gizmo_42's review
5.0
I've read a couple of Darren Shan book series and this has to be one of my favourites, so well written, amazing story that flows through each book, and amazing characters that you find out more about as the story I folds, the story keeps you engrossed and want you to keep reading to find out what happens next. There is some surprises and shocks during The story of Archibald Lox.. Darren Shan is one of favourite authors and his books are amazing to read...
tyrelljh's review
5.0
Archibald Lox and the Legion of the Lost was an excellent conclusion to the series. From start to finish the pacing was really quick. Revelation after revelation, death after death, Darren Shan sure knows how to keep us interested.
I kind of suspected the big plot twist in this book (due to the voice in Archie's head from the sinkhole) but it was still an excellent execution of the plot twist.
The conclusion was bitter sweet but neatly answered all the questions that I had. BUT why oh why did Archie and Inez not get together :( !!
jubaju's review
2.0
2.5 stars
This will be a review of the entire series.
It is painfully difficult for me to say that I did not enjoy this series. I seriously considered DNFing during Book 6 but decided to push through to read the Darren Shan-esque ending. Indeed, even if I'm no longer 10 years old and have no business reading books that would be suitable for middle graders, Darren Shan has always had a way with his endings that leave me satisfied (although sometimes shell shocked and often heart broken). Cirque du Freak was one of the first series that I read in English (second only to Goosebumps), and I read it 7 times, closing the last book and jumping right back into the first, Demonata absolutely wrecked me even though I read it much later, and I spent months mulling over Zom-B's ending, and I was already in my 20s when I read it. So when I saw that Darren Shan, man who taught me English, beloved author of my childhood, teenagerhood, and adulthood had released a new series, I threw myself at it. Unfortunately, I've become old.
I couldn't connect to Archie. I thought he was impulsive, over-emotional, immature, too brash, too clueless. The side characters weren't developed enough and I couldn't bond with them. I barely cared when. I wanted the bad guys to burn in the fiery pits of hell, but not because I wanted Archie to succeed, rather just because they were cookie-cutter bad guys.
The writing was very bad. Whole paragraphs written in brackets as an afterthought the author didn't know how to phrase an didn't know where to place. Things were repeated over and over, not only at the beginning of each volume, but also multiple times in a book. Like, come on, how likely is it that the reader will forget who the bad guy is from one chapter to the next?
Also, there were entire chapters dedicated to grop. Who in the world allowed a book to be published with such extensive descriptions of a game? If anyone tried to sell a novel that describes every pass in a soccer match, MULTIPLE TIMES, over multiple chapters, they'd be boo-ed out of the industry. I honestly believe that these books could have been condensed and written a lot better. They feel like they could have used a good editor.
I did like the adventure aspect, but this is not the Darren Shan I've known and loved since the 4th grade. Where is the horror? Where is the pain? I wanted my heart to be broken! Demonata ripped it out of me and stomped all over it. I cried! And I never cry when reading. Where is the soul? I'll give you mine if you promise to break it. There was no soul in here.
I can't believe that I'm giving a Darren Shan series anything less that 3.5 stars, and it's absolutely heartbreaking to me, but here we are. I will, of course, always and forever, pick up anything Mr. Shan publishes in the future and give it a shot until the end, but Archibald Lox was not for me.
This will be a review of the entire series.
It is painfully difficult for me to say that I did not enjoy this series. I seriously considered DNFing during Book 6 but decided to push through to read the Darren Shan-esque ending. Indeed, even if I'm no longer 10 years old and have no business reading books that would be suitable for middle graders, Darren Shan has always had a way with his endings that leave me satisfied (although sometimes shell shocked and often heart broken). Cirque du Freak was one of the first series that I read in English (second only to Goosebumps), and I read it 7 times, closing the last book and jumping right back into the first, Demonata absolutely wrecked me even though I read it much later, and I spent months mulling over Zom-B's ending, and I was already in my 20s when I read it. So when I saw that Darren Shan, man who taught me English, beloved author of my childhood, teenagerhood, and adulthood had released a new series, I threw myself at it. Unfortunately, I've become old.
I couldn't connect to Archie. I thought he was impulsive, over-emotional, immature, too brash, too clueless. The side characters weren't developed enough and I couldn't bond with them. I barely cared when
Spoiler
some of them diedThe writing was very bad. Whole paragraphs written in brackets as an afterthought the author didn't know how to phrase an didn't know where to place. Things were repeated over and over, not only at the beginning of each volume, but also multiple times in a book. Like, come on, how likely is it that the reader will forget who the bad guy is from one chapter to the next?
Also, there were entire chapters dedicated to grop. Who in the world allowed a book to be published with such extensive descriptions of a game? If anyone tried to sell a novel that describes every pass in a soccer match, MULTIPLE TIMES, over multiple chapters, they'd be boo-ed out of the industry. I honestly believe that these books could have been condensed and written a lot better. They feel like they could have used a good editor.
I did like the adventure aspect, but this is not the Darren Shan I've known and loved since the 4th grade. Where is the horror? Where is the pain? I wanted my heart to be broken! Demonata ripped it out of me and stomped all over it. I cried! And I never cry when reading. Where is the soul? I'll give you mine if you promise to break it. There was no soul in here.
I can't believe that I'm giving a Darren Shan series anything less that 3.5 stars, and it's absolutely heartbreaking to me, but here we are. I will, of course, always and forever, pick up anything Mr. Shan publishes in the future and give it a shot until the end, but Archibald Lox was not for me.
rebeccaseddon's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
t_higgsreviews's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
4.75
4.75 Stars
CAWPILE = 8.79
I read this before it's release date of 26 July 2022 thanks to an eARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Well, this went somewhere I never expected, to the point I wondered if the characters diet of mushrooms finally broke them. I like it when authors can surprise me in a great way like that. This final book in the series had everything. Tension, gore, heartache, deep soul-searching, laughs, adventure and an ending that will stay with you long after reading the last word. I can't wait to see what Shan comes up with next.
CAWPILE = 8.79
I read this before it's release date of 26 July 2022 thanks to an eARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Well, this went somewhere I never expected, to the point I wondered if the characters diet of mushrooms finally broke them. I like it when authors can surprise me in a great way like that. This final book in the series had everything. Tension, gore, heartache, deep soul-searching, laughs, adventure and an ending that will stay with you long after reading the last word. I can't wait to see what Shan comes up with next.
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