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bookwyrm76's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to so badly to LOVE this book. It was ok and I am sure that some of the kids I regularly give readers advisory to will enjoy this story about a girl with an imagination that just will not be beaten. The plot gets bogged down in some sections though and it will take a persistent reader to fight through those sections and see the beauty in this title.
zanybibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
This of the story of Gwendolyn Gray - a twelve-year-old girl with wild, bright red hair and a colourful imagination living in a dull and colourless world. She is creative, determined and extremely odd among her peers. One day, even she finds herself rather odd when colourful things from her imagination start appearing in the otherwise dull city. Then, by complete accident, one of her classmates grow bunny ears, she finds herself at the boundaries of the city being hunted by two mysterious creepy men and she is saved from their clutches by two very odd children - Sparrow and Starling.
Sparrow is a boy around Gwendolyn's age who is kind but idiotic and has a bit of a crush on Gwendolyn. Starling is his older sister who has blue hair and a really standoffish personality. This brother-sister duo are castaways - children who went through a portal to another world and are now world jumping hoping to one day find their way home. They are skilled and savvy enough to survive while constantly on the run and are quite shocked to come across Gwendolyn and her rare abilities.
The story is split into three sections - grey, gold and red - and the names of these sections are symbolic. Grey is the first part where the story starts and takes place mostly in Gwendolyn's dull city. Gold is the second part in which Gwendolyn takes her new friends, Sparrow and Starling, to a world she read about in a book that is full of light and colour. The third and final part of the book is Red, where the adventure and the conflict that has been building throughout the previous two parts reach its peak and blows up.
The other thing I need to mention are the weird lambents that everyone stares into and receives all the knowledge they need but also seems to drain them of individuality, self-thought and common decency. I can understand why Gwendolyn hated where she lived if that is what she was faced with every day. Also, that is some weird dystopian stuff and the scariest part is that technological developments may already be making creepy stuff like that possible. Public service announcement: Do not go staring into large marbles that light up and somehow transfer information into your brain.
I feel the storyline works but it is definitely aimed at younger audiences. The character development and the world descriptions were good, but the actual events seemed confusing due to rushed scenes and lack of explanations, though that may just be personal preference. The book and the "figment" Gwendolyn finds were two of the best elements in this book, but I felt they were not focused on enough nor was it really explained why she found it with stuff that had her initials on it. I also think there needed to be more explanation as to who the creepy men hunting Gwendolyn down were, who they worked for and what they truly wanted. It was probably the biggest plot hole that I could not fully work out by the time the book ended.
I think this was a good children's / middle-grade novel with that "kids can save the world" vibe and quirky characters that my 8-year-old self would have really liked, but it does not quite hit the mark for me.
Sparrow is a boy around Gwendolyn's age who is kind but idiotic and has a bit of a crush on Gwendolyn. Starling is his older sister who has blue hair and a really standoffish personality. This brother-sister duo are castaways - children who went through a portal to another world and are now world jumping hoping to one day find their way home. They are skilled and savvy enough to survive while constantly on the run and are quite shocked to come across Gwendolyn and her rare abilities.
The story is split into three sections - grey, gold and red - and the names of these sections are symbolic. Grey is the first part where the story starts and takes place mostly in Gwendolyn's dull city. Gold is the second part in which Gwendolyn takes her new friends, Sparrow and Starling, to a world she read about in a book that is full of light and colour. The third and final part of the book is Red, where the adventure and the conflict that has been building throughout the previous two parts reach its peak and blows up.
The other thing I need to mention are the weird lambents that everyone stares into and receives all the knowledge they need but also seems to drain them of individuality, self-thought and common decency. I can understand why Gwendolyn hated where she lived if that is what she was faced with every day. Also, that is some weird dystopian stuff and the scariest part is that technological developments may already be making creepy stuff like that possible. Public service announcement: Do not go staring into large marbles that light up and somehow transfer information into your brain.
I feel the storyline works but it is definitely aimed at younger audiences. The character development and the world descriptions were good, but the actual events seemed confusing due to rushed scenes and lack of explanations, though that may just be personal preference. The book and the "figment" Gwendolyn finds were two of the best elements in this book, but I felt they were not focused on enough nor was it really explained why she found it with stuff that had her initials on it. I also think there needed to be more explanation as to who the creepy men hunting Gwendolyn down were, who they worked for and what they truly wanted. It was probably the biggest plot hole that I could not fully work out by the time the book ended.
I think this was a good children's / middle-grade novel with that "kids can save the world" vibe and quirky characters that my 8-year-old self would have really liked, but it does not quite hit the mark for me.
michellehenriereads's review against another edition
5.0
I had plenty of children with big imaginations. Sometimes, their dreams made more sense to them than reality. But what if we were wrong and it was the dreamers who created the world around us? What if evil men wanted to stop all imagination? This book might be more fact than fiction.
