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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Quick read with an imaginitive hook. Overall, a good story.
I picked up Hollow Earth because I loved the cover. Upon closer inspection, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it features twins... to be more exact, magic wielding twins who can manipulate artwork. I wasn't aware until after I'd read the novel (and absolutely adored it) that the half of the brother-sister author duo, John Barrowman, is well-known among Dr. Who and Torchwood fans from his role as Captain Jack Harkness. The remaining half of this writing team, Carole E. Barrowman, may also be familiar, as she has authored five other book with John before Hollow Earth.
This book reminded me, in a very good way, of Lisa McMann's The Unwanteds. Both books focus on creativity and art as a means to combat dark forces and feature twins. Though the two books do have these themes in common, the execution and characters in Hollow Earth are unique... I never felt myself confusing details or characters and I wasn't left with the impression that I'd read the story before.
Hollow Earth is nearly 400 pages long, but is an extremely quick read. The action was non-stop and the details and explanations about the magical gift the twins share never bogged down the pace of the novel.
The title of the novel refers to the place where the dark, evil creatures of the world are banished, a place that few can access. Among those that have the ability to open Hollow Earth are, of course, the twins, making them a target for those who would use their power for their own nefarious gain. The stakes are high for Matt and Emily Calder: they must learn how to control and use their powers for good before they're forced to use them for evil.
I highly recommend Hollow Earth to both MG and YA readers. It's a quick, satisfying read that left me anxious for book two, Bone Quill.
This book reminded me, in a very good way, of Lisa McMann's The Unwanteds. Both books focus on creativity and art as a means to combat dark forces and feature twins. Though the two books do have these themes in common, the execution and characters in Hollow Earth are unique... I never felt myself confusing details or characters and I wasn't left with the impression that I'd read the story before.
Hollow Earth is nearly 400 pages long, but is an extremely quick read. The action was non-stop and the details and explanations about the magical gift the twins share never bogged down the pace of the novel.
The title of the novel refers to the place where the dark, evil creatures of the world are banished, a place that few can access. Among those that have the ability to open Hollow Earth are, of course, the twins, making them a target for those who would use their power for their own nefarious gain. The stakes are high for Matt and Emily Calder: they must learn how to control and use their powers for good before they're forced to use them for evil.
I highly recommend Hollow Earth to both MG and YA readers. It's a quick, satisfying read that left me anxious for book two, Bone Quill.
3.5 stars.
This is the first Middle Grade I've read in ages, and it was really good. It was very light and fun to read :)
This is the first Middle Grade I've read in ages, and it was really good. It was very light and fun to read :)
I liked the characters. Pretty much. Occasionally I wanted to punch them. But so is life. I also liked the snippets back to medieval times, and the writing was good. Although I kept seeing sentences like "Jane was happy because she ate ice cream." where they said they were feeling an emotion and then explained why they were feeling an emotion, which kind of bothered me and reminded me of an English essay. I don't know. Maybe I'm being too picky. In totality, it was a good read.
This was a fun story! Exactly the sort of thing I would've been engrossed in when I was 10.
I checked this book out from the library solely because I'm a fan of John Barrowman. The book was good, but it was more of a children's book than a young adult book, so it didn't hold my interest very well. I enjoyed the story, the characters, and the writing, it just wasn't as... deep?... as I would have liked.
Considering this is a) a childs book and b) written by a celeb, i really enjoyed this book. Both the writing style and the ideas were well done and clearly thought out. The characters were well developed as were the twists along the way. Enjoyed very much
Fantastic middle grade book.
Full review here: http://sherlockianbooklover.wordpress.com/2014/08/25/review-hollow-earth-by-john-and-carole-e-barrowman/
Full review here: http://sherlockianbooklover.wordpress.com/2014/08/25/review-hollow-earth-by-john-and-carole-e-barrowman/