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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
dark
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The first book in the Kronos Chronicles, and the first book that captivated me as a child and has yet to release its hold. Petra stood as a testament to what I wanted to be, expressing a more traditionally masculine and overtly uncaring way of life and femininity than I ever got, and giving me the positive Roma representation I craved as a child.
The first book is slow, but tense, keeping you interested and wanting more, desperate to see if Petra's plan works out, and how. It throws a gruesome scene at you right off the at in the first chapter, a tortured man with no eyes, thrown to be picked up by his young daughter and his family.
It gives you a low fantasy world, set in 1600s Boehemia, filled with magic, intrigue, talking spiders, and very brave little girls.
The first book is slow, but tense, keeping you interested and wanting more, desperate to see if Petra's plan works out, and how. It throws a gruesome scene at you right off the at in the first chapter, a tortured man with no eyes, thrown to be picked up by his young daughter and his family.
It gives you a low fantasy world, set in 1600s Boehemia, filled with magic, intrigue, talking spiders, and very brave little girls.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia
Moderate: Sexism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
The book does touch briefly on Petra being neglected, not that she realized that's what it is. Her father is extremely neglectful of Petra being educated or having healthy habits, which she enjoys, but others comment on given that she is a young child. The Romani racial slur, "gypsy", is also used frequently, though characters are chastised for using it as it is considered a slur. Romani racism is also talked about and shown frequently, given the time period, and one of the main characters being Romani. Torture and violence are discussed, as well.
I very much enjoyed this, although I will admit it took me a few chapters to get hooked. It wasn't until Petra was in Prague that I really was hooked. A unique fairy-tale-ish story, with interesting characters (a woman who's skin seeps acid when she's really angry or sad!) and an adventurous plot.
Another Cybil finalist. This one was excellent. Even though it is the first in a series it doesn't end with a cliffhanger ending--the book is a self-contained story (which is a plus for me, since I have trouble remembering things from book to book if I don't read them back to back).
Mikal Kronos is commissioned to make a clock for Prince Rodolfo of Bohemia because Mikal has a special talent with metals--he can move them with his mind. When he finishes the clock, the prince decides that he wants Mikal's eyes. So he has Mikal's eyes gouged out and enspelled so that he can wear them (which means that he also had his own eyes gouged out, voluntarily, and enspelled so that he can wear them too). When the prince's men bring Mikal back home, Petra, his 12 year old daughter is horrified at his condition. Eventually, she decides (with the help of her tin spider, Astrophil) to go to the castle and steal her father's eyes back. In doing so, she meets up with a varied cast of characters from the gypsy boy Neel to the dye maker, Iris (who can be very acidic, literally).
I loved this book. The writing was tight and the characters were real and it was exactly the right length coming in at just over 250 pages. I can't wait to see what the author does with her next book. Petra does not know if she has magic or not but her father's payment for making the clock (and the clock, what an interesting concept) was for Petra to be schooled at the Academy where those with magic are taught how to use and control it. The author leaves us with the impression that Petra will have some type of magic but we aren't really sure what it will be--the only inclination we have in the book is that Petra teaches herself to talk to Astrophil using her mind. A++++
Mikal Kronos is commissioned to make a clock for Prince Rodolfo of Bohemia because Mikal has a special talent with metals--he can move them with his mind. When he finishes the clock, the prince decides that he wants Mikal's eyes. So he has Mikal's eyes gouged out and enspelled so that he can wear them (which means that he also had his own eyes gouged out, voluntarily, and enspelled so that he can wear them too). When the prince's men bring Mikal back home, Petra, his 12 year old daughter is horrified at his condition. Eventually, she decides (with the help of her tin spider, Astrophil) to go to the castle and steal her father's eyes back. In doing so, she meets up with a varied cast of characters from the gypsy boy Neel to the dye maker, Iris (who can be very acidic, literally).
I loved this book. The writing was tight and the characters were real and it was exactly the right length coming in at just over 250 pages. I can't wait to see what the author does with her next book. Petra does not know if she has magic or not but her father's payment for making the clock (and the clock, what an interesting concept) was for Petra to be schooled at the Academy where those with magic are taught how to use and control it. The author leaves us with the impression that Petra will have some type of magic but we aren't really sure what it will be--the only inclination we have in the book is that Petra teaches herself to talk to Astrophil using her mind. A++++
Mikal Kronos has a way with metal. When he creates a beautiful, potentially dangerous, clock for the prince, the prince repays him by stealing his eyes. Daughter Petra is appropriately horrified and promptly sets out for the castle in Prague to retrieve them.
I loved the rich setting and all the magical details, but something about this story didn't click with me. Maybe it's because I knew it was the first in a series. Still, there are great characters here and lots to explore in this new magical world based on Renaissance Czechoslovakia.
This title is on the 2008 Cybils shortlist for middle grade fantasy/sci-fi.
