Reviews

The Sea Fairies by L. Frank Baum

loelam's review against another edition

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medium-paced

3.0

queenvalaska's review against another edition

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

3.5

lynn_k's review against another edition

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3.0

There isn't a plot until about halfway through the book, but I enjoy Baum's writing so much that it didn't bother me. This is a highly enjoyable undersea adventure that is fantastical and funny.

hopeevey's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

A fun fairy tale

jdhobbes's review against another edition

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3.0

A fluffy children's adventure, with some scary (but not too scary!) bits, and a nice "Don't judge people before you get to know them" lesson. It's easy to see why Baum is famous for The Wizard of Oz and not for The Sea Fairies, but it was an enjoyable read.

sydneyrp143's review against another edition

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

4.0

blackmetalblackheart's review against another edition

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2.0

Despite a small page count, The Sea Fairies felt long. It was a chore to get through. The characters were okay, and some of the settings were cool, but overall, it felt like a pointless meandering. I was hoping for more. In Baum's Oz works, the world and characters are vibrant and awesome. The underwater world felt hollow, repetitive, and inconsistent. It could not capture my attention and imagination.

On a side note, I opted to pay 99 cents for the "illustrated" Kindle version, instead of going with the free version. The pictures that were present were at the end of the book, and it definitely did not include all of the illustrations from the original book. It was not worth the extra dollar.

prncssbeara3's review against another edition

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4.0

I rather enjoyed this quirky little sea tale. I found it enchanting, but also I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Like why are these mermaids so nice to these humans and what's the real plan, to kill them or harm them? I must read too many books with terrible twists and turns in them. But this book turned out not to have ulterior motives and the mermaids simply wanted to be friends. It's a lovely little bedtime story or something to read to your kids. Certainly interesting characters throughout the book and the fact that magic can fix everything was a bit much. But overall I found this book charming.

auntpookie's review against another edition

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3.0

Not as exciting as The Oz series. Perfect for little girls who loves mermaids.

library_brandy's review against another edition

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2.0

Against my better judgement, I picked this up from the library so Julian could read it independently. Of course "independently" didn't happen, so together we read the adventures of Trot and Cap'n Bill as they slipped beneath the sea with the mermaids. There we had lots of description of pretty things and an eventual villain.

Julian--who lives and breathes Oz, I remind you--admitted at the end that he didn't like it that much, and found it kind of dull. That said, we've moved on to the next one (Sky Island), which look to be at least vaguely more interesting.