Reviews

Battle of the Beetles by M.G. Leonard

kerry123's review against another edition

adventurous funny inspiring mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

goldenbooksgirl's review against another edition

5.0

Had you told me before I started them that I`d be such a fan of this series, I wouldn`t have believed you, but boy, am I a fan of this series. It started wonderfully with Beetle Boy in 2016, upped the ante with Beetle Queen last year, and has now concluded perfectly with Battle of the Beetles. If you`ve been living under a rock and haven`t heard of these books, they`re about a young boy called Darkus stumbling upon some very special beetles and his subsequent involvement in attempting to stop Lucretia Cutter, a scientist/fashion designer with dark intentions, from using them to wreak havoc on the world. The younger characters are as brave, funny and clever as always and guardian Uncle Max is an excellent adult figure, but the one I want to mention most of all is Lucretia Cutter, who is a masterclass in writing a villain. She is absolutely one you love to hate, but at the same time you can see why she is doing some of what she is (though she is of course, still evil, and I do not support her, to clarify!). This was a truly exciting adventure, and I stayed up until the early hours to finish it as I couldn`t go to sleep without knowing the ending. The final scene brought a huge smile to my face, and captured exactly why I love the main quartet of characters and these books so very much. 5/5

mat_tobin's review against another edition

4.0

A damned fine ending to the trilogy which felt so Star Wars-like in structure (with the second being the darkest and best for me). Leonard ties everything up so satisfactorily in this final instalment and I'll say again what I said in my first review of Beetle Boy - this deserves to be on the screen. I don't want to give the plot away but I will say something about the author's passion for the natural world. I think if more children read these kinds of books then more of them would care for and see the great potential and enjoyment that they can get from exploring the outside - something that is missing from their lives more than ever.
On a final note, the challenging questions the author puts to us with regards to Lucretia Cutter's plans for the state of the world offer a fascinating point of discussion - one that I would love to have with my own class.

lisasf2f04's review against another edition

5.0

Fabulous finale for Team Beetle. Loved these books and have recommended them to anyone who will listen ;)

indiebookshops's review against another edition

5.0

There was such a wait for this final book in the trilogy, it was sooooo long, really looooong.

The wait was well worth it though as we follow, Darkus, Victoria and Bertolt in their quest to foil Lucretia’s plans for world domination using FrankenBeetles, genetically-enhanced and super-intelligent beetles, whilst completing her own transformation.

The quest takes the friends (and Uncle Max of course) around the world, trying to enlist help, but finally they have to face Lucretia alone in upper-Equador to help Darkus’ dad and Lucretia’s daughter, save the world from famine and devastation, and finally face Lucretia.

All our other favourite characters make an appearance along with some new ones, one is especially carnivorous!

Again M.G. Leonard’s love of beetles shines through and her writing is so fast-paced with never a let up that this book was read in one sitting (there were a couple of breaks for tea and other natural things).

A fantastically exciting adventure, a great finale!