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saccalai's review against another edition
4.0
Darwen has just moved to Atlanta to live with his aunt and feels completely out of place. When a strange, bat-like creature catches his eye in a shopping mall, he is led to the mysterious and wonderful Mr Octavius Peregrine's Reflectory Emporium where he discovers there are other worlds behind the mirror.
The gorgeous holographic cover and the contents pages immediately hint at a very magical book. The book is full of so many weird creatures, like Scrobblers, terrifying apelike giants on top of huge motorbikes, and Gnashers, monsters with no head but a horrible mouth in their chest and lots of shark-like teeth. Of course there are also lovely creatures like Moth, who befriends Darwen. I also loved that there was a magical shop with a mysterious shopkeeper, this is one of my favourite elements in fantasy!
I absolutely devoured this book. I was a bit daunted by the size at first but it actually reads pretty fast. This is the first of a trilogy but thankfully there is no big cliffhanger to worry about.
The gorgeous holographic cover and the contents pages immediately hint at a very magical book. The book is full of so many weird creatures, like Scrobblers, terrifying apelike giants on top of huge motorbikes, and Gnashers, monsters with no head but a horrible mouth in their chest and lots of shark-like teeth. Of course there are also lovely creatures like Moth, who befriends Darwen. I also loved that there was a magical shop with a mysterious shopkeeper, this is one of my favourite elements in fantasy!
I absolutely devoured this book. I was a bit daunted by the size at first but it actually reads pretty fast. This is the first of a trilogy but thankfully there is no big cliffhanger to worry about.
reader_fictions's review against another edition
4.0
Originally posted here.
Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact is an excellent example of middle grade fiction. There are spunky young folks, fantastical situations, evil grownups and adventures galore. I was entertained fully from beginning to end by Hartley's tale. This may be my first experience with Hartley but it surely will not be my last.
Y'all, one of my favorite things is that this book is set in Atlanta. That may not be an important point for most people, but this is my hometown and I loved being able to recognize some landmarks. There wasn't a ton of that, but there was enough to satisfy me. Darwen, who has moved from England to live with his Aunt Honoria, even comments on the absurd number of streets named Peachtree, specifically mentioning one I live super close to! Just in case you're curious, an Allstate billboard has informed me that there are 71 streets named Peachtree in Atlanta, which is less than I would have thought.
The fantasy elements of Darwen Arkwright are most reminiscent of Narnia. Darwen has the rare ability to travel through magic mirrors into alternate worlds. These worlds are completely different from ours, although not precisely like Narnia, but the whole traveling business totally brought that to mind. Towards the end there's an even more specific similarity. Either way, I really like the concept of Narnia, so I was totally cool with all of this.
In the real world, we also have school drama, as poor Darwen struggles to find his place in a pompous new school in his new country. His Aunt, a lawyer, signs him up for an exceedingly privileged academy, where the students are forced to march around and be incredibly obedient. He's behind in all of the coursework and the teachers are almost all completely awful. His English teacher constantly mocks his accent and attempts to train him out of it, claiming he doesn't speak proper English.
None of this sits well with Darwen, who has never been good at fitting in, being mixed race and the only British person in the school. He quickly settles in with the school's other outcasts, albeit somewhat reluctantly. I actually really liked the way the friendships developed in this book, because they weren't immediate and had to be built. Though Darwen and Rick formed a sort of bond right away, Darwen really didn't care for Alexandra for much of the book. To be fair, she's a bit hard to take at first, like Pinkie Pie on My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. She's just so incredibly cooky and does what she wants, not caring about the opinions of others unduly.
The cast of characters is one of the most important aspects of any novel, and, if anything, I think this is even more crucial in middle grade fiction, although I couldn't really say why. Hartley's cast is excellent I think. He also avoids a common middle grade issue, which is making the solutions too easy so that the audience is headdesking at the kids' inability to figure anything out. What was cool, too, was that adults literally could not have solved the problem had they been told, because Darwen was the one who could get into the mirror world. Plus, the kids really did have the resourcefulness as a team to figure out what to do. I do think the final battle's resolution was really lame, not to mention clearly drawn from another really popular book, but it wasn't a huge detractor.
Darwen Arkwright had everything that I want out of a middle grade novel: quirky characters, a realistic depiction of school cliques, and humor. If you like middle grade novels, definitely check this one out!
Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact is an excellent example of middle grade fiction. There are spunky young folks, fantastical situations, evil grownups and adventures galore. I was entertained fully from beginning to end by Hartley's tale. This may be my first experience with Hartley but it surely will not be my last.
Y'all, one of my favorite things is that this book is set in Atlanta. That may not be an important point for most people, but this is my hometown and I loved being able to recognize some landmarks. There wasn't a ton of that, but there was enough to satisfy me. Darwen, who has moved from England to live with his Aunt Honoria, even comments on the absurd number of streets named Peachtree, specifically mentioning one I live super close to! Just in case you're curious, an Allstate billboard has informed me that there are 71 streets named Peachtree in Atlanta, which is less than I would have thought.
