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A review by writings_of_a_reader
The Glass Swallow by Julia Golding
3.0
While I liked The Glass Swallow ok it did have its flaws. It was not nearly as good as its companion novel Dragonfly. I was hoping for more of the adventure that was found in that story.
One thing I had a problem with was the part in the book where the main character decides that a murdering bandit was just forced into the life he leads. In her mind he had no choice, because he was thrown out of the city and had no other means to provide for himself. So she walks into his camp with a gift for him asking if he will come and lead an army of men to protect the city.
First, I cannot agree with this type of thinking. There is always a choice whether or not to become a murderer. There were plenty of other people who didn't go around murdering who were faced with the same hardships. In reality a person’s character isn't just built by the hardships and trials they face, it's also revealed. And yes sometimes people make the wrong choices when faced with them. But the fact that this guy was murdering people goes way beyond redeemable.
Second, I hardly think that bringing a gift to a murdering bandit is going to make him change his ways. I thought that was really laughable and naive. Thus a part of this book was rendered completely ridiculous to me.
The other thing that I had issues with is that it fell to a 16 year old girl to save a whole country. No one else had any brains?
I liked everything else about the book though. I liked the messages about everyone being worth something and about working together to overcome obstacles. I also liked once again seeing Taoshira and Ramil from Dragonfly, even if only briefly.
One thing I had a problem with was the part in the book where the main character decides that a murdering bandit was just forced into the life he leads. In her mind he had no choice, because he was thrown out of the city and had no other means to provide for himself. So she walks into his camp with a gift for him asking if he will come and lead an army of men to protect the city.
First, I cannot agree with this type of thinking. There is always a choice whether or not to become a murderer. There were plenty of other people who didn't go around murdering who were faced with the same hardships. In reality a person’s character isn't just built by the hardships and trials they face, it's also revealed. And yes sometimes people make the wrong choices when faced with them. But the fact that this guy was murdering people goes way beyond redeemable.
Second, I hardly think that bringing a gift to a murdering bandit is going to make him change his ways. I thought that was really laughable and naive. Thus a part of this book was rendered completely ridiculous to me.
The other thing that I had issues with is that it fell to a 16 year old girl to save a whole country. No one else had any brains?
I liked everything else about the book though. I liked the messages about everyone being worth something and about working together to overcome obstacles. I also liked once again seeing Taoshira and Ramil from Dragonfly, even if only briefly.