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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
Peregrine was taken by Lady Klausine as an infant and raised as her daughter. Annet, Peregrine's sister by birth, was also taken and forced to wait on Perry as her maid servant. Both Perry and Annet are Bamarre, a subjugated and defeated caste of people now ruled by the invading Lakti. Lady Klausine raised Perry as Lakti, and it is only when she is about to be sent into battle that the fairy Halina reveals the origin of her birth as well as her destiny -- Perry must free the Bamarre from the oppressive Lakti. Peregrine is a realistic heroine. She is strong and brave and though she makes many mistakes, she learns from them and continues striving towards her cause. A fabulous story with important messages about systematic oppression woven through without being heavy handed. Highly recommended for grades 4 & up.
I have read almost everything ya/middle grade ever written by Gail Carson Levine and I love them all, but this is one of my favorites (to rival the original Bamarre novel, which I still think about ~20 years after I first read it). It feels like that is because the world building is on point and the protagonist feels a little older than many of her previous works. Whatever the reason, this novel was wonderful, full of surprises, magic, and little fairytale twists here and there. Loved it.
The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre is the prequel/companion to (the far superior) The Two Princesses of Bamarre. The plot is basically a mix of Rapunzel and the biblical story of Moses. Peregrine "Perry" was born to a Bamarre family, but taken as a babe and raised by one of the ruling Latki-- a war-hungry people who conquered the Bamarre and now treat them as second-class citizens in their own land. Raised to despise the weak and cowardly Bamarre people, Perry is horrified to discover her true origins via a Fairy who encourages her to free her people from the Latki's oppression. Perry realizes that all she has been taught to believe about the Bamarre and Latki is false, and that she must use her unique position to free the Bamarre and restore them to a kingdom of their own.
Although this book pales in comparison to the brilliant Ella Enchanted and The Two Princesses of Bamarre, I liked this story well enough and I'll always fall under the spell of Gail Carson Levine's writing.
TW: ethnic-based oppression (obviously a metaphor for antisemitism), violence and war, whipping,
Although this book pales in comparison to the brilliant Ella Enchanted and The Two Princesses of Bamarre, I liked this story well enough and I'll always fall under the spell of Gail Carson Levine's writing.
TW: ethnic-based oppression (obviously a metaphor for antisemitism), violence and war, whipping,
Spoiler
a parent disowning/hating their child due to race-based prejudice
Gail Carson Levine never fails to draw me in and this was no exception.
I love her writing style and characters. It was fun to revisit this world and the plot went in ways that I wasn't expecting. It was a loose Rapunzel retelling, making it fun to see the parallels, but was very unique and it's pretty story and world. I loved the gray characters we encountered and the themes that were explored.
The ending fell a little flat for me. The resolution was a little too easy to be really satisfying, but it wasn't bad.
Overall, a great retelling that I would definitely recommend (along with all of Gail Carson Levine's books).
I love her writing style and characters. It was fun to revisit this world and the plot went in ways that I wasn't expecting. It was a loose Rapunzel retelling, making it fun to see the parallels, but was very unique and it's pretty story and world. I loved the gray characters we encountered and the themes that were explored.
The ending fell a little flat for me. The resolution was a little too easy to be really satisfying, but it wasn't bad.
Overall, a great retelling that I would definitely recommend (along with all of Gail Carson Levine's books).
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I haven't heard any Gail Carson Levine in ages--maybe 20 years? Rereading her other works beforehand would've no doubt made me appreciate this book more, but since this is a prequel anyway, I didn't feel the lack too much. This was a sweet, fun story with great character development and a surprisingly nuanced view of slavery and slaveholders, considering the young middle-grade audience. I wasn't transported, but I did enjoy the tale (and the audiobook narrator, who did a lovely job).
I read this because the other Bamarre book is one of my all-time favorites, but this was a little too childish for me. I had a hard time with the main character (she’s sort of likable, but not enough) and the plot wasn’t super exciting. I’m glad I read it, so I have that history, but it won’t be a frequent re-read like the other.
I enjoyed this better than Ella Enchanted. Less focused on romance, more focused on social issues.
I think this book had some extremely important lessons that are perfect for middle grade and they're presented in a really age-appropriate way. Perry, the main character, learns through her interaction with the world that the racism and stereotyping that she has grown up with are pretty terrible. She also learns that the adopted family that she dearly loves has plenty of faults especially her father, and that she can't turn a blind eye to the faults even though it would mean a more comfortable life to do so. Overall I just couldn't connect with the characters though. Perry isn't the strong main character like my beloved Addie from The Two Princesses of Bamarre. It felt like most of the time Perry was forced into situations without having to make the hard decisions herself. The strong and beautiful sister-relationship in The Two Princesses of Bamarre is something that has stayed with me over the years, but the sister relationship here is so much more complicated. I think that's what really got me about this book in general, the relationships are really complicated and it was definitely not the feel-good fairytale book I expected, which isn't necessarily a negative depending on what you're looking for. I did enjoy the nods to Two Princesses though, and it was a lot of fun seeing young Drualt.
Was looking for a light read in between heavier adult fantasy, but this focuses a lot on war and prejudice, so not as light as I was hoping.