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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
I decided to stop reading on page 15. After reading reviews, admiring the cover art, and finding a copy at a local library, I was happy to pick it up and start reading one dark autumn night. It was with genuine disappointment that I closed the book sans bookmark; I can't recall the last time I did so, and had to make a new Shelf for the occasion.
The issue here is not the plot, though I haven't even gotten into it beyond "family inherits spooky mansion". Rather, it is the writing. Other reviewers have lauded Guyon's writing, indeed, going so far as to compare the book as a whole to Harry Potter, and promising it as the "next big thing." While I never reached the fantasy world he created, I don't think reading through the entire book in order to find that world would be worth it. To flip a saying Guyon references early on, the sight would not be worth the journey.
Let's delve into a couple specifics, because I despise doling out such harsh criticism without good reason.
Firstly. There is an em dash present within almost all of the paragraphs. Perhaps half of them are well employed, but the other half suffer from ill placements that jerk around the flow of the writing. Even without those poorly-placed ones, however, there would still be too many for comfort. Em dashes, ellipses, and semi-colons have a definite place in writing, but must be used only when necessary. Otherwise, as evidenced here, the flow becomes spoiled.
Secondly. There wasn't an awful lot of dialogue in the pages I read, but there was enough to deem it flawed. Missing commas, odd capitalizations, ineffective adverb usage, and statements which came off as unnatural. A few examples are as follows:
"Okay he's scared of the dark, most kids are." (9)
"This is slightly bigger than the Pine tree we had last year!" (12)
"Door knobs for giants and now this? An elevator for elves!" (15)
"Thanks for the heads-up," he says ironically. (15)
Sometimes these same flaws make themselves known in the narrative as well, but, on the whole, they keep to the dialogue. The narration itself isn't poor, in fact; it moves along and does a good job describing the odd house Archibald has found himself in. It does, however, seem a little slapstick at times, which is at odds with the spooky atmosphere the mansion lets off.
It's worth noting that I assigned two stars to this review, and not one. That's because a younger reader might find the intrigue of the mansion, Archibald's peculiar knowledge abilities, and the very premise enough to keep reading, nevermind the writing style. This book isn't atrocious; it's simply not good, and there are far too many good books to read in this wide world.
Another note is that, while reading and watching my critiques take form, I tried to bear in mind that Guyon was not born in a country where English is the primary language. That being said, this book wasn't translated, and most of it would convince me that he is a master of the language. Thus, there should have been knowledge enough between the author, his readers, and (for heaven's sake) his editor to discover and remedy the flaws now published.
If the other reviews of this book entice you enough to check it out, I hope you enjoy it! I do not enjoy providing negative reviews, and wish Guyon all the best in sharpening his craft and continuing to find a welcoming audience.
The issue here is not the plot, though I haven't even gotten into it beyond "family inherits spooky mansion". Rather, it is the writing. Other reviewers have lauded Guyon's writing, indeed, going so far as to compare the book as a whole to Harry Potter, and promising it as the "next big thing." While I never reached the fantasy world he created, I don't think reading through the entire book in order to find that world would be worth it. To flip a saying Guyon references early on, the sight would not be worth the journey.
Let's delve into a couple specifics, because I despise doling out such harsh criticism without good reason.
Firstly. There is an em dash present within almost all of the paragraphs. Perhaps half of them are well employed, but the other half suffer from ill placements that jerk around the flow of the writing. Even without those poorly-placed ones, however, there would still be too many for comfort. Em dashes, ellipses, and semi-colons have a definite place in writing, but must be used only when necessary. Otherwise, as evidenced here, the flow becomes spoiled.
