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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Definitely a modern take on the changeling myth that gives far more sympathy to the changeling than more traditional retellings. Mollie's inability to grasp the glamour felt realistic to me, it may be "irritating" but it's easy to say that reading this from a comfortable armchair. I wish some things had been elaborated/drawn out more vis a vi Guest at the end they're all agog he's never had a bath and that's on his human parents. and the way he was treated, and I didn't care for the Dark Lord subplot and how that led to them recuaing Thomas . Ultimately, there are a lot of interesting things here but it's not exactly how I would have done it, and I feel the last half of the book could have been tighter and more focused.
I read this one with my 11 year old daughter as a book club book.
Mary downing Hahn has been one of my daughters favorite authors for years, she has even met her and said she is SO kind!
This is my first Hahn book, and it did not disappoint! SUCH a good story, suspenseful, heartwarming, just all the emotions. Perfect for a parent/kid book club read!
Mary downing Hahn has been one of my daughters favorite authors for years, she has even met her and said she is SO kind!
This is my first Hahn book, and it did not disappoint! SUCH a good story, suspenseful, heartwarming, just all the emotions. Perfect for a parent/kid book club read!
The last sentence of the book still runs in my mind as I wonder if this is the ending I wanted
Our school librarian asked me to read this book. It wasn’t really scary - upper elementary kids would be fine reading it. But I didn’t love it. I’ve read a few other changeling tales and I think the topic itself just isn’t my cup of tea.
ARC received from publisher's booth at ALA Conference.
This is both true to form for Mary Downing Hahn and a departure from her usual voice and style at the same time. It's a great introduction to Irish myths and folktales for young readers, and I could hardly put it down even as an adult.
The main character's stubbornness became grating at times, and the bittersweet ending drags quite a bit but I also don't know how it could have been handled differently. I like the bittersweetness of the ending however, as it pushes the main character forward while reminding her that what she learned on her journey won't necessarily be shared or appreciated by her family when she returns.
If I had read this as a kid, I would have absolutely loved it, and it would have sent me into an obsession with Irish tales and ghost stories. A great addition to an already impressive body of work.
This is both true to form for Mary Downing Hahn and a departure from her usual voice and style at the same time. It's a great introduction to Irish myths and folktales for young readers, and I could hardly put it down even as an adult.
The main character's stubbornness became grating at times, and the bittersweet ending drags quite a bit but I also don't know how it could have been handled differently. I like the bittersweetness of the ending however, as it pushes the main character forward while reminding her that what she learned on her journey won't necessarily be shared or appreciated by her family when she returns.
If I had read this as a kid, I would have absolutely loved it, and it would have sent me into an obsession with Irish tales and ghost stories. A great addition to an already impressive body of work.
3.5 …. I learned a bit about the Fae folk. The characters are quite stubborn.
I found this book's setting refreshing. I love Mary Downing Hahn, but most of her books are set in rural Virginia and that gets old after a while. This book is set in Ireland and I found it to be her most enjoyable book yet! All the characters felt real and had their own distinct personalities. The main character, Mollie, had a great character arc. I was reluctant to read this because I thought it was going to be a Virginian take on the changeling myth, but I was happily surprised that it was the traditional myth instead.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Mollie is kind of an idiot main character and the story progresses through all the stupid choices she makes but luckily someone is always there to save her, usually Madog. However, in the end she is brave and saves her brother and comes to love Guest so there is some redemption. Fast paced, fun story with a lot of Irish mythology and folklore so it's a fun read.
I almost did not give this book 4 stars, but the ending the second half of the book made up for the annoyance and anger I felt at Mollie for the first half.
This was an interesting take on Irish folktale of the changeling and I enjoyed it a lot. I thought this was going to be a bit creepier when I read the summary and it's not creepy at all. Certainly not on the same level as her ghost stories.
I will also add that this book does do that middle - grade fiction thing where the author is not explicitly saying here a good moral you should learn, but some of the character antics and changes have that vibe of this person did X therefore Y happened but they changed because they learned, and now they are smarter/kinder/have a whole new POV on their situation. But I didn't mind it. Hopefully, you won't either. :)
Overall, I definitely recommend for a nice fall read.
This was an interesting take on Irish folktale of the changeling and I enjoyed it a lot. I thought this was going to be a bit creepier when I read the summary and it's not creepy at all. Certainly not on the same level as her ghost stories.
I will also add that this book does do that middle - grade fiction thing where the author is not explicitly saying here a good moral you should learn, but some of the character antics and changes have that vibe of this person did X therefore Y happened but they changed because they learned, and now they are smarter/kinder/have a whole new POV on their situation. But I didn't mind it. Hopefully, you won't either. :)
Overall, I definitely recommend for a nice fall read.