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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
I wanted to love Darkmouth. I wanted to love the characters, be engaged in the story and fall in love with a new series. I wanted it to be a Big Thing for me. I really did.
I wanted too much.
Granted, it is not a bad book by any means. Overall Darkmouth is enjoyable, has a somewhat original idea and the characters can be very charming in their own way if you’re one to ignore certain things and not nitpick.
That is basically the best things I can say about it. The other side of the coin is that the book just felt unfinished, as if the author had submitted the draft to their publisher by accident and it was now too late to take it back.
And now we arrive at my problems with this book: inconsistent character narrative and unclear motivations. Slightly messy point of view narrative. Also the fact that Finn somehow suddenly accepts being a Legend Hunter.
Let me elaborate: it is stated very clearly throughout the book that Finn doesn’t even want to be a Legend Hunter, that he instead wishes to be a veterinarian, and wonders if maybe he can talk to the Legends instead of just Hunting them. And somehow, that went out the window without any clear explanation in the second half. The only time I saw Finn display any kind of concern for a Legend, or even a semblance of sympathy, was in scenes with Broonie, and even then I got the feeling that Finn was more annoyed than sympathetic. It isn’t Finn’s fault, I just felt as if his feelings were not properly conveyed by the narrative. One may argue that he decided to be a Hunter because of his father, but we never get a good segue into that. The time frame presented is simply not enough for Finn to change his deepest desires so much.
Which brings me to my other big issue with the book: unclear point of view narrative. Look. There is a neutral third person point of view and an involved one. Darkmouth clearly tried to go for the latter, and failed. Many times I was confused as to Finn’s thoughts and motives for his actions, as they were not properly explained or conveyed – not even subtly. And because the narration is unreliable, that means you don’t get a clear picture of any of the other characters. The only person I somehow got a better idea of was Emmie. Finn’s father, from start to finish, was a complete mystery to me, although he is mentioned on almost every page. Even Finn himself states that his father is odd, but what I mean is that he wasn’t a confusing person, but a confusing character, which are two very different things. It was extremely hard to tell what kind of person he was even in Finn’s eyes.
Another problem I have is the way the relationship between them is handled; I understand that Finn himself cannot stand up to his father easily, but the narrative itself forgives his father’s actions, which to me is quite frankly atrocious. Nowhere in the book did anyone say Hey, maybe your dad shouldn’t act that way towards you. There is a scene or two including Finn’s mother trying to defend him, but those get glossed over so much that they’re hard to really take seriously. Somehow things turn out okay and Finn says he wants to take his father’s place despite the treatment he had received before. That was not okay.
The scenes I did like were the reveal about Finn’s grandfather, and basically almost every scene involving a villain. Mr Glad was a nice reveal as well, and even if somewhat cliche, I understood his motivations much better than Finn’s – which says a lot about the way Finn is written.
Which is just sad.
I wanted too much.
Granted, it is not a bad book by any means. Overall Darkmouth is enjoyable, has a somewhat original idea and the characters can be very charming in their own way if you’re one to ignore certain things and not nitpick.
That is basically the best things I can say about it. The other side of the coin is that the book just felt unfinished, as if the author had submitted the draft to their publisher by accident and it was now too late to take it back.
And now we arrive at my problems with this book: inconsistent character narrative and unclear motivations. Slightly messy point of view narrative. Also the fact that Finn somehow suddenly accepts being a Legend Hunter.
Let me elaborate: it is stated very clearly throughout the book that Finn doesn’t even want to be a Legend Hunter, that he instead wishes to be a veterinarian, and wonders if maybe he can talk to the Legends instead of just Hunting them. And somehow, that went out the window without any clear explanation in the second half. The only time I saw Finn display any kind of concern for a Legend, or even a semblance of sympathy, was in scenes with Broonie, and even then I got the feeling that Finn was more annoyed than sympathetic. It isn’t Finn’s fault, I just felt as if his feelings were not properly conveyed by the narrative. One may argue that he decided to be a Hunter because of his father, but we never get a good segue into that. The time frame presented is simply not enough for Finn to change his deepest desires so much.
Which brings me to my other big issue with the book: unclear point of view narrative. Look. There is a neutral third person point of view and an involved one. Darkmouth clearly tried to go for the latter, and failed. Many times I was confused as to Finn’s thoughts and motives for his actions, as they were not properly explained or conveyed – not even subtly. And because the narration is unreliable, that means you don’t get a clear picture of any of the other characters. The only person I somehow got a better idea of was Emmie. Finn’s father, from start to finish, was a complete mystery to me, although he is mentioned on almost every page. Even Finn himself states that his father is odd, but what I mean is that he wasn’t a confusing person, but a confusing character, which are two very different things. It was extremely hard to tell what kind of person he was even in Finn’s eyes.