In The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray - Gwendolyn is my next female protagonist full of pluck. She's horrified when she imagines a child with rabbit ears, who is then made to disappear. And not just disappear, but the girl's former friends don't remember she ever existed. This event sends Gwendolyn off on her adventure because the same evil people who can make children disappear now want her. As she continues, she finds there is a bigger problem - the Faceless Gentlemen and their boss (the Collector) want all imagination to disappear from all the different worlds. She aligns herself with other amazing children and a pirate.
The plot is full of action and wonder, two of the things young readers crave. The children are also the heroes - another reason young readers will connect with this story. There is an ongoing sense of danger and that it is very important for Gwendolyn to succeed. If she hadn't lost her special jewel in a jump it would have made things easier, but a lot less fun.
The world building is full of color and fanciful ideas. There is a touch of steampunk in the devices which I particularly enjoyed. The world feels like a place the reader would love to explore in for a year.
There are romantic overtones, but I didn't think went over the top. Sparrow and Starling are the children who save Gwendolyn and end up on the adventure to save the world - and imagination. The pirate and Starling make googly eyes at each other, and Gwendolyn and Sparrow take notice of each other.
This is another middle-grade story with an omniscient author, much like Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi. It is an effective device to give young readers further insight and include them more deeply in the story as it unfolds. The chummy comments and asides are often quite humorous.
Here's the big question - do you find out the identity of the Collector (the boss of the Faceless Gentlemen)? Well, if you did there probably wouldn't be another book needed. In this case, we are left with unanswered questions, after a twist, and so another book will hopefully be on its way to anxious readers.
If I could make wishes come true, I'd join Gwendolyn on her adventure.
In The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray - Gwendolyn is my next female protagonist full of pluck. She's horrified when she imagines a child with rabbit ears, who is then made to disappear. And not just disappear, but the girl's former friends don't remember she ever existed. This event sends Gwendolyn off on her adventure because the same evil people who can make children disappear now want her. As she continues, she finds there is a bigger problem - the Faceless Gentlemen and their boss (the Collector) want all imagination to disappear from all the different worlds. She aligns herself with other amazing children and a pirate.
The plot is full of action and wonder, two of the things young readers crave. The children are also the heroes - another reason young readers will connect with this story. There is an ongoing sense of danger and that it is very important for Gwendolyn to succeed. If she hadn't lost her special jewel in a jump it would have made things easier, but a lot less fun.
The world building is full of color and fanciful ideas. There is a touch of steampunk in the devices which I particularly enjoyed. The world feels like a place the reader would love to explore in for a year.
There are romantic overtones, but I didn't think went over the top. Sparrow and Starling are the children who save Gwendolyn and end up on the adventure to save the world - and imagination. The pirate and Starling make googly eyes at each other, and Gwendolyn and Sparrow take notice of each other.
This is another middle-grade story with an omniscient author, much like Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi. It is an effective device to give young readers further insight and include them more deeply in the story as it unfolds. The chummy comments and asides are often quite humorous.
Here's the big question - do you find out the identity of the Collector (the boss of the Faceless Gentlemen)? Well, if you did there probably wouldn't be another book needed. In this case, we are left with unanswered questions, after a twist, and so another book will hopefully be on its way to anxious readers.
If I could make wishes come true, I'd join Gwendolyn on her adventure.
smit1286's review against another edition
4.0
The Man, or rather the faceless gentlemen dubbed Mister Men, are trying to keep Gwendolyn Gray down. She possesses a colorful spark of imagination in a drab, gray, dystopian world that is void of freethinking, originality or creativity. Her imagination sends her on an other-worldly steam punk adventure with flying pirate ships, crystal-eating beasts, and a man-snatching abscess among other things.
The author did a great job pulling the reader into Gwendolyn's world. I felt the pain of her days as a misfit, not quite fitting in her city, being tormented by her conformist classmates. I could vividly imagine the scenes described. I adored the way the author talked directly to the reader at times. I thought it was wonderful that of the two main female characters, one was a STEM whiz and the other had a crazy beautiful imagination. However, I could have done without all the negative self talk (i.e. repeatedly using the phrase "stupid girl" whenever the heroine felt she made a mistake). I get it, self doubt hits most kids hard around the middle grade years, but it personally drove me a little nuts.
Side question - anyone know - is the city of Tohk, pronounced like "talk?" As in, ideas flow freely when we Tohk? Or, when we Tohk, we create a beautiful marketplace of invention?
Thank you to #NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for my honest review.
The author did a great job pulling the reader into Gwendolyn's world. I felt the pain of her days as a misfit, not quite fitting in her city, being tormented by her conformist classmates. I could vividly imagine the scenes described. I adored the way the author talked directly to the reader at times. I thought it was wonderful that of the two main female characters, one was a STEM whiz and the other had a crazy beautiful imagination. However, I could have done without all the negative self talk (i.e. repeatedly using the phrase "stupid girl" whenever the heroine felt she made a mistake). I get it, self doubt hits most kids hard around the middle grade years, but it personally drove me a little nuts.
