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ailsaod's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I listened to the audiobook in one go as I was stuck doing weekend working on my own. I was a bit wary about revisiting this series after reading book 3 back in 2020 and finding it extremely disappointing. Luckily this book was still quite enjoyable, though I could already see the aspects that made me dislike book 3 so much. I forgot just how much Jacob is. This guy is kind of insufferable and selfish and while he has his good traits too (he really does care for his brother and Fox!) he can be a little unlikable. Which is what makes if funnier that Funke often puts Jacob in situations where he gets injured - it feels like he is continually getting his instant karma for every time he is full of himself.
The world is interesting in these books - it is a portal fantasy and the Mirrorworld contains just about every European fairy tale, neither of which is really my thing but the execution was pretty decent. The narration of the audiobook was also good, although it was a little off putting how the accents were done. Why should a newspaper boy in Austria have a "'ello guv'nor" style accent? Why give some people accurate accents for where they are from but not others? Why do some of the goyl sound Russian but Kamien speaks with a posh English accent? I do think the range in nationalities and peoples present would stretch anyone but I found the lack of consistency a little off-putting.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mass/school shootings, Violence, Xenophobia, and Torture
Minor: Infidelity, Alcoholism, Blood, and War
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