Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I LOVE this series. More appropriate for junior high, the second entry in this series is full of action, humor, and a lot of suspense. Jason is such a fun "everyday" character and I find all of the supporting cast to be so deep and enjoyable. Mull has built such a unique world that I want this series to last forever. This is the kind of book that you finish and then you thirst for the next one in the series immediately.
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
"You mean to defy me," [Maldor] said flatly, the comment unsolicited. [sic]
"After all the futile suffering, after all the fruitless effort, after the countless disgraced followers, you persist in returning to your folly. I can see through you, Galloran. You are mine. I will watch your every move."
"Then you will watch me dismantle your empire piece by piece," Galloran said. "When you see anything, it will be the cowardly criminals you employ perishing by my blade. Come for me if you can. I will be waiting."
Whew. This series, y'all. This series. I can't even put into words the degree of love I have for these books. They are just so perfect, from the covers to the characters to the world-building to the themes.
I don't think I have ever read a single book series that deals with the subject of heroism more subtly and beautifully than Beyonders. A lot of times books with "reluctant heroes" read more like anti-war propaganda than a novel about rebellion. I'm definitely not advocating for war, but most of the time when I read stories like that I want to ask the author to turn it down a bit on the I'm a hero and that means I have to kill people but I feel really bad even though they're EVIL and it's a good thing that my friends are here with me!!!!! shtick. In Beyonders, we get heroes and the evil emperor and the good versus evil fight without the narrative popping in with a reminder every five minutes that these guys are heroes. And I like it. It makes the story flow better and the characters more likable.
SPEAKING OF CHARACTERS, my favorite character in Beyonders has got to be Ferrin. He is trying so hard in this book to go from being a horrible person to one of the good guys and you really feel for him in his struggles. He has to deal with the fact that all the people around him don't really trust him, and he knows that he doesn't deserve to be trusted. And it breaks my heart every fricking time I read these fricking books. He is trying to be honest and have integrity, but he struggles. He puts it candidly:
"'I'm accustomed to this kind of atmosphere. Right now it's time for me to lie low... An unwelcome guest should avoid flaunting his presence.'
'I'm trusting you more and more,' Jason said, feeling bad for him.
'Which feels stranger than suspicion,' Ferrin said... 'I could rationalize your acceptance as ignorance. I've never had a true friend, Jason. I've used others, I've been used. But a principled person has never knowingly accepted me...I can't stop noticing how I might take advantage of information...Part of me muses how difficult it would be for the seedmen to pass judgment on me and my people if they were extinct. Part of me wants to exploit a million different flaws I've noticed in their attitudes and defenses. Part of me want to show you and Galloran that you were fools to trust me, that I don't need your sympathy or protection... The safest course of action for your young rebellion would be to toss me off the tallest cliff you can find.'"
I'm love him. Ferrrin deserves the world.
Honestly, I just love all the characters in any Brandon Mull book ever -- he really has a knack for creating main, secondary, and tertiary, and even background characters that are flawed and three dimensional??? How does he do it? I literally. Even if a character is present for under a chapter I can still remember their name and description?? With most books it's doubtful I'll even remember the main characters' names.
The battle scenes in Beyonders are some of the best I've ever read as well. They read perfectly -- I can see it in my mind, it's not too polished, it's not too choppy, and the characters' skill ranges are varied and accurate to their presented ability.
I also like how the magic is written into Beyonders. In most fantasy book series' with magic, the characters discover their powers and then boom, two chapters later they're perfect at wielding them and they're just awesome and as good as the bad guy who has been training for hundreds of years. Amazing. However, when Rachel discovers her affinity for magic literally all she can do at first is light a candle with her mind. But even that is considered amazing, as one of the other characters, Drake, only learned to light a candle after years of dedication and meditating. Rachel's pretty much a beast, and it's fun to see her powers grow as she goes from lighting a candle, to lighting a fire, to burning ten zombies at once, to lighting a table on fire and tossing it around the room like a professional arsonist. It's also nice to read because the magic actually takes a toll out on the people who wield it, and you have to build up your stamina and power. If you try a command that's too ambitious for you and fail, then you have a serious risk of death or permanent injury. There's actually consequences for your actions. Imagine that.
