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booksnorkel's review against another edition
This is a better book than I originally thought. I think perhaps my initial dislike was because I had read it too fast without actually reading. Sometimes a book needs to be re-read, given a second chance, or even just read closer to finishing the first in the series. Henry continues on his journey through the cupboards, though frustratingly no one bothers to read the journals that the grandfather left behind. We also get to see what happens when his cousin Henrietta goes off on her own. I wish that there was a map of the world behind the cupboards, it would help...
Basically a good follow up, leaves it open for the next. A series for people who like Narnia, Harry Potter, and magic.
Basically a good follow up, leaves it open for the next. A series for people who like Narnia, Harry Potter, and magic.
margeryb's review against another edition
3.0
Listened to the audio
As for the audio production, they had the perfect narrator for this type of book, with a tone of voice that worked perfectly for when the characters were in Kansas as when they were in various fantasy worlds.
However, this second part in this series didn't grab as much as the first title even though this one was probably objectively more exciting and definitely had a better-balanced climax to set up that the first book. It's just that the first book felt like a twist on the portal fantasy genre, while this one seemed to go in the more traditional fantasy route. This is not to say Wilson didn't create an imaginative tapestry of lore and worldbuilding to play out... it's just not what I was expecting and wanting from the sequel exactly. When you have 99 cupboards leading to potentially leading to 99 worlds, and you only explore 3 or 4 of them it makes you wonder about the point of the other cupboards were.
I'm probably giving this book a harsher assessment that it deserves, but I did not personally enjoy it as much as the first and was disappointed by its more conventional turn. As it also resolved the plotlines of the previous book and this one, I'm sort of at a loss for where book 3 would naturally go.
As for the audio production, they had the perfect narrator for this type of book, with a tone of voice that worked perfectly for when the characters were in Kansas as when they were in various fantasy worlds.
However, this second part in this series didn't grab as much as the first title even though this one was probably objectively more exciting and definitely had a better-balanced climax to set up that the first book. It's just that the first book felt like a twist on the portal fantasy genre, while this one seemed to go in the more traditional fantasy route. This is not to say Wilson didn't create an imaginative tapestry of lore and worldbuilding to play out... it's just not what I was expecting and wanting from the sequel exactly. When you have 99 cupboards leading to potentially leading to 99 worlds, and you only explore 3 or 4 of them it makes you wonder about the point of the other cupboards were.
I'm probably giving this book a harsher assessment that it deserves, but I did not personally enjoy it as much as the first and was disappointed by its more conventional turn. As it also resolved the plotlines of the previous book and this one, I'm sort of at a loss for where book 3 would naturally go.
danicamidlil's review against another edition
4.0
I'm loving this series!! Uncle Frank is one of my favorite characters of all time.
akroth's review against another edition
5.0
Magic. Pure magic.
"He wanted words in his mouth to be alive, to take on flesh, wood, bark, sap, leaves, rings of annual laughter and sorrow. He wanted to speak life."
"The trees and wind were shouting their names, their histories, proclaiming their glories with violence."
"She was beautiful and tired. Her eyes were deep, her voice, her motion, deep with a slow, terrible joy. A joy despite sadness. A joy build on sadness."
"He spent days in the streets, working like he had never worked. But those days were also filled with meals like he had never eaten, laughter and singing like he had never heard, nights full of stories, and the sleep of a body and mind used like tools and not like treasures."
Thank you, N.D.
"He wanted words in his mouth to be alive, to take on flesh, wood, bark, sap, leaves, rings of annual laughter and sorrow. He wanted to speak life."
"The trees and wind were shouting their names, their histories, proclaiming their glories with violence."
"She was beautiful and tired. Her eyes were deep, her voice, her motion, deep with a slow, terrible joy. A joy despite sadness. A joy build on sadness."
"He spent days in the streets, working like he had never worked. But those days were also filled with meals like he had never eaten, laughter and singing like he had never heard, nights full of stories, and the sleep of a body and mind used like tools and not like treasures."
Thank you, N.D.
lissajean7's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this story. The second book in a trilogy usually drags a bit, but wow, not this one! There is a ton more action and suspense and mystery in this one, with the same beautiful characterization and fascinating world. The picture of dandelion fire will stay with me for a long time--absolutely beautiful. Loved it! Couldn't put it down.
sugarbloom's review against another edition
5.0
A funny, slightly strange, refreshingly original fantasy, despite the common "portal" theme. Some of the characters' responses to things seemed unrealistic, but I loved getting into the other worlds and their sheer foreignness and difference from one another.
linbee83's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't like this one as much as the first one, [b:100 Cupboards|1661390|100 Cupboards|N.D. Wilson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1186518979s/1661390.jpg|1656177], but I still enjoyed this immensely. It's a nice wrap up to the stray ends that were left from the first one. Action packed, and has you rooting for the main characters.
abitofmoxie's review against another edition
2.0
This was a disappointing sequel. I give it two stars because the ideas were exciting and could have been something really great, but the execution just.. doesn't take it where it needed to go.
The main concept of the cupboards in book one was really cool and my daughter and I were excited to learn more about the cupboards, but it turns out there's not a whole lot left to learn. There's 99 in the wall, and most of them go to different parts of the same world, so that kind of kills that. Then they go through to the other world and just kind of stay there.
Another interesting concept introduced is some of the cupboards are linked to a moment and some to a world, but that is never really explored or taken to any sort of conclusion. It seems that a water source was needed in a later book, so this bit was added in to introduce it for later.
Finally, the idea of the 7th son having special powers was an additional plot development in the second book that sets it firmly in the fantasy genre and opened the door for further interesting developments. But there didn't really seem to be any guidelines for how the magic worked. We were confused about the limits of it, and why he wasn't using it in certain circumstances, and was in others.
In fact, it felt like a lot of the characters, settings, and plot developments introduced seem like they were just added on the spot to satisfy a need in the book. They aren't thought-out or woven into the story at all, just kind of plopped down in the middle. This leaves a lot of unanswered questions and (double spoiler alert) they aren't answered in the next book either.
I want someone to take these ideas and make them awesome, please.
The main concept of the cupboards in book one was really cool and my daughter and I were excited to learn more about the cupboards, but it turns out there's not a whole lot left to learn. There's 99 in the wall, and most of them go to different parts of the same world, so that kind of kills that. Then they go through to the other world and just kind of stay there.
Another interesting concept introduced is some of the cupboards are linked to a moment and some to a world, but that is never really explored or taken to any sort of conclusion. It seems that a water source was needed in a later book, so this bit was added in to introduce it for later.
Finally, the idea of the 7th son having special powers was an additional plot development in the second book that sets it firmly in the fantasy genre and opened the door for further interesting developments. But there didn't really seem to be any guidelines for how the magic worked. We were confused about the limits of it, and why he wasn't using it in certain circumstances, and was in others.
In fact, it felt like a lot of the characters, settings, and plot developments introduced seem like they were just added on the spot to satisfy a need in the book. They aren't thought-out or woven into the story at all, just kind of plopped down in the middle. This leaves a lot of unanswered questions and (double spoiler alert) they aren't answered in the next book either.
I want someone to take these ideas and make them awesome, please.
catladylover94's review against another edition
5.0
loved the second book as much as the first one, read in a day