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harper11's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
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? No
3.5
ms_gouldbourne's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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? No
5.0
I'm probably a little biased with this one because it was one of my literal all-time faves as a young teen, but I think this book is pretty flawless! It's fun, it's engaging, the world William Nicholson has created feels totally believable in a lighthearted dystopian way, and rereading it brought back all the absorption of being a bookworm child.
thecatthatflew's review
adventurous
funny
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
soniagracelm's review
2.0
Didn't love it. I picked it up on a whim, and though there were a few moments of lighthearted tomfoolery, on the whole I found it simultaneously unbelievable in its main characters and sickly sweet. I just wasn't convinced by the main characters. They were too good at everything, too devoted to each other, too grown-up for their stated age... eh. Not awful, but not good.
phoeberawcliffe's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
smurf2416's review
4.0
Forever will be a book that means a ton to me from childhood. The relationship between Bo and Kess was always something that meant a lot to me.
2023: I will forever have memories of my dad reading this book to my younger brother and I. Which led to reading books 2 and 3 myself the day they came out in later years
2023: I will forever have memories of my dad reading this book to my younger brother and I. Which led to reading books 2 and 3 myself the day they came out in later years
missbookiverse's review against another edition
2.0
At first I liked it. The colour system reminded me of "The War Between The Classes" but it was interesting nevertheless, just like the examinations and the structure of Aramanth.
When the kids started their journey it got boring though. There were cool ideas but they just bored me. It seemed obvious that none of them would get hurt seriously, the Baraka people annoyed me and so did the "old children" (they had 2 appearances too many). All these folks were creative but ... I don't know, I just neither found them interesting nor very likable. Just the Zars seemed interesting to me and also the emperor with his chocolate candy.
Unfortunately the story got so lame that I only skipped through the last 150 pages so I could finally finish it. I know this is supposed to be a children's book and therefore maybe not too complicated/challenging but (1) it's too cruel for children in some parts (the Zars singing "kill kill kill" in their blood-stained uniforms) and (2) some things are just too unrealistic. Seriously, how on earth do Bow and Kess know that they are supposed to walk into the fire? Whenever they're in trouble something happens out of the blue that saves them.
Two things I liked though were (1) that the misfit Mumpo is the actual hero at the end and (2) some parts, mostly dialogues, were really witty and amusing which might not even have been an intention of the author.
When the kids started their journey it got boring though. There were cool ideas but they just bored me. It seemed obvious that none of them would get hurt seriously, the Baraka people annoyed me and so did the "old children" (they had 2 appearances too many). All these folks were creative but ... I don't know, I just neither found them interesting nor very likable. Just the Zars seemed interesting to me and also the emperor with his chocolate candy.
Unfortunately the story got so lame that I only skipped through the last 150 pages so I could finally finish it. I know this is supposed to be a children's book and therefore maybe not too complicated/challenging but (1) it's too cruel for children in some parts (the Zars singing "kill kill kill" in their blood-stained uniforms) and (2) some things are just too unrealistic. Seriously, how on earth do Bow and Kess know that they are supposed to walk into the fire? Whenever they're in trouble something happens out of the blue that saves them.
Two things I liked though were (1) that the misfit Mumpo is the actual hero at the end and (2) some parts, mostly dialogues, were really witty and amusing which might not even have been an intention of the author.
thelibraryofklee's review against another edition
3.0
Ok so I read the synopsis and was like “oh yeah this looks like my jam” ... so I got my hands on the trilogy AND I should have done my research because this would def fall into a tween dystopian category.
There are some very scary themes going on for kids, but it has a juvenile comedic value to it all. Bowman and Kestral are twins, and Mumpo is a snot faced kid who gets bullied a lot and doesn’t really understand why. The three of them set off to save their city by getting the mysterious wind singer going again. I have A LOT of questions but can’t ask them without a *spoiler alert* warning.
For a tween read, I think it would be something the kids would enjoy if this was their genre preference. For that I would give it a 4 out of 5 stars for the tween factor.
As an adult I probably wouldn’t have chosen to read this BUT in saying that I might tuck them away for when my kids are old enough to appreciate them.
My adult rating would be a 3 out of 5 ⭐️
There are some very scary themes going on for kids, but it has a juvenile comedic value to it all. Bowman and Kestral are twins, and Mumpo is a snot faced kid who gets bullied a lot and doesn’t really understand why. The three of them set off to save their city by getting the mysterious wind singer going again. I have A LOT of questions but can’t ask them without a *spoiler alert* warning.
For a tween read, I think it would be something the kids would enjoy if this was their genre preference. For that I would give it a 4 out of 5 stars for the tween factor.
As an adult I probably wouldn’t have chosen to read this BUT in saying that I might tuck them away for when my kids are old enough to appreciate them.
My adult rating would be a 3 out of 5 ⭐️
joao_melo's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0