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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
I really, really liked this book! The premise was interesting, but it did remind me very strongly of Marvel's Thor and Stargate. There were so many different types of characters with such crazy backstories and personalities.
I only have a few complaints.
1. Sometimes the story moved really fast, skipping two or three years in between chapters. At other times the story moved very slowly.
2. Some of the plot bunnies escaped from Mr. Card's hutch and he forgot to catch them before he added them to the story.
Anyway, I will be buying this series to add to my collection very soon.
I only have a few complaints.
1. Sometimes the story moved really fast, skipping two or three years in between chapters. At other times the story moved very slowly.
2. Some of the plot bunnies escaped from Mr. Card's hutch and he forgot to catch them before he added them to the story.
Anyway, I will be buying this series to add to my collection very soon.
If Harry Potter's smarter, less Brittish, and more dickish twin were sitting at home playing Portals and he accidentally fell into a Rick Riordan book then the result would be The Lost Gate.
When you really love a series, like I loved Ender, it's hard not to judge all the other work an author does by the same measuring stick, and I really try not to do that because they're different stories, ya know? But the caliber of this work is so far below the Ender series that if you had hid the author's name I never would have believed the same man was responsible for both.
Don't get me wrong, it's a cute and interesting quick read, so there's that but... it's just that and not much more.
When you really love a series, like I loved Ender, it's hard not to judge all the other work an author does by the same measuring stick, and I really try not to do that because they're different stories, ya know? But the caliber of this work is so far below the Ender series that if you had hid the author's name I never would have believed the same man was responsible for both.
Don't get me wrong, it's a cute and interesting quick read, so there's that but... it's just that and not much more.
I hadn’t read a fantasy book in a while and I’ve really enjoyed a lot of Orson Scott Card’s writing, so I figured I’d give this book with an interesting premise a shot. I LOVED parts of it. Danny was a fun main character, the magic system was fascinating, the way things connected to the various mythologies of the world was intriguing, and it was exciting that most of the book was set in Virginia/DC. But, the story alternates between Danny’s perspective and the perspective of a more high fantasy/medieval type world and that’s the part I didn’t love. I’m not sure who the target audience for this book is because Danny is between 13-16 throughout this entire book but there is some pretty explicitly sexual stuff in the other sections, which just felt out of place but was actually fairly important to the plot. I found myself not caring about the characters or the plot of the other world almost at all, and by the time it reached the most climactic section near the end, I had basically stopped caring, which is never a good sign. This book had a lot of potential and parts of it were excellent, but overall it just wasn’t for me.
**read as audiobook**
**read as audiobook**
This was definitely slow going at first. It took me little over 50% to really get into it, but this is different than the usual urban fantasy I read.
So it's not exactly my style, but I didn't hate it. I am going to read the next book at least, as that was recommended and I suppose I want to know what happens to the main characters.
So it's not exactly my style, but I didn't hate it. I am going to read the next book at least, as that was recommended and I suppose I want to know what happens to the main characters.
Great world building! Loved the connections to mythology and the mix of modern and magical worlds.
I liked the adjuxtaposed worlds, but I found myself caring for one world more than another. And the maturity level/content of the two worlds clashed, making them so separate that
The character development was pretty good and really believeable to me. Although, again, I preferred one world over the other.
It was outlandish enough to keep my attention, and I like the way the used magic in it.
Spoiler
by the time they crossed, it seemed a little ridiculous.The character development was pretty good and really believeable to me. Although, again, I preferred one world over the other.
It was outlandish enough to keep my attention, and I like the way the used magic in it.
I enjoyed the worlds created in this book. I listened to it and the actors were wonderful and added to the story. As Card said in the afterward, his books are intended to be like tales around a campfire. This was an interesting oral tale and I'm glad that he is continuing the story because while the ending was fine it left me wanting more.
AUDIOBOOK Pretty good. There were a few times where I thought, "this is extremely convenient" but I'm not sure things would have bothered me if I had read the book rather than listen to it. Cute concept and story though.
I think this will be my last foray into the world of Orson Scott Card. I loved Ender's Game when I read it in university but since then, have not found another book of his that I enjoyed. The author spends far too much time telling rather than showing. The book includes long sections in which Danny finds out how his powers work but never seems to actually DO anything with them. I found these sections confusing and extremely boring. It is as if Orson Scott Card is trying to explain advanced physics to my grade 7 students.
Great new series from Orson Scott Card, interesting approach on a magical society that isn't known to the public, and our ties to ancestral magics.