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A review by hans_cosy_corner
The Younglings: Shadows and Magic by Helena M Craggs
1.0
DNF
I’m sorry, I tried. I can see why people loved this book, but for me, it was a flop. There’s so much going on that nothing lands, you don’t have time to take it in. It’s action after action, a la the final season of game of thrones, or the final Star Wars film. You don’t ever worry for the characters, or laugh with them, before you’re being ushered to the next plot point.
There’s also something I can’t avoid talking about here, and the reason I won’t be posting a true review to my Instagram - because I know how this is going to sound, and I know how it would be taken. This book was too reminiscent of other books. I had just come from a Percy Jackson read when I started this, and there’s a line really early on about how mrs D, who has hooves for feet but at this point he doesn’t know, walks like she’s in pain; but you’ve never seen anyone move faster when X happens. This is almost word for word a line from the first Percy Jackson about Grover - a character there to protect our half god MC who hides his hoof feet behind a disability.
There’s a vampire family who live in the town because it’s shaded, and cloudy. The dad is a dr at the local hospital; who saved the mum from dying of an awful illness by turning her. Sounds a little familiar.
Now, I love a good Easter egg, and I truly think that’s what this is. I am not, in any way shape or form, accusing this author of plagiarism, because that’s really serious and is not what I think is happening here - the book is really original, and you can tell it’s come from the heart. I do believe it’s Easter eggs for readers of similar books. But personally, I didn’t love it. Instead of being like ‘oh look the character is reading Percy Jackson, and is commenting that Grover really makes him think of mrs D’ I instead was left with furrowed eyebrows thinking ‘I…I know that line’ or like ‘ohh like the Cullen’s’
I’m sorry, I tried. I can see why people loved this book, but for me, it was a flop. There’s so much going on that nothing lands, you don’t have time to take it in. It’s action after action, a la the final season of game of thrones, or the final Star Wars film. You don’t ever worry for the characters, or laugh with them, before you’re being ushered to the next plot point.
There’s also something I can’t avoid talking about here, and the reason I won’t be posting a true review to my Instagram - because I know how this is going to sound, and I know how it would be taken. This book was too reminiscent of other books. I had just come from a Percy Jackson read when I started this, and there’s a line really early on about how mrs D, who has hooves for feet but at this point he doesn’t know, walks like she’s in pain; but you’ve never seen anyone move faster when X happens. This is almost word for word a line from the first Percy Jackson about Grover - a character there to protect our half god MC who hides his hoof feet behind a disability.
There’s a vampire family who live in the town because it’s shaded, and cloudy. The dad is a dr at the local hospital; who saved the mum from dying of an awful illness by turning her. Sounds a little familiar.
Now, I love a good Easter egg, and I truly think that’s what this is. I am not, in any way shape or form, accusing this author of plagiarism, because that’s really serious and is not what I think is happening here - the book is really original, and you can tell it’s come from the heart. I do believe it’s Easter eggs for readers of similar books. But personally, I didn’t love it. Instead of being like ‘oh look the character is reading Percy Jackson, and is commenting that Grover really makes him think of mrs D’ I instead was left with furrowed eyebrows thinking ‘I…I know that line’ or like ‘ohh like the Cullen’s’