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sleepapneattic's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
This series is quickly becoming a new all-time favorite.
Gregor is such a great main character. He is resilient, kind, and self-aware. His struggle with his own loss of innocence gives him motivation to treasure innocence in others (especially his little sister). The burdens that he has to bear are heavy for someone so young, but his spirit rises to meet each challenge he is faced with--even the ones that are excruciating to consider.
In the Overland, he must care for his family by working, buying food, and making it last from paycheck to paycheck. He skips meals in favor of giving more to his sisters. He is responsible for keeping the family up and running while his mom is working. His dad & grandma are both too ill to help, so the care of his sisters is heavily on him. When Boots is taken back to the Underland, he feels extreme guilt and anxiety for even taking his eyes off her for one minute.
In the Underland, he has to carry the burden of being the Warrior of the prophecies (ie the hope of the sustaining of the entire population of the Underland hangs on his shoulders). Each prophecy hints at significant loss for all involved in the quests. The Prophecy of Bane hinges on the stanza "Die the baby, Die his heart, Die his most essential part". Gregor spends almost the entirety of the book anxious and afraid that the Gnawers are targeting his two-year-old sister-- that to prevent him from fulfilling the prophecy, she will, in fact, die at the hand of the Gnawers, effectively killing his "most essential part".
The exploration of grief, violence, fear, morality, friendship, sacrifice, and love is so well done. While the majority of the book is dark and laced with fear, hope still prevails in the end, which I would argue is the quintessential factor that makes middle-grade books so exciting to read. There may be pain in the night, but joy does come in the morning.
Gregor is such a great main character. He is resilient, kind, and self-aware. His struggle with his own loss of innocence gives him motivation to treasure innocence in others (especially his little sister). The burdens that he has to bear are heavy for someone so young, but his spirit rises to meet each challenge he is faced with--even the ones that are excruciating to consider.
In the Overland, he must care for his family by working, buying food, and making it last from paycheck to paycheck. He skips meals in favor of giving more to his sisters. He is responsible for keeping the family up and running while his mom is working. His dad & grandma are both too ill to help, so the care of his sisters is heavily on him. When Boots is taken back to the Underland, he feels extreme guilt and anxiety for even taking his eyes off her for one minute.
In the Underland, he has to carry the burden of being the Warrior of the prophecies (ie the hope of the sustaining of the entire population of the Underland hangs on his shoulders). Each prophecy hints at significant loss for all involved in the quests. The Prophecy of Bane hinges on the stanza "Die the baby, Die his heart, Die his most essential part". Gregor spends almost the entirety of the book anxious and afraid that the Gnawers are targeting his two-year-old sister-- that to prevent him from fulfilling the prophecy, she will, in fact, die at the hand of the Gnawers, effectively killing his "most essential part".
The exploration of grief, violence, fear, morality, friendship, sacrifice, and love is so well done. While the majority of the book is dark and laced with fear, hope still prevails in the end, which I would argue is the quintessential factor that makes middle-grade books so exciting to read. There may be pain in the night, but joy does come in the morning.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Grief, and Medical trauma
Minor: Blood and Violence
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