Secondly. There wasn't an awful lot of dialogue in the pages I read, but there was enough to deem it flawed. Missing commas, odd capitalizations, ineffective adverb usage, and statements which came off as unnatural. A few examples are as follows:
"Okay he's scared of the dark, most kids are." (9)
"This is slightly bigger than the Pine tree we had last year!" (12)
"Door knobs for giants and now this? An elevator for elves!" (15)
"Thanks for the heads-up," he says ironically. (15)
Sometimes these same flaws make themselves known in the narrative as well, but, on the whole, they keep to the dialogue. The narration itself isn't poor, in fact; it moves along and does a good job describing the odd house Archibald has found himself in. It does, however, seem a little slapstick at times, which is at odds with the spooky atmosphere the mansion lets off.
It's worth noting that I assigned two stars to this review, and not one. That's because a younger reader might find the intrigue of the mansion, Archibald's peculiar knowledge abilities, and the very premise enough to keep reading, nevermind the writing style. This book isn't atrocious; it's simply not good, and there are far too many good books to read in this wide world.
Another note is that, while reading and watching my critiques take form, I tried to bear in mind that Guyon was not born in a country where English is the primary language. That being said, this book wasn't translated, and most of it would convince me that he is a master of the language. Thus, there should have been knowledge enough between the author, his readers, and (for heaven's sake) his editor to discover and remedy the flaws now published.
If the other reviews of this book entice you enough to check it out, I hope you enjoy it! I do not enjoy providing negative reviews, and wish Guyon all the best in sharpening his craft and continuing to find a welcoming audience.
Thank you to Line 8 publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an audiobook arc of this book.
What an adventure! I could not put this down. That too, it left on a cliffhanger. Our main character Archibald, who seems to know everything finds an old globe in his grandmother’s library, only to be sucked into the globe with a huge flash of light. He is transported to a different dimension filled with witches, monsters and a world where no one ages. While in our time, his sister Haley is trying to figure out what happened to her brother with the help of Oliver, an antique store owner’s son. The owner wanting to sell this rare globe to a very shady person. What is this globe? Why was it made? And will Archibald be able to come back? I cannot wait for the next book!
What an adventure! I could not put this down. That too, it left on a cliffhanger. Our main character Archibald, who seems to know everything finds an old globe in his grandmother’s library, only to be sucked into the globe with a huge flash of light. He is transported to a different dimension filled with witches, monsters and a world where no one ages. While in our time, his sister Haley is trying to figure out what happened to her brother with the help of Oliver, an antique store owner’s son. The owner wanting to sell this rare globe to a very shady person. What is this globe? Why was it made? And will Archibald be able to come back? I cannot wait for the next book!
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Thank you to NetGallety and Andrews McMeel Audio for providing me an e-arc of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review
Holy Bejables! This book was cool. It was fast paced and full of magic and and action. The battle scenes were so detailed and well described that I really felt I was watching the action. And the magic system, using enchanted rocks called golems, was so unique and fun to learn about. This book would be great for middle grade readers (or anyone!) who want an action packed fantasy. I couldn't put it down. My one complaint is that it ends on a total cliff hanger! I hadn't gone into this book expecting to pick up a series, but I guess that's what I've done.
I listened to an arc of the audiobook, so I suppose I ought to mention the narrator. I really thought he was great. It was easy to distinguish the character voices and he was very pleasant to listed to. All in all, a great production of a great book. I could see this audiobook book being a total hit on a family roadtrip or any other situation that is a multi-generational listen for fans of fantasy adventures.
Holy Bejables! This book was cool. It was fast paced and full of magic and and action. The battle scenes were so detailed and well described that I really felt I was watching the action. And the magic system, using enchanted rocks called golems, was so unique and fun to learn about. This book would be great for middle grade readers (or anyone!) who want an action packed fantasy. I couldn't put it down. My one complaint is that it ends on a total cliff hanger! I hadn't gone into this book expecting to pick up a series, but I guess that's what I've done.
I listened to an arc of the audiobook, so I suppose I ought to mention the narrator. I really thought he was great. It was easy to distinguish the character voices and he was very pleasant to listed to. All in all, a great production of a great book. I could see this audiobook book being a total hit on a family roadtrip or any other situation that is a multi-generational listen for fans of fantasy adventures.
