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linyarai's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
thekarpuk's review against another edition
3.0
Full disclosure, I'm an online acquaintance of Simon West-Bulford, and know him to be a stand-up guy, which is why my rating actually makes me cringe.
I'm an easy sell for anything that falls into the category of supernatural slice-of-life, a genre that Americans don't give nearly enough love in my opinion. So that made Upton Puddle a easy proposition for me.
I like the animals, I like the idea of a kid being mentored by a wise old teacher who knows the magical ways of these creatures. I definitely appreciated the fact that Joe isn't involved in all this because of the fantasy trope of "the one true super-special boy". No, he's not the one who lived, he's just a nice, caring kid. It's pleasing to have a protagonist who wasn't chosen by god to carry out the plot.
What left me a mixed is the feeling that West-Bulford might be holding back a bit, since this book seems to be shooting for family-friendly territory. Things like Redwar, the Dahl-esque villain of the piece, cry out for the story to go much darker territory, but I can almost feel the book pulling its punches so as not to freak anyone out. The corporate world's attempt to control magic lends itself pretty easily to horrors, and I honestly think most kids who pick up a book like this are okay with this, and have probably read Roald Dahl and Clive Barker's the Thief Of Always, and are maybe primed for something a little less chipper. And based on the Soul Consortium, I know he's got the chops.
But that's a minor issue. What really slapped the 4th star off this book was the third act. I'm merrily following them on their adventures, expecting it to resolve somehow with Merrynether and Joe outwitting the villain with their cleverness, caring, and their creatures, and at a certain point the story veers hard to the left into EPIC DRAGON BATTLES! This is not the sort of book I felt cried out for an intense, Battle at Helm's Deep style ending, and the somewhat whimsical villains felt a little awkward here compared to the unholy army of dragon's ready to unleash doom upon mankind. It felt like the climax brought a bazooka to a school-yard brawl.
Despite all this, it was still a fun read, I just have the typical reader issue of getting my expectations messed with. I'm fussy that way.
I'm an easy sell for anything that falls into the category of supernatural slice-of-life, a genre that Americans don't give nearly enough love in my opinion. So that made Upton Puddle a easy proposition for me.
I like the animals, I like the idea of a kid being mentored by a wise old teacher who knows the magical ways of these creatures. I definitely appreciated the fact that Joe isn't involved in all this because of the fantasy trope of "the one true super-special boy". No, he's not the one who lived, he's just a nice, caring kid. It's pleasing to have a protagonist who wasn't chosen by god to carry out the plot.
What left me a mixed is the feeling that West-Bulford might be holding back a bit, since this book seems to be shooting for family-friendly territory. Things like Redwar, the Dahl-esque villain of the piece, cry out for the story to go much darker territory, but I can almost feel the book pulling its punches so as not to freak anyone out. The corporate world's attempt to control magic lends itself pretty easily to horrors, and I honestly think most kids who pick up a book like this are okay with this, and have probably read Roald Dahl and Clive Barker's the Thief Of Always, and are maybe primed for something a little less chipper. And based on the Soul Consortium, I know he's got the chops.
But that's a minor issue. What really slapped the 4th star off this book was the third act. I'm merrily following them on their adventures, expecting it to resolve somehow with Merrynether and Joe outwitting the villain with their cleverness, caring, and their creatures, and at a certain point the story veers hard to the left into EPIC DRAGON BATTLES! This is not the sort of book I felt cried out for an intense, Battle at Helm's Deep style ending, and the somewhat whimsical villains felt a little awkward here compared to the unholy army of dragon's ready to unleash doom upon mankind. It felt like the climax brought a bazooka to a school-yard brawl.
Despite all this, it was still a fun read, I just have the typical reader issue of getting my expectations messed with. I'm fussy that way.
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