Plot
After reading the first book I was pretty excited to read this one, but it wasn't until I started it that I realized how much more I enjoyed it than the first book!
Most of the book takes place at Arcadeland when Nate, Pidgeon, Summer, Trevor, and now Lindy decide to investigate this new arcade. After playing games for awhile they noticed that some of the children were collecting thousands of more tickets than it looked like anything could be worth. Soon they discover that everyone is competing to win one of four different stamps: jet, tank, sub, or a racecar, but until they win the stamp they have no idea why they seem to be so important or what they do.
Eventually, they learn that Mr. White is the owner of Arcadeland and once all the stamps are won he will need the children to go on missions, or in this case more like competitions, to obtain certain items that will lead him to the greatest treasure of all.
The basic plot of the book is actually very similar to the first book, but instead of receiving candy for going on missions the children get their stamps renewed. The reason why I believe I enjoyed this book so much more was because the missions themselves were not so dark and horrible, but more appropriate for the children reading this book. The story was exciting, engaging, and flowed a lot better than the previous book. The pace was perfect and I was never annoyed that there was too much or too little information. I also enjoyed the action scenes in this book because they provided great detail, were not overdone, and will hold the interest of any child reading the book.
Like most children's books, this one was pretty predictable because I was certain how the story was going to turn out in the end, but the actual ending and what the item was that Mr. White wanted was pretty surprising.
Brandon Mull wraps up this book by the end just like he did with his previous book. However, there were subtle hints that lead us to believe there will be a third book in this series.
Characters
The plot of the book is great, but the series lacks engaging and unique characters. I suppose that children wouldn't mind these characters, but I am a lot more picky and need to be able to really distinguish between each of them. I like to know everything I can about each of the characters and make a personal connection. That is not the case with this series.
All the characters are almost identical. I can't even tell them apart, especially Nate and Trevor. The only exceptions are Pigeon and Lindy who I believe we learn the most about throughout these two books. He is a lot different than his friends and he really stands out, but he just doesn't get to play a big role in the books. Lindy is a completely different character than she was in the previous book and is very interesting because she doesn't remember who she was. With Nate being the main character and spending the most time with him I thought we would have learned a lot more about him in this book, but I was greatly disappointed. I still don't know much about him. :( These books are definitely more plot than character focused.
Writing
I actually thought the writing was better in this book. It wasn't so choppy and flowed more easily. I really enjoyed Mull's writing and I think it would be easy for children to follow.
Overall Thoughts
Despite the lack of character development and slightly repetitive plot, Brandon Mull creates an exciting and engaging story that I know children will love to read. They may love it even more than me! I highly recommend reading this series, but be sure to read the first book since there are many references to it in this one.
My rating: 4/5 stars!
jbkep's review against another edition
5.0
A fitting sequel to The Candy Shop War. I look forward to a 3rd.