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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
How did this happen?!
The first book in the series was fantastic! I loved Wise child's story so much!
And then the second book showed us Junipers story and gosh if that wasn't twice as good?
And then this book comes along and suddenly Wise child goes all sullen and grouchy, Juniper recedes into her self and basically is just there to adult the adult adult adult, and Coleman, who never had powers before suddenly does?
I was very disappointed and won't have this one on my shelves with the other two.
The first book in the series was fantastic! I loved Wise child's story so much!
And then the second book showed us Junipers story and gosh if that wasn't twice as good?
And then this book comes along and suddenly Wise child goes all sullen and grouchy, Juniper recedes into her self and basically is just there to adult the adult adult adult, and Coleman, who never had powers before suddenly does?
I was very disappointed and won't have this one on my shelves with the other two.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-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
This is, I think, one of those odd handful of children's series that turns into YA before the end. That always irritates me slightly when I review the individual volumes on Goodreads, as it seems more consistent to have the whole series under one shelf or the other, but I suppose if a series follows the same characters over time, those characters age and that has its own consequences. There are exceptions to that exact progress, though, and this series might be one of them. It's only a few months, really, since the events of Wise Child, and both the protagonists, including the narrator Colman, are actually children. (They're those creepy looking kids on the cover. Cornish Gothic, I think the illustrator is going for.) But the argument here is more adult, and the tone is immensely darker. It's full of murder and torture, and though the previous two books in the series have been fairly grim around the edges, there's always been that sort of peaceful happy centre, and that's really not the case here. Hence the different shelving.
What remains childish about the series is, I think, the refusal to look at killing as a useful tactic for the good guys. I don't meant to imply by that that the refusal to murder is in itself childish, but there's something really off-putting to me, something deliberately and almost harmfully naïve, in the choice to let torture and slavery and murder go on for one minute longer than they have to simply because one of the good guys feels they are above the act of killing. I'm sure the fact that their morals remain unbesmirched is a great comfort to those others who have been slaughtered, or who are watching their children starve to death. Meroot has been a blight upon the land for at least a generation at this point, and there's a doran in her inner circle with the opportunity and ability to save everyone by getting rid of her for good, and they refuse to do it, because apparently decent people don't do that. Well, I beg to fucking differ I think, and it irritates me that the price of such squeamishness isn't even mentioned. It's all very well wittering on about dorans being in tune with nature, but shit dies in nature, and violently, so get on with at least considering it, please.
Suffice to say, this was my least favourite of the trilogy. Wise Child remains the best of the bunch, and I think the only one I'd ever be interested in reading again.
What remains childish about the series is, I think, the refusal to look at killing as a useful tactic for the good guys. I don't meant to imply by that that the refusal to murder is in itself childish, but there's something really off-putting to me, something deliberately and almost harmfully naïve, in the choice to let torture and slavery and murder go on for one minute longer than they have to simply because one of the good guys feels they are above the act of killing. I'm sure the fact that their morals remain unbesmirched is a great comfort to those others who have been slaughtered, or who are watching their children starve to death. Meroot has been a blight upon the land for at least a generation at this point, and there's a doran in her inner circle with the opportunity and ability to save everyone by getting rid of her for good, and they refuse to do it, because apparently decent people don't do that. Well, I beg to fucking differ I think, and it irritates me that the price of such squeamishness isn't even mentioned. It's all very well wittering on about dorans being in tune with nature, but shit dies in nature, and violently, so get on with at least considering it, please.
Suffice to say, this was my least favourite of the trilogy. Wise Child remains the best of the bunch, and I think the only one I'd ever be interested in reading again.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Published posthumously, this is the sequel to [book: Wise Child]. When Wise Child and Juniper are accused of witchcraft by their village, they escape with Finbar, Cormac and Colman and travel to Juniper’s homeland, where she lived first as a spoiled princess and then as an apprentice under Euny. Juniper’s previously happy country suffers under the rule of Meroot and the Grey Knight. Juniper and her friends join her countrymen in overthrowing the tyrannical rule. Unlike the first two books in the series, [book: Colman] suffers from stilted, stiff dialog and a plot that feels like its going through the motions. In fact, I found it unreadable.
This one I'd only read once before and I remembered the least of this plot. Comparing it to Juniper and Heksenkind, this one has much more action. After rereading all three books in this series, I really think that one of the characters (Leana, the protagonist and speaker in Heksenkind) is such an annoying child! She immediately starts complaining when she doesn't get what she wants or when someone doesn't approve of her ideas. I might have slightly disliked her in previous reads but I never noticed how obnoxious she is most of the book. Nevertheless, the nostalgia of rereading these the last few days was super fun.
Iedereen waarschuwde me dat dit een heeeeel erg teleurstellend laatste deel was. Het was dus een aangename verrassing dat ik er erg van genoten heb. Het enige dat bij me blijft spoken, is dat Juniper al haar heksenspullen en vooral haar dieren moest achterlaten, en dat breekt toch wel iets in mij. Haar dieren! Wie zorgt er voor de dieren!!!
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
While this wasn't the magical experience reading Juniper and Wise Child was, I did like this book. It meant reconnecting with old friends. I'm just a bit sad there wasn't more of the magical feeling and learning I remember from the first two books. I would have loved for there to have been a sort of epic battle. But still, I'm glad I read it.
I was excited when I saw this book in the library because Furlong's earlier book 'Wise Child' is part of my all time favourite books list. Unfortunately this sequel is nowhere near as good as the first book, which is completely understandable given that Monica Furlong was ill & dying when it was written. I was able to finish it but it lacked all the description & emotion that Wise Child had. Having Coleman as the main was a mistake. The entire book he is describing the actions of Wise Child & Juniper and any actions or emotions he feels always relates back to them which is strange because it makes Coleman sound more like a flat narrator than the main character of the story. It feels the writer couldn't decide between Juniper or Wise Child to be the main and defaulted to Coleman in order to focus on both of the past main characters from her other books.
My other main complaint about this book is how easily it was wrapped up. The majority of the book is spent preparing for a battle & to fight the villains and it is a let down. One villain dies a quick forgettable death, the other (who were never see for the entire book except the second last chapter) gets knocked out and then there's no battle and the bland happy ever after ending.
My other main complaint about this book is how easily it was wrapped up. The majority of the book is spent preparing for a battle & to fight the villains and it is a let down. One villain dies a quick forgettable death, the other (who were never see for the entire book except the second last chapter) gets knocked out and then there's no battle and the bland happy ever after ending.