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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
DISCLAIMER: I received Emilie and the Hollow World as a publisher ARC through Strange Chemistry in exchange for my honest review.
This review can also be found at The Title Page
My rating: 3.5 Stars
Emilie and the Hollow World was a great read. I don't regret one second spent reading this book. It didn't take me long to read at all because it kept me interested every page.
The book starts out with a bang, we follow Emilie as she steals aboard the Merry Bell as she is running away from her uncle and aunt. She boards the ship by mistake, originally intending to stow away on another vessel. We are quickly engulfed in magic and transported, along with the crew, to a world-within-a-world like destination.
The novel reads as an adventure. The cast of the book is met with one challenge at a time as they stride to their eventual goal. It is a really good read that is worth the time you will put into it, but it did fall short in that I wasn't blown away by it. It wasn't a book that I just couldn't put down, but at the same time, I never didn't want to pick it up again.
If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be relatable. This book is easy to understand with a heroine you can really imagine in yourself. Emilie is strong-willed, but not pushy. She understands the extent of her knowledge and is willing to sit back and learn rather than insert herself into an issue.
There are deeper issues that are addressed in the book, in the Victorian world that it takes place, sexism is a common theme. The protagonists combat that in the best way possible. Two of the main characters, Emilie and Lady Marlende, are women. The way the author approaches this is very professional, the women aren't looked down upon, but are given less opportunity to advancement. While Emilie seems to have accepted her place in the world, Lady Marlende is a tough cookie who doesn't take that crap. She stands her ground and Emilie soon follows. Lady Marlende is definitely a winning character, she wins my favorite vote.
Sadly, the world building is where the novel suffered a bit, it could have used more depth. While reading the book, I didn't feel like I was transported to another world, which is normally my favorite part of alter-reality novels. While the world was creative enough, not enough description is given about the setting. We aren't told wether a place is supposed to be dark or light, forboding or inviting, etc. Things are explained in character conversation instead of the context of the book, and in that way it took away from the magic of the novel. I felt like I was reading a diary or memoir instead of a fiction novel.
To conclude my review, I suggest this book for the adventurous types, who don't like to waste time on romance. It is a quick, fun, read that you won't feel you've wasted time on.
This review can also be found at The Title Page
My rating: 3.5 Stars
Emilie and the Hollow World was a great read. I don't regret one second spent reading this book. It didn't take me long to read at all because it kept me interested every page.
The book starts out with a bang, we follow Emilie as she steals aboard the Merry Bell as she is running away from her uncle and aunt. She boards the ship by mistake, originally intending to stow away on another vessel. We are quickly engulfed in magic and transported, along with the crew, to a world-within-a-world like destination.
The novel reads as an adventure. The cast of the book is met with one challenge at a time as they stride to their eventual goal. It is a really good read that is worth the time you will put into it, but it did fall short in that I wasn't blown away by it. It wasn't a book that I just couldn't put down, but at the same time, I never didn't want to pick it up again.
If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be relatable. This book is easy to understand with a heroine you can really imagine in yourself. Emilie is strong-willed, but not pushy. She understands the extent of her knowledge and is willing to sit back and learn rather than insert herself into an issue.
There are deeper issues that are addressed in the book, in the Victorian world that it takes place, sexism is a common theme. The protagonists combat that in the best way possible. Two of the main characters, Emilie and Lady Marlende, are women. The way the author approaches this is very professional, the women aren't looked down upon, but are given less opportunity to advancement. While Emilie seems to have accepted her place in the world, Lady Marlende is a tough cookie who doesn't take that crap. She stands her ground and Emilie soon follows. Lady Marlende is definitely a winning character, she wins my favorite vote.
Sadly, the world building is where the novel suffered a bit, it could have used more depth. While reading the book, I didn't feel like I was transported to another world, which is normally my favorite part of alter-reality novels. While the world was creative enough, not enough description is given about the setting. We aren't told wether a place is supposed to be dark or light, forboding or inviting, etc. Things are explained in character conversation instead of the context of the book, and in that way it took away from the magic of the novel. I felt like I was reading a diary or memoir instead of a fiction novel.
To conclude my review, I suggest this book for the adventurous types, who don't like to waste time on romance. It is a quick, fun, read that you won't feel you've wasted time on.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I did like this book. As all of Well's books I've read so far it got great characters, great world building and great writing. But I've been in a big reading slump this last month and books have taken time being finished because i just couldn't feel it. If it wasnt for slumping I would probably have giving this book 4 stars. I will also wait with the second book, Emilie & the Sky World until i get out of the slump.
adventurous
medium-paced
adventurous
hopeful
tense
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
3.5 ⭐ Emilie and the Hollow World is a middle grade steampunk novel that follows a teen girl running away from home. Trying to get out from under the thumb of her bully Uncle, Emilie finds herself as a stowaway on a ship headed to a place she’s never heard about: The Hollow World. This Hollow World resides at the core of her world (a nod to Jules Verne) and the only way to get there is to travel along the aether currents connecting the two. Along the way, Emilie meets new friends, mentors, allies, and enemies in this unique adventure novel.