The fantasy elements of Darwen Arkwright are most reminiscent of Narnia. Darwen has the rare ability to travel through magic mirrors into alternate worlds. These worlds are completely different from ours, although not precisely like Narnia, but the whole traveling business totally brought that to mind. Towards the end there's an even more specific similarity. Either way, I really like the concept of Narnia, so I was totally cool with all of this.
In the real world, we also have school drama, as poor Darwen struggles to find his place in a pompous new school in his new country. His Aunt, a lawyer, signs him up for an exceedingly privileged academy, where the students are forced to march around and be incredibly obedient. He's behind in all of the coursework and the teachers are almost all completely awful. His English teacher constantly mocks his accent and attempts to train him out of it, claiming he doesn't speak proper English.
None of this sits well with Darwen, who has never been good at fitting in, being mixed race and the only British person in the school. He quickly settles in with the school's other outcasts, albeit somewhat reluctantly. I actually really liked the way the friendships developed in this book, because they weren't immediate and had to be built. Though Darwen and Rick formed a sort of bond right away, Darwen really didn't care for Alexandra for much of the book. To be fair, she's a bit hard to take at first, like Pinkie Pie on My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. She's just so incredibly cooky and does what she wants, not caring about the opinions of others unduly.
The cast of characters is one of the most important aspects of any novel, and, if anything, I think this is even more crucial in middle grade fiction, although I couldn't really say why. Hartley's cast is excellent I think. He also avoids a common middle grade issue, which is making the solutions too easy so that the audience is headdesking at the kids' inability to figure anything out. What was cool, too, was that adults literally could not have solved the problem had they been told, because Darwen was the one who could get into the mirror world. Plus, the kids really did have the resourcefulness as a team to figure out what to do. I do think the final battle's resolution was really lame, not to mention clearly drawn from another really popular book, but it wasn't a huge detractor.
Darwen Arkwright had everything that I want out of a middle grade novel: quirky characters, a realistic depiction of school cliques, and humor. If you like middle grade novels, definitely check this one out!
hollowspine's review against another edition
3.0
Darwen Arkwright is facing a lot of new challenges. He's just moved from Northern England to Atlanta, Georgia to live with his Aunt. He's starting a new school, a very strict school where the kids actually have to march to class and he's already found out about the school bullies the hard way, he's trying to get used to his Aunt's 'dead mouse' tea and missing his parents, who were killed in a tragic car wreck.
While at the mall Darwen sees a strange creature and follows it to a strange mirror store, and receives a small mirror from the odd owner, Mr. Peregrine. As if it wasn't enough to get used to a new school, new family and new country Darwen finds himself looking through the mirror into an entirely different world.
Though at first it seems beautiful and serene the world behind the mirror holds danger as well.
The story was entertaining and had good characters and well formed plot and flowed nicely to the conclusion, but I felt like I was reading about Harry Potter's cousin. Although it is a nice story it is very derivative.
I couldn't help but notice all the ways the story was similar to the Harry Potter series. Like Potter, Arkwright has lost his parents. His treatment at Hillside Academy is similar to the bullying (even from adults) that Harry faces from the Dursleys. Like Harry, Darwen finds some allies at school right away, as well as making some enemies. His allies are the red-headed poor boy, Rich (Ron?) and the loquacious and wavy-haired Alexandria (Hermione?). Both boys initially see Alex as a nuisance, but warm to her when she proves herself during their adventures. His arch-nemesis is Nathan Cloten a blond rich kid who has two dumb sidekicks (Draco?). Like Harry, Darwen is a leader, has a special power and is occasionally moody, needing his allies to bring him around. The main enemies he faces are also similar to those of the Potter series, the main bad guy being a shadowy hissing creature (Voldy), his second in command some sort of eel creature (Nagini?). Even his mentor Mr. Peregrine is ambiguous and puts Darwen and his friends in danger, forming a similar bond with Darwen as Harry has with Dumbledore. In the end the power of love, like Harry's power or scar, is stronger than any dark magic.
The story was fun and had some original moments, and fans of Harry Potter may either like it for it's similarity or hate it for the same. Unfortunately, it's similar to Harry Potter, but wouldn't stand up to it.
While at the mall Darwen sees a strange creature and follows it to a strange mirror store, and receives a small mirror from the odd owner, Mr. Peregrine. As if it wasn't enough to get used to a new school, new family and new country Darwen finds himself looking through the mirror into an entirely different world.
Though at first it seems beautiful and serene the world behind the mirror holds danger as well.
The story was entertaining and had good characters and well formed plot and flowed nicely to the conclusion, but I felt like I was reading about Harry Potter's cousin. Although it is a nice story it is very derivative.
