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mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
A brand-new Arlo Finch story this time with time travel, summer camp, scouts, and more!
WOW, just WOW. That was this story. Arlo Finch is back and this time he is in more danger than ever. But there is also summer camp, revelations, headbreaking time travel, and friendship.
The book starts with a new discovery by Arlo… he has found a strange broken bridge.. with on the other side his friends and fellow scouts. How? Why? Are they doppelgangers? Or are they baddies? It was definitely a great start, and later on the story gets better as we meet old and new characters and warnings happen.
But the best parts are when it is time for summer camp and Arlo and his friends are off to have a great summer filled with learning, swimming, and fun. Yes, learning, because you have all these ranks and you have to work hard to level up. But I definitely wouldn’t have minded learning given what kind of things they were taught. I would love to be there and learn all these new things. About sprites and what wanders around the forest.
But, this is Arlo Finch, things happen. We get prophecies. We get strange things going bump in the night that are definitely stranger than the normal stuff.
And then at one point Arlo travels back in time. Yes. And from that moment on the book became EPIC… but also OMG my head. dies My husband had quite a lot of fun hearing me exclaim each time something happened that explained stuff from the first book or from Arlo Finch’s past and even tied up things we saw in the start of the book. It was amazingly written but boy oh boy my head. I do love that the author added it and made it so much fun and so interesting. We also learn about what happened to Yellow Patrol and what happened many years ago. At times I just went to my hubby (I was already in bed and he was still doing some stuff at his PC) to tell him all the shocking revelations.
I wasn’t a big fan of either Wu or Indra as they both expected Arlo to pick either of them in various situations and that just annoyed me. He is both your friend. I just felt sorry for Arlo that he was often right in the middle of them and they just didn’t do much together.
I knew that there was something up with Thomas… just what? How did I know? Well, the fact that he came out of nowhere is one thing, that he coincidentally comes with Arlo Finch’s group, and oh yes the inconsistent stories he told about how he came to the camp. We later find out more and more about Thomas and oh boy the author did good on writing this one.
I did feel sorry for Arlo’s sister (and in that point also Arlo) as she got to visit her dad (finally), but then had to go back. As of course she couldn’t just stay there. Poor kids, never being able to have their dad close by.
I had so so much fun reading this one and I flew through it. Before I knew it I was finished and OMG I wanted more. I definitely cannot wait to buy the next book, I want to know what will happen next in Arlo Finch’s life given the ending and all the revelations.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
WOW, just WOW. That was this story. Arlo Finch is back and this time he is in more danger than ever. But there is also summer camp, revelations, headbreaking time travel, and friendship.
The book starts with a new discovery by Arlo… he has found a strange broken bridge.. with on the other side his friends and fellow scouts. How? Why? Are they doppelgangers? Or are they baddies? It was definitely a great start, and later on the story gets better as we meet old and new characters and warnings happen.
But the best parts are when it is time for summer camp and Arlo and his friends are off to have a great summer filled with learning, swimming, and fun. Yes, learning, because you have all these ranks and you have to work hard to level up. But I definitely wouldn’t have minded learning given what kind of things they were taught. I would love to be there and learn all these new things. About sprites and what wanders around the forest.
But, this is Arlo Finch, things happen. We get prophecies. We get strange things going bump in the night that are definitely stranger than the normal stuff.
And then at one point Arlo travels back in time. Yes. And from that moment on the book became EPIC… but also OMG my head. dies My husband had quite a lot of fun hearing me exclaim each time something happened that explained stuff from the first book or from Arlo Finch’s past and even tied up things we saw in the start of the book. It was amazingly written but boy oh boy my head. I do love that the author added it and made it so much fun and so interesting. We also learn about what happened to Yellow Patrol and what happened many years ago. At times I just went to my hubby (I was already in bed and he was still doing some stuff at his PC) to tell him all the shocking revelations.
I wasn’t a big fan of either Wu or Indra as they both expected Arlo to pick either of them in various situations and that just annoyed me. He is both your friend. I just felt sorry for Arlo that he was often right in the middle of them and they just didn’t do much together.
I knew that there was something up with Thomas… just what? How did I know? Well, the fact that he came out of nowhere is one thing, that he coincidentally comes with Arlo Finch’s group, and oh yes the inconsistent stories he told about how he came to the camp. We later find out more and more about Thomas and oh boy the author did good on writing this one.
