Reviews

Rowan of Rin by Emily Rodda

as120's review

5.0

"Bravest heart will carry on."

I was a huge fan of Emily Rodda when I was younger, and I read most of her books. My favourite was the Deltora Quest series but this (Rowan of Rin) series of books also holds a special place in my heart mainly for what it meant to me when I was a kid.

Rowan of Rin is a classic fantasy quest story with adventure, instructions given in rhyme, and challenges that the characters have to face. It is an enjoyable read, and reading it again as an adult I still enjoyed it. The main character is Rowan, a boy who is afraid of everything, and his entire village thinks of him as weak and cowardly. The quest of course proves that he is not, he may be scared of everything but he goes on when he has to, and he in his ability to get through his fear is proved to be braver than everyone who ever doubted him.

When I was a child I never thought I would be able to be like the heroes in the fantasy stories I loved, I never thought of myself as brave. I was shy around strangers and scared of the dark and I couldn't force myself to go on scary roller coasters or watch scary movies. Reading this as a kid it made me feel like I could be brave. That it didn't matter if I was scared of things, because when it mattered I could be brave like Rowan. Reading that meant a lot to me when I was younger and whenever I think of this book now I remember how these stories made me feel.

I would recommend this book (and its sequels) to children or parents of children who love fantasy stories, but especially those who don't feel brave or like they could ever be great heroes because this book tells you that you can.

e_milyking's review

adventurous mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

LOVE this book, well written and a well developed plot 
My comfort book 

aussiebookwitch's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

vale15's review

3.0

For such a short story this book is actually pretty well rounded. I do think that it could have had more substance to it without sacrificing the reading level but it was a nice little book. The author succeeded in getting the setting, characters and plot line to have equal focus. You get a quick understanding of the world and the different cultures, how Rowan's village operates, an overview of each personality and decent progression along each stage of the quest. It is very well paced. For what it is, a short bare-bones story, it was a very nice read.

michellehenriereads's review

4.0

Emily Rodda's books are great for young readers who want adventure and new worlds to explore. Rowan of Rin is a quest book, but it also teaches that there is more than one kind of strength and the importance of kindness. Rowan realizes that he can be afraid and still do hard things when it is required of him.

I highly recommend this book for kids about ...

To read the full review go to http://talesuntangled.wordpress.com

sarah_emtage's review

4.0

I loved this book when I read it as a kid and it holds up fairly well.
I'm surprised by how much it has in common with the How to Train your Dragon movie.

kp68's review

3.0

Although a children's book, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading this.

booksnorkel's review

4.0

This is a great little book that starts off the Rowan series. Rowan is a slight boy who is sensitive and is ostracized by his community for it. He hides his loneliness and spends his days watching and caring for the cattle-esk beasts of his world. These animals only drink the sweet mountain water and when that water dries up the village decides to send a group to climb the mountain and discover the cause. Rowan doesn't want to go but the witch woman who gives them the map makes it impossible for Rowan to say no.

--Seven hearts the journey make. Seven ways the hearts will break--

Such an amazing little couplet that starts the witch woman's warnings for the group to survive the mountain. Will Rowan and the others make it to the top, and can they save their village?

My only real complaint is how similar the names are it made all of the villagers mix together for me. This is a series I will continue to read, but I don't think I would ever buy.

anthonyrigby's review

adventurous mysterious

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

4.25

notapanda's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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

4.0