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annaptobias's review
2.0
Received as an ARC, and was thoroughly excited by the steampunkish vibe that it was promising. To be honest, the book's bark was worse than its bite. If I don't care about the hero from the beginning, there's not much of a chance I'll care about him by the end.
lazygal's review
4.0
The back jacket blurb says that this is like Percy Jackson and Septimus Heap... I'd say it's more like A Series of Unfortunate Events meets Neverwhere/Un Lun Dun and The Mysterious Benedict Society.
Theo is one of those unfortunate/fortunate orphans - unfortunate in that he's basically a prisoner, kept separate from the world because of a mysterious disease, fortunate because Dr. Saint, Mr. Nicely and Clarice are all there to protect and care for him. On his birthday (I'm guessing 15th, but it's never stated), he's allowed a visit to the nearby graveyard where he finds a mysterious package: a snowglobe that "snows" dark soot and the message that he's in danger and needs to get out.
The conceit of a Candle Man ridding the world of dangerous criminals with Batmanesque names, of smoglings and garghouls, and a Society of Good Works battling the Society of Unremitting Vigilance is well constructed. Theo's life takes some unusual twists and by the end you wonder if Book Two's adventures will live up to Book One. We'll see.
Theo is one of those unfortunate/fortunate orphans - unfortunate in that he's basically a prisoner, kept separate from the world because of a mysterious disease, fortunate because Dr. Saint, Mr. Nicely and Clarice are all there to protect and care for him. On his birthday (I'm guessing 15th, but it's never stated), he's allowed a visit to the nearby graveyard where he finds a mysterious package: a snowglobe that "snows" dark soot and the message that he's in danger and needs to get out.
The conceit of a Candle Man ridding the world of dangerous criminals with Batmanesque names, of smoglings and garghouls, and a Society of Good Works battling the Society of Unremitting Vigilance is well constructed. Theo's life takes some unusual twists and by the end you wonder if Book Two's adventures will live up to Book One. We'll see.
frootjoos's review
3.0
A nifty, diverting read for ages 8 and up. Theo Saint is used to a life of routine and suppression: boring lessons, meager sustenance, and absolutely no going outside, unless it's a special treat for his birthday: for which he gets to go out the back gate and stand in a graveyard for a few minutes until the butler fancies it's cocoa time (for the butler anyway, as all that hot milk and sugar would be too overstimulating for someone like Theo). A mysterious package changes all that. The comedy reminds me a lot of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. I look forward to the next installment, due in Fall 2010.
sean67's review
2.0
It started out interesting enough but soon got fairly dull and more and more difficult to persevere with.
candide_woodard's review
2.0
It doesn't seem like an adult wrote this, it seems like a teenager wrote this.
rubel's review
3.0
Fun style, interesting characters, secret societies, disturbing plots, and an intriguing setting. Unfortunately, spends a bit too much time...building up to things. Things sped up nicely in the final act, however, with enough action and excitement and payoff that I very nearly bumped this to four stars. Much promise. Guess I'll got get the next one.
e_lace's review
5.0
I loved this book. it was a little slow but at the same time filled with magic or science fiction or something that made it stunning. The characters were almost whimsical and the evil was realistic. It didn't take long to get me hooked with this book and it was a fairly quick read
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