I adored this book so much, It says that it's more for middle grade but honestly, if you enjoy fantasy books, you'll find this to be right up your alley no matter what your age is. It's magical, funny, and engaging. I also loved the narrator for the audiobook. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I can't say how much I loved this fantasy adventure, it was so amazing with a great deal of humor, intelligence with a whole captivating and complex world building and storytelling. I really loved the characters of the story.
Also, the narrator "Steve Hendrickson" did a great job on this audiobook, it was such a pleasure to listen to.
The adventures of this new hero with such a strange name like "Archibald Finch" will mesmerize kids and grown ups for sure; how can you not be when you know that you will find witches, magical golems, globes that might take you to another world, hidden secrets, fantastic creatures and a new bunch of monsters called the "Morodors". As a first book of a new series, I would say that it's a great success for Michel Guyon. We will be sure waiting for the next book.
I can't say how much I loved this fantasy adventure, it was so amazing with a great deal of humor, intelligence with a whole captivating and complex world building and storytelling. I really loved the characters of the story.
Also, the narrator "Steve Hendrickson" did a great job on this audiobook, it was such a pleasure to listen to.
The adventures of this new hero with such a strange name like "Archibald Finch" will mesmerize kids and grown ups for sure; how can you not be when you know that you will find witches, magical golems, globes that might take you to another world, hidden secrets, fantastic creatures and a new bunch of monsters called the "Morodors". As a first book of a new series, I would say that it's a great success for Michel Guyon. We will be sure waiting for the next book.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I listened to the audiobook while following this ebook and I loved it so much. This is a new favorite. The book is so well written with some amazing and enchanting illustrations helping the readers to immerse themselves in this fantastic world created by Guyon. The adventure of Archibald starts when he found a strange globe at the old mansion of his late grandmother what happened next is for you to discover by reading this wonderful story of a peculiar boy who find himself in another strange world where magic exists and where young witches lives fighting against some odd creatures called the Morodors but it is not all about Archibald's story because there are some mysterious hidden family secrets that will be reveald to our hero and it won't be the end of his adventures.
This story is a mix between Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia with a more captivating plot. I loved the world building, the characters are so well developed, smart and funny, also I loved the strong female characters that you just dream to be like them when you're a little girl. This was a great work of creativity that will see a future success that's for sure.
I listened to the audiobook while following this ebook and I loved it so much. This is a new favorite. The book is so well written with some amazing and enchanting illustrations helping the readers to immerse themselves in this fantastic world created by Guyon. The adventure of Archibald starts when he found a strange globe at the old mansion of his late grandmother what happened next is for you to discover by reading this wonderful story of a peculiar boy who find himself in another strange world where magic exists and where young witches lives fighting against some odd creatures called the Morodors but it is not all about Archibald's story because there are some mysterious hidden family secrets that will be reveald to our hero and it won't be the end of his adventures.
This story is a mix between Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia with a more captivating plot. I loved the world building, the characters are so well developed, smart and funny, also I loved the strong female characters that you just dream to be like them when you're a little girl. This was a great work of creativity that will see a future success that's for sure.
I had high hopes for this but it didn't work for me. There were plot points that didn't really pan out for me and others that drove me crazy (like how Archibald knows everything, how the parents just go about their business after their son mysteriously disappears, etc). Hailie, Archibald's sister, is probably my favorite character because she is actually trying to solve the mystery.
There are some weird and creepy underworld monsters (think Stranger Things) and the chapter illustrations were great. The ending is a total cliff-hanger so nothing gets resolved. There were a lot of ideas and nothing felt settled.
There are some weird and creepy underworld monsters (think Stranger Things) and the chapter illustrations were great. The ending is a total cliff-hanger so nothing gets resolved. There were a lot of ideas and nothing felt settled.