jellybean1981's review against another edition
5.0
I have a very bad case of sadness, I never wanted to finish this book. It was an amazing book that had me from page one.
It is an adult Fairytale that is based in a little village with magical woods, it's based around the war & sees two children living with a secret, until one day the secret has to be revealed to save the village.
It is an adult Fairytale that is based in a little village with magical woods, it's based around the war & sees two children living with a secret, until one day the secret has to be revealed to save the village.
amongstchaosshereads's review against another edition
'A classic... filled with magic and escapism' - This is a perfect description for this book
georgie24's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-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
5.0
farawayinwonderland's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
sophiareads_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.0
Content Warnings: war, violence, death, gun violence, violence against children, death of a parent, Nazism (mentioned)
During the Blitz, Hamish is evacuated to a small town in the English countryside, where he and the daughter of his evacuee family, Penny, meet the mystical Briarmen who live in the woods beyond the railway. When rumours spread of a German plane crashing into the woods, however, their secret is in jeopardy.
Unfortunately, this was a really tough read for me. I found the writing style so distracting that I just couldn't get into the story - which is a shame because for the most part I thought the story was pretty good and well paced, if nothing groundbreaking. There were one too many errors with missing punctuation throughout, which is a MAJOR pet peeve of mine and just continuously took me out of the story.
I really think this book would have benefitted from a harsher editor - the writing is very clunky and sentences are meandering. I definitely got that 'essay trying desperately to reach the word count' vibe from it, which really doesn't lend anything to the story. There was a real issue with 'tell' not 'show' here, with everything being so explicitly spelled out for the reader. Trust us to read between the lines! We can pick up on foreshadowing without you having to explicitly remind us of it when the reveal comes!
Also, while I appreciate the idea of exploring the nuances of the ordinary soldier by making the German pilot one of the heroes of the story, I don't think this was particularly well executed. Yeah, he's nice to some white English kids, but if you want me to root for a German soldier in WW2, I need SOME kind of assurance that he doesn't believe in Nazi ideology, and I did not get that.
I liked the idea of this story, but I'm afraid I would have DNFed this if I wasn't reading to review.
Thanks to Crescent Swan for sending me a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, Death, and Gun violence
Moderate: Death of parent
thebookwormsfeast's review against another edition
5.0
Ah, I loved this!
The story takes place during World War II with a touch of fantasy - and follows two children and their encounter with the Briarmen in the woods of an English village.
It has so much charm, and turns into a bit of a mystery with an dramatic conclusion! There's a few strands of storyline that weave together beautifully to give us our ending - and it was simply a joy to read.
I haven't read Narnia, but from watching the film's I get the same sense of escapism from the terrors of the time - the feeling of leaving behind strife for a time while surrounded by the magical. I would love to meet the Briarmen, and can really picture them hiding out amongst the trees. All the characters are so lovable - and to be honest I'd love more of their lives after the events in this book.
Thank you Crescent Swan for the copy to review.
The story takes place during World War II with a touch of fantasy - and follows two children and their encounter with the Briarmen in the woods of an English village.
It has so much charm, and turns into a bit of a mystery with an dramatic conclusion! There's a few strands of storyline that weave together beautifully to give us our ending - and it was simply a joy to read.
I haven't read Narnia, but from watching the film's I get the same sense of escapism from the terrors of the time - the feeling of leaving behind strife for a time while surrounded by the magical. I would love to meet the Briarmen, and can really picture them hiding out amongst the trees. All the characters are so lovable - and to be honest I'd love more of their lives after the events in this book.
Thank you Crescent Swan for the copy to review.
books_with_kayleigh's review against another edition
5.0
Such a beautiful, magical story. I want to meet a briarman!
oncemorewithreading's review against another edition
4.0
This book was so magical and fun! It felt so nostalgic and I absolutely loved how beautifully written it was! This book left me feeling content and just so happy! This book is perfect for anyone looking for a beautiful escape!