Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I had such strong feelings towards Septimus the rat. Truly my favorite character in the whole novel. I think this is a wonderful little world to have lived in while I was reading it. There was mischief and mucking around the woods, which I always quite enjoy. I think there were parts that could have been shortened a tad. However, it did bring back the feeling of reading very, very long books as a child and feeling rather accomplished, which at 22 years old, feels rather refreshing. (I bought this in a lovely little bookshop in Fremont, Washington and I miss it dearly.) (Also I can absolutely see why Laika has chosen this as their next movie endeavor and I cannot wait to see how they make my sweet sweet Septimus)
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mostly slow moving. story line was good, but I lost interest because of everything moving slowly
A well-written, Narnia-esque children's fiction piece that is rather imaginative and I really loved the start but a few chapters in the middle ruined the vibe. The final fight though makes up for whatever misshapen bits ruined the few annoying chapters lurking in the middle of this fantastic novel.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Set in Portland (or at least a fantasy-version of Portland), one can easily see why this has been described as modern-day Narnia. It took me a little bit to make my mind up about the book as I started it, but in the end, sticking with it was worth the effort. The plot is interesting and proved to be well-developed with interesting characters, though my favorite aspect of the book was definitely the setting and over-all brilliant capture of the Portland-esque flavor. Though easy to read and very accessible, it's published as YA, and I wouldn't recommend it for younger than upper elementary due to some scary/violent themes (although never gratuitous or gory), though there was zero romantic/sexual content in the entire book. The author and illustrator are a husband-wife team and I loved the quirky illustrations.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I expected to deeply enjoy this book. I was incredibly disappointed. It is far too wordy in a way that interferes with the pacing of the story. I didn't feel a connection with the characters. There are too many side characters. The parents just let their daughter run off into the woods to save her brother without attempting to join her. The plot is okay, but doesn't balance out the flaws in the book.
I think some serious editing would have made a big difference. If you're going to read this book, go in with moderate expectations.
I think some serious editing would have made a big difference. If you're going to read this book, go in with moderate expectations.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death