I loved the rich setting and all the magical details, but something about this story didn't click with me. Maybe it's because I knew it was the first in a series. Still, there are great characters here and lots to explore in this new magical world based on Renaissance Czechoslovakia.
This title is on the 2008 Cybils shortlist for middle grade fantasy/sci-fi.
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
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:
No
This is just one of those books that takes you away and you find yourself dreaming about it two years after you read it, wishing you could just go back to sleep. It is my favorite world that I have ever read about, and I have read about a lot of various places. Everything about it is amazing, and I would love to be a character here, more than anywhere else. Even Hogwarts can't compare.
This creative historical fiction/fantasy is a must read for older children who love fantasy. It's unique, well written and offers something different from all the Harry Potter wannabees out there. It's set in the European Renaissance at the end of the sixteenth century in Bohemia, part of the Hapsburg Empire.
The main character Petra is smart, interesting and while strong, not annoyingly so. Her father has the ability to manipulate metal and has created a clock for the Prince of Bohemia. This is no ordinary clock. When her father returns, his eyes have been taken by the Prince. Petra also finds out that the clock is very dangerous. She sets out on a quest to go to Prague, find her father's eyes and prevent the Prince from using the clock. Along the way, Petra meets some interesting characters who help her on her quest. We also get a peek inside the Prince's head.
I'm excited to read the next book in the series. I'd recommend this for older children. I listened to the audiobook version of the book and really liked the narrator.
The main character Petra is smart, interesting and while strong, not annoyingly so. Her father has the ability to manipulate metal and has created a clock for the Prince of Bohemia. This is no ordinary clock. When her father returns, his eyes have been taken by the Prince. Petra also finds out that the clock is very dangerous. She sets out on a quest to go to Prague, find her father's eyes and prevent the Prince from using the clock. Along the way, Petra meets some interesting characters who help her on her quest. We also get a peek inside the Prince's head.
I'm excited to read the next book in the series. I'd recommend this for older children. I listened to the audiobook version of the book and really liked the narrator.
Meet Petra, 12 years old, average intelligence and all around normal girl, if not a bit of a tomboy.
On a normal day for her, her father is returned to her bandaged and blind by two strangers from the castle. Her father was there working on a marvelous clock, for he had a magical gift with working metals and was commissioned by the prince himself. Unfortunately the clock was also meant to control the weather. While this would be perfect for someone of her father's mindset and could be used to make sure their country never has another drought again, it could also be a weapon.
Petra doesn't care about the clock though, she only cares about her father's eyes. The prince wears them as he pleases and doesn't care for them as anything more than a tool and a toy. Petra wants them back for her father and will do whatever she has to.
I cannot relate to Petra, but that doesn't take away from the book at all. This book is a bit dark at times, what with a surgeon magically preserving and removing eyeballs, experimenting on humans, and a prince who is definitely evil at heart. But there is a magic and simplicity to the things that happen and Petra's character.
While a little slow in the beginning, I did like this book and would recommend it to a younger crowd (myself being 23)
On a normal day for her, her father is returned to her bandaged and blind by two strangers from the castle. Her father was there working on a marvelous clock, for he had a magical gift with working metals and was commissioned by the prince himself. Unfortunately the clock was also meant to control the weather. While this would be perfect for someone of her father's mindset and could be used to make sure their country never has another drought again, it could also be a weapon.
Petra doesn't care about the clock though, she only cares about her father's eyes. The prince wears them as he pleases and doesn't care for them as anything more than a tool and a toy. Petra wants them back for her father and will do whatever she has to.
I cannot relate to Petra, but that doesn't take away from the book at all. This book is a bit dark at times, what with a surgeon magically preserving and removing eyeballs, experimenting on humans, and a prince who is definitely evil at heart. But there is a magic and simplicity to the things that happen and Petra's character.
While a little slow in the beginning, I did like this book and would recommend it to a younger crowd (myself being 23)
With a good story to tell, compelling characters, fine writing, and a lovely blend of historical fiction and fantasy, there's a lot to admire here. Plot and characters were often dealt with in a way that was refreshingly unexpected. For example, Petra's father deals with his misfortunes so optimistically, rather than wallowing or suffering, that Petra's decision to go to Prague and try to send things right feels bold and slightly foolish, rather than predictable and noble. The villains are tantalizingly ambiguous - they are reprehensible, but leave you wanting to know more about them and their motivations. The fantasy elements play an important role in the story, but are never gratuitous. There's a great sense of atmosphere and pacing. The book also has a lot of references to delight the attentive reader - the death of Archimedes, a real portrait of Queen Elizabeth (described in a way that makes it sound too fantastic to be real), the concept of zero, clockmaking and metalwork, the science of dying - but they never interrupt the flow and wouldn't impede a reader who was just reading for plot or character. A sophisticated story, but not over-challenging for any confident reader.