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spacerkip's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
pixieprose's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I really loved this book and would truly enjoy a sequel. The story is compelling and the characters are well built.
embe94's review against another edition
3.0
A bit of a slow start, and an awkward ending, but overall, a fun, magic filled adventure! Once the pace picked up, I was excited to see what happened next and where the next threat would come from. It did feel a little scattered, and the climax of the story felt like it came a little early, but it was interesting and there was a grand surprise at the end.
teatowel's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Curious events unfold as a boy takes up employment in the spooky mansion of a strange coastal town.
shipwrecksteph's review against another edition
3.0
I'm of two minds about this book.
On the one hand, I like the characters and setting. I want to read more adventures with them. I want to see what their next steps are. But the narrative has a very odd flow.
There are multiples turns to the story. It's not that the surprises are too much out of left field. But when there's three narrative turns, their placement will almost necessarily be awkward. The climax and long epilogue make this feel more like a prologue to an already existing story rather than a stand alone.
Much of the tension also has an odd balance. The protagonists are young. And given the rules of the world, there's a limit to what they can conceivably do. But they should still have some agency over what happens in order for there to be a victory. Instead, the main plot resolution is practically an accident, a trinket ex machina. Given their cleverness and how hard they worked, I felt the deserved better.
On the one hand, I like the characters and setting. I want to read more adventures with them. I want to see what their next steps are. But the narrative has a very odd flow.
There are multiples turns to the story. It's not that the surprises are too much out of left field. But when there's three narrative turns, their placement will almost necessarily be awkward. The climax and long epilogue make this feel more like a prologue to an already existing story rather than a stand alone.
Much of the tension also has an odd balance. The protagonists are young. And given the rules of the world, there's a limit to what they can conceivably do. But they should still have some agency over what happens in order for there to be a victory. Instead, the main plot resolution is practically an accident, a trinket ex machina. Given their cleverness and how hard they worked, I felt the deserved better.
fountain_ken's review against another edition
4.0
Great writing. Not as creepy as I imagined and the chosen one/special powers but at the end was a little zzz (also, while I expected Goldenrod to be, at least, a relative. I didn't expect him to show up. Idk if it would've been better without him.) Thin plot & characterization, but overall enjoyable!
[3.5 - 3.75 stars rounded up]
[3.5 - 3.75 stars rounded up]
alexandritewiz's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
This book was so fast-paced that i felt like I couldn’t even keep up with what was happening. There was SO MUCH packed in here. I think the concepts are interesting and worth exploring further, but they’re so jammed together that it wasn’t super enjoyable.
rhappe13's review against another edition
3.0
I received this arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was a very fast read that I think I would have enjoyed a lot when I was younger. It's got an interesting magical mystery, two strong characters, and some fun plot points. The writing and plot were pretty simplistic but still conveyed a good story. This isn't among my favorites of the "children's books I read as an adult" category but I did enjoy the book.
This was a very fast read that I think I would have enjoyed a lot when I was younger. It's got an interesting magical mystery, two strong characters, and some fun plot points. The writing and plot were pretty simplistic but still conveyed a good story. This isn't among my favorites of the "children's books I read as an adult" category but I did enjoy the book.
daisysbookshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-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? Yes
3.5
kittykult's review against another edition
3.0
Rory is a 12-year-old who is struggling to help his single mother provide for their humble living in a very Dickensian-style town where nobody is cheerful and the weather is always glum. His mom works two jobs, and Rory feels that he is old enough to work himself, so he gets a job at a local mansion called Foxglove Manor which turns out to be more than he bargained for. His new boss is acting quite suspicious. Why are the guests to the house so mysterious and secretive? Why is Rory having weird dreams? Why is he the only dark-skinned person in Gloom Town? And what in Europica is going on with everyone's shadows???
This review will be a bit different from others. Since the things I liked and didn't like about the book are so closely related, I'm not going to split them up into positive-negative. I'm just going to mention each aspect and what I did and didn't like.
