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mr_cinder's review
3.0
Rating: 6 out of 10
I have very polarizing thoughts on this book. While I thoroughly enjoyed the main POV, which was well written and thought out, I can’t help but feel disappointed at how Carnassial’s entire arc went. Both perspectives started out really great, but it seemed like the author focused a lot more on Dusk’s and left its counterpart lacking severely on all aspects. However, if we only consider the main POV, the pacing, the characters and the plot were all greatly executed, so overall I had a pleasant enough time reading this book.
I have very polarizing thoughts on this book. While I thoroughly enjoyed the main POV, which was well written and thought out, I can’t help but feel disappointed at how Carnassial’s entire arc went. Both perspectives started out really great, but it seemed like the author focused a lot more on Dusk’s and left its counterpart lacking severely on all aspects. However, if we only consider the main POV, the pacing, the characters and the plot were all greatly executed, so overall I had a pleasant enough time reading this book.
bugparty's review
5.0
this book was definitely a cornerstone of my childhood:) chilling in certain parts but i’ve always had a soft spot for it
heykarlie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
lunarabysswalker's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
quantumlandbook's review
5.0
This is one of my favourite books of all time. It got me into a field of research that I enjoy until today.
linyarai's review against another edition
3.0
A very interesting prequel to the silverwing series, I liked having dinosaurs and prehistoric mammals involved instead of being set in modern day.
luann's review against another edition
4.0
A great addition to Oppel's other bat books. I enjoyed it a lot, although there are a few violent, gruesome parts. I guess that's to be expected with the realities of the kill-or-be-killed animal kingdom.
abomine's review against another edition
4.0
If Don Bluth was still in the movie-making business, I could see him doing a film adaptation of this book. It has all of the ingredients for a creepy/fun/awesome old-school animated film: adorable talking animal protagonists, seriously creepy not-so-adorable animal antagonists, family issues, identity issues, some surprisingly violent character deaths (that scene with the soricids was particularly gruesome, yeesh) , and the all-consuming quest for a safe place to call home in a dangerous world.
Reading this makes me want to check out the rest of Oppel's [b:Silverwing Trilogy|857930|The Silverwing Trilogy (Boxed Set) Silverwing; Sunwing; Firewing|Kenneth Oppel|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1178940839s/857930.jpg|843379], to which this book is only a prequel, and one loads-of-fun prequel at that!
I would have given this book five stars for the sheer entertainment value alone, but there were a couple of issues that stuck out to me, like Oppel's portrayal of dinosaurs as cold-blooded sluggish brutes (this book was published in 2007; Jurassic Park's warm-blooded dinosaurs were mainstream by then), and the somewhat over-anthropomorphic nature of the characters (like real proto-bats would give a damn about whether eating dino eggs was 'right' or 'wrong').
All the same, this was a very fun read, and a great book to introduce children to the 'xenofiction' subgenre that isn't that [b:Warriors|111332|Into the Wild (Warriors, #1)|Erin Hunter|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327994729s/111332.jpg|1346922] garbage.
P.S: If you don't care about spoilers, there's a particular scene from Darkwing that I'm only mentioning here because of how surprisingly powerful it was. It caught me off guard, and it touched me more deeply than any other death scene in this entire book. The pterosaur's dying words "I give you my wings". That scene gave me chills.
Reading this makes me want to check out the rest of Oppel's [b:Silverwing Trilogy|857930|The Silverwing Trilogy (Boxed Set) Silverwing; Sunwing; Firewing|Kenneth Oppel|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1178940839s/857930.jpg|843379], to which this book is only a prequel, and one loads-of-fun prequel at that!
I would have given this book five stars for the sheer entertainment value alone, but there were a couple of issues that stuck out to me, like Oppel's portrayal of dinosaurs as cold-blooded sluggish brutes (this book was published in 2007; Jurassic Park's warm-blooded dinosaurs were mainstream by then), and the somewhat over-anthropomorphic nature of the characters (like real proto-bats would give a damn about whether eating dino eggs was 'right' or 'wrong').
All the same, this was a very fun read, and a great book to introduce children to the 'xenofiction' subgenre that isn't that [b:Warriors|111332|Into the Wild (Warriors, #1)|Erin Hunter|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327994729s/111332.jpg|1346922] garbage.
P.S: If you don't care about spoilers, there's a particular scene from Darkwing that I'm only mentioning here because of how surprisingly powerful it was. It caught me off guard, and it touched me more deeply than any other death scene in this entire book.
stormc's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
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