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xinawebb's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Medical content, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Confinement, Child death, Classism, and Death
Minor: Chronic illness, Gore, Vomit, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Grief, and Terminal illness
quasinaut's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Gosh it's weird (re)reading a book about a pandemic during a pandemic! Equal parts devastating and heartwarming, this book follows Briar as he nurses the sick and helps with the intricate behind-the-scenes work uncovering a cure, all while people he cares about fall ill.
I appreciated seeing Briar's growing love for Rosethorn, his friends, and his new home, though I do wish that we'd seen more growth with Briar's magic in this book. I also totally struggled to get a sense of the passage of time -- I still can't tell if months or only weeks passed between the first cases, the middle of the outbreak, and the finding of a cure?
Side note: I can't stand how much Rosethorn "corrects" Briar's speech. Stop being so prescriptivist! Also, can't you see that his code switching allows him to gain the trust of Flick and the other street rats? Major pet peeve of mine!
I appreciated seeing Briar's growing love for Rosethorn, his friends, and his new home, though I do wish that we'd seen more growth with Briar's magic in this book. I also totally struggled to get a sense of the passage of time -- I still can't tell if months or only weeks passed between the first cases, the middle of the outbreak, and the finding of a cure?
Side note: I can't stand how much Rosethorn "corrects" Briar's speech. Stop being so prescriptivist! Also, can't you see that his code switching allows him to gain the trust of Flick and the other street rats? Major pet peeve of mine!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, and Child death
Moderate: Grief
charm0nix's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Medical content, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Child death and Medical trauma
Minor: Grief
ladydisdain's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
If I could give infinite stars to this book, I would. While the connections between the quartet and their teachers are emphasized throughout, the bond between Briar and Rosethorn is consistently highlighted as unique and necessary to both characters. While the magical take on epidemiology hits different in The During Times (writing this review at the dawning of 2021), the incorporation of known scientific method rather than an easy magical cure heightens this story above an easier Quest for the Cure (i.e. 40% of the Redwall books). Ultimately, this story roots (eh? ehhhhh?) itself in humanity, the best of it and the worst of it and the great equalizer of death and disease. But the centerpiece is always, always the love between Rosethorn and her boy. I thought I would read this aloud to my wife and took an extra 10 minutes to make it through the final chapter because I simply cannot read it without crying . A fitting, cathartic end to the series founding the first family of all found families.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Excrement, Vomit, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Grief
As this is a plot about a mysterious epidemic coming on a community, forced quarantine and a frustrating hunt for a cure, there are definite triggering aspects when living/hopefully one day having lived through a global pandemic.
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