Another problem I have is the way the relationship between them is handled; I understand that Finn himself cannot stand up to his father easily, but the narrative itself forgives his father’s actions, which to me is quite frankly atrocious. Nowhere in the book did anyone say Hey, maybe your dad shouldn’t act that way towards you. There is a scene or two including Finn’s mother trying to defend him, but those get glossed over so much that they’re hard to really take seriously. Somehow things turn out okay and Finn says he wants to take his father’s place despite the treatment he had received before. That was not okay.
The scenes I did like were the reveal about Finn’s grandfather, and basically almost every scene involving a villain. Mr Glad was a nice reveal as well, and even if somewhat cliche, I understood his motivations much better than Finn’s – which says a lot about the way Finn is written.
Which is just sad.
Wow, this was a hilarious, great book, though there were a few things that I didn't particularly like.
While I did like our main character, at times I wondered how he could still be so weak, so afraid, so stupid. He has been trained since birth, he has seen all kinds of stuff, he has all kinds of things ready for him, yet he can't do anything without the help of others. And while I do like a character that isn't instantly strong, I would have liked to see some growth in our main character. He does seem to get smarter about stuff, but still, his strength, the things he is supposed to do? Only a little bit, other than that he still needs the help of people. And truly, it is a shame.
But, he is also a good character, he is pretty smart, and he does do his best to train, he does his best with monsters, but the fact is that he just doesn't want this, he wants something different. But yeah, tell that to your dad who is crazily focussed on passing the legacy. The kid doesn't have an easy life at times.
I loved how dedicated he was though, and how he tried to help out his dad, how he tried to solve the mysteries surrounding him.
Emmie/Emmy, I didn't trust her from the beginning, she just had that aura over her that screamed: WARNING WARNING! She was an interesting girl, but she was a bit too pushy, a bit too oblivious to some things.
Later when we find out a bit more about her and her family I started to slowly like her and started trusting her a bit more. Take note of that 'bit more'-part. I still didn't trust her entirely.
But she did give the book some extra dimension and some extra fun. And in the end she was a pretty trusty/dependable character.
I didn't like the villagers at all, they all seemed ungrateful and hateful. I can imagine it is no fun when monsters invade your town, and when stuff goes bad. Especially when the new Legend Hunter will be a boy who is a total wreck at the job, but still, I found it disgusting with what they did in the end.
The boy and his father (especially the father) did their best to get rid of the monsters, they tried their best to fix stuff, and yes stuff did go wrong, but you could have known that if you are going to live in such a village.
The story itself is really fun and I love the idea of villages in which monsters or Legends (but I will call them monsters) exists, monsters that pop up and that there are Legend Hunters hunting these monsters. All but the village of our main character is free of it, and so this book also explores the why is Darkmouth still bothered by the monsters? Why only this town? Is it due to something special? Is there something wrong?
I also liked that the weather acted up when there was a monster popping up. Really interesting and it gave something extra to the story, I am still curious as to why it happened (maybe it was explained, but at times I just lose myself too much in the story and I miss explanations).
The ending was interesting. Though the twist about a certain character was a bit predictable, still it was nice that it was added, it made the story even more exciting and I just wanted to see what would happen if people discovered and found out about it.
All in all, this is a book that will grab you and hold you tight. I do hope that our main character will get a bit more development (especially in the strong and brave part) in the next books.
I would really recommend this book. It has monsters, battles, twists and turns, and a lot of humour and fun.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
While I did like our main character, at times I wondered how he could still be so weak, so afraid, so stupid. He has been trained since birth, he has seen all kinds of stuff, he has all kinds of things ready for him, yet he can't do anything without the help of others. And while I do like a character that isn't instantly strong, I would have liked to see some growth in our main character. He does seem to get smarter about stuff, but still, his strength, the things he is supposed to do? Only a little bit, other than that he still needs the help of people. And truly, it is a shame.
But, he is also a good character, he is pretty smart, and he does do his best to train, he does his best with monsters, but the fact is that he just doesn't want this, he wants something different. But yeah, tell that to your dad who is crazily focussed on passing the legacy. The kid doesn't have an easy life at times.
I loved how dedicated he was though, and how he tried to help out his dad, how he tried to solve the mysteries surrounding him.
Emmie/Emmy, I didn't trust her from the beginning, she just had that aura over her that screamed: WARNING WARNING! She was an interesting girl, but she was a bit too pushy, a bit too oblivious to some things.
