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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
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
Fans of Caroline by Neil Gaiman might like this one. I picked this up because I’m looking for new dark fantasy favorites and I suspect Barker might be my guy, but Imajica is too daunting for me at this point. I wasn’t expecting a YA/children’s story, since this is shelved as adult fiction at my library. It was fine. Not sure which Barker I’ll pick up next.
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A friend recommended this to me, and the very next day ANOTHER friend recommended Barker's [b:Abarat|768878|Abarat (Abarat, #1)|Clive Barker|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1298643759s/768878.jpg|2785303], so it seemed like too big of a coincidence to put off reading him any longer. This was a very quick read, and you know a book is good when you lose all sense of time. I read straight through without stopping. The opening sentence, which is, perhaps, the most crucial part of any book, is definitely one of the best I've ever read, and I enjoyed how Barker kept referencing it throughout. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: children books are extremely underrated. This story has some of the most imaginative characters (especially villains) I've ever seen. Harvey, Lulu, Wendell, and Mrs. Griffin are all enjoyable in their own unique way. I loved the part where . I also enjoyed the book because it helped reaffirm my plagiarist claims against Lev Grossman's [b:The Magicians|6101718|The Magicians|Lev Grossman|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1313772941s/6101718.jpg|6278977] (i. e. walking into a wall where a magical building exists on the other side, turnaround mist, and Rictus is very reminiscent of Martin Chatwin when he ). And it makes me question the origins of Neil Gaiman's [b:Coraline|17061|Coraline|Neil Gaiman|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327871014s/17061.jpg|2834844] (a cat that helps the protagonist, ghostly children set free from demonic being who captured them with illusions, etc). I've removed one star for the extremely saccharine ending, and a lot of the key turning points were very predictable (i.e. ). There were also some really weird "are you serious?" moments like . Lastly, the illustrations are pretty phenomenal, and, at times, quite terrifying and grotesque. Now to get a copy of [b:Abarat|768878|Abarat (Abarat, #1)|Clive Barker|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1298643759s/768878.jpg|2785303]!
Spoiler
Wendell and Harvey escape only to find that years have gone bySpoiler
attacks BrakebillsSpoiler
The moment Mrs. Griffin mentions the fish being poisonous, I knew they were the lost childrenSpoiler
when his parents just SUDDENLY believe Harvey and this random stranger's explanation that The Holiday House existed
This book was fantastic, it was everything I could’ve asked for going into it and the ending was so sweet and almost brings a tear to your eye. It was a very good book and I would definitely recommend.
"The great gray beast of February had eaten Harvey Swick alive."
A book that begins with that line has my full and undivided attention. This book reminded me of falling in love with reading as a child. A must on the bookshelves of readers no matter how young or old.
A book that begins with that line has my full and undivided attention. This book reminded me of falling in love with reading as a child. A must on the bookshelves of readers no matter how young or old.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-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:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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:
No
Oh my gosh, I was completely unaware that Clive Barker could make me cry like this. What a wonderful story. Like a fairy tale, a dark fairy tale but so good. I would recommend this wholeheartedly.