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4.18 AVERAGE
4.18 AVERAGE
This was a little slow at points but a really great intro to a very long series! I am iffy on some of these characters but I love Sophie, Keefe, & Biana so much!
3.75 Stars more like it.
I must say this was a fast read, despite the 500 pages. Well it is written for middle graders, but it didn't feel that way.
I liked Sophie as a character very much. She was for a 12 year old, very mature, which I enjoyed. I liked how bad she felt for cheating and how she was such a good person in general. I especially enjoyed the parts, where she was suffering, because nobody wanted her and that spoke to me very much. It was very realistic and enjoyed that.
However I did not buy into her relationship with her human family. Maybe it was because we didn't see much of her with them, but I just couldn't get that family connection, which made her distress a bit weird for me.
Same goes for Grady and Edaline, though I liked them better than her real family. Still I think their development as family was lacking and I would've liked a bit more of them together.
The setting was, well, very Harry Potterish, but then not. It's hard to explain. Actually I wanted something along that lines, that is great and it turned out different and better than I expected, but there were still some things. Like Bronte for instance, who is so much Snape, that I imagined him looking just as him.
Some of the stuff seemed very original, some of it didn't. I can see how the author tried to make it special, but still reasonable in a way? Like the giant leaping crystals, the school setting. I found it weird, that they have one on one classes. I mean HOW do they do it, even with only two classes each day per pupil? Then the insanely high rate for passing a lesson. 80%? Wow that's hard, but okay.
Other than that I enjoyed the characters, especially Alden and Elwin and Fitz. Also Keefe and Dex and I look forward to seeing more of them all. The overall story was interesting enough, especially Sophie's story and I am eager to find out what is behind this all. It has a bit of a Hunger Games feel in terms of the rebellion. A scif-fi too.
However I do think the end was wrapped up a bit too neatly, with Sophie getting 100% on almost all our classes. It felt a lot like Dumbledore awarding Harry all those points everytime for surviving. And it's kinda not fair, but hey, I wanted her to stay at Foxfire so what?
I'll definitely continue this, since it's a light read!
I must say this was a fast read, despite the 500 pages. Well it is written for middle graders, but it didn't feel that way.
I liked Sophie as a character very much. She was for a 12 year old, very mature, which I enjoyed. I liked how bad she felt for cheating and how she was such a good person in general. I especially enjoyed the parts, where she was suffering, because nobody wanted her and that spoke to me very much. It was very realistic and enjoyed that.
However I did not buy into her relationship with her human family. Maybe it was because we didn't see much of her with them, but I just couldn't get that family connection, which made her distress a bit weird for me.
Same goes for Grady and Edaline, though I liked them better than her real family. Still I think their development as family was lacking and I would've liked a bit more of them together.
The setting was, well, very Harry Potterish, but then not. It's hard to explain. Actually I wanted something along that lines, that is great and it turned out different and better than I expected, but there were still some things. Like Bronte for instance, who is so much Snape, that I imagined him looking just as him.
Some of the stuff seemed very original, some of it didn't. I can see how the author tried to make it special, but still reasonable in a way? Like the giant leaping crystals, the school setting. I found it weird, that they have one on one classes. I mean HOW do they do it, even with only two classes each day per pupil? Then the insanely high rate for passing a lesson. 80%? Wow that's hard, but okay.
Other than that I enjoyed the characters, especially Alden and Elwin and Fitz. Also Keefe and Dex and I look forward to seeing more of them all. The overall story was interesting enough, especially Sophie's story and I am eager to find out what is behind this all. It has a bit of a Hunger Games feel in terms of the rebellion. A scif-fi too.
However I do think the end was wrapped up a bit too neatly, with Sophie getting 100% on almost all our classes. It felt a lot like Dumbledore awarding Harry all those points everytime for surviving. And it's kinda not fair, but hey, I wanted her to stay at Foxfire so what?
I'll definitely continue this, since it's a light read!
I don't know whether to be more horrified at the number of people in the acknowledgments section or the idea of what this book would have been like without them
things i liked:
- grady and edaline
- their animals
things i didn't like:
- pretty much everything else
- grady and edaline
- their animals
things i didn't like:
- pretty much everything else
*4.5
Content Rating:5/5 Not really any concerns. Some mind-over-matter stuff, dinosaurs and other extinct creatures are real, elves see humans as inferior beings, etc.
Theme Rating: 5/5
Age Rating: 10-11+ It depends on the kid, honestly. Just how strong their worldview is to see the small things that aren't exactly in line with the Bible.
2024 reread
I'm just going to add some brief thoughts here, but I really enjoyed this book... again. It's only, like, my ninth or tenth time reading it... It's really fun and adventurous. These first three books can also be really nostalgic to look back on with the later books in mind, because *minor sorta spoilers* I also really loved the found family trope. I mean, I always have, but I think I just love it more and more every time I read it.
2023 reread
So, I returned to reread this book because I wanted to re-evaluate what I actually thought of it as my reading tastes and worldview have changed and grown.
