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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
*I received a free ARC of this book, with thanks to the author and Amazon’s Vine Programme. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
I’ve read some fantastic children’s fantasy adventure stories recently, but The Land of Roar completely blew me away.
Jenny McLachlan takes some familiar tropes and imagery and infuses them with such imagination and enthusiasm that any children reading will be eagerly searching for their own Roar within seconds of putting the book down. Not only do adult readers get transported to Roar, but the author cleverly invokes memories that will have you soaring back to your own childhood playland.
I was reminded of Narnia (here you go through the campbed, rather than the wardrobe), along with Peter Pan (here they are Lost Girls), Jumanji, Coraline, and many other fantasy adventure stories.
Crowky and his powers are quite genuinely scary (I was unnerved!) and Win, Prosecco, Mitch and the furries are all brilliantly imagined and instantly endearing. Not only that, but the characters are deceptively simple and actually complex: I felt sympathy for the villain, chuckled at the inept wizard and his inability to recognise his own limitations, and so on. Of course, Arthur and Rose are the most complex and empathetic characters as they both struggle with the changes of growing up, growing away, fitting in.
This whole book is a fabulous celebration of the imaginative world of children (the light and the dark elements) and a poignant reflection on what we lose as we grow up and learn to relinquish such fantasies to societal expectations. I am so thankful that Jenny McLachlan clearly resisted this dire fate and allowed us to visit her Land of Roar.
My eyes wander over pathways and streams and mountain passes, and I start to lose myself in this strange place we invented. Then something catches my eye – a flicker of movement, a flash of light – and I find myself staring at the Crow’s Nest. I see something that I missed before. A face is looking out of a window. The face is pale with round eyes and a crooked stitched mouth. It’s a scarecrow, a boy, and I can just make out two wings sprouting from his back.
‘Crowky,’ I say, the name coming easily to my lips. I stare at his black button eyes and his smile seems to stretch.
‘I’d almost forgotten about you,’ I whisper.
– Jenny McLachlan, The Land of Roar
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpress.com/2019/08/25/the-land-of-roar-jenny-mclachlan/
I’ve read some fantastic children’s fantasy adventure stories recently, but The Land of Roar completely blew me away.
Jenny McLachlan takes some familiar tropes and imagery and infuses them with such imagination and enthusiasm that any children reading will be eagerly searching for their own Roar within seconds of putting the book down. Not only do adult readers get transported to Roar, but the author cleverly invokes memories that will have you soaring back to your own childhood playland.
I was reminded of Narnia (here you go through the campbed, rather than the wardrobe), along with Peter Pan (here they are Lost Girls), Jumanji, Coraline, and many other fantasy adventure stories.
Crowky and his powers are quite genuinely scary (I was unnerved!) and Win, Prosecco, Mitch and the furries are all brilliantly imagined and instantly endearing. Not only that, but the characters are deceptively simple and actually complex: I felt sympathy for the villain, chuckled at the inept wizard and his inability to recognise his own limitations, and so on. Of course, Arthur and Rose are the most complex and empathetic characters as they both struggle with the changes of growing up, growing away, fitting in.
This whole book is a fabulous celebration of the imaginative world of children (the light and the dark elements) and a poignant reflection on what we lose as we grow up and learn to relinquish such fantasies to societal expectations. I am so thankful that Jenny McLachlan clearly resisted this dire fate and allowed us to visit her Land of Roar.
My eyes wander over pathways and streams and mountain passes, and I start to lose myself in this strange place we invented. Then something catches my eye – a flicker of movement, a flash of light – and I find myself staring at the Crow’s Nest. I see something that I missed before. A face is looking out of a window. The face is pale with round eyes and a crooked stitched mouth. It’s a scarecrow, a boy, and I can just make out two wings sprouting from his back.
‘Crowky,’ I say, the name coming easily to my lips. I stare at his black button eyes and his smile seems to stretch.
‘I’d almost forgotten about you,’ I whisper.
– Jenny McLachlan, The Land of Roar
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpress.com/2019/08/25/the-land-of-roar-jenny-mclachlan/
Fun but predictable.
A bit slow at times.
Loved Win and wish we could have met Mitch.
Really enjoyed the reveal toward the end involving grandad.
A bit slow at times.
Loved Win and wish we could have met Mitch.
Really enjoyed the reveal toward the end involving grandad.
I fell victim to my audiobook curse here so I don't think I can fairly rate it. What I managed to focus on was good, but I couldn't tell you half of what happened. I'll definitely reread before the sequel comes out
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was such an imaginative middle grade, exploring the importance of family, believing in yourself and the problems children can face as they grow up and reach new stages in life - all against the backdrop of an imaginary world with a ninja wizard, mermaid witch and a big bad in the shape of a scarecrow with crow's wings. There are dragons, unicorns and fluffy cats that hang out in spiders webs too, just in case the rest wasn't enough for you to be intrigued. This was a lovely adventure story with some great take homes for young readers and it's one that I can see myself returning to many times as an adult. Can't wait for the next installment in the series!
This has to be one of the most imaginative children’s books I’ve read in a while, very reminiscent of Peter Pan, the Chronicles of Narnia and Jumanji.
This book was lovely but just didn't fill me with the level of joy and excitement that I expected it to.