I felt like the book was paced very quickly, and at some points I found myself wishing that parts that had been glossed over had more meat to them or had been arranged in a different order. For example, the fact that Rory is mixed race is an integral part of his character and development, and while the story mentions he has darker skin, I would have liked to see more of his diversity included in the story. The representation is very important and one of my favorite parts about this book, and I appreciate that the author didn't overdo the diversity, which made it feel more authentic and genuine and is crucial for young children of color reading books that portray characters that look like them, but because the book doesn't have pictures, I think sprinkling in more details and events where he illustrates how his darker skin impacts him and his mother would have made it even better. The tie-in between the stories about him and Goldenrod, his favorite seafarer, would have been far more interesting if we'd gotten stories peppered in throughout the book. I felt like the fight against the "Big Bad" was very fast and would have liked more of a build-up and resolution.
Things like reveals about certain characters' strengths and backgrounds, including that of Rory, Izzie, and Gloom Town's, felt like they came out of nowhere while others took a very long time to get to. There was a twist about the city's history that felt a little bit like an off-hand comment when it should have been a giant revelation that changed the course of the story. There was a twist at the very end that I, being an older reader, had picked up on, but that younger readers probably would never see coming, because the clues to it were so vague. I also felt like after what was supposed to be this big explosive reveal, things kind of fizzled out and resolved themselves too quickly and the end came very abruptly. I think a lot of this comes from the telling and not showing of certain important parts. Instead of telling us that Rory has asked about his dad in the past, showing him asking his mom and having that conversation would give it more depth. Instead of telling us Goldenrod is a popular myth/legend people love to tell stories about, have Rory carry around a notebook that he fills every time he hears a new story about Goldenrod. For example, one of the best scenes was the seance scene with Izzie, and that worked so well because it was shown and not simply told - the atmosphere of that scene was so well-done and spooky. I also think this is a story that would be served well by occasional full-page illustrations, given the age of the target audience.
This was a short, easy read. I am sure there is a sequel coming with the big twist at the end. I enjoyed Gloom Town's atmosphere and intriguing characters and would definitely give the sequel a try, in hopes for more details like I mentioned above.
This review will be a bit different from others. Since the things I liked and didn't like about the book are so closely related, I'm not going to split them up into positive-negative. I'm just going to mention each aspect and what I did and didn't like.
I felt like the book was paced very quickly, and at some points I found myself wishing that parts that had been glossed over had more meat to them or had been arranged in a different order. For example, the fact that Rory is mixed race is an integral part of his character and development, and while the story mentions he has darker skin, I would have liked to see more of his diversity included in the story. The representation is very important and one of my favorite parts about this book, and I appreciate that the author didn't overdo the diversity, which made it feel more authentic and genuine and is crucial for young children of color reading books that portray characters that look like them, but because the book doesn't have pictures, I think sprinkling in more details and events where he illustrates how his darker skin impacts him and his mother would have made it even better. The tie-in between the stories about him and Goldenrod, his favorite seafarer, would have been far more interesting if we'd gotten stories peppered in throughout the book. I felt like the fight against the "Big Bad" was very fast and would have liked more of a build-up and resolution.
Things like reveals about certain characters' strengths and backgrounds, including that of Rory, Izzie, and Gloom Town's, felt like they came out of nowhere while others took a very long time to get to. There was a twist about the city's history that felt a little bit like an off-hand comment when it should have been a giant revelation that changed the course of the story. There was a twist at the very end that I, being an older reader, had picked up on, but that younger readers probably would never see coming, because the clues to it were so vague. I also felt like after what was supposed to be this big explosive reveal, things kind of fizzled out and resolved themselves too quickly and the end came very abruptly. I think a lot of this comes from the telling and not showing of certain important parts. Instead of telling us that Rory has asked about his dad in the past, showing him asking his mom and having that conversation would give it more depth. Instead of telling us Goldenrod is a popular myth/legend people love to tell stories about, have Rory carry around a notebook that he fills every time he hears a new story about Goldenrod. For example, one of the best scenes was the seance scene with Izzie, and that worked so well because it was shown and not simply told - the atmosphere of that scene was so well-done and spooky. I also think this is a story that would be served well by occasional full-page illustrations, given the age of the target audience.
This was a short, easy read. I am sure there is a sequel coming with the big twist at the end. I enjoyed Gloom Town's atmosphere and intriguing characters and would definitely give the sequel a try, in hopes for more details like I mentioned above.