I couldn't help but notice all the ways the story was similar to the Harry Potter series. Like Potter, Arkwright has lost his parents. His treatment at Hillside Academy is similar to the bullying (even from adults) that Harry faces from the Dursleys. Like Harry, Darwen finds some allies at school right away, as well as making some enemies. His allies are the red-headed poor boy, Rich (Ron?) and the loquacious and wavy-haired Alexandria (Hermione?). Both boys initially see Alex as a nuisance, but warm to her when she proves herself during their adventures. His arch-nemesis is Nathan Cloten a blond rich kid who has two dumb sidekicks (Draco?). Like Harry, Darwen is a leader, has a special power and is occasionally moody, needing his allies to bring him around. The main enemies he faces are also similar to those of the Potter series, the main bad guy being a shadowy hissing creature (Voldy), his second in command some sort of eel creature (Nagini?). Even his mentor Mr. Peregrine is ambiguous and puts Darwen and his friends in danger, forming a similar bond with Darwen as Harry has with Dumbledore. In the end the power of love, like Harry's power or scar, is stronger than any dark magic.
The story was fun and had some original moments, and fans of Harry Potter may either like it for it's similarity or hate it for the same. Unfortunately, it's similar to Harry Potter, but wouldn't stand up to it.
lawralthelibrarian's review against another edition
4.75
Darwen immediately falls in love with the world through his mirror (as did I). It's lush and quiet and exciting, and he almost immediately makes a new friend. In short, it's nothing like Atlanta, where the weather's hot but the tea is only lukewarm, which is nothing like the small town near Manchester that Darwen used to call home. As things start to go badly in Silbrica (mirror world) and Darwen and his new friends become more involved in finding a solution, the more we find out about Darwen's past and how he ended up in Georgia. He is so very sad and doesn't want to let anyone in. I thought that his issues were just going to be left unresolved once the action in Silbrica got going, but I was happily surprised to see that Silbrica and the "real world" were much more connected than I could have imagined in that and other respects.
Darwen briefly mentions that he has one Black parent and one white, something that, in the past, made him feel like he never belonged in either group. This is not, however, an issue for him at his new school in Atlanta (his newness and lack of familiarity with American football provide more than enough fodder for the bullies). In this prestigious school for which tuition must be paid in advance, class is a much bigger divider than race. In this respect, Darwen should be good -- his aunt is a successful businesswoman, after all -- but his blue-collar Manchester accent (as opposed to a posh one from London) gets in his way. On the other hand, Darwen's friend Alexandra is avoided by everyone because she is just so annoying (so so annoying), and yet approved of by Darwen's aunt (who also finds her exhausting) because of Alexandra's mother's success and refinement. His friend Rich, who is super smart, kind, and polite, is looked down upon by classmates and Darwen's aunt alike because of his family's "white trash" farming background. All three of them feel their outsider status acutely, which is part of why they end up becoming friends even though they have little in common.
All of these real life concerns pale, both in Darwen's mind and in the reading, in comparison to Mr. Peregrine and his mirror shop of gateways to Silbrica. Though the beauty and the magic of the place does not last long for Darwen, he sees enough of it to know that the world on the other side of the mirror is special, that it is a place worth saving, and that he is a part of it. The more horrible the situation gets there and the more horrible the creatures Darwen et. al. encounter, the stronger his determination to save it (and the stronger the intensity of the story) becomes.
This is a really fun, adventurous read. Though it is a bit darker, I think it fits well with other secret-world-in-the-wardrobe-type books, and it will be a good book for readers ready to graduate from those books but not yet ready for the content in older YA fantasies.
Book source: ARC provided by the publisher through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.
Darwen briefly mentions that he has one Black parent and one white, something that, in the past, made him feel like he never belonged in either group. This is not, however, an issue for him at his new school in Atlanta (his newness and lack of familiarity with American football provide more than enough fodder for the bullies). In this prestigious school for which tuition must be paid in advance, class is a much bigger divider than race. In this respect, Darwen should be good -- his aunt is a successful businesswoman, after all -- but his blue-collar Manchester accent (as opposed to a posh one from London) gets in his way. On the other hand, Darwen's friend Alexandra is avoided by everyone because she is just so annoying (so so annoying), and yet approved of by Darwen's aunt (who also finds her exhausting) because of Alexandra's mother's success and refinement. His friend Rich, who is super smart, kind, and polite, is looked down upon by classmates and Darwen's aunt alike because of his family's "white trash" farming background. All three of them feel their outsider status acutely, which is part of why they end up becoming friends even though they have little in common.
All of these real life concerns pale, both in Darwen's mind and in the reading, in comparison to Mr. Peregrine and his mirror shop of gateways to Silbrica. Though the beauty and the magic of the place does not last long for Darwen, he sees enough of it to know that the world on the other side of the mirror is special, that it is a place worth saving, and that he is a part of it. The more horrible the situation gets there and the more horrible the creatures Darwen et. al. encounter, the stronger his determination to save it (and the stronger the intensity of the story) becomes.
This is a really fun, adventurous read. Though it is a bit darker, I think it fits well with other secret-world-in-the-wardrobe-type books, and it will be a good book for readers ready to graduate from those books but not yet ready for the content in older YA fantasies.
Book source: ARC provided by the publisher through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.
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