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sapphic_in_the_stacks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The first in the His Dark Materials Series, this story introduces you to a new world that is relatively similar to our own. The biggest difference is that in this world, every human also has a daemon, and animal embodiment of their soul. Their daemon can switch between shapes in childhood, but eventually settles on a single shape (which often reflects an truth about a person's personality) in adulthood. In this world, we come to know Lyra Belacqua, an headstrong, stubborn, and brave young orphan who lives among the scholars at Jordan College. When her friend is stolen from Jordan College, and her uncle, Lord Asriel, is imprisoned among the armored bears, she sets her sights on traveling northward to rescue them both. This story chronicles her journey to the North, her investigation of the alethiometer given to her before she departed Jordan College, the mysterious Dust everyone wants to talk about but no one will explain, and even her own parentage.
Pullman's world is similar to our own, though he clearly exaggerates several aspects for the purpose of critiquing the parallel institutions in our world. Specifically, Pullman's depiction of the Church in his novel is a less than subtle critique of the way the Church in our world exerts it's power over religious cannon to claim heresy and control both everyday people, and by extent academic institutions and their research. Pullman also critiques the academic institutions themselves, particularly the amount of power that both scholars and academic institutions have, and their disinterest in matters other than their own research and professional reputation.
I appreciated how this book managed to introduce various themes, dynamic characters, and substantial world building, while maintaining an engaging plot and decent character development. Pullman strikes a perfect balance between answering enough questions by the end of the book to feel like a satisfying conclusion, while leaving some broader plot lines unanswered in preparation for a continuation of the story. Unlike many similar stories, Pullman doesn't allow Lyra to easily escape her trials for the sake of plot convenience, but rather allows her to develop as a character with each narrow escape. He even allows her to be recaptured by the same forces, thus forcing her to rely on evermore on her own bravery and ingenuity to escape from her captors in new ways. Of course there are some minor flaws in this book I could nitpick, or ways in which Pullman deviates from my own personal preference, but overall this was a dynamic and engaging book that I truly enjoyed.
Pullman's world is similar to our own, though he clearly exaggerates several aspects for the purpose of critiquing the parallel institutions in our world. Specifically, Pullman's depiction of the Church in his novel is a less than subtle critique of the way the Church in our world exerts it's power over religious cannon to claim heresy and control both everyday people, and by extent academic institutions and their research. Pullman also critiques the academic institutions themselves, particularly the amount of power that both scholars and academic institutions have, and their disinterest in matters other than their own research and professional reputation.
I appreciated how this book managed to introduce various themes, dynamic characters, and substantial world building, while maintaining an engaging plot and decent character development. Pullman strikes a perfect balance between answering enough questions by the end of the book to feel like a satisfying conclusion, while leaving some broader plot lines unanswered in preparation for a continuation of the story. Unlike many similar stories, Pullman doesn't allow Lyra to easily escape her trials for the sake of plot convenience, but rather allows her to develop as a character with each narrow escape.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death and Child death
jonsnowsmanbun's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, and Child death
mmefish's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, and Religious bigotry
kylieqrada's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Review to come.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, and Blood
monoliloquy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I have loved this book since I was too young to read it. I first read it when I was about ten and fell in love. I forget about this series ever so often and it's always great to reread.
There are moments, in the way Pullman writes people--women, especially--that give me pause, but most of these moments are storytelling choices and specific misconceptions that Lyra has about the world.
The writing in this book is enthralling, vivid, and doesn't let you go even for a moment. It's creative and the worldbuilding is beautiful.
There are moments, in the way Pullman writes people--women, especially--that give me pause, but most of these moments are storytelling choices and specific misconceptions that Lyra has about the world.
The writing in this book is enthralling, vivid, and doesn't let you go even for a moment. It's creative and the worldbuilding is beautiful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, and Religious bigotry
beccasbookcase's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Gore, Violence, and Blood
angelicathebookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Pullman introduces the reader to his world immediately and not in a way that is overwhelming, confusing, or unbelievable. His choice to normalize the idea of daemons from the beginning without much initial explanation—and the fact that the other fantastical elements are interwoven naturally into the narrative—makes for an immersive read. Pullman’s characters, whether main or supporting, are well developed and purposeful —two of my favourite characters include the villainous Mrs Coulter and the Queen of the witches, Serafina Pekkala. One of my favourites aspects of the novel is the way that each of the strikingly different daemons emphasizes and helps in the development of each character, such as all the children’s daemons constantly change form until they reach puberty.
While I enjoyed the novel very much, there were a few moments where the narrative lost some pacing. I also thought that there weren’t enough light-hearted moments despite the novel being written with a younger audience in mind. Although I enjoyed the themes and symbolic nature of the novel, I wouldn’t recommend this book to you if you dislike novels that contain messages of political, religious, and cultural conflicts especially in relation to Christianity.
For more reviews like this one, check out https://angelicacastilloking.wordpress.com/
While I enjoyed the novel very much, there were a few moments where the narrative lost some pacing. I also thought that there weren’t enough light-hearted moments despite the novel being written with a younger audience in mind. Although I enjoyed the themes and symbolic nature of the novel, I wouldn’t recommend this book to you if you dislike novels that contain messages of political, religious, and cultural conflicts especially in relation to Christianity.
For more reviews like this one, check out https://angelicacastilloking.wordpress.com/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, and Death
aconfundityofcrows's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Feb 2021: I left this at two stars for a long time, because I wasn't sure how to represent my feelings about it and I didn't want to change my rating until I reread it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, Violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Sexism, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, and Medical trauma
Minor: Body shaming, Misogyny, and Sexual violence
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