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anna_banana_reads's review against another edition
4.0
This book is so good! I can't wait to read the other books.
deepfriedfairy's review against another edition
4.0
The various creatures in Redwall Abbey are having a feast. It is a happy time for all but they are not aware of what is coming their way. Cluny the Scourge has an army of rats in a horse drawn cart hurtling in their direction. When Cluny sees Redwall Abbey he wants it for himself and he isn't going to give up. There is a young mouse though who is an admirer of Martin the warrior and he is determined to protect Redwall, no matter what the cost.
merricatfromblackwood's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
tfabers's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-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
5.0
abbyhoovs's review against another edition
This was a fun reread for me. I read this series many times through when I was a kid, it's a great intro to fantasy and the quintessential hero's journey. It helps you learn how to build worlds in your head and how to fall in love with them. Not going to leave a star rating because I think a good portion of my enjoyment was nostalgia based, but couldn't recommend this enough for kids learning how to embrace their imagination
katykat3's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
So fun to return to this read so long after being a huge fan in elementary and middle school! The audio book is crafted with so much love and care, but it is truly an art in and of itself and should be listened to as the primary activity. As in, I normally listen while driving or doing chores, and the loudness and frequency of yelling and the shrillness of some character voices would hurt my ears and was jarring. But Brian Jacques himself reads the narration (along with like ten+ other voices) and I would recommend the audio!!
bklassen's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Eh, this is clearly a book for kids. I did find myself wishing that the book were more something - it was too whimsical to be a tense and intense story about a battle and the triumph of good over evil with great twists and turns and character growth. It is, after all, a middle grade story, and it very much reads like one.
However, it also had too much death, violence, and more to be a fun, whimsical story about cute woodland creatures.
I thought there was too much Cluny, which I thought dragged, were uninteresting, and removed much of the tension because you always knew what the other side was going to do.
The story was anticlimactic in places, especially the fight against Asmodeus the snake, and I thought the final battle against Cluny could have been pumped up more, as well, given that he was the main antagonist, the Big Bad Evil Guy, for the whole story.
Several of the characters are great, and I did enjoy the hero's journey of Matthias, especially when his kindness and bravery led him to befriending and recruiting more fighters and animals in their pursuit of Redwall's safety. Many could have used more development, as I did not really feel too sad when select characters died, or the little connection between Cornflower and Matthias. How old is he, anyway? He and Cornflower get married the next year - I thought they were teens!
The scale was confusing - are they mice in a human abbey or are they human-sized mice in a human-sized abbey? Or mice in a mice-themed abbey? The mice are tiny compared to the snake, the cat, and the owl, but they use horses to pull carts and can scale trees at a normal size? They catch fish that can feed the entire abbey for a night? Just overall confusing and brought me out of the story at times.
It could have been cool to see the hubris, ambition, and ruthlessness of the rats be their downfall, like a cautionary tale (heh heh tail), but because this is a middle grade book, there was absolutely no nuance to the characters. I think one character is redeemed, but everyone else is entirely good or entirely bad, with nothing in between.
I might consider giving this book to a younger reader, like a preteen to get them excited about reading, but I certainly couldn't recommend it to an adult reader that doesn't have the nostalgia.
However, it also had too much death, violence, and more to be a fun, whimsical story about cute woodland creatures.
I thought there was too much Cluny, which I thought dragged, were uninteresting, and removed much of the tension because you always knew what the other side was going to do.
The story was anticlimactic in places, especially the fight against Asmodeus the snake, and I thought the final battle against Cluny could have been pumped up more, as well, given that he was the main antagonist, the Big Bad Evil Guy, for the whole story.
Several of the characters are great, and I did enjoy the hero's journey of Matthias, especially when his kindness and bravery led him to befriending and recruiting more fighters and animals in their pursuit of Redwall's safety. Many could have used more development, as I did not really feel too sad when select characters died, or the little connection between Cornflower and Matthias. How old is he, anyway? He and Cornflower get married the next year - I thought they were teens!
The scale was confusing - are they mice in a human abbey or are they human-sized mice in a human-sized abbey? Or mice in a mice-themed abbey? The mice are tiny compared to the snake, the cat, and the owl, but they use horses to pull carts and can scale trees at a normal size? They catch fish that can feed the entire abbey for a night? Just overall confusing and brought me out of the story at times.
It could have been cool to see the hubris, ambition, and ruthlessness of the rats be their downfall, like a cautionary tale (heh heh tail), but because this is a middle grade book, there was absolutely no nuance to the characters. I think one character is redeemed, but everyone else is entirely good or entirely bad, with nothing in between.
I might consider giving this book to a younger reader, like a preteen to get them excited about reading, but I certainly couldn't recommend it to an adult reader that doesn't have the nostalgia.
gregdv's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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? No
5.0
eksathe's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0