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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians - Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson
*ARC Review*
What happens when a orphaned teen boy discovers his talent for breaking things is a superpower, there is a secret organization of Evil Librarians out to get him and he gets so overwhelmed with authoring this autobiographical tale that he refuses to write the final book in his series?!
Enter Bastille - Knight of Crystallia and Alcatraz Smedry’s personal bodyguard. Bastille takes up the mantle under the guise of pen name Janci Patterson and attempts to finish the last book in Alcatraz’s biography.
I was so excited to be able to get an ARC of the final book in the Alcatraz series. I love Brandon Sanderson and always look forward to reading anything he comes out with, even kids books!
The Alcatraz books are such a fun adventure that both adults and kids will enjoy. The main characters frequently break the 4th wall and the humour is both clever and “punny”.
Sanderson always manages to build super unique worlds with interesting magic systems while managing to convey poignant messages with humour. I felt this last book was a little short for me and I was hoping for a bit more out of the ending but as a children’s book - it’s perfect.
*ARC Review*
What happens when a orphaned teen boy discovers his talent for breaking things is a superpower, there is a secret organization of Evil Librarians out to get him and he gets so overwhelmed with authoring this autobiographical tale that he refuses to write the final book in his series?!
Enter Bastille - Knight of Crystallia and Alcatraz Smedry’s personal bodyguard. Bastille takes up the mantle under the guise of pen name Janci Patterson and attempts to finish the last book in Alcatraz’s biography.
I was so excited to be able to get an ARC of the final book in the Alcatraz series. I love Brandon Sanderson and always look forward to reading anything he comes out with, even kids books!
The Alcatraz books are such a fun adventure that both adults and kids will enjoy. The main characters frequently break the 4th wall and the humour is both clever and “punny”.
Sanderson always manages to build super unique worlds with interesting magic systems while managing to convey poignant messages with humour. I felt this last book was a little short for me and I was hoping for a bit more out of the ending but as a children’s book - it’s perfect.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a fitting ending to this fun middle grade series. I think Patterson got Bastille’s voice pretty spot on. I’m glad this final book is told from her perspective as she reflects on heroism and goes on this wacky adventure.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
[warning, i might get a little spoiler-y here, but i'll try not to]
People often underestimate the value of a good stabbing.
man, I still can't believe this time it's really the end. (though honestly, Brandon– sorry, Alcatraz trolled us so many times i wouldn't be surprised if there was something more to come. this time it doesn't feel like it tho).
this book felt different than the rest of the series – which is fair, in fact i expected that, i mean it would be weird if everything was the same with Bastille as a narrator, instead of Alcatraz. their ways of narration have some similarity to it, but you can feel that this time it's a different person bullying the reader. and even though i think i a prefer Alcatraz as a narrator a biiiiit more (he's a relatable little shit), Bastille in this role is charming as well. (also i love how much stabbing was mentioned in this book. not a fan of the small amount of actual stabbing that happened, but i'll live with it).
but i'm getting sidetracked. as i was saying, this book feels different; a bit more fever-dreamy for sure, which says a lot. or maybe it's just that i literally have a fever at this very moment, who knows. anyway there was a LOT of things here and not a lot of pages, so some parts felt more chaotic than the rest of the series – which, again, says a lot – sometimes in a good way, sometimes... not really. but i'll let it slide, cause maybe it actually is just because of me being sick XD.
the ending felt kinda rushed though, and tbh i didn't really like it (except for the part with a certain person being in a certain object, it's funny as hell for me). and at the same time it was actually fitting, but after previous five books always having some kind of a big duel/fight near the end, this one felt a bit too easy to win, you know. (BUT i appreciate the appearance of a Gak there. everything is improved with an addition of a Gak).
the afterwords though — especially the second one — really got me, i may have gotten really close to crying there but you didn't hear it from me.
some other things i want to say:
— the Gak. the Gak was perfect. i will never be able to see the word "straw" the same way again. i'm glad we finally got some lore to them.
— there was so many great quotes in this book, it's one of the few series that can still make me actually laugh out loud and i appreciate it for it :D
— but not only funny quotes; i am still thinking about the one aboutattica possibly loosing humanity due to his talent. man. much to think about.
— the romance part..... i am not a fan of it, i have to admit, but it may be just me having a problem with romances at general ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. and i'll admit these two can be quite cute. also thankfully the book was still mostly focused on trying to survive and stuff so the romantic plotline didn't become a major one, so i can live with it. good for them i guess
— speaking of Alcatraz and Bastille, these kids really need a solid break, jfc. to be fair, everyone in this book does.