Despite the fact that I don't read a ton of secular fiction anymore, that I don't read much middle-grade anymore, I still LOVE this book! It is amazing!
I love Sophie, and I relate to her so much. When I discovered this series, I was coming off of being into Harry Potter and really wanted to read another series that was just as good(this one is cleaner but the plot isn't quite as good), and I loved this because it was similar but the main character was a girl about my age. Also, she's skipped grades, and even though she's in a public school environment and skipped multiple grades, I related to her so much because I've skipped one grade so it was grade to see a fictional character who was also ahead.XD But, in general, Sophie is awesome. She's so brave and sweet and just awesome. Dex is great, supportive, slightly ridiculous, but I love him so much because he's so loyal, even when he's angry. Fitz isn't my favorite throughout the series but he is amazing in this book. So is Biana, and I love how we get to watch her grow. And then there's Keefe. He's Keefe. He's hilarious, and I've often described him as a mix of Fred and George Weasley and Han Solo. That's not a great description, but it says a lot about him. We don't see a whole lot of his other sides in this book, but the glimpses we get make him a realistic but hilarious character.
And the storyline blows my mind every time. I have the illustrated and annotated edition, and the author's notes were awesome, but the general story is awesome. I love seeing how the little tiny hints and things lead up to the big reveals. That's actually one of the reasons I reread so much- it's so fun to see foreshadowing and know what it's leading to, and this book has so many amazing little hints and everything is woven so tightly, it is amazing.
One thing I have to note is actually the reason that I cut of half a star. The characters didn't always respect adults, and while I know that that is important to the storyline, the rebellious part of that kind of bugged me, I guess. It's very important to respect our parents, other adults, and authorities, unless they're telling us to do something against God's word, and I felt like the characters could've handled things a little better than they did.
Overall, this was an AMAZING fantasy book, and I still love it after several years and a definite change in reading taste. I'd definitely recommend it as a cleaner, witchcraft free Harry-Potter stand in, and just for anyone who's looking for a great MG fantasy read, probably around ten and up. I love this book so much, and am eager to reread the rest of the series!
Content Rating:5/5 Not really any concerns. Some mind-over-matter stuff, dinosaurs and other extinct creatures are real, elves see humans as inferior beings, etc.
Theme Rating: 5/5
Age Rating: 10-11+ It depends on the kid, honestly. Just how strong their worldview is to see the small things that aren't exactly in line with the Bible.
2024 reread
I'm just going to add some brief thoughts here, but I really enjoyed this book... again. It's only, like, my ninth or tenth time reading it... It's really fun and adventurous. These first three books can also be really nostalgic to look back on with the later books in mind, because *minor sorta spoilers*
Spoiler
these were the days when they would hang out and play base quest, and they were actually worried about school(well, Keefe wasn't...) and there were so many mysteries... things were just so much simpler in the early books!2023 reread
So, I returned to reread this book because I wanted to re-evaluate what I actually thought of it as my reading tastes and worldview have changed and grown.
Despite the fact that I don't read a ton of secular fiction anymore, that I don't read much middle-grade anymore, I still LOVE this book! It is amazing!
I love Sophie, and I relate to her so much. When I discovered this series, I was coming off of being into Harry Potter and really wanted to read another series that was just as good(this one is cleaner but the plot isn't quite as good), and I loved this because it was similar but the main character was a girl about my age. Also, she's skipped grades, and even though she's in a public school environment and skipped multiple grades, I related to her so much because I've skipped one grade so it was grade to see a fictional character who was also ahead.XD But, in general, Sophie is awesome. She's so brave and sweet and just awesome. Dex is great, supportive, slightly ridiculous, but I love him so much because he's so loyal, even when he's angry. Fitz isn't my favorite throughout the series but he is amazing in this book. So is Biana, and I love how we get to watch her grow. And then there's Keefe. He's Keefe. He's hilarious, and I've often described him as a mix of Fred and George Weasley and Han Solo. That's not a great description, but it says a lot about him. We don't see a whole lot of his other sides in this book, but the glimpses we get make him a realistic but hilarious character.
And the storyline blows my mind every time. I have the illustrated and annotated edition, and the author's notes were awesome, but the general story is awesome. I love seeing how the little tiny hints and things lead up to the big reveals. That's actually one of the reasons I reread so much- it's so fun to see foreshadowing and know what it's leading to, and this book has so many amazing little hints and everything is woven so tightly, it is amazing.
One thing I have to note is actually the reason that I cut of half a star. The characters didn't always respect adults, and while I know that that is important to the storyline, the rebellious part of that kind of bugged me, I guess. It's very important to respect our parents, other adults, and authorities, unless they're telling us to do something against God's word, and I felt like the characters could've handled things a little better than they did.
Overall, this was an AMAZING fantasy book, and I still love it after several years and a definite change in reading taste. I'd definitely recommend it as a cleaner, witchcraft free Harry-Potter stand in, and just for anyone who's looking for a great MG fantasy read, probably around ten and up. I love this book so much, and am eager to reread the rest of the series!
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was my favourite book for AGES and I honestly still love it
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a great book. I loved it and would definitely recommend.👍
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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