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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
Between the non-quest in book one and the fact that book two is just a set up, I am still a bit annoyed, but the world and race building is still amazing so I will go on to the final book.
REALLY good! Holy cow! I cannot wait for the next one! Ohhh goodness it is a long time till spring of 2013. I think that it will be a really good third book! I really hope that no one dies( it is inevitable though... I think so0. And I hope that Jason realizes that he likes Rachel and I hope that Rachel developed her Edomic skills! I think that the two of them will obviously play a major role in the Rebellion and the future of Lyrian.I hope that the seedmen join together and I hope that the Seer that they are looking for will be useful. I hope that Ferrin continues to be true to the cause. I hope that more of the free people of Lyrian will join together to help to destroy Maldor. Ahhh I cannot wait!!
I honestly don't know what to rate this. On the one hand, it was engaging (especially the first half), funny, and extremely creative. On the other, I was definitely more critical. Looking overall, I think I'd give it three and a half stars. That last quarter of the book left me pretty disturbed, raising an eyebrow about some of the deeper things. But then it was good ol' Jason in Lyrian again, which was grand.
I really, really wanted to love this, but... I didn't :(
I was a huge fan of Brandon Mull's Fablehaven and enjoyed his first Beyonders novel. I was excited to check out his next book, and freaked out when I received this in the mail, my very first ARC :) . Unfortunately, the problems that started with the first book persisted through the second, and I found it difficult to finish.
My main issue was the character development, or lack of, I should say. The author seemed to skip over his characters to focus on his plot, which I found irritating. Jason, our hero, is portrayed as an ordinary young teenager, to the point it's extremely boring. I'd rather read about an interesting character who was also relatable than a character who is basically so 'normal' he doesn't even feel real. The other characters aren't characterized enough either and it took away from the story since I simply didn't care about them. Unlike Fablehaven, where Seth and Kendra might have felt a little cliche at first, they really grew by the end of the series into likable, relatable heroes, Jason and Rachel simply didn't work for me.
The secondary characters had some interesting bits, but on the whole, were rather forgettable. Fablehaven is populated with a memorable supporting cast, while this book, set in a fantasy world, could have chose to use some really fascinating characters, but failed to. I don't know what I was expecting, a LOTR style ensemble perhaps, but that seems farfetched since this is a kids book. Overall, the characters weren't the kind who you would remember long after reading.
The plot; in times it was interesting, but in times felt slow and dragging. Brandon Mull certainly has an imagination and I found myself enjoying his creative world. It certainly feels similar to Narnia, Middle-Earth or any other medieval fantasy world, but it had it's own uniqueness too, including the beings who populate it. Speaking of unique and creative, the entire idea of 'the word' and the cliffhanger at the end of the first book, were a perfect set up for a sequel. Unfortunately for me, the sequel didn't deliver on the level I had hoped it would.
The writing style was so-so for me. It wasn't exactly riveting, but not badly written either. Honestly, I found I preferred the writing in his other books.
Overall, not a bad book, just not for me. I don't plan on reading the final book, but I will, however, check out any new series Brandon writes, especially if he continues with his Fablehaven books (since I'm dying to know what happens with Kendra&Bracken, Seth, Vanessa&Warren, the Sphinx, who the new Eternals are, and so much more!)
Thanks to GoodReads for providing me with a copy. xox
I was a huge fan of Brandon Mull's Fablehaven and enjoyed his first Beyonders novel. I was excited to check out his next book, and freaked out when I received this in the mail, my very first ARC :) . Unfortunately, the problems that started with the first book persisted through the second, and I found it difficult to finish.
My main issue was the character development, or lack of, I should say. The author seemed to skip over his characters to focus on his plot, which I found irritating. Jason, our hero, is portrayed as an ordinary young teenager, to the point it's extremely boring. I'd rather read about an interesting character who was also relatable than a character who is basically so 'normal' he doesn't even feel real. The other characters aren't characterized enough either and it took away from the story since I simply didn't care about them. Unlike Fablehaven, where Seth and Kendra might have felt a little cliche at first, they really grew by the end of the series into likable, relatable heroes, Jason and Rachel simply didn't work for me.
The secondary characters had some interesting bits, but on the whole, were rather forgettable. Fablehaven is populated with a memorable supporting cast, while this book, set in a fantasy world, could have chose to use some really fascinating characters, but failed to. I don't know what I was expecting, a LOTR style ensemble perhaps, but that seems farfetched since this is a kids book. Overall, the characters weren't the kind who you would remember long after reading.
The plot; in times it was interesting, but in times felt slow and dragging. Brandon Mull certainly has an imagination and I found myself enjoying his creative world. It certainly feels similar to Narnia, Middle-Earth or any other medieval fantasy world, but it had it's own uniqueness too, including the beings who populate it. Speaking of unique and creative, the entire idea of 'the word' and the cliffhanger at the end of the first book, were a perfect set up for a sequel. Unfortunately for me, the sequel didn't deliver on the level I had hoped it would.
The writing style was so-so for me. It wasn't exactly riveting, but not badly written either. Honestly, I found I preferred the writing in his other books.
Overall, not a bad book, just not for me. I don't plan on reading the final book, but I will, however, check out any new series Brandon writes, especially if he continues with his Fablehaven books (since I'm dying to know what happens with Kendra&Bracken, Seth, Vanessa&Warren, the Sphinx, who the new Eternals are, and so much more!)
Thanks to GoodReads for providing me with a copy. xox
I decided to give it 3 stars because this was 90% just not a match for the first book;
It was not as well written, and most of the book was not as interesting, but it was still pretty good - almost a 4-starer. And that ending, one of the best endings I have seen in fantasy, just amazed me. Can't wait to read the last book of the trilogy! Rating: 3.6 stars
It was not as well written, and most of the book was not as interesting, but it was still pretty good - almost a 4-starer. And that ending, one of the best endings I have seen in fantasy, just amazed me. Can't wait to read the last book of the trilogy! Rating: 3.6 stars
I ultimately enjoyed this, but it didn't hook me quite as much as the first one. Though it is certainly action-packed with a lot of interesting settings! This was a 4 star book for me until the introduction of about 20 new characters in the last 4th of the book that had my head spinning. Too much to take in! However, there are some truly awesome characters in this book. Galloran is a favorite for sure. I'm excited to see what happens next.
I read this book so I could review it for the librarian I volunteer with. Otherwise, I'm not sure I would have read it. For some reason, I just can't get behind Brandon Mull's work. I can't remember what happened in the first book, and while there was nothing outright wrong or necessarily unlikeable about this book (Although, the characters do feel a little one-dimensional. Galloran is just too mighty with a sword, Rachel is too easily adept at magic, Tark is too loyal, etc. The only one we could have fun with is Ferrin, but we only got glimpses of that and I'm not sure it's going to go anywhere in the future), I was just reading it to finish it so I could write my review and move on to something else.
This was pretty good, but it's sometimes so hard to wait for the rest of the story to continue in the next book. It feels like it will go on forever.