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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.
ghostrocknroll's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.75
stephybara's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
clairemon's review
3.0
So I'm reading some children's fiction just now as I'm thinking of writing some myself, and this series stuck out to me (I'm an animal lover).
I thought it would be hard to make a book about bats interesting for a reader, but it certainly was! I found myself drawn into the world of Shade and his colony of silverwing bats, and rooted for him throughout the adventure. I can see the appeal just now, so can imagine I'd have enjoyed it even more as a child.
It's refreshing to stand back from classics for a while and visit some missed series from my childhood. I'd recommend this to young readers (or old kids!).
I thought it would be hard to make a book about bats interesting for a reader, but it certainly was! I found myself drawn into the world of Shade and his colony of silverwing bats, and rooted for him throughout the adventure. I can see the appeal just now, so can imagine I'd have enjoyed it even more as a child.
It's refreshing to stand back from classics for a while and visit some missed series from my childhood. I'd recommend this to young readers (or old kids!).
chanbing's review
3.0
I would recommend this to any pre-teen -- especially those who love animals because when I was younger I was obsessed with this series. I loved to read stories about animals especially when they were given human tendencies and this book truly was captivating. A great read.
mackle13's review against another edition
3.0
2.75
I saw this book recommended in a group recently, and it sounded like it could be fun. The fact that it fits an October month challenge, along with the fact that my local library actually had it in the shelves, pushed it up the line a bit.
It was a cute adventure story about a runt silverwing bat who is smart and curious and questions things, when most of his colony goes along with the status quo out of (justified) fear. His biggest adventure happens when, during a storm, he gets separated from his colony and has to find his way home.
As with many stories, he makes friends and foes along the way, and has to deal with various obstacles in his path.
There's also an element of some bats being tagged with bands by humans and released, and a sort of cult that grows up around it. This aspect made me think a bit of the Secret of NIMH.
I thought the author did a good job of anthropomorphilizing the bats enough to make them relatable, but still bat enough to not come across as too cartoony. Shade was a believable character, complete with strengths and flaws, and pretty easy to root for, and Goth was pretty decent for a villain - at least for a kid's book.. My major complaint about him is that he seemed to have a villainous version of Invincible Hero.
(Also, I kind of found the one cult-group of bats more frightening than the actual villains.)
The ending was sweet, but it's definitely a set up for a series. Lots of threads left dangling to be continued on. I'm not really decided if I'll continue, though. I enjoyed it well enough, but it's not one that'll stay with me in the long-term, I don't think. I couldn't really tell you why, it just didn't. *shrugs*
I saw this book recommended in a group recently, and it sounded like it could be fun. The fact that it fits an October month challenge, along with the fact that my local library actually had it in the shelves, pushed it up the line a bit.
It was a cute adventure story about a runt silverwing bat who is smart and curious and questions things, when most of his colony goes along with the status quo out of (justified) fear. His biggest adventure happens when, during a storm, he gets separated from his colony and has to find his way home.
As with many stories, he makes friends and foes along the way, and has to deal with various obstacles in his path.
There's also an element of some bats being tagged with bands by humans and released, and a sort of cult that grows up around it. This aspect made me think a bit of the Secret of NIMH.
I thought the author did a good job of anthropomorphilizing the bats enough to make them relatable, but still bat enough to not come across as too cartoony. Shade was a believable character, complete with strengths and flaws, and pretty easy to root for, and Goth was pretty decent for a villain - at least for a kid's book.. My major complaint about him is that he seemed to have a villainous version of Invincible Hero.
(Also, I kind of found the one cult-group of bats more frightening than the actual villains.)
The ending was sweet, but it's definitely a set up for a series. Lots of threads left dangling to be continued on. I'm not really decided if I'll continue, though. I enjoyed it well enough, but it's not one that'll stay with me in the long-term, I don't think. I couldn't really tell you why, it just didn't. *shrugs*
ixienova's review
5.0
I first read these books when I was about 11 years old. Silverwing was the book we were assigned to read in class in 6th grade. I instantly fell in love with it. I think Silverwing was what got me into reading, which is something I now love. My first copies of the series are in such AWFUL shape because I read them SO MUCH. I would literally read them, and as soon as I finished reading them, I'd start all over immediately. And this went on for like 3 years. Literally was obsessed.
The target age range for these books in younger kids (obviously, if we were reading it in school in 6th grade), however I reread them as a now 26 year old adult and I still enjoyed them just as much. Perhaps it's partially the nostalgia factor; it's very hard to dislike something you loved more than anything as a kid, but these books actually have incredibly dark tones and situations that I never picked up on as a kid. As an adult I can now fully appreciate everything in Shade's journey, and how truely terrifying it must have been. All 3 books carry these dark themes, but Sunwing is especially dark, to the point where I'm not sure how it could possibly be marketed for young children. Like it feels like at least YA. But it was my favourite of the trilogy as a kid (and still as an adult), so... hey whatever I guess.
10/10 books, highly recommended, for all ages :) Could easily be considered a YA series just as much as it could be considered a children's series.
The target age range for these books in younger kids (obviously, if we were reading it in school in 6th grade), however I reread them as a now 26 year old adult and I still enjoyed them just as much. Perhaps it's partially the nostalgia factor; it's very hard to dislike something you loved more than anything as a kid, but these books actually have incredibly dark tones and situations that I never picked up on as a kid. As an adult I can now fully appreciate everything in Shade's journey, and how truely terrifying it must have been. All 3 books carry these dark themes, but Sunwing is especially dark, to the point where I'm not sure how it could possibly be marketed for young children. Like it feels like at least YA. But it was my favourite of the trilogy as a kid (and still as an adult), so... hey whatever I guess.
10/10 books, highly recommended, for all ages :) Could easily be considered a YA series just as much as it could be considered a children's series.