Later when we find out a bit more about her and her family I started to slowly like her and started trusting her a bit more. Take note of that 'bit more'-part. I still didn't trust her entirely.
But she did give the book some extra dimension and some extra fun. And in the end she was a pretty trusty/dependable character.
I didn't like the villagers at all, they all seemed ungrateful and hateful. I can imagine it is no fun when monsters invade your town, and when stuff goes bad. Especially when the new Legend Hunter will be a boy who is a total wreck at the job, but still, I found it disgusting with what they did in the end.
The boy and his father (especially the father) did their best to get rid of the monsters, they tried their best to fix stuff, and yes stuff did go wrong, but you could have known that if you are going to live in such a village.
The story itself is really fun and I love the idea of villages in which monsters or Legends (but I will call them monsters) exists, monsters that pop up and that there are Legend Hunters hunting these monsters. All but the village of our main character is free of it, and so this book also explores the why is Darkmouth still bothered by the monsters? Why only this town? Is it due to something special? Is there something wrong?
I also liked that the weather acted up when there was a monster popping up. Really interesting and it gave something extra to the story, I am still curious as to why it happened (maybe it was explained, but at times I just lose myself too much in the story and I miss explanations).
The ending was interesting. Though the twist about a certain character was a bit predictable, still it was nice that it was added, it made the story even more exciting and I just wanted to see what would happen if people discovered and found out about it.
All in all, this is a book that will grab you and hold you tight. I do hope that our main character will get a bit more development (especially in the strong and brave part) in the next books.
I would really recommend this book. It has monsters, battles, twists and turns, and a lot of humour and fun.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
This was a very enjoyable kids audiobook. Andrew Scott is an amazing narrator!!
It was pretty good to get my back into reading and I kind of care for the characters but I don’t think that I’m going to continue these books.
Fun! I enjoyed the dry humor, the characters and the plot! Definitely a good find for 50 cents at the library!
Der erste Band der Darkmouth-Reihe, der mich sofort mit seinem Humor, den skurrilen Charakteren und der Umsetzung überzeugen konnte. Der Hauptcharakter Finn ist ein cooler Held, der keineswegs perfekt ist und mit dem sich Leser identifizieren und mit ihm mitfühlen können. Aber auch Emmie ist eine taffe und coole Heldin, und die beiden ergänzen sich ziemlich gut was nicht nur eine gute Dynamik bietet, sondern auch die Handlung stärkt. Mir gefällt auch die Aufmachung sehr, vom ausdrucksstarken Cover bis zu den Verzierungen im Buch und den gelegentlichen schwarzen Seiten.
I wanted to love Darkmouth. I wanted to love the characters, be engaged in the story and fall in love with a new series. I wanted it to be a Big Thing for me. I really did.
I wanted too much.
Granted, it is not a bad book by any means. Overall Darkmouth is enjoyable, has a somewhat original idea and the characters can be very charming in their own way if you’re one to ignore certain things and not nitpick.
That is basically the best things I can say about it. The other side of the coin is that the book just felt unfinished, as if the author had submitted the draft to their publisher by accident and it was now too late to take it back.
And now we arrive at my problems with this book: inconsistent character narrative and unclear motivations. Slightly messy point of view narrative. Also the fact that Finn somehow suddenly accepts being a Legend Hunter.
Let me elaborate: it is stated very clearly throughout the book that Finn doesn’t even want to be a Legend Hunter, that he instead wishes to be a veterinarian, and wonders if maybe he can talk to the Legends instead of just Hunting them. And somehow, that went out the window without any clear explanation in the second half. The only time I saw Finn display any kind of concern for a Legend, or even a semblance of sympathy, was in scenes with Broonie, and even then I got the feeling that Finn was more annoyed than sympathetic. It isn’t Finn’s fault, I just felt as if his feelings were not properly conveyed by the narrative. One may argue that he decided to be a Hunter because of his father, but we never get a good segue into that. The time frame presented is simply not enough for Finn to change his deepest desires so much.
Which brings me to my other big issue with the book: unclear point of view narrative. Look. There is a neutral third person point of view and an involved one. Darkmouth clearly tried to go for the latter, and failed. Many times I was confused as to Finn’s thoughts and motives for his actions, as they were not properly explained or conveyed – not even subtly. And because the narration is unreliable, that means you don’t get a clear picture of any of the other characters. The only person I somehow got a better idea of was Emmie. Finn’s father, from start to finish, was a complete mystery to me, although he is mentioned on almost every page. Even Finn himself states that his father is odd, but what I mean is that he wasn’t a confusing person, but a confusing character, which are two very different things. It was extremely hard to tell what kind of person he was even in Finn’s eyes.
