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stiricide's review against another edition
3.0
Solid. i appreciate it when sequels get more engaging, not tapped out after the first book. I think the political maneuvering may be above the target age's pay grade (which may also explain why so much of it happens so quickly), but it's engaging.
jessalynn_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
It was a little bit of a Lloyd Alexander month - I read the first two in this trilogy after I noticed them languishing on the library shelves. They have a very different feel than the Prydain books, although you still know you're in the hands of a master storyteller. The first is more of an adventure story, with schemes and deceptions and surprises, with political issues simmering in the background. In the second, those political issues change a little and come to the forefront, and the depictions of what happen to a person in war were no less powerful than those in Mockingjay or The Ask and the Answer, although a little less intense. Characters in each book have to face the question of who they will choose to be and how violent they will become - an odd theme to have pop up in so many books in one month.
swampthingsarah's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The middle book in a trilogy doesn't usually live up to either the first or final books in the series, but "The Kestrel" absolutely does- it's a fantastic read! My favorite aspect of it was the way the stakes were raised to truly allow for character development to occur. Theo, the protagonist, exists mainly as a sort of semi-detached observer in the first book, Westmark. He hasn't lived a life of advantage necessarily, but for most of that novel he wrestles with moral decisions without having to truly bear the consequences of them. He injures an officer in self defense and the man is not killed; he assists a con man without truly having to compromise his ethics; twice he is on the verge of having to kill a man (or let one die) to save the life of his friend or loved one, but is spared at the last moment by circumstance or intervention. So while he has to think about how complicated the "correct" moral choice can be, he isn't necessarily forced to do anything truly compromising.
That very much changes in "The Kestrel." When war breaks out in the kingdom, Theo finds himself in the middle of it, and he is deeply changed as a result. His position requires him to commit acts of violence, even of brutality, that would make him unrecognizable to his former self, who was so concerned with doing the most upright thing (often, the most simplistically upright thing) in the past. He and many of the other characters deal with the weight of incredible trauma as a result of what the experience in the war, and I thought the novel dealt with that situation very well.
I have described the Westmark series before as "Les Miserables for middle grade," and it's in this book that that starts to be true. There are numerous character deaths, including several major supporting characters, and that would be intense enough for a younger audience- but older readers will also catch veiled references to other disturbing moments, clearly there on-page but not spelled out too strongly for younger readers. Rereading these books as an adult is an emotional experience, but a great one. I'm excited to finish the series in the days ahead!
That very much changes in "The Kestrel." When war breaks out in the kingdom, Theo finds himself in the middle of it, and he is deeply changed as a result. His position requires him to commit acts of violence, even of brutality, that would make him unrecognizable to his former self, who was so concerned with doing the most upright thing (often, the most simplistically upright thing) in the past. He and many of the other characters deal with the weight of incredible trauma as a result of what the experience in the war, and I thought the novel dealt with that situation very well.
I have described the Westmark series before as "Les Miserables for middle grade," and it's in this book that that starts to be true. There are numerous character deaths, including several major supporting characters, and that would be intense enough for a younger audience- but older readers will also catch veiled references to other disturbing moments, clearly there on-page but not spelled out too strongly for younger readers. Rereading these books as an adult is an emotional experience, but a great one. I'm excited to finish the series in the days ahead!
bepisaun's review against another edition
4.0
Seeing the growth of our star hero, Theo, is jarring and delicious in this sequel to Westmark. We follow all of our favourites from the first book as they approach a war in their homeland. A really well done sequel to the first book.
autumnalia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Lloyd Alexander never disappoints. But this series is … grim. Somehow still lighthearted in its way, and wise and wry and sweet. But the horrors of war are the main focus of this second installment of the Westmark trilogy, and Alexander’s power as a storyteller is as robust there as it is in his brighter fantasies. Such a good read, but a devastating one too, as war devours Ukraine.
veethorn's review against another edition
4.0
Harrowing in parts. Alexander is good at writing adventure without shying away from the reality of war.
kmjkelsi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0