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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
so far I'm enjoying it, but I think the vocab and writing style are a bit difficult for what I assume the target audience is.
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
Being a Portlandian and regularly walking in Forest Park, I completely enjoyed this book. I'll admit that what was most enjoyable were the recognizable landmarks, but the authors also did an excellent job of capturing the overall feel of the woods. Forest Park deserves a book like this, fanciful, at times serious and full of mystery. Prue is an added bonus as a strong central female character - can't have enough of those in children's books. It was a sweet read and I look forward to the next books in the chronicles.
This book taught me how reading aloud makes a difference in figuring out why some prose flows and some doesn't. I have rarely been as tongue-tied as with the first chapter of Wildwood. It wasn't just the unnecessary fancy words (I hope they were not inserted for 'educational' purposes), but the rhythm was simply off. Things got a little bit better along the way, but overall, the reader is little attached to the main character even after the (too long) 541 pages. Not terrible, but not great either.
I applaud the inventive imagination and the Portlanditude...I decry the total lack of editing and the misplaced illustrations.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
This is a series of novels that enriched my mind during my youth. If I think about why, it is because the unique steampunk yet mysterious worldview and the setting in the novel that seems to be real stimulated my imagination infinitely, and above all, it is because the writing skills were excellent, and the plot of the story and the personalities and actions of the characters were three-dimensional, very different from the flat descriptions in most young adult-novels. In addition, the novel even included a serious metaphor about our society.
The first book in the series is the least artistic, but I still love this book a lot. Thanks to Colin meloy
The first book in the series is the least artistic, but I still love this book a lot. Thanks to Colin meloy
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
This book is well-written, fun and exciting. It read like a classic children’s adventure, inspired by stories like Labyrinth (the movie), The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Alice in Wonderland, and Redwall. While never a big animal fantasy reader, I fell into this book because of the great variety of experiences (helped by having two main characters) and enjoyable characters. Prue and Curtis, of course: she’s whip-smart, analytical, and warm-hearted; he’s curious, spontaneous, and gregarious. They’re both trusting, helped and hindered by it, and they’re brave and true to themselves. There’s a comforting fairytale quality to the story, but it’s also action-filled, with plenty of emotion and danger braided with the joyous magic.
The other characters—the heroic, the bureaucratic, the militaristic, the kind and humble, and the straight up terrifying—are wonderfully written as well. I loved Owl Rex and Enver, Iphigenia and Iris, Samuel, Richard, Septimus, Alexandra, and the Bandit King. There are various sweet, bold, poised, grumbly ragtag groups throughout the book, and Prue and Curtis remain tenacious and take everything in stride.
One element of the book that struck me as weird is how totally useless the parents are, to the point that they become a hindrance to the characters and the story. The twelve-year-old has to take on immense responsibility because they refuse to do anything, which seemed like quite an anti-parent take, except that they’re tender the rest of the time. Their helplessness becomes a strange plot device without its emotional due. Makes you want to be raised by Brenden (my fave).
The other questionable factor of Wildwood is the language. The content is fittingly middle grade, but for what reason is there such complex language? I was reading at a so-called high school level in grade 5, but I wouldn’t have understood a lot of these words at that age. Some sections are over-saturated with description and sophisticated phrasing that doesn’t work well for a story and audience aimed at youth.
I read this on audiobook on a whim, after seeing it available from my online library. Amanda Plummer was a fantastic performer/reader, adding a sense of wonder to the sights, a fullness and realism to the characters, and a delight to the whole book. I was most impressed with Carson Ellis’ cover illustration too: it captures the characters, the feeling of the wood, and the spindly coyote soldiers who play an important role, all phenomenally, creating visual intrigue. I was glad to find a number of Ellis’ illustrations for the book online, most especially the cages and the ghost bridge. Meloy uses measurements (50 ft off the ground, etc.) throughout the novel, but that’s not something I can visualize easily, so the images were a great addition to the world-building.
I’m not a big fan of literary battles (or film battles, for that matter), but I loved the book’s ending.
The other characters—the heroic, the bureaucratic, the militaristic, the kind and humble, and the straight up terrifying—are wonderfully written as well. I loved Owl Rex and Enver, Iphigenia and Iris, Samuel, Richard, Septimus, Alexandra, and the Bandit King. There are various sweet, bold, poised, grumbly ragtag groups throughout the book, and Prue and Curtis remain tenacious and take everything in stride.
One element of the book that struck me as weird is how totally useless the parents are, to the point that they become a hindrance to the characters and the story. The twelve-year-old has to take on immense responsibility because they refuse to do anything, which seemed like quite an anti-parent take, except that they’re tender the rest of the time. Their helplessness becomes a strange plot device without its emotional due. Makes you want to be raised by Brenden (my fave).
The other questionable factor of Wildwood is the language. The content is fittingly middle grade, but for what reason is there such complex language? I was reading at a so-called high school level in grade 5, but I wouldn’t have understood a lot of these words at that age. Some sections are over-saturated with description and sophisticated phrasing that doesn’t work well for a story and audience aimed at youth.
I read this on audiobook on a whim, after seeing it available from my online library. Amanda Plummer was a fantastic performer/reader, adding a sense of wonder to the sights, a fullness and realism to the characters, and a delight to the whole book. I was most impressed with Carson Ellis’ cover illustration too: it captures the characters, the feeling of the wood, and the spindly coyote soldiers who play an important role, all phenomenally, creating visual intrigue. I was glad to find a number of Ellis’ illustrations for the book online, most especially the cages and the ghost bridge. Meloy uses measurements (50 ft off the ground, etc.) throughout the novel, but that’s not something I can visualize easily, so the images were a great addition to the world-building.
I’m not a big fan of literary battles (or film battles, for that matter), but I loved the book’s ending.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I know this is a bit wimpy of me, but I seriously couldn’t get past 129. That’s how boring this book was. It just seemed to get nowhere. Plus, for the most part, it was almost a COMPLETE RIP-OFF OF NARNIA. SERIOUSLY. I mean, the second I saw Alexandra, I kept reading and she was like some duplicate of the Snow Queen. Ugh!