Also!! The magic is cool because it's literally a language!! That is so cool!! I geek the heck out over the world-building in these books but you know what? They deserve it. This is one of those series, like Eragon and Lord of the Rings, where you can tell that the author has literally spent YEARS creating this world and it pays off so much!
Another really cool character that we meet in Seeds of Rebellion is Farfalee. She's a bad-a who has lived for thousands of years and can speak pretty much any language and also shoot you in the eye with a bow and arrow from a hundred yards away without flinching. I want to be her best friend.
Please read Beyonders
The choice to have a path to another world be through a hippo's mouth was an iconic choice, but Jason as a character going "If it worked once, maybe it'll work again" & going for it makes it so much funnier
I loved it! Can't wait for the next book in the series.
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Read: May 16, 2023
Title: Seeds of Rebellion
Series: Beyonders #2
Author: Brandon Mull
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Rating: 3/5
Review:
Title: Seeds of Rebellion
Series: Beyonders #2
Author: Brandon Mull
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Rating: 3/5
Review:
Likes: It was witty and moving, the world building was wonderful, and the narration was decent.
Dislikes: Similar to Mull’s other series, predictable, Slow
Quotes:
“When a government becomes unjust, honor is often found among the lawless.”
TW: Death, Gore, Grief, Suicide, Torture, dismemberment, Violence, Vomit.
The sequel was a lot more action-packed and fast paced than the first book. It had me submerged into the plot and the story a lot more. At first, the start felt a bit unpromising, but that was quickly reprimanded as the story unfolded.
Definitely still not the most refined plot or pacing out there, but it's a very good example of a strong and fun story suitable for a younger audience. I haven't read a lot of middle grade (at this current moment in time) but I believe that some people tend to not understand what middle grade can be. Brandon Mull's books are in that sense, a perfect example of what I personally believe amazing middle grade books should be like. They simply aren't dumbed down versions of fantasy stories we've all heard and grown tired of - not saying that other middle grade books are, but that used to once be a view I applied to the sub-genre. If I held such prejudices, chances are there are others out there who've shared them in the past or still do.
I'm excited as well as anxious to see what will happen next. Even if they do win, will Jason and Rachel ever get home? Or will they decide to stay in Lyrian and embrace the future it may have in store for them? So many questions, and only one way to find out.
Definitely still not the most refined plot or pacing out there, but it's a very good example of a strong and fun story suitable for a younger audience. I haven't read a lot of middle grade (at this current moment in time) but I believe that some people tend to not understand what middle grade can be. Brandon Mull's books are in that sense, a perfect example of what I personally believe amazing middle grade books should be like. They simply aren't dumbed down versions of fantasy stories we've all heard and grown tired of - not saying that other middle grade books are, but that used to once be a view I applied to the sub-genre. If I held such prejudices, chances are there are others out there who've shared them in the past or still do.
I'm excited as well as anxious to see what will happen next. Even if they do win, will Jason and Rachel ever get home? Or will they decide to stay in Lyrian and embrace the future it may have in store for them? So many questions, and only one way to find out.
To say that Brandon Mull has "done it again" is to ignore the spot this book takes in his ouvre: it was early. This book came out in 2012, which, among other things, also produced my favorite movie, Chronicle; the first Avengers Film, and either the second or fifth Spider-Man movie, depending on how you count it; The Fault in Our Stars; and my own graduation from Middle school, and into high school. Yeah.
I probably would have been very well-served by this book at the time of its publishing, but at the time I was on something of an unfortunate break on reading for pleasure. I am quite glad I recovered some years after that, and then, after another break from reading since I thought I shouldn't be reading books that were "too young" for me to enjoy like I did, I came back to such books. I've said it before, and no doubt I'll say it again: I'm 24 and I really, really love well-written young fantasy. It's complex, but in a way that lets me see and appreciate every angle, as from above. It does not see to hide itself, but reveals all and still holds fascination.