Side question - anyone know - is the city of Tohk, pronounced like "talk?" As in, ideas flow freely when we Tohk? Or, when we Tohk, we create a beautiful marketplace of invention?
Thank you to #NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for my honest review.
sarahhavener's review against another edition
5.0
As someone with adhd I loved this book! I felt so seen with this character. The descriptions of how she thinks and sees things, and what her imagination can do sounds so familiar. There's also times when she skips telling about things or summarizes it because it's tedious, and I loved that. However you don't have to have adhd to appreciate this book, as there's enough adventure to keep a person entertained. I could totally see this as a movie!
kieralesley's review against another edition
4.0
A wonderful, bright middle grade fantasy story with a clear message at its heart.
Gwendolyn Gray lives in a literally grey world devoid of colour and emotional nuance. The population are subdued into bland and complacent thoughts through use of Lambents – orbs of light that, when stared into, seem to wipe thoughts, memories and ideas from the user. Gwendolyn is the walking antithesis to her world – flaming red hair, a wild imagination that has taken to making things real, and an aversion to Lambents. These traits get her into trouble, bringing her to the attention of Mister Men in bowler hats who would very much like Gwendolyn to fall back in line with the rest of the City, thank you. Through a series of misadventures Gwendolyn falls out of her own world into a variety of others where she encounters airship pirates, underwater ships, and a mysterious destructive force threatening to destroy it all that seems somehow linked to Gwendolyn’s grey original world.
The story itself almost feels broken into sections or separate adventures that flow together, each with a different setting with a different challenges for Gwendolyn and her friends. I quite liked this as a structure, particularly for middle grade audiences, as it helps the narrative feel manageable. The narrative itself was original and held real threats, twists and had a great pace once it got going.
Williamson’s prose was witty and had a strong narrative voice, though at times I found some of the turns of phrase were working a bit too hard and I wondered whether their intended audience would follow some of them. But, I think this would really suit being read aloud and middle grade readers would probably appreciate the bombastic action and vivid imagery.
I found the opening scenes difficult to get through, however. They read a bit disjointed and, in the context of the rest of the book, perhaps took up too much time and space, hiding the real story behind set-up. But once we got into the colourful, alternate worlds hijinks I was hooked. Hang in at least until you meet Sparrow and Starling!
Gwendolyn herself is a pretty solid character – willing to get her hands dirty and follow her own instincts. Her overall arc was unexpected but nicely done, leaving enough room for follow-up instalments.
An advance copy of this book was kindly provided by North Star Editions, Jolly Fish Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Gwendolyn Gray lives in a literally grey world devoid of colour and emotional nuance. The population are subdued into bland and complacent thoughts through use of Lambents – orbs of light that, when stared into, seem to wipe thoughts, memories and ideas from the user. Gwendolyn is the walking antithesis to her world – flaming red hair, a wild imagination that has taken to making things real, and an aversion to Lambents. These traits get her into trouble, bringing her to the attention of Mister Men in bowler hats who would very much like Gwendolyn to fall back in line with the rest of the City, thank you. Through a series of misadventures Gwendolyn falls out of her own world into a variety of others where she encounters airship pirates, underwater ships, and a mysterious destructive force threatening to destroy it all that seems somehow linked to Gwendolyn’s grey original world.
The story itself almost feels broken into sections or separate adventures that flow together, each with a different setting with a different challenges for Gwendolyn and her friends. I quite liked this as a structure, particularly for middle grade audiences, as it helps the narrative feel manageable. The narrative itself was original and held real threats, twists and had a great pace once it got going.
Williamson’s prose was witty and had a strong narrative voice, though at times I found some of the turns of phrase were working a bit too hard and I wondered whether their intended audience would follow some of them. But, I think this would really suit being read aloud and middle grade readers would probably appreciate the bombastic action and vivid imagery.
I found the opening scenes difficult to get through, however. They read a bit disjointed and, in the context of the rest of the book, perhaps took up too much time and space, hiding the real story behind set-up. But once we got into the colourful, alternate worlds hijinks I was hooked. Hang in at least until you meet Sparrow and Starling!
Gwendolyn herself is a pretty solid character – willing to get her hands dirty and follow her own instincts. Her overall arc was unexpected but nicely done, leaving enough room for follow-up instalments.
An advance copy of this book was kindly provided by North Star Editions, Jolly Fish Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
apierlessbridge's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
unwarrantedrabbit's review against another edition
4.0
I received an ARC of this book from a YA Books Central giveaway.
