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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
This is a re-read, as I've been reading the series aloud to my youngest son, who adores all things large, scary and monstrous. The story meanders around a bit at first (rather like its boy hero, in fact!), and the prose can be unnecessarily florid and at times nearly opaque in its lavish use of invented vocabulary. But I've said, and I'll stand by my assertion, that D.M. Cornish is the most comprehensive and immersive world-builder since Tolkien.
He's also created a fantastic array of distinct and interesting characters, particularly Europe -- both feminine and fearsome, mercurial and laser-brilliant, and with the coolest monster-fighting powers anyone could wish for (zzzzzzzak!) Also, Sebastipole is my Half-Continent boyfriend and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. (This is how you can tell that this is a Very Serious Review.)
Anyway, I do love these books, even when they spend an unfashionable amount of time describing the scenery, the weather, and what everyone is wearing -- as befits the mind of an illustrator turned author who is as much in love with the world he's imagined as any trifling details of plot or action that may happen in it. (But there is a plot, honest, and also a really fantastic twist that I didn't see coming but which is deliciously obvious in retrospect. I can't wait until my son realizes what's going on, because he will LOSE HIS MIND.)
He's also created a fantastic array of distinct and interesting characters, particularly Europe -- both feminine and fearsome, mercurial and laser-brilliant, and with the coolest monster-fighting powers anyone could wish for (zzzzzzzak!) Also, Sebastipole is my Half-Continent boyfriend and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. (This is how you can tell that this is a Very Serious Review.)
Anyway, I do love these books, even when they spend an unfashionable amount of time describing the scenery, the weather, and what everyone is wearing -- as befits the mind of an illustrator turned author who is as much in love with the world he's imagined as any trifling details of plot or action that may happen in it. (But there is a plot, honest, and also a really fantastic twist that I didn't see coming but which is deliciously obvious in retrospect. I can't wait until my son realizes what's going on, because he will LOSE HIS MIND.)
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Rosamund is a foundling, a stray child, who has been raised in a foundlingery (an orphanage, of sorts) to become a sailor, but is instead hire out as a lamplighter. This first book in the Monster Blood Tattoo series tells the story of his adventure-filled journey from the orphanage to his new job, during which he meets monsters, a monster-fighter, wicked sailors, a brave postman, and a scary and mysterious guy who wears a box on his head.
The world-building in this first book is amazing and so intricate - so much so that there's an extensive glossary and set of appendices at the back to help the reader navigate so much new information. I like Rosamund a great deal, and I'll definitely come back to the series to learn more about the world Cornish has created.
The world-building in this first book is amazing and so intricate - so much so that there's an extensive glossary and set of appendices at the back to help the reader navigate so much new information. I like Rosamund a great deal, and I'll definitely come back to the series to learn more about the world Cornish has created.
I'm sort of ambivalent about this book. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. But I am compelled to read book 2, so I guess it was good enough.
I only gave this 3 stars because I didn't love it, and I had to push myself to get back into it from time to time, but I think there are a lot of cool things about this book that both parents and their children would appreciate. There's a world inhabited by monsters and the people who fight them in interesting ways, but there is also good characterization and a child hero whom I quite respect. So, for me this was not a case of the sum being greater than its parts, but still something worth checking out.
This was one of many books I picked up at a going-out-of-business sale (sad). The cover and illustrations caught my attention; while the line may be 'don't judge a book by it's cover' - I certainly do. Turns out the author started as an illustrator and spent years world-building before writing this series. You can tell. The narrative comes second to describing everything, it seems like every other word is a name for a creature or ship or tool that the reader must decipher, and while showing characters have accents is cool - having the reader slog through dropped consonants is not. The last 100 or so pages consists of a glossary, an atlas, and illustrations of clothing, weapons, and ships. I will say it was a happy surprise suddenly being done with the book when I had thought I had 100 pages to go, which goes to show my feelings on the story.
So the main character Rosemund is an orphan (or a foundling) who has finally been selected for job placement. He is naive, gets on the wrong boat and shenanigans ensue. The book ends with him finally arriving where he was supposed to go in the first place to start his new job. "Mysteries" (pretty sure know what the answers are) have been set up for the sequel as well as some characters. Took me somewhere between 100 and 200 pages to get used to Cornish's style of writing, namely seeing a new made-up word every sentence, and at the end I still felt as if nothing had been accomplished, I wasn't invested in Rosemund's objective of getting to a specific place.
I've yet to decide if I am going to continue the series. I went to half-price to see if I could pick up the sequel and ended up buying four different books, so we'll see. I don't recommend.
So the main character Rosemund is an orphan (or a foundling) who has finally been selected for job placement. He is naive, gets on the wrong boat and shenanigans ensue. The book ends with him finally arriving where he was supposed to go in the first place to start his new job. "Mysteries" (pretty sure know what the answers are) have been set up for the sequel as well as some characters. Took me somewhere between 100 and 200 pages to get used to Cornish's style of writing, namely seeing a new made-up word every sentence, and at the end I still felt as if nothing had been accomplished, I wasn't invested in Rosemund's objective of getting to a specific place.
I've yet to decide if I am going to continue the series. I went to half-price to see if I could pick up the sequel and ended up buying four different books, so we'll see. I don't recommend.
I came across this book while browsing through the library one day a while back. I really liked it, actually (I even named my desktop after Freckles). I always wanted to read the next book in the series, but my library didn't carry it, and I eventually lost interest.
Mmm, I'd say 3.75. It's a really nice book, but, again, I think for younger readers. interesting. Going to read the next one.
I love, love, loved the language used in the book, it can be a bit hard to pick up. I like the characters, though they seem somewhat hollow.
I liked this book. It was a freebie book I got this past July at San Diego Comic-con. Interesting characters, original world... just really cool.