Another problem I have is the way the relationship between them is handled; I understand that Finn himself cannot stand up to his father easily, but the narrative itself forgives his father’s actions, which to me is quite frankly atrocious. Nowhere in the book did anyone say Hey, maybe your dad shouldn’t act that way towards you. There is a scene or two including Finn’s mother trying to defend him, but those get glossed over so much that they’re hard to really take seriously. Somehow things turn out okay and Finn says he wants to take his father’s place despite the treatment he had received before. That was not okay.
The scenes I did like were the reveal about Finn’s grandfather, and basically almost every scene involving a villain. Mr Glad was a nice reveal as well, and even if somewhat cliche, I understood his motivations much better than Finn’s – which says a lot about the way Finn is written.
Which is just sad.
// https://firebirdreviews.wordpress.com
I wanted too much.
Granted, it is not a bad book by any means. Overall Darkmouth is enjoyable, has a somewhat original idea and the characters can be very charming in their own way if you’re one to ignore certain things and not nitpick.
That is basically the best things I can say about it. The other side of the coin is that the book just felt unfinished, as if the author had submitted the draft to their publisher by accident and it was now too late to take it back.
And now we arrive at my problems with this book: inconsistent character narrative and unclear motivations. Slightly messy point of view narrative. Also the fact that Finn somehow suddenly accepts being a Legend Hunter.
Let me elaborate: it is stated very clearly throughout the book that Finn doesn’t even want to be a Legend Hunter, that he instead wishes to be a veterinarian, and wonders if maybe he can talk to the Legends instead of just Hunting them. And somehow, that went out the window without any clear explanation in the second half. The only time I saw Finn display any kind of concern for a Legend, or even a semblance of sympathy, was in scenes with Broonie, and even then I got the feeling that Finn was more annoyed than sympathetic. It isn’t Finn’s fault, I just felt as if his feelings were not properly conveyed by the narrative. One may argue that he decided to be a Hunter because of his father, but we never get a good segue into that. The time frame presented is simply not enough for Finn to change his deepest desires so much.
Which brings me to my other big issue with the book: unclear point of view narrative. Look. There is a neutral third person point of view and an involved one. Darkmouth clearly tried to go for the latter, and failed. Many times I was confused as to Finn’s thoughts and motives for his actions, as they were not properly explained or conveyed – not even subtly. And because the narration is unreliable, that means you don’t get a clear picture of any of the other characters. The only person I somehow got a better idea of was Emmie. Finn’s father, from start to finish, was a complete mystery to me, although he is mentioned on almost every page. Even Finn himself states that his father is odd, but what I mean is that he wasn’t a confusing person, but a confusing character, which are two very different things. It was extremely hard to tell what kind of person he was even in Finn’s eyes.
Another problem I have is the way the relationship between them is handled; I understand that Finn himself cannot stand up to his father easily, but the narrative itself forgives his father’s actions, which to me is quite frankly atrocious. Nowhere in the book did anyone say Hey, maybe your dad shouldn’t act that way towards you. There is a scene or two including Finn’s mother trying to defend him, but those get glossed over so much that they’re hard to really take seriously. Somehow things turn out okay and Finn says he wants to take his father’s place despite the treatment he had received before. That was not okay.
The scenes I did like were the reveal about Finn’s grandfather, and basically almost every scene involving a villain. Mr Glad was a nice reveal as well, and even if somewhat cliche, I understood his motivations much better than Finn’s – which says a lot about the way Finn is written.
Which is just sad.
// https://firebirdreviews.wordpress.com
4.5 stars.
Billed as the 'next big thing', a new Harry Potter - I couldn't resist trying this to see...
And it's really, really good. I can see the comparisons, and also why the predictions have bene made. This is exciting fantasy, with scope for a long-lasting series of likeable characters, with backstory and all sorts of interesting creatures.
Our hero doesn't feel like a hero, though his family background would say otherwise. Finn is destined to become the 43rd generation of Legend Hunter in his family. His small Irish town of Darkmouth is now the only remaining place where creatures ('legends' such as manticores, basilisks and hogboons) can enter from their world into ours. Finn has been trained all his life to take on his role as protector of our world, but he isn't very good at it, and doesn't, in fact, want the job.
Finn is twelve, and can't seem to get it right, causing more problems than he stops with his attempts to best the Legends, to the constant frustration of Hugo the Great, his Hunter dad. In this world too, Finn's destiny and family is no secret, at school everyone knows what he's been doing (and what he's been getting wrong), and in this world too, the public are starting to rebel against the Hunters ways - they want to protect themselves.
A big invasion is planned, and Finn is caught up in a large battle that envelopes everyone in Darkmouth, including new friend and fan Emmie, as friendship, betrayal, death, and the safety of our world are all entangled in a Legend plot.