Emilie is a girl I would have worshipped if I had this book around in my tween years. She is smart, confident, stubborn, and a go-getter. She sees a problem and instead of freezing, she does her best to fix it, even when she doesn’t have a ready answer. I spent so many days fantasizing about happening upon an adventure and traveling the world. Emilie got to live this daydream.
I did have a few issues with this book. One being Emilie does read younger than her age. I went back twice to double check her age because I kept visualizing her as 11-13, maybe 14 at the oldest and not 16. Which in turn made me wonder several times “why are they just letting a child do this??” But then realizing she is nearly an adult and might have come across as more mature to the crew. This leads to my other issue of it being a bit unrealistic that as a stowaway on a research ship with zero education, she is allowed in several discussions that were meant to be private to only a few researchers. For me, it reads as something tween me wouldn’t have batted and eye at and believed Emilie just belonged. But as an adult, I’m side-eyeing all of these adults for even letting this child put her in very precarious situations, let alone leave the ship at all. I think it would have been more believable if Emilie did more sneaking around and putting herself in those situations than the adults saying "sure, you can come."
Martha Wells writes beautiful scenery and descriptive passages so well. I loved her worldbuilding and could picture every detail. Her conflict scenes are also amazing and easy to visualize. With how small this book is though, it has taken away from character development. There are so many wonderful characters that are brought in, only to just remain a name and description. I know there is a book two and I hope they’re brought back to be fleshed out a little more. I do worry with it only being two books that we will not get to see more in-depth characters. This could easily have been a 5-book series (think Fablehaven or Percy Jackson) with just exploring The Hollow World and all of the beauty it holds. I think that would allow for us to get to know Emilie more and watch her develop deeper emotional connections to the other characters.
Anyone that loves middle-grade steampunk fantasy and/or loves Martha Wells will devour this book! Now on to book two!
Emilie is a girl I would have worshipped if I had this book around in my tween years. She is smart, confident, stubborn, and a go-getter. She sees a problem and instead of freezing, she does her best to fix it, even when she doesn’t have a ready answer. I spent so many days fantasizing about happening upon an adventure and traveling the world. Emilie got to live this daydream.
I did have a few issues with this book. One being Emilie does read younger than her age. I went back twice to double check her age because I kept visualizing her as 11-13, maybe 14 at the oldest and not 16. Which in turn made me wonder several times “why are they just letting a child do this??” But then realizing she is nearly an adult and might have come across as more mature to the crew. This leads to my other issue of it being a bit unrealistic that as a stowaway on a research ship with zero education, she is allowed in several discussions that were meant to be private to only a few researchers. For me, it reads as something tween me wouldn’t have batted and eye at and believed Emilie just belonged. But as an adult, I’m side-eyeing all of these adults for even letting this child put her in very precarious situations, let alone leave the ship at all. I think it would have been more believable if Emilie did more sneaking around and putting herself in those situations than the adults saying "sure, you can come."
Martha Wells writes beautiful scenery and descriptive passages so well. I loved her worldbuilding and could picture every detail. Her conflict scenes are also amazing and easy to visualize. With how small this book is though, it has taken away from character development. There are so many wonderful characters that are brought in, only to just remain a name and description. I know there is a book two and I hope they’re brought back to be fleshed out a little more. I do worry with it only being two books that we will not get to see more in-depth characters. This could easily have been a 5-book series (think Fablehaven or Percy Jackson) with just exploring The Hollow World and all of the beauty it holds. I think that would allow for us to get to know Emilie more and watch her develop deeper emotional connections to the other characters.
Anyone that loves middle-grade steampunk fantasy and/or loves Martha Wells will devour this book! Now on to book two!
adventurous
lighthearted
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:
No
Took me long enough to read it, but this was oh so very very good. I loved it. Like LOVE, loff, lurve, and all the rest. It was fantastic, and as soon as i finished it i started the next.
Very cute! I actually liked it a lot for a YA novel
adventurous
lighthearted
This was very much a YA pulp of the kind that would have been called a juvenile back in the day.
Not bad, not great. It started out better than it ended. Tons of potential to explore a new world with new sights and people, and that is when it thrived. It became just an adventure novel at the last 1/2, and although not bad, it was better when it was world exploration. I don't think I will bother with the sequel.