— and, as always with this series: you don't even know how much it did for me when i was a 14 y/o loser. the overall message, about making your so-called flaws your strenghts, about making everyone feel truly needed and finding use in the most unexpected things, the importance of friends and family – written like that it may sound a bit pathetic or something but i don't care, i love this series.
overall, i am really happy i finally got this book in my hands, i may not love *everything* about it, but i had a lot of fun and i certaintly will come back to it.
and remember kids, not feeling guilty leads to matricide and cannibalism
People often underestimate the value of a good stabbing.
man, I still can't believe this time it's really the end. (though honestly, Brandon– sorry, Alcatraz trolled us so many times i wouldn't be surprised if there was something more to come. this time it doesn't feel like it tho).
this book felt different than the rest of the series – which is fair, in fact i expected that, i mean it would be weird if everything was the same with Bastille as a narrator, instead of Alcatraz. their ways of narration have some similarity to it, but you can feel that this time it's a different person bullying the reader. and even though i think i a prefer Alcatraz as a narrator a biiiiit more (he's a relatable little shit), Bastille in this role is charming as well. (also i love how much stabbing was mentioned in this book. not a fan of the small amount of actual stabbing that happened, but i'll live with it).
but i'm getting sidetracked. as i was saying, this book feels different; a bit more fever-dreamy for sure, which says a lot. or maybe it's just that i literally have a fever at this very moment, who knows. anyway there was a LOT of things here and not a lot of pages, so some parts felt more chaotic than the rest of the series – which, again, says a lot – sometimes in a good way, sometimes... not really. but i'll let it slide, cause maybe it actually is just because of me being sick XD.
the ending felt kinda rushed though, and tbh i didn't really like it (except for the part with a certain person being in a certain object, it's funny as hell for me). and at the same time it was actually fitting, but after previous five books always having some kind of a big duel/fight near the end, this one felt a bit too easy to win, you know. (BUT i appreciate the appearance of a Gak there. everything is improved with an addition of a Gak).
the afterwords though — especially the second one — really got me, i may have gotten really close to crying there but you didn't hear it from me.
some other things i want to say:
— the Gak. the Gak was perfect. i will never be able to see the word "straw" the same way again. i'm glad we finally got some lore to them.
— there was so many great quotes in this book, it's one of the few series that can still make me actually laugh out loud and i appreciate it for it :D
— but not only funny quotes; i am still thinking about the one about
— the romance part..... i am not a fan of it, i have to admit, but it may be just me having a problem with romances at general ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. and i'll admit these two can be quite cute. also thankfully the book was still mostly focused on trying to survive and stuff so the romantic plotline didn't become a major one, so i can live with it. good for them i guess
— speaking of Alcatraz and Bastille, these kids really need a solid break, jfc. to be fair, everyone in this book does.
— and, as always with this series: you don't even know how much it did for me when i was a 14 y/o loser. the overall message, about making your so-called flaws your strenghts, about making everyone feel truly needed and finding use in the most unexpected things, the importance of friends and family – written like that it may sound a bit pathetic or something but i don't care, i love this series.
overall, i am really happy i finally got this book in my hands, i may not love *everything* about it, but i had a lot of fun and i certaintly will come back to it.
and remember kids, not feeling guilty leads to matricide and cannibalism
adventurous
funny
hopeful
medium-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
CAWPILE RATING
Characters
Atmosphere
Writing Style (Prose)
Plot
Intrigue
Logic
Enjoyment
C - 8
A - 5
W - 6
P - 6
I - 5
L - 6
E - 6
Total: 6 (even!)
While I like how everything ended up here - as far as characters and plot, this book was a bit of a struggle for me. There was a lot of magic hand-waving as far as the magic, world-building, and the plot goes (VERY un-Sanderson-like) as well as just a lot of inner-character dialogue without much action or plot progression.
I did appreciate the corny jokes and play on words, though.
Characters
Atmosphere
Writing Style (Prose)
Plot
Intrigue
Logic
Enjoyment
C - 8
A - 5
W - 6
P - 6
I - 5
L - 6
E - 6
Total: 6 (even!)
While I like how everything ended up here - as far as characters and plot, this book was a bit of a struggle for me. There was a lot of magic hand-waving as far as the magic, world-building, and the plot goes (VERY un-Sanderson-like) as well as just a lot of inner-character dialogue without much action or plot progression.
I did appreciate the corny jokes and play on words, though.
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i was 12 when i started to read the series and immediately fell in love with it. today, five years later, as i finished this book, it felt as if my childhood ended. but it was a happy ending.
a tad dramatic, isn’t it?
i have A LOT to say and i will finish this review i just don’t have time noww
a tad dramatic, isn’t it?
i have A LOT to say and i will finish this review i just don’t have time noww