Reviews with content warning for Death - Redwall

When I was younger I quite liked this series - I very much enjoyed what I read but only read a few of the books and did so out of order. I reread Redwall this year hoping it would hold up as an adult and sadly it really didn't. I think part of it is its age - I had no idea it was so old, though it definitely doesn't read like most modern children's books. The writing is dense and is the main reason this book took me THREE months to read. I don't think this is a bad book and if I magically became eight years old again I would probably still love it but nothing about this book appeals to me now which I found very sad.

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kelseyleigh_h's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

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

3.0

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shieldbearer's review

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adventurous mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Loved this book so much as a kid. the nuanced characters and complex plot are an absolute plus in this book and it absolutely is one of the strongest entries in the series. The characters (particularly matthias) change over the course of the book. I particularly appreciate the way the arguments are handled- they feel natural. Beautifully written with a balance of humor and sobriety.

However, it must be said that this book does have racist parallels I completely missed as a child. The use of the slur for Romani peoples, namely, and the explicit comparison of/conflation of said slur with the foxes Sela and Chickenhound is a harmful anti-Romani stereotype. They are explicitly described as Romani and their behaviour and characterizations are harmful anti-Romani stereotypes.

There's also the matter of the Sparra, which are more ambiguous, though the author explicitly refers to Sparra warriors as "braves" and continually refers to the race as a whole as "savages" and their portrayal does very much bring to mind typical indigenous stereotypes.

While I would still recommend this book, I firmly believe we should not ignore these harmful portrayals and if you share the novel with your children, these issues should be discussed.

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percyu's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

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torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

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adventurous funny inspiring medium-paced

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

5.0

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theworstofit's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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maryannsophia's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring sad 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

4.5

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beesknees's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

After years of knowing about the existence of "Redwall" I decided to give it a try. I went into this book expecting a quick read of a light-hearted children's book, but finished this book with a totally different experience. One of the highlights of this story is it's detailed world: Redwall Abbey and the surrounding world. This book feels very slow-paced, but not without purpose. Some of the foundations feel very traditional and the characters (mostly) static, but the purpose of the story really is the adventure itself. If your looking for a descriptive adventure, this book is a lovely choice. I've been picking up copies of other books in the series where I find them, as I finished "Redwall" intrigued enough by this detailed little world to want to read more stories within it.

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