readingthroughtheages's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
This one took awhile for me to get into. There was a big cast of characters and I had trouble remembering them and remembering traits. I needed to start a map of characters to help me. Once I had a handle on them, I was better able to enjoy the story. The last 100 pages went by quickly, just wish I had been able to fall into the story before that.
This one took awhile for me to get into. There was a big cast of characters and I had trouble remembering them and remembering traits. I needed to start a map of characters to help me. Once I had a handle on them, I was better able to enjoy the story. The last 100 pages went by quickly, just wish I had been able to fall into the story before that.
books_plan_create's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my heart. I loved this book so so much. Kiki Kallira is just your normal London girl who has fears that a goose is going to burgle her home and murder her mom....yes you read that correctly! Kiki has severe anxiety and to help her brain stop fixating on things that could go wrong, she draws. Starting a new sketchbook, she draws out scenes from an Indian mythology tale her mother told her, but there's just one problem with that...It becomes real! Now Kiki has to defeat the now real mythological bad guy in her imaginary mythological world with a group of rebel kids before he enters Kiki's world.
I enjoyed this book because it dealt with anxiety issues in a way that makes it easy to understand for kids, and adults. There is also apparent growth of all of the characters in the book, and it was just a fun ride.
I adored the audio narrator Zenia Starr-she has a lovely accent to bring life to Kiki, even though for some reason I kept wanting her to speak like Moaning Myrtle from the Harry Potter movies lol. But seriously, she brought a lot of exasperation and emotion to the story in a wonderful way.
So, if you or someone you know is a fan of Paola Santiago or Aru Sha they will enjoy this book! And now I have to go look into more books by Sangu Mandanna whilst waiting for (hopefully!!) a 2nd Kiki book.
Thank you NetGalley and Viking Books for Young Readers for the arc! And thank you Penguin Random House audio for the review audio.
I enjoyed this book because it dealt with anxiety issues in a way that makes it easy to understand for kids, and adults. There is also apparent growth of all of the characters in the book, and it was just a fun ride.
I adored the audio narrator Zenia Starr-she has a lovely accent to bring life to Kiki, even though for some reason I kept wanting her to speak like Moaning Myrtle from the Harry Potter movies lol. But seriously, she brought a lot of exasperation and emotion to the story in a wonderful way.
So, if you or someone you know is a fan of Paola Santiago or Aru Sha they will enjoy this book! And now I have to go look into more books by Sangu Mandanna whilst waiting for (hopefully!!) a 2nd Kiki book.
Thank you NetGalley and Viking Books for Young Readers for the arc! And thank you Penguin Random House audio for the review audio.
avid_reader_sf_and_f's review against another edition
4.0
Fabulous Middle Grade fun. I want more Kiki adventures.
kaylasonlyheart's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-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
4.5
pomegranateseedpress's review against another edition
2.0
I'm conflicted.
I wanted to love this book so much - heroic girl featuring fantastical Mysore? Indian mythology? Drawing comes to life? Artist main character? I loved all of these things. Even an unexpected turn of events that I didn't see coming.
Still - something about the story fell flat. We read this aloud at bedtime and it took 7 long MONTHS for us to finish. We literally read dozens of books in between it because the story lagged so much- we lost interest - my son didn't enjoy it at all - but we persevered. In the end, I'd really rate it 2.5. It was an Owl Crate book for us - and I had high expectations -but to be honest - both Owl Crate books we've read so far haven't been that great.
What was it about the story that fell so flat? I think there were a lot of holes in the world building that made it hard to believe (couldn't she just draw her way out of everything? with the power of her pencil creating things - seems like there was a lot of potential for alternate stories here)... the character herself I found hard to get into her head, her viewpoint. So much telling and information dumping that I wasn't lead into the world with wonder - we were just told tons of details and how everything worked, which took away the magic of discovering it as a mystery...
I'm not sure if the high expectations are what made it fall flat, but it just didn't work for us, despite wanting to love it. Yay for diversity though.
I wanted to love this book so much - heroic girl featuring fantastical Mysore? Indian mythology? Drawing comes to life? Artist main character? I loved all of these things. Even an unexpected turn of events that I didn't see coming.
Still - something about the story fell flat. We read this aloud at bedtime and it took 7 long MONTHS for us to finish. We literally read dozens of books in between it because the story lagged so much- we lost interest - my son didn't enjoy it at all - but we persevered. In the end, I'd really rate it 2.5. It was an Owl Crate book for us - and I had high expectations -but to be honest - both Owl Crate books we've read so far haven't been that great.
What was it about the story that fell so flat? I think there were a lot of holes in the world building that made it hard to believe (couldn't she just draw her way out of everything? with the power of her pencil creating things - seems like there was a lot of potential for alternate stories here)... the character herself I found hard to get into her head, her viewpoint. So much telling and information dumping that I wasn't lead into the world with wonder - we were just told tons of details and how everything worked, which took away the magic of discovering it as a mystery...
I'm not sure if the high expectations are what made it fall flat, but it just didn't work for us, despite wanting to love it. Yay for diversity though.
georgiahutchinson's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-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
4.0
meg_mazzaferro's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
fast-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? N/A
4.75
bookish_penguin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
tabby2920's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-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
4.75