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notsolittlejon's review against another edition
5.0
I love this book to death! First read it when i was in fifth or sixth grade, and have loved it (and its sequels) ever since! Shade was a character that i could really connect with, and he was very well rounded.
careinthelibrary's review
4.0
Still an amazing story twelve years after I first read it. Shade, Marina, Freida, and my favourite Goth, it was so nostalgic to meet them again.
jpanslabyrinthofbooks's review
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this book for all of its adventure and perspective challenging views!
Shade is part of the Silverwing colony and desires to be bigger than his runt-like self. From searching for the sun, coming away from night and into day, to being swept away from home into a whirlwind of adventure. This little bat has a story to share of discovery, betrayal, friendship and secrecy.
I truly enjoyed the perspectives of this story and how Oppel challenged only 2 perspectives by having a third thrown into the mix when it came to revelations about the banding. And it's interesting to learn the differences between animals of similar nature and of the same kin. How they see and behave. How they act and feed and live. Honestly it was just a thoroughly enjoyable book. Marina, Shade and Goth are remarkably different and all have a different perspective to offer to the story. Adults and children can truly enjoy this work!
Shade is part of the Silverwing colony and desires to be bigger than his runt-like self. From searching for the sun, coming away from night and into day, to being swept away from home into a whirlwind of adventure. This little bat has a story to share of discovery, betrayal, friendship and secrecy.
I truly enjoyed the perspectives of this story and how Oppel challenged only 2 perspectives by having a third thrown into the mix when it came to revelations about the banding. And it's interesting to learn the differences between animals of similar nature and of the same kin. How they see and behave. How they act and feed and live. Honestly it was just a thoroughly enjoyable book. Marina, Shade and Goth are remarkably different and all have a different perspective to offer to the story. Adults and children can truly enjoy this work!
wildbluebery's review
5.0
Adventurous and fun to read! I didn't find it slow at all and enjoyed the amazing imagery in the novel.
mr_cinder's review
4.0
Rating: 8 out of 10
This was an awesome read and I loved it! This was a recommendation from a friend, and let me begin saying he was right about this being a great book!
I really enjoy books about animals in general, so I might be biased here. But there's just something about them that makes them a lot easier to connect with. Might be the fact that they have an overall ageless feeling, or because they don't feel as gendered as most fictional people. Or maybe it's simply because animals are cute!
I'm not sure about the answers to any of these questions, but I do know for a fact that this book made it extremely easy for me to get attached to the characters! Shade, Marina, Frieda were are lovable and memorable characters. Their characterizations were really well written and I had a lot of fun following them throughout the story.
Something else that really made me love this book was the main villain, Goth. I usually love villains POVs, and this time wasn't the exception! I was surprised by how much the book showed, despite it being classified as a childrens story, and I'm quite glad the author decided not to restrain himself to make Goth seem less brutal while still keeping inside the boundaries of the genre.
Even thought the characters more than make up for it, I found the plot to be basic compared to other fantasy books. It was a traveling story and while it wss entertaining for the most part, it dragged at some scenes and had some slight pacing issues. However, as someone who doesn't like many traveling stories, I could get through this one with next to no trouble, so I don't think it was a major problem.
The universe of Silverwing is captivating. The worldbuilding itself may not be the strongest (since the book takes place in a world that's almos exactly like ours) but the magic and bat culture are both very original and full of surprises. The way the bats use their echolocation mixed with a little of fantasy elements made it unique to the series.
The writing was just as brilliant, in my opinion. It was easy to read and conveyed emotions without effort. The actions flowed well and the reading was smooth! I also really liked the detail about the narration never mentioning any color besides black, white and silver; I hadn't noticed it while reading but I think it's really neat!
Silverwing is definitely a novel worth reading. It's fun, imaginative, and full of sympathetic characters! I'm sure most people will love it, and I recommend it to anyone who likes books centered around animals or just fantasy in general!
This was an awesome read and I loved it! This was a recommendation from a friend, and let me begin saying he was right about this being a great book!
I really enjoy books about animals in general, so I might be biased here. But there's just something about them that makes them a lot easier to connect with. Might be the fact that they have an overall ageless feeling, or because they don't feel as gendered as most fictional people. Or maybe it's simply because animals are cute!
I'm not sure about the answers to any of these questions, but I do know for a fact that this book made it extremely easy for me to get attached to the characters! Shade, Marina, Frieda were are lovable and memorable characters. Their characterizations were really well written and I had a lot of fun following them throughout the story.
Something else that really made me love this book was the main villain, Goth. I usually love villains POVs, and this time wasn't the exception! I was surprised by how much the book showed, despite it being classified as a childrens story, and I'm quite glad the author decided not to restrain himself to make Goth seem less brutal while still keeping inside the boundaries of the genre.
Even thought the characters more than make up for it, I found the plot to be basic compared to other fantasy books. It was a traveling story and while it wss entertaining for the most part, it dragged at some scenes and had some slight pacing issues. However, as someone who doesn't like many traveling stories, I could get through this one with next to no trouble, so I don't think it was a major problem.
The universe of Silverwing is captivating. The worldbuilding itself may not be the strongest (since the book takes place in a world that's almos exactly like ours) but the magic and bat culture are both very original and full of surprises. The way the bats use their echolocation mixed with a little of fantasy elements made it unique to the series.
The writing was just as brilliant, in my opinion. It was easy to read and conveyed emotions without effort. The actions flowed well and the reading was smooth! I also really liked the detail about the narration never mentioning any color besides black, white and silver; I hadn't noticed it while reading but I think it's really neat!
Silverwing is definitely a novel worth reading. It's fun, imaginative, and full of sympathetic characters! I'm sure most people will love it, and I recommend it to anyone who likes books centered around animals or just fantasy in general!
erweatherburn's review
5.0
This book was one of my favourites when I was a child. I used to read it over and over again because it was just so incredible. It tells the tale of a group of bats, two of which become separated from their colony. Yet it's also about a lot more; it's about human intervention in the natural world, and how we have come to harm animals and their habitats. It's a beautiful story and is probably at least partly accountable for the fact that, today, I am a strong believer in animal rights.
matari's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kesswit's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I like the scenes where the functions of bats' ears (world "like quicksilver", sung map) best, but wish they'd be used more sparingly.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cannibalism
lindsayw's review
4.0
2019 re-read: not as wonderful as I found it when I was like 10, but still a good kids' read. Shade came off as way more of an entitled little weanie this time, but that's probably pretty reasonable given that he's like an infant. I'd been wanting to revisit this one for a while, and I'm glad I finally got around to it.