I did feel sorry for Arlo’s sister (and in that point also Arlo) as she got to visit her dad (finally), but then had to go back. As of course she couldn’t just stay there. Poor kids, never being able to have their dad close by.
I had so so much fun reading this one and I flew through it. Before I knew it I was finished and OMG I wanted more. I definitely cannot wait to buy the next book, I want to know what will happen next in Arlo Finch’s life given the ending and all the revelations.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
willrefuge's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 / 5 ✪
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2019/12/20/arlo-finch-in-the-lake-of-the-moon-by-john-august-review/
In the Valley of Fire, Arlo Finch swept in and stole our hearts: his different colored eyes; his exiled father; his migratory home; his quiet, worrisome demeanor. And then came the Long Woods, where Arlo came into his own. If the Valley of Fire is where he found his calling, the Lake of the Moon should be where he grows up. And it is, to an extent.
Following the events In the Valley of Fire, Arlo has made a home for himself in Pine Mountain. While the Eldrich have ceased making attempts on his life, they’ve not yet forgotten him. Something is coming. Even with the mysterious warning from Fox, Arlo can feel it. And as the summer months loom, so does his feeling of unease.
But with the summer comes summer camp. And for Arlo and his friends in Blue Patrol, that means Rangers.
Even before he departs for camp, Arlo begins to notice some peculiar happenings. First, Connor’s cousin visits him with a warning. Then, a strange man confronts him in the diner, a conversation Arlo has no memory of. And of course there is the troll. The troll, and the other Blue Patrol. All of it is leading to something—but what, Arlo knows not.
Enter the Lake of the Moon.
The Lake of the Moon hosts the Ranger’s Summer Camp, complete with an enchanting ancient lake in possession of its own monster, a variety of summer activities and classes, a lovely mountain forest that connects to the Long Wood, a host of spirits that call it home, and a mystery surrounding its history—and that of Yellow Patrol.
But the camp also comes with its own problems. An addition to the tight-knit patrol. A squabble involving Arlo’s two closest friends. A scare for Connor—which sees him leave camp early. Dissent from within the troop. A mystery, a conspiracy, and another Blue Patrol. To navigate these, Arlo Finch must discover what it means to be a True Ranger, or die trying.
Sadly, Arlo Finch’s second adventure wasn’t nearly as compelling as his first. While it shows a lot of heart, the events surrounding Lake of the Moon were just too confusing to be anywhere near as exciting. The adventure is still fun, imaginative and mysterious, and continues the series well enough, setting up a dramatic adventure for Book #3. But overall it’s a step down from The Valley of Fire.
The time travel I object to the most. For a children’s adventure… I dunno, I’m torn. Part of me wants to say it’s pure fun and excitement. The other part claims it’s way too confusing. The ending doesn’t make much sense, little more than the lead-in to it. For me, I felt that the time-travel was ill-advised for this point in the series. It wasn’t well explained—even though, if it HAD been really well explained, I feel like it would’ve been too much for the intended audience. It just… it wasn’t a good choice for this book.
I don’t really want to focus too much on the characters, on the development, on the world-building or anything else. For anything early-YA Fantasy like this, or Children’s Fiction—it’s not important. The intention is to be a fun, fast-paced adventure with just enough mystery to keep the focus. And The Lake of the Moon does this. Up until the end, where it’s confusing.
The Lake of the Moon provides a lovely setting compared to Pine Mountain. Not that Pine Mountain was bad, just inconsistent. It provided an off-the-grid, small town setting without most of the typical limitations. It was quaint, if under utilized. Comparing it to something like Gravity Falls… it really could’ve provided more adventure, more mystery. The Lake of the Moon revitalizes the series’ setting. A typical summer camp, with atypical features. It works very well with the story (up til the end, as I’ve said). Something new, pretty, and a bit mysterious.
TL;DR
Where Arlo Finch triumphed in the Valley of Fire, Arlo Finch struggles through the Lake of the Moon. While most of the story was fun, exciting and mysterious—the conclusion lets everything down, due to some a convoluted mess of time-travel and thriller nonsense to tie everything together. Arlo is in the process of becoming a hero, but we’ll just have to see where his legend goes from here. While I still think Lake of the Moon was a step down from the original, it’s still a fun, interesting read. Again, James Patrick Cronin delivers an excellent narration, capturing Arlo Finch and embodying him to a T. Honestly, I’m torn as to whether it’s too much for the children the story’s intended for. It confused me, but I probably overthought it. Plus, I’m not great at anything time-travel. I’d still recommend it, the roughly 8.5 hour adventure doing just enough to keep me entertained without growing too deep or messy.
