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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
fast-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Misogyny, Toxic relationship
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Emilie is stifled by the expectations of her uncle, and runs away...but kind of botches her escape and accidentally ends up on a ship with an experimental engine bound to the center of the planet. Adventure ensues!
This is the first book in the Emilie Adventures, which Tor is rereleasing as an omnibus edition. It's YA fantasy, and highly appropriate for younger readers. Emilie is headstrong, adventurous, and above all curious about the world around her. She's absorbed a lot of knowledge about her new vessel, but ultimately needs to rely on her courage to persevere through her adversity. I found this to be on the plot heavier side - the action is nonstop!! - but really enjoy Emilie's growth as a character too.
This is the first book in the Emilie Adventures, which Tor is rereleasing as an omnibus edition. It's YA fantasy, and highly appropriate for younger readers. Emilie is headstrong, adventurous, and above all curious about the world around her. She's absorbed a lot of knowledge about her new vessel, but ultimately needs to rely on her courage to persevere through her adversity. I found this to be on the plot heavier side - the action is nonstop!! - but really enjoy Emilie's growth as a character too.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
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:
No
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I am not sure how a story with such an interesting setting could end up being so bland, but honestly that's kind of how I ended up feeling about her Raksura books too, so maybe I just don't love her third person narrative style.
Copy editing was messy and formatting was wonky, especially with italics, but I absolutely adored this. It's very Wells, with a bit of the Raksura world in the hollow world, and lots that was reminiscent of the Ships of Ile Rien. I was hoping for some overt crossiver, but no such luck. Regardless, this was a delight and thoroughly YA.
I fear I might be just a smidge too old for this sort of early teen YA adventure. I would have loved it during the age I was devouring Redwall books and similar books about adventures in fantastic lands; this book being a very easy to understand modern and feminist take on pulp sci-fi in the vein of Jules Verne, but the writing was just a smidge too juvenile and a bit too straightforward.
The second half does pick up a little - with more of the world-building and social construction/commentary I know Martha Wells for, as well as some politicking and double-crossing.
I would have loved to learn more about Kenar, Rani and the Cerathi and the other people of the Hollow World, but the action never really stopped nor concentrated on these details, even though there's plenty of time spent travelling and Emilie is very curious.
In short, an enjoyable pulp-y read, but probably much more enjoyable if you are a young teen who enjoys fantasy/sci-fi adventure stories.
The second half does pick up a little - with more of the world-building and social construction/commentary I know Martha Wells for, as well as some politicking and double-crossing.
I would have loved to learn more about Kenar, Rani and the Cerathi and the other people of the Hollow World, but the action never really stopped nor concentrated on these details, even though there's plenty of time spent travelling and Emilie is very curious.
In short, an enjoyable pulp-y read, but probably much more enjoyable if you are a young teen who enjoys fantasy/sci-fi adventure stories.
reviews.metaphorosis.com
3 stars
Sixteen year old Emilie has run away from an uncle and aunt with low expectations of her. Her adventure becomes much more exciting than expected when she is mistaken for a thief and ends up on a sorcerous aethership headed deep into the ocean and beyond.
Martha Wells seems to be struggling recently. While her early books were great, later offerings have been much weaker - not bad, but not up to the previous standard. Sadly, Emilie and Hollow World continues the trend.
Emilie is clearly written as a Young Adult novel, with a naive but plucky young heroine encountering the cruel world for the first time, and with many opportunities for her innate goodness to shine through. That's all well and good. What's disappointing is that Wells seems to be so consciously adhering to a formula. Every moment feels carefully scripted and targeted. The result is a book that's pleasant, but not especially interesting.
Despite the care, Wells seems to miss her target. We don't learn Emilie's age for a couple of chapters, and when we do, it's surprising. I had the feeling of a 10-12 year old, not an adolescent. Even when we learn Emilie is nearer being a young woman than a child, she doesn't feel like one. The introduction of a love interest is thus a bit offputting. Perhaps, in a world where most fictional teens face harsh dystopias at every turn, there's room for a return to starry-eyed childhood innocence, but it didn't work for me here.
Wells' world is a similar return to days of yore, with Emilie and crew visiting the hollow center of the Earth on aetheric currents. I assume this is in conscious homage to Verne and Burroughs, and took no issue with the sheer scientific improbability of the setting, though there's little attempt to explain it, and some of the background details are improbable even within the context.
Wells does better with characterization. She winks at historical stereotypes by quietly inverting some gender roles, but sets the story in an Elizabethan-era steampunk setting in which woman are meant to play a submissive role. This gives Emilie something to rebel against and overcome, but it feels a bit tired. Emilie herself is an active, intelligent protagonist. She worries and wonders, but takes action - not always in very credible ways. She faces and overcomes fairly predictable challenges.
Altogether, this is a quick, modest adventure for kids who haven't read too widely (and thus encountered most of the ideas already). There's nothing wrong with it, but also not anything particularly compelling. I don't feel any need to go on to the next book.
When young Emilie stows away aboard a steamship, she little expects that it is in fact bound for the earth’s core. She finds herself whisked away on an expedition to find a missing explorer, discovering a world within her own – the Hollow World.
This is an imaginative steampunk fantasy adventure with a strong central character. The pacing is slow in places, but the world building is super. I love the detail Martha Wells puts into creating her alternative world, including the use of magic to travel via aether currents and the vivid descriptions of unique settings. It’s a bit description-heavy, but the storyline is interesting and the characters are well-developed. To find a fantasy story that’s original these days is no easy task, but Martha Wells pulls it off. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Emilie’s adventures, and although it didn’t ‘wow’ me, this book kept me entertained. 4 stars!
This is an imaginative steampunk fantasy adventure with a strong central character. The pacing is slow in places, but the world building is super. I love the detail Martha Wells puts into creating her alternative world, including the use of magic to travel via aether currents and the vivid descriptions of unique settings. It’s a bit description-heavy, but the storyline is interesting and the characters are well-developed. To find a fantasy story that’s original these days is no easy task, but Martha Wells pulls it off. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Emilie’s adventures, and although it didn’t ‘wow’ me, this book kept me entertained. 4 stars!