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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Whenever I need a bit of a feel-good pick me-up story, I reach for a T. Kingfisher work—even if it's horror. I just love the originality and eccentricity of her stories and Illuminations is no exception to this rule. Illuminations follows the youngest daughter, Rosa, of one of the most well-known and famous illuminator families. Illuminations are magically imbued drawings that serve specific purposes, like a drawing of a cat with blue eyes to keep mice away, for example.
Ten-year-old Rosa hopes to one day grow up to be an Illuminator herself, but hasn't quite managed to turn her fanged radishes into anything more than art. But Rosa succeeds at opening a magical box hidden away in her basement, which frees a talking crow, and a whole other can of worms. I have to say that the big draw for me picking up this T. Kingfisher book was the talking crow. And I wasn't disappointed, this shiny-obsessed crow is delightful and exactly like what I would imagine an actual loquacious crow to be like.
Ten-year-old Rosa hopes to one day grow up to be an Illuminator herself, but hasn't quite managed to turn her fanged radishes into anything more than art. But Rosa succeeds at opening a magical box hidden away in her basement, which frees a talking crow, and a whole other can of worms. I have to say that the big draw for me picking up this T. Kingfisher book was the talking crow. And I wasn't disappointed, this shiny-obsessed crow is delightful and exactly like what I would imagine an actual loquacious crow to be like.
“‘Why were you under the bed?’
‘I was…um…doing something….’
‘Did the something involve shiny things?”
‘That is completely irrelevant,’ said Payne. He scowled as well as one could with a beak instead of lips. ‘It is possible that shininess was involved, but I don’t see how it matters.’”
But the talking crow isn't the only thing going for this story, Rosa and her eccentric family of illuminators are incredibly endearing. Rosa is such a sweet child, who only wants to help her family succeed in their endeavors. Her somewhat contentious relationship with her best friend and daughter of rival illuminator clan, Serena, is also incredibly relatable to anyone who ever grew up with girl friends or older sisters. I also truly adored the rest of her family, especially her coffee-addicted Aunt Nadia, who often had me giggling aloud, and her wise Uncle Alfonso. Though there's plenty of magic to be held in this tale, the true magic is in the relationships that Kingfisher effortlessly weaves between all of her characters, even those who don't have much time on the page. I even found myself choked up and with tears in my eyes at one part in the novel.
“Uncle Alfonso smiled. ‘You put your heart into them. That’s what matters. Every illumination takes a piece of the painter’s heart, and that is why the magic works.’”
My only complaint was that I had a bit of trouble getting into the novel at first. Even though I was interested in the magic system and the characters from the get-go, I just found that things initially unfolded a bit too slowly for my liking. But I'm so glad I stuck with the novel, as once it gets going, it really never stops until the novel comes to a very satisfying and heartwarming conclusion.
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adventurous
lighthearted
slow-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
These are so good! I think T. Kingfisher is my new favourite author.
Harmloser, verlässlicher Spaß, wie immer mit guten familiars, diesmal Radieschen mit Zähnen. Keine Ahnung, warum die ganzen Kingfisher-Bücher noch keine Filme sind, sie wären so geeignet.
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I would give this book more stars if I could. All the stars. As is usually the case with T. Kingfisher’s books, this was funny and charming and then made me cry happy tears because it was so simply beautiful at the end. Instant classic.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
t. kingfisher is a favoriter author at this point. There hasn't been a single one of her books that I've disliked. This is a lovely story. It doesn't overstay its welcome.