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dinipandareads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
TL;DR: The Accidental Apprentice was an exciting, whimsical and action-packed story with plenty of magical beasts, wild lore, and new friendships. It's about overcoming prejudice, finding your place and learning that not everyone is who they seem. Barclay was a great main character and I enjoyed watching him grow, make friends, and eventually embrace lore. I really enjoyed diving into this new world with exciting creatures and wild magic, and I can't wait to see what adventures these apprentices will embark on next!
I've been wanting to read this book since I first saw the cover and saw it compared to Nevermoor and How to Train Your Dragon. Nevermoor is one of my all-time favourite MG reads and I can definitely understand the comparison but a lot of comparisons have also been made to Pokémon and I totally agree with that too! The story balances the darker elements and themes with the fun and whimsy that's found in abundance in MG fantasies. Our main character Barclay is an orphan from Dullshire and all his life, he's never really fit in with the strict rules of the town. He's always been a little too wild and a bit too much of a minor rule-breaker for the townspeople to really accept him. Despite being bullied and treated like an outcast, he still wants nothing more than to fit in and to make his dead parents proud by leading the life he assumed they always wanted for him.
It was easy to empathise with Barclay and oftentimes it was hard not to feel heartbroken by the situation he found himself in and by his earnest desire to belong (in Dullshire) and be a good person. For much of the story, we see him struggle to accept his situation of being bonded to a Mythic beast and to reconcile his growing fondness for lore and the magic-having friends he makes along the way. There's obviously a lot that Barclay has to learn and I enjoyed how we learned about the vastness of the Wilderlands and the Wilderlore alongside him. There's so much to discover and I have a feeling we've really only scratched the surface of it in this first book! 😍 Barclay's main ally was Viola and I loved her energy! She's kind, courageous, and a great leader who stood by Barclay throughout the story. I honestly wished that we got to know her a bit more because it seems like there's a lot going on with her but because Barclay was determined to not engage with anything/anyone beyond the bare minimum, I felt that was a bit of a missed opportunity to strengthen the found family aspect to the story. There were a few character and plot twists that I didn't expect but it does have me looking forward to what's in store for this trio of apprentices.
By the time we reached the end and the book's villain was thwarted, I was still left with a few answered questions and felt that some situations were too easily resolved or even swept under the rug to move forward. This particularly relates to the main villain and all those that were in his pocket! Ultimately though, this was a really promising first book in a new MG fantasy series. I can't wait to see this found family situation further develop in the coming books and I'm where the adventure leads to next.
I've been wanting to read this book since I first saw the cover and saw it compared to Nevermoor and How to Train Your Dragon. Nevermoor is one of my all-time favourite MG reads and I can definitely understand the comparison but a lot of comparisons have also been made to Pokémon and I totally agree with that too! The story balances the darker elements and themes with the fun and whimsy that's found in abundance in MG fantasies. Our main character Barclay is an orphan from Dullshire and all his life, he's never really fit in with the strict rules of the town. He's always been a little too wild and a bit too much of a minor rule-breaker for the townspeople to really accept him. Despite being bullied and treated like an outcast, he still wants nothing more than to fit in and to make his dead parents proud by leading the life he assumed they always wanted for him.
It was easy to empathise with Barclay and oftentimes it was hard not to feel heartbroken by the situation he found himself in and by his earnest desire to belong (in Dullshire) and be a good person. For much of the story, we see him struggle to accept his situation of being bonded to a Mythic beast and to reconcile his growing fondness for lore and the magic-having friends he makes along the way. There's obviously a lot that Barclay has to learn and I enjoyed how we learned about the vastness of the Wilderlands and the Wilderlore alongside him. There's so much to discover and I have a feeling we've really only scratched the surface of it in this first book! 😍 Barclay's main ally was Viola and I loved her energy! She's kind, courageous, and a great leader who stood by Barclay throughout the story. I honestly wished that we got to know her a bit more because it seems like there's a lot going on with her but because Barclay was determined to not engage with anything/anyone beyond the bare minimum, I felt that was a bit of a missed opportunity to strengthen the found family aspect to the story. There were a few character and plot twists that I didn't expect but it does have me looking forward to what's in store for this trio of apprentices.
By the time we reached the end and the book's villain was thwarted, I was still left with a few answered questions and felt that some situations were too easily resolved or even swept under the rug to move forward. This particularly relates to the main villain and all those that were in his pocket! Ultimately though, this was a really promising first book in a new MG fantasy series. I can't wait to see this found family situation further develop in the coming books and I'm where the adventure leads to next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Toxic friendship
Minor: Death of parent
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