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shieldbearer's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Loved this book so much as a kid. the nuanced characters and complex plot are an absolute plus in this book and it absolutely is one of the strongest entries in the series. The characters (particularly matthias) change over the course of the book. I particularly appreciate the way the arguments are handled- they feel natural. Beautifully written with a balance of humor and sobriety.
However, it must be said that this book does have racist parallels I completely missed as a child. The use of the slur for Romani peoples, namely, and the explicit comparison of/conflation of said slur with the foxes Sela and Chickenhound is a harmful anti-Romani stereotype. They are explicitly described as Romani and their behaviour and characterizations are harmful anti-Romani stereotypes.
There's also the matter of the Sparra, which are more ambiguous, though the author explicitly refers to Sparra warriors as "braves" and continually refers to the race as a whole as "savages" and their portrayal does very much bring to mind typical indigenous stereotypes.
While I would still recommend this book, I firmly believe we should not ignore these harmful portrayals and if you share the novel with your children, these issues should be discussed.
However, it must be said that this book does have racist parallels I completely missed as a child. The use of the slur for Romani peoples, namely, and the explicit comparison of/conflation of said slur with the foxes Sela and Chickenhound is a harmful anti-Romani stereotype. They are explicitly described as Romani and their behaviour and characterizations are harmful anti-Romani stereotypes.
There's also the matter of the Sparra, which are more ambiguous, though the author explicitly refers to Sparra warriors as "braves" and continually refers to the race as a whole as "savages" and their portrayal does very much bring to mind typical indigenous stereotypes.
While I would still recommend this book, I firmly believe we should not ignore these harmful portrayals and if you share the novel with your children, these issues should be discussed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Racial slurs, Murder, Medical content, Death, Death of parent, Racism, Violence, War, Xenophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, Confinement, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, and Gore
Minor: Slavery
torturedreadersdept's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Violence, Death, and Animal death
theworstofit's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Death, Murder, Animal death, War, Xenophobia, and Violence
lauramcc7's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Violence
Moderate: Animal death
beesknees's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
After years of knowing about the existence of "Redwall" I decided to give it a try. I went into this book expecting a quick read of a light-hearted children's book, but finished this book with a totally different experience. One of the highlights of this story is it's detailed world: Redwall Abbey and the surrounding world. This book feels very slow-paced, but not without purpose. Some of the foundations feel very traditional and the characters (mostly) static, but the purpose of the story really is the adventure itself. If your looking for a descriptive adventure, this book is a lovely choice. I've been picking up copies of other books in the series where I find them, as I finished "Redwall" intrigued enough by this detailed little world to want to read more stories within it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Violence, and War
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