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changelingreader_adrian's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
kitsuneheart's review against another edition
4.0
One of the weaker, but still important books in this series. We follow Smiley Bone and Fone Bone as they try to return the baby rat creature, Bartleby, to his rat creature family. Almost immediately, however, they meed the proud and powerful Roque Ja, a mountain lion who controls the hills about the valley. Who happens to hate rat creatures, dragons, and pretty much anything which doesn't prove itself powerful. For power is good.
This story is more of an excuse to get out and find some little details about the valley we wouldn't have encountered at the farm or the village, and that's fine. It just feels like it should have been rolled with the next storyline into one larger book, rather than having a little book of its own. It's not all the interesting, and I'd honestly say I'd skip it on subsequent readings. It's just...meh. Necessary to read once, but it doesn't demand more.
This story is more of an excuse to get out and find some little details about the valley we wouldn't have encountered at the farm or the village, and that's fine. It just feels like it should have been rolled with the next storyline into one larger book, rather than having a little book of its own. It's not all the interesting, and I'd honestly say I'd skip it on subsequent readings. It's just...meh. Necessary to read once, but it doesn't demand more.
boondaddie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
alexandrabree's review against another edition
4.0
Recap of everything that has happened so far, seeing as how this is the halfway point in the series more or less.
We meet the three Bones as they are entering the valley after being thrown out of Boneville. The three are separated and we only follow Pone Bone through the winter in the valley until spring when he meets Thorn. Enter Thorn, Grandma Rose Ben and Lucius. Phoney (always causing trouble trying to get rich without working) is back and on the farm and when we head into town for the first time Smiley is back and working for Lucius at the bar. Phoney is trying to set up bets with the cow race and Pone is in love with Thorn. We have met the dragons but they are on the down low still. Same thing with the hooded one who works for the lord of the locusts.
Cow race ends with rat creature interruption, Phoneys plan is revealed and Grandma Ben wins.
We start to learn about the lost kindom and how Grandma is the Queen and Thorn the lost princess but Thorns memory has been taken by the dragons although as she comes into her power she remembers more and more. Everyone begins to get divided again. Grandma Ben and Thorn fight and Gran disappears. The towns people are drawn into the war as well. Phoney is now trying to scam everyone by fear mongering about Dragons (when it is the dragons keeping them safe and the rat creatures to be afraid off) the village sets out to catch a dragon with Phoney "the DragonSlayer" while they are away the rat creatures burn the village to the ground it is unknown where the people who didn't go with Phone (like Lucius) are. Phoney is again revealed to be a fake. Pone Bone and Smiley had set off before "the dragonslayer" to return a rat creature cub to the mountains, they have been chased all around, seen the ancient temple, learned both the queen of the dragons and the lord of the locusts are stone (one and the same???)
Kingdok of the Rat creatures has had his arm chopped off, Rock Jaw or Roque Ja of the easter mountains has chosen the bad guys because he hates dragons.
Eventually the towns people, grandma and Phoney are all together and Smiley, Pone and Thorn are together as well the two factions are staying separate because Thorn is unsure of her grandmothers motives.
We meet the three Bones as they are entering the valley after being thrown out of Boneville. The three are separated and we only follow Pone Bone through the winter in the valley until spring when he meets Thorn. Enter Thorn, Grandma Rose Ben and Lucius. Phoney (always causing trouble trying to get rich without working) is back and on the farm and when we head into town for the first time Smiley is back and working for Lucius at the bar. Phoney is trying to set up bets with the cow race and Pone is in love with Thorn. We have met the dragons but they are on the down low still. Same thing with the hooded one who works for the lord of the locusts.
Cow race ends with rat creature interruption, Phoneys plan is revealed and Grandma Ben wins.
We start to learn about the lost kindom and how Grandma is the Queen and Thorn the lost princess but Thorns memory has been taken by the dragons although as she comes into her power she remembers more and more. Everyone begins to get divided again. Grandma Ben and Thorn fight and Gran disappears. The towns people are drawn into the war as well. Phoney is now trying to scam everyone by fear mongering about Dragons (when it is the dragons keeping them safe and the rat creatures to be afraid off) the village sets out to catch a dragon with Phoney "the DragonSlayer" while they are away the rat creatures burn the village to the ground it is unknown where the people who didn't go with Phone (like Lucius) are. Phoney is again revealed to be a fake. Pone Bone and Smiley had set off before "the dragonslayer" to return a rat creature cub to the mountains, they have been chased all around, seen the ancient temple, learned both the queen of the dragons and the lord of the locusts are stone (one and the same???)
Kingdok of the Rat creatures has had his arm chopped off, Rock Jaw or Roque Ja of the easter mountains has chosen the bad guys because he hates dragons.
Eventually the towns people, grandma and Phoney are all together and Smiley, Pone and Thorn are together as well the two factions are staying separate because Thorn is unsure of her grandmothers motives.
jkw7072's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0