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tinyelfarcanist's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Gore, Blood, Death, Animal death, and Torture
Moderate: Grief, Misogyny, Ableism, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Sexual content, Biphobia, Sexual harassment, and Xenophobia
literarycoffeecat's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jpechman's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
blueshadow's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Mixed feelings on this book.
First, the book was very well written, great storytelling, and an absolutely addictive read. Now that half the Journeys have been eliminated, you might expect the plot to become more dull, but since it's the most vivid characters left, that's never in danger of happening. Gilles in particular was a standout character to me in this book - always there when and where you need him, and remarkably perceptive.
However, it wasn't quite as light of a read as I generally prefer. The heavy focus on the various relationships wasn't really my favorite, and it led to more introspection than I prefer in my novels. Sometimes Marieke's naiveté was charming, but generally her obtuseness in this book was overwhelmingly frustrating. And also, like Tristan, I prefer comedy over tragedy, and the tragedies in this book began to stack up.
Despite all that, I still enjoyed reading the book. There's a lot of youthful optimism and irrepressibly high spirits to balance the tragedies. I did sometimes feel though, that Taran was the only adult among these boys. Surely he's actually 10 years older than Tristan, they couldn't possibly be the same age, could they?
Overall: Really good. Rating dropped primarily due to my personal preferences rather than any inherent flaws in the book.
First, the book was very well written, great storytelling, and an absolutely addictive read. Now that half the Journeys have been eliminated, you might expect the plot to become more dull, but since it's the most vivid characters left, that's never in danger of happening. Gilles in particular was a standout character to me in this book - always there when and where you need him, and remarkably perceptive.
However, it wasn't quite as light of a read as I generally prefer. The heavy focus on the various relationships wasn't really my favorite, and it led to more introspection than I prefer in my novels. Sometimes Marieke's naiveté was charming, but generally her obtuseness in this book was overwhelmingly frustrating. And also, like Tristan, I prefer comedy over tragedy, and the tragedies in this book began to stack up.
Despite all that, I still enjoyed reading the book. There's a lot of youthful optimism and irrepressibly high spirits to balance the tragedies. I did sometimes feel though, that Taran was the only adult among these boys. Surely he's actually 10 years older than Tristan, they couldn't possibly be the same age, could they?
Overall: Really good. Rating dropped primarily due to my personal preferences rather than any inherent flaws in the book.
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