Reviews

The Bookseller's Apprentice by Amelia Mellor

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ellyrarg's review

4.0

Cute, with a similar, but more interesting format to the former book. Quite fun, and I liked the market setting, very atmospheric! Also enjoyed how much was based on aspects of history, fun!

booksramblesandcoffee's review

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4.0

[b:The Bookseller's Apprentice|62018008|The Bookseller's Apprentice|Amelia Mellor|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1660876567l/62018008._SY75_.jpg|97762967] is an enchanting story of growing up, everyday magic and overcoming bad things (and people!) by Australian author [a:Amelia Mellor|20516533|Amelia Mellor|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]. I haven't yet read [b:The Grandest Bookshop in the World|54588827|The Grandest Bookshop in the World (The Grandest Bookshop in the World #1)|Amelia Mellor|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1595146589l/54588827._SY75_.jpg|85172207] as I decided to read this prequel first. I look forward to seeing how the characters and story tie into Book 1.

Mellor as a beautiful writing style that captures the splendour of the magical and fantastical goings on of the imagination and I highlighted so many great quotes which I won't share here to avoid spoilers.

Even though I'm in my late 20s, I really related to Billy's frustrations as the eldest child being lumped with a lot of responsibility and things not being fair to the eldest child, but still having a fierce love for your loved ones. However, Billy goes through great character development and is a role model to younger readers.

Speaking of younger readers, the only reason I didn't give a 5-star rating was that the book didn't grip me in an "I-can't-put-this- book-down" kinda way, and that is probably due to me not being the target audience. However, I reckon that younger me would have loved this book as a quirky cross between a Harry Potter meets Matilda type of book.

One of my favourite parts of the book was the Bookseller's values of "Read for as long as you like. No one asked to buy." Something I would want to have painted on the sign of my own bookshop.

fancyfroggie's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

cec_loves_to_read_books's review

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4.0

I really, really enjoyed this prequel to The Grandest Bookshop in the World. The Bookseller’s Apprentice was witty, charming, funny, sweet, sad (just the right amount) and engrossing. Readers 10+ will find inside the pages of this gorgeous book a tale of friendship and family and good versus bad and the historical touches about pre-gold rush Melbourne just add something special. Just as good as the first novel. Highly recommend.

gillyreads's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

5.0

b00kw0rms0fthew0rldunite's review

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4.0

I hadn't read the first book of the series but I certainly want to now! I read the blurb and was quite intrigued by the concept and then within a day I had pored over the rest. What a delightful read! I loved the use of language and words that aren't very common, I loved the puzzles and riddles, I loved the way that the author has used characters names that were actually real people and a setting that was very real in its day. I was picturing the Queen Victoria Market in my mind when reading through it and appreciate the snapshots of history woven through the book.
Much better than a lot of children's/young adult books on the shelf.
I have given an honest review in exchange for the temporary copy of the book. My thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher.

luluwoohoo's review

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adventurous challenging dark funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing tense 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

4.25

The Book-Seller's Apprentice by Amelia Mellor
☀️☀️☀️☀️🌥️

▪️This follow up to "Grandest Bookshop" was just as enthralling, nail-biting and harrowing as the original
▪️Billy as a protagonist is wonderfully relatable and his character arc was satisfying to read. His friendship with Kezia felt authentic for their age, though it wasn't quite as compelling to me as the siblings from Grandest Bookshop, and I also enjoyed his working relationship with Cole
▪️ The way we met the varied entertainers and stallholders in advance of their necessity to the quest was very well handled, and the challenges Billy faced were as gripping as they were terrifying. Maximillian was, as always, a fascinating villain!
▪️The pacing of this book felt a bit slower, with the duel not beginning until a way into the book, but the world building before that paid off with how little we needed to focus on those elements during the escalating tension of the quest
▪️Mellor has proven herself not to be a one trick pony, writing another captivating tale that is difficult to put down.