Reviews

Rating: 2 stars

Step 1: A young companion is doing normal life things
Step 2: They encounter something weird and then see the Doctor
Step 3: The Doctor and baby companion do something brief and solve the alien problem
Step 4: The Doctor then says "bye" and wipes companions mind before TARDIS-ing away
Step 5: Companion back in normal life with random thought about what happened, but then shrugs and continues on.

And again. And again. And again. It got tiresome. And incredibly predictable. Some of the stories were different and therefore good, but mostly I was bored and frustrated at the wash rinse repeat structure.

missyssippi's review against another edition

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4.0

So, I was very eager to read this book. The idea of it was great: giving us more insight into our beloved character's past. When I saw the cover, I was thrilled! Most of the characters were among my favourites. Yet, this book didn't hit the right button for me, at least, not all the way through.

What I really liked about this book is how it allowed us to glimpse into the past of some well-known and less-known characters. Among my favourite stories were Kate Stewart's and Madame Vastra's because their stories didn't evolve around the Doctor. "My Daddy fights Monsters" was absolutely heart-wrenching and I loved seeing this version of Kate, a child already willing to fight for what matters to her, and hoping that her father will come home. Vastra's story was amazing, and the end made it all the more worthwhile. I suppose, with the companions, the only story that really made a difference to me was Amy and Rory's story.

Don't get me wrong, the other stories were great. Most of them. But each of the companions' stories, whether they were classic or not, involved the Doctor which I found somehow disappointing. I was hoping that their lives were more than their relationship with the Doctor, that we would get to see where they had gotten their values, how they resembled or not, the older version that we've seen on tv. And I didn't feel like we got that. The end of the book, from Clara's story to Missy's, somehow disappointed me, despite featuring some of my favourite characters. It just didn't feel like them. I found their stories underwhelming and after a while, the mind-wipe trope gets old.

Overall, I think this book is a great collection of stories. Could it have been better? Yes. Were all the stories good? No. But I'm still thankful it exists. I'd rate this book 3,5.

elinordavies's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

rubypanda's review

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adventurous emotional inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

coraainslie's review

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adventurous funny hopeful mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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