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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-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:
No
Not as good as Wise Child or Juniper, but still a nice story and comfort read
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Wise Child and Juniper were favorites when I was 9-13, I wish I'd read this one then to have the same enthusiasm.
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
as a child I read the first two parts of this trilogy as they were given to me at birth, the have have been two of my favourites ever since, I bought this last part a few years ago but only now got to reading it and finished it in a day. I loved it.
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
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
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, War
A more hectic plot than Wise Child or Juniper, but still good.
A satisfying conclusion to the trilogy about Wise Child and Juniper, Colman gives us updates on many characters from the previous books and shows what happened with Juniper's family and kingdom. The one aspect I was disappointed about was that I would have liked to see, or at least hear of, would be what happened with Gamal and where Juniper's owl - whether it be Moon or a new friend - was. Otherwise, this was a very good culmination of what the trilogy has been building to, as it relates to the politics and power of the region, as well as the full range of doranic powers. Very good.
The sequel to Wise Child and Juniper, Colman follows the lives of these three characters as they flee from Wise Child’s childhood home to Juniper’s childhood home of Cornwall, only to find Juniper’s aunt has murdered her parents, the king and queen, and taken her brother, the prince, as a prisoner. Wise Child and Colman, with the help of the leper Cormac, must infiltrate the enemy stronghold, discover the prince’s affiliation, and find a way to rescue the prince and the kingdom by defeating Meroot and the Gray Knight once and for all. As a sequel, Colman draws together and completes the overarching plot set up in the first two books, but it focuses on action and lacks the sense of magic and the strong female protagonist that makes the other two books so memorable. As this book does draw the story arc to a close, I recommend this book to fans of the series, but it is not a strong or outstanding book in it’s own right.
Colman is a decided change of pace in this series of books: the male protagonist and the action-centered plot move it away from the wise woman stories of the other two books. Colman is a young boy but, concurrent with the strong woman theme in the other books, he uses the strength of his gender to protect the female Wise Child and to further her in her goals. Magic likewise still plays a role, fulfilling essential plot points, but it is not directly connected to character growth: in fact, Colman does not want to use magic, but he is willing to use it for Wise Child and Juniper’s sakes. As such, this book exists within the wise woman philosophy of the others in the series, but with a male narrator it is less character-driven and lacks the fundamental draw and mystique of the previous books.
This final text was also a posthumous release, and the lack of editing shows: the text feels longer and has a slower, somewhat chunkier pace than the other novels. It is not, however, poorly written. It may not be as good as the other books, but it is surprisingly complete and well-edited for a posthumous work. While not outstanding, it is still an accessible, readable book that builds up to a fine conclusion.
I recommend this book to fans of the series that have read and loved Wise Child and Juniper. Although not as satisfying and in many ways very different, this final text draws together the plot line into a solid conclusion, bringing a sense of satisfied finality to the text. I doubt that the book will be so fulfilling to those that have no read the other books, and I recommend that they pick up Wise Child and Juniper (in that order) first.
Colman is a decided change of pace in this series of books: the male protagonist and the action-centered plot move it away from the wise woman stories of the other two books. Colman is a young boy but, concurrent with the strong woman theme in the other books, he uses the strength of his gender to protect the female Wise Child and to further her in her goals. Magic likewise still plays a role, fulfilling essential plot points, but it is not directly connected to character growth: in fact, Colman does not want to use magic, but he is willing to use it for Wise Child and Juniper’s sakes. As such, this book exists within the wise woman philosophy of the others in the series, but with a male narrator it is less character-driven and lacks the fundamental draw and mystique of the previous books.
This final text was also a posthumous release, and the lack of editing shows: the text feels longer and has a slower, somewhat chunkier pace than the other novels. It is not, however, poorly written. It may not be as good as the other books, but it is surprisingly complete and well-edited for a posthumous work. While not outstanding, it is still an accessible, readable book that builds up to a fine conclusion.
I recommend this book to fans of the series that have read and loved Wise Child and Juniper. Although not as satisfying and in many ways very different, this final text draws together the plot line into a solid conclusion, bringing a sense of satisfied finality to the text. I doubt that the book will be so fulfilling to those that have no read the other books, and I recommend that they pick up Wise Child and Juniper (in that order) first.
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Full disclosure on my rating: it is colored by the fact that Juniper and Wise Child are two of my favorite books from childhood. Is Colman as good as those two? Not entirely. But being able to revisit these characters and places that so entranced and shaped me as a kid was such a balm to my soul. And the adventure in this sequel is a good one! I also enjoyed having the tale from Colman’s perspective. Seeing so many of these characters from a more outside perspective (Colman’s thoughts on Euny were especially amusing) was great.
If you love Monica Furlong or Theresa Tomlinson, this will be fabulous for you too.
If you love Monica Furlong or Theresa Tomlinson, this will be fabulous for you too.