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vsnuffles's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I thought this was a decent four-star read that hit well within its specific niche: fairytale stories based on classic fairytale genres, in this case Middle Eastern folktales - or at least their depictions in western media. This felt sympathetic to the fantasy Middle Eastern culture and characters depicted (to me, who is not from a Middle Eastern culture) and not degrading.
But I've rated this 3 stars instead due to the degrading content that did exist in the book. I can't recall the quote exactly, but while listening to "The Only Warrior Cats Podcast" Zoe mentioned the inexplicable and intense fat-phobia that tends to be present in English children's books and media and that feels very present here. I wanted to mention it here because it feels so out of no-where in this story and so pointlessly cruel in an otherwise very child-friendly book. It only surrounds two characters who only briefly appear, but they do appear at the end and are part of the overall conclusion of the book, so it feels like more of an embedded theme in the story than it might have - though it is a horrible inclusion regardless.
I did like how this story tied into the Howl's Moving Castle characters and continued the story, though it felt a little like a rug-pull to have all the conflict and characters be secretly about this other cast of characters. It felt a little unsatisfying to feel like the main characters of this story were secretly side characters all along, even if that wasn't the case. I think the framing by the end of it felt a bit that way. But this can be a fun element in childrens' series, so I don't think it's that big a deal.
I would otherwise say a lot of the story and setting were great.
But I've rated this 3 stars instead due to the degrading content that did exist in the book. I can't recall the quote exactly, but while listening to "The Only Warrior Cats Podcast" Zoe mentioned the inexplicable and intense fat-phobia that tends to be present in English children's books and media and that feels very present here. I wanted to mention it here because it feels so out of no-where in this story and so pointlessly cruel in an otherwise very child-friendly book. It only surrounds two characters who only briefly appear, but they do appear at the end and are part of the overall conclusion of the book, so it feels like more of an embedded theme in the story than it might have - though it is a horrible inclusion regardless.
I did like how this story tied into the Howl's Moving Castle characters and continued the story, though it felt a little like a rug-pull to have all the conflict and characters be secretly about this other cast of characters. It felt a little unsatisfying to feel like the main characters of this story were secretly side characters all along, even if that wasn't the case. I think the framing by the end of it felt a bit that way. But this can be a fun element in childrens' series, so I don't think it's that big a deal.
I would otherwise say a lot of the story and setting were great.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
It's not a huge part of the book, only concerning two minor characters, but there is (within the otherwise lighthearted context of the book) quite cruel fatphobia. It feels very out of no-where and appears briefly, but it does reappear as part of the conclusion of the book.ibadella's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Racism
dokushoka's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Classism and Sexism
Minor: Animal cruelty, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
bluejay21's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Fatphobia
rachellaurenkatz's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Fatphobia
turtleghost's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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
3.75
Cute, funny and romantic follow-up to Howl's Moving Castle
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming and Fatphobia
Minor: Xenophobia
rcsreads's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Nowhere near as good as the first book in the series. It's basically a retelling of Alladin and it's as problematic as the Disney version, plus loads of added fatphobia!
I did really enjoy how it wrapped up and tied into Howl though, and Tabitha screamed with excitement when Calcifer finally put in an appearance!
I did really enjoy how it wrapped up and tied into Howl though, and Tabitha screamed with excitement when Calcifer finally put in an appearance!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Islamophobia and Kidnapping
Minor: War
chorelle's review against another edition
dnf for hugely fatphobic content that made my skin crawl, with quite a bit of misogyny thrown in as well 🙃
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Misogyny
mysimas's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
A cozy fantasy adventure most of the time, but at some points it gets distinctly unpleasant with its fatphobia and general disrespect for women. In a scene towards the end where a man demands a princess’s hand in marriage in exchange for doing the right thing and helping her, the princess is bloody grateful because she thinks she is too ugly for any man to be interested in her. What the actual hell?? (The whole scene was actually terrible, the princesses treated like cattle.) And the way the fat nieces of Abdullah’s relatives were treated was simply disgusting. Also the main romance was a bit flimsy too, Abdullah barely interacted with his love interest and seemed more infatuated with his idea of her rather than with her as an actual person as he could hardly know her — but I’m willing to forgive this as it is a common set-up in fairy-tales, and this story after-all builds on fairy-tales.
I guess I’m still willing to give this three stars because the whole concept of a cloud castle was beautiful, the writing was good, I did enjoy the slight similarities to Bartimaeus with the djinn themes, and most of the story was nice and feel-good, though never as inspired as the first book. But I really am disappointed that a woman author would ever write women like this…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Confinement, and Misogyny
sarvikaskas's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia