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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
The prose where fun and fantastical. I would have loved this when I was younger and first exploring the fantasy genre. This book was definitely enjoyable but not particularly outstanding.
This was one of my OMGFaves back in, like, elementary school. But I think having read many more books inc several in the genre made this reread totally unsatisfying in comparison. Merlin’s a boring, annoying little shit who seems to stumble around from person to person, who are conveniently around wherever he goes to push him further on his little journey. The main saving graces are the concept which is still cool, and a pair of one-dimensional but likable characters, the maternal mother and the blustering tiny giant. I don’t think I’ll continue with rereads of the sequels so as not to totally sour my memories of the series.
Check out this review and more on my blog, Maya’s Reviews.
~Quick Statistics~
Overall: 4/5 Stars
Plot: 5/5 Stars
Setting: 5/5 Star
Characters: 4/5 Stars
Writing: 5/5 Stars
Memorability: 3/5 Stars
~Quick Review~
The Lost Years of Merlin (Book #1 of a twelve part series) by T. A. Barron is intriguing, magical, and an excellent read. I really enjoyed reading this novel and miss the beautiful world of Fincayra.
~Other Information~
Publisher: Penguin Group
Page Count: 284
~Quick Synopsis~
A young boy, Emrys, washes ashore with no memory of who he is or where he came from. Years later, Emrys leaves his mother, Branwen, on a quest to find who he is and where he comes from. The ocean takes him to the mysterious and magical Isle of Fincayra. Once he enters the Isle he finds that there is much more to his past than he could have ever imagined, and that he needs to help the Isle of Fincayra to discover it.
~Characters~
T. A. Barron has done an unbelievably great job at creating the characters: Emrys, Rhia, Trouble, Shim, Branwen… I love them all dearly. The main character, Emrys, is a wimpy young boy around the age of thirteen. He continually questions his past throughout the book, as he lost his memories when he crashed upon the shores of Caer Vedwyd, his new home (and the only one he has ever known.) He doesn’t believe his name is Emrys and doesn’t believe Branwen is his mother either (What a jerk!) Eventually, he goes on a quest to find who he is and where he comes from which takes him to the Isle of Fincayra, a place between the heavens and the earth. When he gets there we see him be somewhat self-absorbed and selfish. When one of the supporting characters, Rhia, asks him to help her save the Druma Wood (a magical forest in Fincayra) from the evil King, he says no because he has to go on his quest. While he eventually accepts her request, he denies her many times just to be able to continue on his quest. As for his interactions with Shim (the other supporting character), I was very upset at how often he got mad at Shim for innocent questions or being scared of goblins and the like. Sometimes Emrys’ “bullying” of Shim was more playful and added humor to the chapter, but other times I couldn’t help but feel bad for the little giant.
Rhia is very likable. I found myself being very empathetic to her early on in the book, as she explains to Emrys that she has no family and practically lives alone in a magical forest. Rhia is a genuinely kind, thoughtful, and selfless character. She is willing to give up her life so that Emrys can use his magic to save the Druma and Fincayra. Also, I might add that I couldn’t help but see that Rhia and Emrys would be totally adorable together. They not only balance each other out but also both love Fincayra, their home. If I’m being honest, Rhia was my favorite character. She’s very powerful, and who doesn’t love girl power?
Now we get to Shim… who is just adorable. Shim is a giant, except he’s tinier than Rhia and Emrys. He’s a little giant and I find that downright cute. While Shim is (technically) a giant, he is very frightful, squeamish, and hungry (pretty much all of the time).
With Emrys and Shim (there weren’t any huge changes for Rhia) the character development is phenomenal. We see Emrys go from a weak, cowardly, selfish little boy to a brave, strong, magical, and selfless young man. We see Shim go from a tiny, cowardly giant to a brave, selfless, huge giant. Also, with Emrys we see him discover more of his past which changes his views of his life and the world.
~Writing and Setting~
The writing overall is really well done. It’s easy to read and understand, even with all the fancy words sprinkled throughout. The way T. A. Barron describes everything that transports you into Emrys’ world.
As for the setting, I have nothing to complain about and everything to be ecstatic about. The amount of detail that the author uses to describe every single place that Emrys visits allows you to see, hear, and smell everything that the characters do. Throughout the book you learn about the different places that Emrys has ties to: Caer Vedwyd, Fincayra, Druma Wood, Caer Myrddin, and Gwynedd. Though we never get to visit all of Gwynedd and Caer Myrddin, I found the amount of detail on that part satisfying and not needed to understand or tell the story. The main places that I have interests in from the start were Fincayra and Caer Myrddin since Branwen was so mysterious and foreboding about them. Which, later on in the book you get to visit and explore with Emrys. I should add that I have no words for how magical it was when Emrys went to and explored Fincayra. I could practically see the colorful and lively trees in the Druma Wood as Emerys described. All I have to say is wow. Just wow. I can’t explain how wonderful it is that the setting is so well described you’re practically there with the characters. It’s truly amazing.
~Plot~
From the very beginning of the novel you can tell that everything is connected somehow, you just can’t figure out why. The buck that saved Emrys from a boar the minute they crash onto Caer Vedwyd, the stories Branwen tells Emrys, the ache between Emrys’ shoulders, the past that Emrys cannot find in himself… all of these things are connected in a web that keeps the story rolling. There aren’t many twists to this story, however there are a few. I guessed a few from the start, but there was one plot twist that blew my mind. I could not stop re-reading the same page over and over again because it was such a good plot twist, one that I never would have expected.
Besides that, everything moved at the perfect pace for me. There were times where you got to learn more about the characters which eventually turned to disastrous and climatic scenes. The way the story flows is masterful, not to mention perfect.
~Overall Review~
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. There were some minor things that I did not enjoy, but nevertheless it was a great read. Therefore, I give The Lost Years of Merlin by T. A. Barron 4/5 Stars.
Amazon
~Quick Statistics~
Overall: 4/5 Stars
Plot: 5/5 Stars
Setting: 5/5 Star
Characters: 4/5 Stars
Writing: 5/5 Stars
Memorability: 3/5 Stars
~Quick Review~
The Lost Years of Merlin (Book #1 of a twelve part series) by T. A. Barron is intriguing, magical, and an excellent read. I really enjoyed reading this novel and miss the beautiful world of Fincayra.
~Other Information~
Publisher: Penguin Group
Page Count: 284
~Quick Synopsis~
A young boy, Emrys, washes ashore with no memory of who he is or where he came from. Years later, Emrys leaves his mother, Branwen, on a quest to find who he is and where he comes from. The ocean takes him to the mysterious and magical Isle of Fincayra. Once he enters the Isle he finds that there is much more to his past than he could have ever imagined, and that he needs to help the Isle of Fincayra to discover it.
“Whatever you did, you did from your powers. They are yours to use, a gift from above.”
~Characters~
T. A. Barron has done an unbelievably great job at creating the characters: Emrys, Rhia, Trouble, Shim, Branwen… I love them all dearly. The main character, Emrys, is a wimpy young boy around the age of thirteen. He continually questions his past throughout the book, as he lost his memories when he crashed upon the shores of Caer Vedwyd, his new home (and the only one he has ever known.) He doesn’t believe his name is Emrys and doesn’t believe Branwen is his mother either (What a jerk!) Eventually, he goes on a quest to find who he is and where he comes from which takes him to the Isle of Fincayra, a place between the heavens and the earth. When he gets there we see him be somewhat self-absorbed and selfish. When one of the supporting characters, Rhia, asks him to help her save the Druma Wood (a magical forest in Fincayra) from the evil King, he says no because he has to go on his quest. While he eventually accepts her request, he denies her many times just to be able to continue on his quest. As for his interactions with Shim (the other supporting character), I was very upset at how often he got mad at Shim for innocent questions or being scared of goblins and the like. Sometimes Emrys’ “bullying” of Shim was more playful and added humor to the chapter, but other times I couldn’t help but feel bad for the little giant.
Rhia is very likable. I found myself being very empathetic to her early on in the book, as she explains to Emrys that she has no family and practically lives alone in a magical forest. Rhia is a genuinely kind, thoughtful, and selfless character. She is willing to give up her life so that Emrys can use his magic to save the Druma and Fincayra. Also, I might add that I couldn’t help but see that Rhia and Emrys would be totally adorable together. They not only balance each other out but also both love Fincayra, their home. If I’m being honest, Rhia was my favorite character. She’s very powerful, and who doesn’t love girl power?
Now we get to Shim… who is just adorable. Shim is a giant, except he’s tinier than Rhia and Emrys. He’s a little giant and I find that downright cute. While Shim is (technically) a giant, he is very frightful, squeamish, and hungry (pretty much all of the time).
With Emrys and Shim (there weren’t any huge changes for Rhia) the character development is phenomenal. We see Emrys go from a weak, cowardly, selfish little boy to a brave, strong, magical, and selfless young man. We see Shim go from a tiny, cowardly giant to a brave, selfless, huge giant. Also, with Emrys we see him discover more of his past which changes his views of his life and the world.
~Writing and Setting~
The writing overall is really well done. It’s easy to read and understand, even with all the fancy words sprinkled throughout. The way T. A. Barron describes everything that transports you into Emrys’ world.
As for the setting, I have nothing to complain about and everything to be ecstatic about. The amount of detail that the author uses to describe every single place that Emrys visits allows you to see, hear, and smell everything that the characters do. Throughout the book you learn about the different places that Emrys has ties to: Caer Vedwyd, Fincayra, Druma Wood, Caer Myrddin, and Gwynedd. Though we never get to visit all of Gwynedd and Caer Myrddin, I found the amount of detail on that part satisfying and not needed to understand or tell the story. The main places that I have interests in from the start were Fincayra and Caer Myrddin since Branwen was so mysterious and foreboding about them. Which, later on in the book you get to visit and explore with Emrys. I should add that I have no words for how magical it was when Emrys went to and explored Fincayra. I could practically see the colorful and lively trees in the Druma Wood as Emerys described. All I have to say is wow. Just wow. I can’t explain how wonderful it is that the setting is so well described you’re practically there with the characters. It’s truly amazing.
~Plot~
From the very beginning of the novel you can tell that everything is connected somehow, you just can’t figure out why. The buck that saved Emrys from a boar the minute they crash onto Caer Vedwyd, the stories Branwen tells Emrys, the ache between Emrys’ shoulders, the past that Emrys cannot find in himself… all of these things are connected in a web that keeps the story rolling. There aren’t many twists to this story, however there are a few. I guessed a few from the start, but there was one plot twist that blew my mind. I could not stop re-reading the same page over and over again because it was such a good plot twist, one that I never would have expected.
Besides that, everything moved at the perfect pace for me. There were times where you got to learn more about the characters which eventually turned to disastrous and climatic scenes. The way the story flows is masterful, not to mention perfect.
~Overall Review~
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. There were some minor things that I did not enjoy, but nevertheless it was a great read. Therefore, I give The Lost Years of Merlin by T. A. Barron 4/5 Stars.
Amazon
No es mi género, no es mi tipo de narración y me fue pesado, pero está bueno para los amantes de toda la onda épica y fantástica/fantasy.
I don't really know how to describe this book. It's not as though I'm at a loss for words because it was so good. I'm at a loss for words because this book just was not that memorable. It was interesting enough for me to pick up the second one, but it is not the best. It was pretty bland and I don't mean the language I mean the story as a whole.
This was one of my favorite series to read in middle school. I must have read this book at least a dozen times while working at the library.
The series did start to bore me after a few books had past, but what I remember from this first book is that I really really loved most of it. Especially the beginning and how it tied in with the rest of the series (that part where Merlin doesn't believe he fits to his town, or that the woman who looks after him isn't his mother).
I especially remember when he meets the girl in the forest, as snooty as she is! It's a really great YA version of Merlin's adventures, anyway!
The series did start to bore me after a few books had past, but what I remember from this first book is that I really really loved most of it. Especially the beginning and how it tied in with the rest of the series (that part where Merlin doesn't believe he fits to his town, or that the woman who looks after him isn't his mother).
I especially remember when he meets the girl in the forest, as snooty as she is! It's a really great YA version of Merlin's adventures, anyway!
I adore these books. Don't let the thought of "young adult" dissuade you from reading them. I read them the first time when I was 13, re-read them again at 18, and now at 23 own them and read them for leisure at various times when I'm in between quality books. They're chalk full of fascinating characters, plot twists, enriching and exotic places, evil villains, beautiful love stories...these five books have it all. In my humble opinion, they're books that don't come along often. I wish they had extended for hundreds of more pages so I could continue to enjoy this world. Obsessed with these books.
It's important to note that these books are separate entities. They're NOT Avalon, or Arthurian legend, or anything related to previous Merlin stories. They must be read as their own. If you can do that, and also understand that the books were primarily written for younger audiences, you should thoroughly enjoy them.
It's important to note that these books are separate entities. They're NOT Avalon, or Arthurian legend, or anything related to previous Merlin stories. They must be read as their own. If you can do that, and also understand that the books were primarily written for younger audiences, you should thoroughly enjoy them.
If you have ever seen the TV series Malcolm in the Middle this book is for you. The main character is a total Malcolm, meaning that he complains nonstop about everything. At one point he washes up on the shore of this AMAZING island and he hates every minute of it. It is a good book though.