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crackedspines 's review for:
The Land of Roar
by Jenny McLachlan
you know a children's book is written in 2019 when it references the whip & nae nae, the floss, and loom bracelets ;)
imma be real with you guys... i picked this up solely because of the cover. if you think it's gorgeous through the screen, let me assure you that it's at least 10x better in its physical form. i. couldn't. stop. staring. and running my hands over the cover. and opening the cover flaps and staring even more. it would take me 5 minutes every time to start actually reading because i'm just so enthralled by the illustrated cover. not exaggerating. (ok maybe a little.)
it's undeniable that jenny mclachlan has a knack for storytelling, and an insanely vivid imagination. reading it transported me back to my enid blyton days, and that one (1) creative writing class i took where we had to come up with silly characters with bizarre powers; basically anything our minds could conjure up. ah, those were the days.
one of my favourite things about reading MG books as an "adult" (or so she claims), is connecting with the themes that i normally would not care much for as a kid. if i read this as a kid, i would only be interested in the adventure and the magic. but now, as an adult, i find myself particularly drawn to the family values portrayed in the story. that sense of loss arthur felt after so many years of having his sister, rose, as his best friend, only to realize that, while he still needs her in his life, she has friends and peers to impress now and no longer feels the same way... i felt that, deep in my gut. i also cried at a certain scene because yes, i'm a crybaby and yes, i'm a sucker for displays of affection between family members.
this book was everything i was expecting from a MG novel, and more. there's adventure, magic, friendship, family values, and of course, the spirit of make-believe. it's engaging and funny, with amazingly detailed worldbuilding. i had an absolute blast in the land of roar and am already looking forward to the next book.
christmas presents for my kid cousins: check!
special thanks to pansing and egmont uk for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review.
imma be real with you guys... i picked this up solely because of the cover. if you think it's gorgeous through the screen, let me assure you that it's at least 10x better in its physical form. i. couldn't. stop. staring. and running my hands over the cover. and opening the cover flaps and staring even more. it would take me 5 minutes every time to start actually reading because i'm just so enthralled by the illustrated cover. not exaggerating. (ok maybe a little.)
it's undeniable that jenny mclachlan has a knack for storytelling, and an insanely vivid imagination. reading it transported me back to my enid blyton days, and that one (1) creative writing class i took where we had to come up with silly characters with bizarre powers; basically anything our minds could conjure up. ah, those were the days.
one of my favourite things about reading MG books as an "adult" (or so she claims), is connecting with the themes that i normally would not care much for as a kid. if i read this as a kid, i would only be interested in the adventure and the magic. but now, as an adult, i find myself particularly drawn to the family values portrayed in the story. that sense of loss arthur felt after so many years of having his sister, rose, as his best friend, only to realize that, while he still needs her in his life, she has friends and peers to impress now and no longer feels the same way... i felt that, deep in my gut. i also cried at a certain scene because yes, i'm a crybaby and yes, i'm a sucker for displays of affection between family members.
this book was everything i was expecting from a MG novel, and more. there's adventure, magic, friendship, family values, and of course, the spirit of make-believe. it's engaging and funny, with amazingly detailed worldbuilding. i had an absolute blast in the land of roar and am already looking forward to the next book.
christmas presents for my kid cousins: check!
special thanks to pansing and egmont uk for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review.