Reviews

The Robe of Skulls: The First Tale from the Five Kingdoms by Vivian French

mewmewkitten's review against another edition

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5.0

Very charming and cute. Illustrations also really added to the experience of the book as well.

ginnykaczmarek's review against another edition

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4.0

A great introduction to a fun series. Loved the upside-down fairytale feeling--where the Trueheart is considered a bad thing, until it isn't--and the weaving together of familiar tropes with fresh humor. Nice for the budding Goths (and anyone with an affinity for the brothers Grimm).

wiccy's review

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3.0

Fun, cute fairytale.

jay_the_hippie's review against another edition

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4.0

My son recommended this book (actually, the whole series), and so I found the time to read it this weekend. I was impressed at how well a book for young kids carried a relatively large number of characters, and how it kept the suspense of whether some of them were good or bad. I don't mind reading books where the good and bad characters are known right from the outset, but when an author can keep a character's character unknown, it makes for a more interesting story. I also liked that some of the evil characters, for instance, were more evil than others. I think I will read the rest of this series.

mnkgrl's review against another edition

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3.0

Really fun, weird, and sometimes a little creepy. Basically a fairy tale with a few twists. Reminds me a little of Joan Aiken.

spikeydlux's review against another edition

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4.0

An absolute delight to read! I can see this story very successfully being made into a very fun, exciting and creative film - without any extra embellishments. [a:Vivian French|32157|Vivian French|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1225168508p2/32157.jpg] has created a wonderfully engaging fairy tale, replete with a sad, sweet young girl and evil stepsister, an evil sorceress (with fabulous fashion sense), frogs, princes, frog princes, well-mannered, well-intentioned bats, and enough familiar territory to make this story readily accessible, but clever enough to earn it a place on the modern, enjoyable young adult fantasy bookshelf.

sondrahos's review against another edition

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5.0

I'm nearly finished with this fast-paced read from Candlewick Press.

Vivian French is a fabulous writer and the plot, characters and even the names of the people and places come together superbly to create a believable fantasy world of sorcerers, wizards, goblins and laugh-out-loud situations that will appeal to readers of all ages.

This is book one in a series and I can't wait to discover more.

yirken's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted 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

1.75

stacyd's review against another edition

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3.0

A fun romp of a fractured fairytale. Great characters, and settings. Kids who have outgrown Snicket may enjoy this.

amgass119's review against another edition

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4.0

Reminded me a bit of Clover Twig. I would give it 3.5 stars