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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
Oh she is so funny! Why did it take me ages to try her books! So far they have all been great fun.
This one takes on the whole wizard boarding school trope and it is hilarious. The University is run down and out of money. After Chesney they have barely any wizards who know real magic. Instead they teach basics that give you nothing.
To this glorious institution comes Elda, Derk's griffin daughter (yes you should read book 1 before, and no you do not have to read it before cos this stands well on its own, but you should still read it.)
She quickly becomes friends with a Dwarf revolutionary, a jinxed princess, a mysterious rich young woman, a crown prince with the worst talent and a man hiding from assassins. Let the good time begin!
They are all hiding from something, and all those things will show up and wreak havoc. There is a professor who knows nothing, another one that is trying to build a ship to get to the moon. There is never a dull moment at school from now on.
We meet old favorites from book 1, and it makes me wish there were more books in this serious. But then again, maybe I should just read more Wynne Jones books instead and hope they are fun too.
Fun. Humour. Crazy hi jinks.
Narrator
Oh she was perfect and I really felt I was in this world. She had a great range and I was swept in by her.
This one takes on the whole wizard boarding school trope and it is hilarious. The University is run down and out of money. After Chesney they have barely any wizards who know real magic. Instead they teach basics that give you nothing.
To this glorious institution comes Elda, Derk's griffin daughter (yes you should read book 1 before, and no you do not have to read it before cos this stands well on its own, but you should still read it.)
She quickly becomes friends with a Dwarf revolutionary, a jinxed princess, a mysterious rich young woman, a crown prince with the worst talent and a man hiding from assassins. Let the good time begin!
They are all hiding from something, and all those things will show up and wreak havoc. There is a professor who knows nothing, another one that is trying to build a ship to get to the moon. There is never a dull moment at school from now on.
We meet old favorites from book 1, and it makes me wish there were more books in this serious. But then again, maybe I should just read more Wynne Jones books instead and hope they are fun too.
Fun. Humour. Crazy hi jinks.
Narrator
Oh she was perfect and I really felt I was in this world. She had a great range and I was swept in by her.
Although there was hardly any reference to the parallel universe, this sequel to Dark Lord of Derkholm had plenty of hilarious moments.
Rating reviewed 1/27/2023.
Rating reviewed 1/27/2023.
It's really hard to give anything by Diana Wynne Jones less than five stars. Another amazing story with complex, joyful characters and lots of unseen plot twists. Loved every single page.
Plot wasn't super engaging, and I kept putting it down. When I picked it back up, I couldn't remember which character was which. The first book was much better.
Okay, so I should have read Dark Lord of Derkholm first, but I started this before I realized it was a sequel.
Fun, very quirky, and rather Shakespearian in its ending. She does an good job telling serious coming-of-age stories in the context of a rather silly, yet very well thought-out fantasy world. A little bit all-over-the-place, but it might have felt more cohesive had I read the first novel.
I like reading about a school of magic where all of the students are really excited about magical theory!
Fun, very quirky, and rather Shakespearian in its ending. She does an good job telling serious coming-of-age stories in the context of a rather silly, yet very well thought-out fantasy world. A little bit all-over-the-place, but it might have felt more cohesive had I read the first novel.
I like reading about a school of magic where all of the students are really excited about magical theory!
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-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
Wonderful - a worthy follow up to Dark Lord of Derkholm. I love Elda and her friends a lot. Also love the lesson that academics are evil and useless (not joking)
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
Lighthearted novel of University students learning about magic and themselves. Was very fun to see characters from the first book develop into who they are in the second
The wizards' university is struggling. The buildings are falling apart, and the teachers haven't been properly educated. But Elda the griffin, daughter of one of the most famous wizards in the world, arrives excited and eager to learn. In her tutorial group, she meets Ruskin the runaway dwarf, as well as four humans: Lukin, Felim, Claudia and Olga. Faced with terrible food and unhelpful teachers, the six of them quickly bond. Then the assassins arrive.
This is a very fun DWJ adventures: Elda is a wonderful character, a loving and intelligent griffin, and her friends are all very likeable and have interesting backstories. The madcap magical exploits combine with DWJ's typical distrust for authority and characters who must learnt to depend on themselves. DWJ is passionate about learning, but her books tend to feature characters who struggle with the pedagogical method presented to them and must figure out how to do things in their own. Year of the Griffin is particularly typical of this. I really enjoyed many of the elements here: the unruly cast of characters, the overlapping plot threads, and the respect and humour with which DWJ explores her themes. For a lesser writer, the many elements here would push the narrative too far into nonsense -- and this is a trap DWJ has fallen into in other books. But everything works in Year of the Griffin, creating imaginative and thoughtful escapism. Recommended.
This is a very fun DWJ adventures: Elda is a wonderful character, a loving and intelligent griffin, and her friends are all very likeable and have interesting backstories. The madcap magical exploits combine with DWJ's typical distrust for authority and characters who must learnt to depend on themselves. DWJ is passionate about learning, but her books tend to feature characters who struggle with the pedagogical method presented to them and must figure out how to do things in their own. Year of the Griffin is particularly typical of this. I really enjoyed many of the elements here: the unruly cast of characters, the overlapping plot threads, and the respect and humour with which DWJ explores her themes. For a lesser writer, the many elements here would push the narrative too far into nonsense -- and this is a trap DWJ has fallen into in other books. But everything works in Year of the Griffin, creating imaginative and thoughtful escapism. Recommended.