Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A thought-provoking read that explores darkness and light, and the nature of power - power to choose, and power over others - and the way they shape us. It reminds us of the strength that is found in unity.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-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:
Complicated
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
fast-paced
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
I just finished reading this book to my little kids (7 and 9) - a book I have read myself literally hundreds of times - I didn't expect them to love it as much as I did, but they did enjoy it more than I expected, and my 7 year old even understood a little of the Tenar/Arha struggle (in terms of "being like Star Wars" - Tenar "kills" Arha in much the same way Vader "kills" Anakin, a conceit repeated throughout the original Star Wars and now (2022) in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series in which Vader himself basically says, "You didn't kill Anakin! *I* did!"). OK, so - Tombs of Atuan is set in Earthsea. A young girl named Tenar is taken and dedicated to the Dark Powers under the Earth, and symbolically "eaten" to become Arha - "the Eaten One." She lives a life in service to evil, inflicting casual cruelty and herself suffering cruelty of others, until a wizard shows up in the Tombs of which she is the priestess and guardian. The wizard turns out to be Ged/Sparrowhawk from the first book. He gives her back her name that was eaten - Tenar - and makes her realize that she should escape, that a life in service to darkness and evil is hollow and empty, and helps her find the courage to break free (I guess that's a bit of a spoiler, if you haven't read it before, but honestly, you can see that's where it's going - the fun is in HOW). This edition even has sone notes from LeGuin about how a part of her wanted to make Tenar a feminist icon, and break free on her own without the help of a man, but she just couldn't force the story that way, and then she herself realized that liberation is almost always a collective, communal effort - few of us live in a vacuum, without the community of others. So. Great book, great edition, and I was happy my kids enjoyed it.