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2019/12/20/arlo-finch-in-the-lake-of-the-moon-by-john-august-review/
In the Valley of Fire, Arlo Finch swept in and stole our hearts: his different colored eyes; his exiled father; his migratory home; his quiet, worrisome demeanor. And then came the Long Woods, where Arlo came into his own. If the Valley of Fire is where he found his calling, the Lake of the Moon should be where he grows up. And it is, to an extent.
Following the events In the Valley of Fire, Arlo has made a home for himself in Pine Mountain. While the Eldrich have ceased making attempts on his life, they’ve not yet forgotten him. Something is coming. Even with the mysterious warning from Fox, Arlo can feel it. And as the summer months loom, so does his feeling of unease.
But with the summer comes summer camp. And for Arlo and his friends in Blue Patrol, that means Rangers.
Even before he departs for camp, Arlo begins to notice some peculiar happenings. First, Connor’s cousin visits him with a warning. Then, a strange man confronts him in the diner, a conversation Arlo has no memory of. And of course there is the troll. The troll, and the other Blue Patrol. All of it is leading to something—but what, Arlo knows not.
Enter the Lake of the Moon.
The Lake of the Moon hosts the Ranger’s Summer Camp, complete with an enchanting ancient lake in possession of its own monster, a variety of summer activities and classes, a lovely mountain forest that connects to the Long Wood, a host of spirits that call it home, and a mystery surrounding its history—and that of Yellow Patrol.
But the camp also comes with its own problems. An addition to the tight-knit patrol. A squabble involving Arlo’s two closest friends. A scare for Connor—which sees him leave camp early. Dissent from within the troop. A mystery, a conspiracy, and another Blue Patrol. To navigate these, Arlo Finch must discover what it means to be a True Ranger, or die trying.
Sadly, Arlo Finch’s second adventure wasn’t nearly as compelling as his first. While it shows a lot of heart, the events surrounding Lake of the Moon were just too confusing to be anywhere near as exciting. The adventure is still fun, imaginative and mysterious, and continues the series well enough, setting up a dramatic adventure for Book #3. But overall it’s a step down from The Valley of Fire.
The time travel I object to the most. For a children’s adventure… I dunno, I’m torn. Part of me wants to say it’s pure fun and excitement. The other part claims it’s way too confusing. The ending doesn’t make much sense, little more than the lead-in to it. For me, I felt that the time-travel was ill-advised for this point in the series. It wasn’t well explained—even though, if it HAD been really well explained, I feel like it would’ve been too much for the intended audience. It just… it wasn’t a good choice for this book.
I don’t really want to focus too much on the characters, on the development, on the world-building or anything else. For anything early-YA Fantasy like this, or Children’s Fiction—it’s not important. The intention is to be a fun, fast-paced adventure with just enough mystery to keep the focus. And The Lake of the Moon does this. Up until the end, where it’s confusing.
The Lake of the Moon provides a lovely setting compared to Pine Mountain. Not that Pine Mountain was bad, just inconsistent. It provided an off-the-grid, small town setting without most of the typical limitations. It was quaint, if under utilized. Comparing it to something like Gravity Falls… it really could’ve provided more adventure, more mystery. The Lake of the Moon revitalizes the series’ setting. A typical summer camp, with atypical features. It works very well with the story (up til the end, as I’ve said). Something new, pretty, and a bit mysterious.
TL;DR
Where Arlo Finch triumphed in the Valley of Fire, Arlo Finch struggles through the Lake of the Moon. While most of the story was fun, exciting and mysterious—the conclusion lets everything down, due to some a convoluted mess of time-travel and thriller nonsense to tie everything together. Arlo is in the process of becoming a hero, but we’ll just have to see where his legend goes from here. While I still think Lake of the Moon was a step down from the original, it’s still a fun, interesting read. Again, James Patrick Cronin delivers an excellent narration, capturing Arlo Finch and embodying him to a T. Honestly, I’m torn as to whether it’s too much for the children the story’s intended for. It confused me, but I probably overthought it. Plus, I’m not great at anything time-travel. I’d still recommend it, the roughly 8.5 hour adventure doing just enough to keep me entertained without growing too deep or messy.
justlily's review against another edition
2.0
2.5
I really hate time travel novels. Like I really hate them. This cements that. No more time travelling books for me. My kids enjoyed this one more than the first because there's "more action" though so take my review with a grain of salt. Onto the third!