This was a very fun read! I love the writing style, and Gwendolyn was a really well-written main character. Her voice felt like that of a real girl. The book caught my interest right from the beginning and kept it all the way through without any lulls. The action flowed well from scene to scene, especially the ending, which is full of exciting action. The world is one of my favorite parts of the book; the settings felt very fleshed-out with really inventive aspects to them. If you love reading about creative worlds, I'd definitely recommend Gwendolyn Gray.
I do wish that some pieces felt more complete. For example, I wish Starling had used her voice mimicking power for something important, and I wish the professor at Copernium had come back in a bigger way. Maybe this would have slowed down the action, though, and the reveal at the end makes details like these more understandable.
Overall, I'm really glad I read this and I thoroughly enjoyed the dystopian and steampunk elements! I loved the themes of imagination that remind the reader of the magic of books themselves, which I found really clever.
This was a very fun read! I love the writing style, and Gwendolyn was a really well-written main character. Her voice felt like that of a real girl. The book caught my interest right from the beginning and kept it all the way through without any lulls. The action flowed well from scene to scene, especially the ending, which is full of exciting action. The world is one of my favorite parts of the book; the settings felt very fleshed-out with really inventive aspects to them. If you love reading about creative worlds, I'd definitely recommend Gwendolyn Gray.
I do wish that some pieces felt more complete. For example, I wish Starling had used her voice mimicking power for something important, and I wish the professor at Copernium had come back in a bigger way. Maybe this would have slowed down the action, though, and the reveal at the end makes details like these more understandable.
Overall, I'm really glad I read this and I thoroughly enjoyed the dystopian and steampunk elements! I loved the themes of imagination that remind the reader of the magic of books themselves, which I found really clever.
landscapesofink's review against another edition
4.0
Managed to get through this book in a day! It lived up to my cute expectations, I was totally getting Disney vibes from it and it didn't disappoint. Merida from Brave definitely made an appearance in my head, stepping in to play the role of Gwendolyn :p
I loved the magical whimsicalness to it, while also the fantastical elements such as the Lambents and her imagination running away with her. I didn't even cringe at the cronies because it's just the type of cute middle-grade story this was :) Although that ending did break my heart a little. I want to read more!
I loved the magical whimsicalness to it, while also the fantastical elements such as the Lambents and her imagination running away with her. I didn't even cringe at the cronies because it's just the type of cute middle-grade story this was :) Although that ending did break my heart a little. I want to read more!
filmingpages's review against another edition
4.0
*Thank you Net Galley and B.A. Williamson for the free copy of this book in exchange with an honest review*
I really really loved this book! I had no set expectations going in, but the writing really grabbed me from the first pages! I know that you may be wondering, why an adult would read a children’s book? Well, if every children’s book was as good as this one, more adults would read them!
The plot was fast, with the right amount of adventure and humour and with very nice vocabulary, which is something I always look for in children’s book especially. I believe that when a kid reads a book he ought to have fun, but he also ought to learn something from it, whether that’s the moral of the story or the chance to expand his vocabulary.
Gwendolyn and Sparrow were my two favourite characters in the book, they were funny, adorable and fearless and overall, I loved them so much! Sparrow made my laugh countless times with his antics and as an older sister myself, I could really relate with Starling’s (Sparrow’s older sister) exasperation regarding him!
“The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray” is the kind of book I wish I read when I was 11, because I found Gwendolyn very similar to myself when I was her age. I loved the message of the book, how it tells you that no one’s weird and having traits that separate you from the group, doesn’t mean you are abnormal or an oddity.
Summing up, I urge everyone with a younger sibling or any parent to gift this book to their loved ones. It is and amazing adventure, filled with many twists and exciting themes, like pirates and airborne ship battles, which are sure to enchant any child!
I really really loved this book! I had no set expectations going in, but the writing really grabbed me from the first pages! I know that you may be wondering, why an adult would read a children’s book? Well, if every children’s book was as good as this one, more adults would read them!
The plot was fast, with the right amount of adventure and humour and with very nice vocabulary, which is something I always look for in children’s book especially. I believe that when a kid reads a book he ought to have fun, but he also ought to learn something from it, whether that’s the moral of the story or the chance to expand his vocabulary.
Gwendolyn and Sparrow were my two favourite characters in the book, they were funny, adorable and fearless and overall, I loved them so much! Sparrow made my laugh countless times with his antics and as an older sister myself, I could really relate with Starling’s (Sparrow’s older sister) exasperation regarding him!
“The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray” is the kind of book I wish I read when I was 11, because I found Gwendolyn very similar to myself when I was her age. I loved the message of the book, how it tells you that no one’s weird and having traits that separate you from the group, doesn’t mean you are abnormal or an oddity.
Summing up, I urge everyone with a younger sibling or any parent to gift this book to their loved ones. It is and amazing adventure, filled with many twists and exciting themes, like pirates and airborne ship battles, which are sure to enchant any child!