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noeandnovels's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, War, and Violence
shieldbearer's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Loved this book so much as a kid. the nuanced characters and complex plot are an absolute plus in this book and it absolutely is one of the strongest entries in the series. The characters (particularly matthias) change over the course of the book. I particularly appreciate the way the arguments are handled- they feel natural. Beautifully written with a balance of humor and sobriety.
However, it must be said that this book does have racist parallels I completely missed as a child. The use of the slur for Romani peoples, namely, and the explicit comparison of/conflation of said slur with the foxes Sela and Chickenhound is a harmful anti-Romani stereotype. They are explicitly described as Romani and their behaviour and characterizations are harmful anti-Romani stereotypes.
There's also the matter of the Sparra, which are more ambiguous, though the author explicitly refers to Sparra warriors as "braves" and continually refers to the race as a whole as "savages" and their portrayal does very much bring to mind typical indigenous stereotypes.
While I would still recommend this book, I firmly believe we should not ignore these harmful portrayals and if you share the novel with your children, these issues should be discussed.
However, it must be said that this book does have racist parallels I completely missed as a child. The use of the slur for Romani peoples, namely, and the explicit comparison of/conflation of said slur with the foxes Sela and Chickenhound is a harmful anti-Romani stereotype. They are explicitly described as Romani and their behaviour and characterizations are harmful anti-Romani stereotypes.
There's also the matter of the Sparra, which are more ambiguous, though the author explicitly refers to Sparra warriors as "braves" and continually refers to the race as a whole as "savages" and their portrayal does very much bring to mind typical indigenous stereotypes.
While I would still recommend this book, I firmly believe we should not ignore these harmful portrayals and if you share the novel with your children, these issues should be discussed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Racial slurs, Murder, Medical content, Death, Death of parent, Racism, Violence, War, Xenophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, Confinement, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, and Gore
Minor: Slavery
percyu's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
torturedreadersdept's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Violence, Death, and Animal death
theworstofit's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Death, Murder, Animal death, War, Xenophobia, and Violence
lauramcc7's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Violence
Moderate: Animal death
spreadbookjoy's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Animal death
lalicurates's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
What a charming adventure story! I read this as part of my Amnesia Reads TBR project- books I know I have read but don't remember any details. I can definitely see how this became such a successful and popular series. We meet such a broad cast of memorable characters, and I vaguely recall that we revisit many of these characters in other books. The plot and themes are suitable for a young middle grade audience- the bad guys have clearly defined bad morals, the good guys have clear positive traits- but the vocabulary and length of the book keeps it engaging for older readers. The story doesn't shy away from violence and death, but it portrays these things in a way that suits the world, and also doesn't dwell too long on these events which I think helps keep these topics digestible for younger readers. I definitely look forward to re-reading the other books from this series that I own (possibly reading the whole series? There's a lot of books.)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
resquite's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I never read this book in elementary school, but my friends all loved it. I thought I'd give it a read since I quite enjoy the genre. I thought it was an interesting story with a pretty cute overall quest for victory. It was difficult to find myself get truly invested in the story and I think that is mainly because the characters are a bit flat for my taste. It probably makes sense for the reading level, but it was a difficult read for me as far as truly finding a place in the book that gave me that push to feel invested emotionally or otherwise.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
maryannsophia's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Violence