Biography aside, this is a fantastic series. There is a lot of what I wanted to see, including much I didn't expect. I was very glad to see more weight on Rachel's actions. Galloran only gained facets as a character; I'm glad to see him buck the Hero's Journey slot of Brom and Obi-Wan before him. Indeed, this story is all the more interesting for that (Galloran's complexity, and the Hero's Journey thing): this is not a world without heroes, but not because of our protagonists' inclusion, not yet. They may yet be chosen ones, or something like it, but the prophesied hero that helped them along the way is not finished being a hero. His destiny is not over because he accepted help and played it straight, which I think is a lot of the point of the series.
For me, it's a perfect cut between Fablehaven and Eragon, an easy grey medium of high and low fantasy. The power and wonder of the world and its agents are fascinating and dazzling, but the drama and character choices put it beyond a book with perhaps higher stakes, like Harry Potter.
That's something I really, really like about Mull's brand of fantasy, actually; the omniverse, country, or Wizarding World doesn't need to be facing the threat of absolute extinction or spontaneous combustion, or whatever. The plot can be compelling without apocalyptic stakes. Mull follows genre lines plenty, but only so far as it serves him, and the story he seeks. He uses his characters' naivete-- and through them, the baseline of the genre-- to enhance his story, the stakes, and character development. What is it to be thrust into a magical world.... and not be the chosen one? What greater drama might come by leaving alone the threat of all things ending in trade for a potentially faithless friend? In my opinion, a great story with fascinating elements all the way down.
There is also a solid amount of unexpected inclusion of sign languages, which is pretty great. They were more of a sidenote, a means to an end and not an intent inclusion, which is just as well, but nice to say anyway. On details like (or exactly the same as) this, I call it preference, and seek to include it in my writing. There is plenty of minutia of great appeal, but if you like a fast and compelling read, with swords and god-magic and nontraditional fantasy races, do yourself a favor and check out this series, truly regardless of your age.
I probably would have been very well-served by this book at the time of its publishing, but at the time I was on something of an unfortunate break on reading for pleasure. I am quite glad I recovered some years after that, and then, after another break from reading since I thought I shouldn't be reading books that were "too young" for me to enjoy like I did, I came back to such books. I've said it before, and no doubt I'll say it again: I'm 24 and I really, really love well-written young fantasy. It's complex, but in a way that lets me see and appreciate every angle, as from above. It does not see to hide itself, but reveals all and still holds fascination.
Biography aside, this is a fantastic series. There is a lot of what I wanted to see, including much I didn't expect. I was very glad to see more weight on Rachel's actions. Galloran only gained facets as a character; I'm glad to see him buck the Hero's Journey slot of Brom and Obi-Wan before him. Indeed, this story is all the more interesting for that (Galloran's complexity, and the Hero's Journey thing): this is not a world without heroes, but not because of our protagonists' inclusion, not yet. They may yet be chosen ones, or something like it, but the prophesied hero that helped them along the way is not finished being a hero. His destiny is not over because he accepted help and played it straight, which I think is a lot of the point of the series.
For me, it's a perfect cut between Fablehaven and Eragon, an easy grey medium of high and low fantasy. The power and wonder of the world and its agents are fascinating and dazzling, but the drama and character choices put it beyond a book with perhaps higher stakes, like Harry Potter.
That's something I really, really like about Mull's brand of fantasy, actually; the omniverse, country, or Wizarding World doesn't need to be facing the threat of absolute extinction or spontaneous combustion, or whatever. The plot can be compelling without apocalyptic stakes. Mull follows genre lines plenty, but only so far as it serves him, and the story he seeks. He uses his characters' naivete-- and through them, the baseline of the genre-- to enhance his story, the stakes, and character development. What is it to be thrust into a magical world.... and not be the chosen one? What greater drama might come by leaving alone the threat of all things ending in trade for a potentially faithless friend? In my opinion, a great story with fascinating elements all the way down.
There is also a solid amount of unexpected inclusion of sign languages, which is pretty great. They were more of a sidenote, a means to an end and not an intent inclusion, which is just as well, but nice to say anyway. On details like (or exactly the same as) this, I call it preference, and seek to include it in my writing. There is plenty of minutia of great appeal, but if you like a fast and compelling read, with swords and god-magic and nontraditional fantasy races, do yourself a favor and check out this series, truly regardless of your age.