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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
Slow to start but the mystery and the world really grow throughout the book. Definitely a dark fairy tale that follows some of the epic hero journey tropes in an interesting way.
adventurous
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
A book that reminded me of the Ghibli studio movie.
Although this was a 5-star read for me, I decided to give it 4 because most of the comments about the middle part of the book not being interesting are true. To me though, it was, I could see the world-building, the introduction of characters, and important events that had meaning later on. However, it felt repetitive.
This being told I enjoyed how the story developed, how King sucked us into the life of the teenager, who not only did he had to cope with the death of his mother, but what came after as well. The friendship between the grumpy old Bowditch and the once fierce dog Rader came naturally and sweetly. Just what we need to descend down the well of fairytales.
And boy is this world interesting, alluring, magical and a bit scary...
Although this was a 5-star read for me, I decided to give it 4 because most of the comments about the middle part of the book not being interesting are true. To me though, it was, I could see the world-building, the introduction of characters, and important events that had meaning later on. However, it felt repetitive.
This being told I enjoyed how the story developed, how King sucked us into the life of the teenager, who not only did he had to cope with the death of his mother, but what came after as well. The friendship between the grumpy old Bowditch and the once fierce dog Rader came naturally and sweetly. Just what we need to descend down the well of fairytales.
And boy is this world interesting, alluring, magical and a bit scary...
It was all a bit too easy and felt a bit removed. It didn't have the grit or a dark ending that the Grimm fairy tales it was trying to emulate have. The story is about a 17-year-old, but written years in the future as a grown man. So it had this removed vagueness throughout. With a lot of the loose strings in the story written off as: "This story is hard to believe, but it's true."
There was a general cloud of badness over the city, but the actual villains were weak and there was little to no time spent developing their evilness. Water buckets!? Too easy.
SPOILER:
What an Americanized fairy tale to kill off the main villains with a gun. Too easy. 600 pages just to kill off the fairy tale villain with a gun?!
Lots unexplained. Blanket of vagueness. Satisfying ending missed.
There was a general cloud of badness over the city, but the actual villains were weak and there was little to no time spent developing their evilness. Water buckets!? Too easy.
SPOILER:
What an Americanized fairy tale to kill off the main villains with a gun. Too easy. 600 pages just to kill off the fairy tale villain with a gun?!
Lots unexplained. Blanket of vagueness. Satisfying ending missed.
This was a delight! I loved the first part in the real world and then the second part too. Would recommend.
I really enjoyed the storyline and found it creative and captivating but I think this could have used different editing, for example, the language used for a modern boy felt dated and kept pulling me out of the story. It would have worked better if it was set in the 80s.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Torture, Excrement, Kidnapping
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
slow-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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