I really hate time travel novels. Like I really hate them. This cements that. No more time travelling books for me. My kids enjoyed this one more than the first because there's "more action" though so take my review with a grain of salt. Onto the third!
lavoiture's review against another edition
4.0
Lovely protagonist who is a good role model for my own Arlo when he gets a little older. The boys and girls are equal partners and the lessons of loyalty, honesty, etc., are great for kids. Plus, solid story line.
jacobblank's review against another edition
5.0
WOW! Lake of the Moon takes the Arlo Finch story into full-fledged fairytale fantasy, territory that Valley of Fire was a bit more reluctant to visit. Satisfying, full of twists and turns, and a lot of fun without getting too heavy for the age group.
August's most clever writing moments lie within August's ability to explain the illogic of magic succinctly and clearly. He also balances speaking to the middle grade age range without betraying their intelligence or ability to read between the lines, find clues for themselves, or understand social issues.
Loved it, originally bought as a gift for my nephew for long summer road trips, would recommend for kids in your life!
August's most clever writing moments lie within August's ability to explain the illogic of magic succinctly and clearly. He also balances speaking to the middle grade age range without betraying their intelligence or ability to read between the lines, find clues for themselves, or understand social issues.
Loved it, originally bought as a gift for my nephew for long summer road trips, would recommend for kids in your life!
thejaidedbookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
Arlo Finch in the Lake of the Moon picks up after the events of the first book. The school year is coming to a close and the mystery surrounding Arlo Finch seems to be intensifying. When he and the Rangers go Camp Redfeather, Arlo finds himself not only in the middle of the mystical shenanigans that have followed him to camp, but between his two best friends as well. This book has all of the magic and mysticism that the first one does, but throws in time travel, time manipulation, and alternate realities as well.
Much like the first book, it took me a while to catch on to what was going on and I felt confused in places, but none of my confusion detracted from the story at all. I was just slow on the uptake and it just took me longer than some to catch on and figure it out than it might for others. Just like the first book as well, August balances the fantasy and magic with real life; these are kids-- 12 year olds-- and yes, they maybe more mature than other 12 year olds, but they still have 12 year old drama, like being in the middle of a fight between your two best friends. I love that the realism isn't thrown out the window and that despite the fantasy, we're still seeing Arlo, his friends, and his family dealing with real life issues along side the mystical.
I definitely recommend this series for fans of Harry Potter and especially as a series for those MG kiddos that loved the Harry Potter movies, but perhaps are not quite at that level yet to read the books. I know I get asked that question a lot at my job ('Suzy loves fantasy and the Harry Potter movies but I think they're too hard. What do you recommend that is similar?') so I will definitely be adding this series to my list of recommendations.
Much like the first book, it took me a while to catch on to what was going on and I felt confused in places, but none of my confusion detracted from the story at all. I was just slow on the uptake and it just took me longer than some to catch on and figure it out than it might for others. Just like the first book as well, August balances the fantasy and magic with real life; these are kids-- 12 year olds-- and yes, they maybe more mature than other 12 year olds, but they still have 12 year old drama, like being in the middle of a fight between your two best friends. I love that the realism isn't thrown out the window and that despite the fantasy, we're still seeing Arlo, his friends, and his family dealing with real life issues along side the mystical.
I definitely recommend this series for fans of Harry Potter and especially as a series for those MG kiddos that loved the Harry Potter movies, but perhaps are not quite at that level yet to read the books. I know I get asked that question a lot at my job ('Suzy loves fantasy and the Harry Potter movies but I think they're too hard. What do you recommend that is similar?') so I will definitely be adding this series to my list of recommendations.
notesonbookmarks's review against another edition
5.0
Even better than the first. August is finding his stride, and it's awesome. I need my kiddo to read these, he'll love them! Can't wait for book 3!
mischavn's review against another edition
2.0
Promising start but over explained the gimmick. The first one was a lot stronger.