There are lots of nice little touches that rang true - Finn wearily interrupting all the "heard it before" stories of his dad's heroics, the poor Sergeant sick of policing the town and wanting to be posted elsewhere, a constantly desiccated and reanimated Legend called Broonie.
Hegarty has included stories from the Hunters books, some great family dynamics, and lots of fantastical creatures that are both funny and dangerous. It looks like a long book, but it whizzes by just like a Potter story.
The story ends on a cliffhanger that promises more episodes with a Finn who has grown in bravery and confidence in the first, who just like Harry we will probably get to see change through adolescence, with a small group of recurring characters around him. It's not as complete a world as Potter's but could become so.
There are some good relationships that I'd like to see again, between both adults and children, some 'superhero' conventions are played with, I LOVE Finn's house. Broonie reminded me a little of Mulch Diggums from Artemis Fowl, but without the physical attributes everyone likes about him, though he is sweet.
Maybe next time we'll see more of the Legends' world?
A great new fantasy series, one ripe for film plucking (wouldn't it be nice to see Irish accents on screen in a children's film?), and recommended for ages 8-13.
Billed as the 'next big thing', a new Harry Potter - I couldn't resist trying this to see...
And it's really, really good. I can see the comparisons, and also why the predictions have bene made. This is exciting fantasy, with scope for a long-lasting series of likeable characters, with backstory and all sorts of interesting creatures.
Our hero doesn't feel like a hero, though his family background would say otherwise. Finn is destined to become the 43rd generation of Legend Hunter in his family. His small Irish town of Darkmouth is now the only remaining place where creatures ('legends' such as manticores, basilisks and hogboons) can enter from their world into ours. Finn has been trained all his life to take on his role as protector of our world, but he isn't very good at it, and doesn't, in fact, want the job.
Finn is twelve, and can't seem to get it right, causing more problems than he stops with his attempts to best the Legends, to the constant frustration of Hugo the Great, his Hunter dad. In this world too, Finn's destiny and family is no secret, at school everyone knows what he's been doing (and what he's been getting wrong), and in this world too, the public are starting to rebel against the Hunters ways - they want to protect themselves.
A big invasion is planned, and Finn is caught up in a large battle that envelopes everyone in Darkmouth, including new friend and fan Emmie, as friendship, betrayal, death, and the safety of our world are all entangled in a Legend plot.
There are lots of nice little touches that rang true - Finn wearily interrupting all the "heard it before" stories of his dad's heroics, the poor Sergeant sick of policing the town and wanting to be posted elsewhere, a constantly desiccated and reanimated Legend called Broonie.
Hegarty has included stories from the Hunters books, some great family dynamics, and lots of fantastical creatures that are both funny and dangerous. It looks like a long book, but it whizzes by just like a Potter story.
The story ends on a cliffhanger that promises more episodes with a Finn who has grown in bravery and confidence in the first, who just like Harry we will probably get to see change through adolescence, with a small group of recurring characters around him. It's not as complete a world as Potter's but could become so.
There are some good relationships that I'd like to see again, between both adults and children, some 'superhero' conventions are played with, I LOVE Finn's house. Broonie reminded me a little of Mulch Diggums from Artemis Fowl, but without the physical attributes everyone likes about him, though he is sweet.
Maybe next time we'll see more of the Legends' world?
A great new fantasy series, one ripe for film plucking (wouldn't it be nice to see Irish accents on screen in a children's film?), and recommended for ages 8-13.
Darkmouth is a blighted village, where Legends ( monsters to us mere mortals ) open portals and enter the human realm, bent on creating carnage and destruction. Where there are Legends there are Legend Hunters, enter Hugo the Great and his twelve year old son Finn. Finn is the last of the Legend Hunters, and let's just say he still has a lot to learn!
I absolutely adore this book, and got swept up in a wave of excitement and adventure right from the beginning. The myths and history surrounding the Blighted Villages and the Legend Hunters is fascinating. The Legends themselves are terrifying mythological creatures that would instill fear into even the bravest of the brave.
The story is brilliant and captivating.
James de la Rue's amazing illustrations compliment the narrative to perfection!
I can't wait to read the sequel.
I absolutely adore this book, and got swept up in a wave of excitement and adventure right from the beginning. The myths and history surrounding the Blighted Villages and the Legend Hunters is fascinating. The Legends themselves are terrifying mythological creatures that would instill fear into even the bravest of the brave.
The story is brilliant and captivating.
James de la Rue's amazing illustrations compliment the narrative to perfection!
I can't wait to read the sequel.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated