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A review by rodanoar
Fairy Oak - O Poder da Luz by Elisabetta Gnone
4.0
2024 Re-read
I loved to see Vanilla shine in this book. Despite being a light witch and somewhat of an outlier due to her gentle and kind nature, seeing her empowerment was uplifting. The contrast with her rebellious and volatile sister added depth to the narrative, even though I was left curious about Pervinca's off-screen events.
The whole plot culminated in a great (and quick, I might add) climax. The magic system was simple yet had enough intricacy to engage its primary audience.
I appreciated the exploration of themes such as unity, resilience, sacrifice, tribute, and most importantly, trust - both in loved ones and one's intuition. However, the book's highlight was its depiction of genuine friendships, especially between different genders (like Grisam and Vanilla). Many books, even outside the middle-grade genre, primarily focus on romantic interactions, often neglecting the camaraderie among friends or those united by a common cause, like the entire village or those who care for a common individual, such as Vanilla, Grisam, and Flox. I'm relieved this book avoided the cliché of only showcasing romantic interactions. It beautifully illustrated various forms of love, showing that friends are also willing to make sacrifices, as shown by Grisam's courage and the village children's actions.
Overall, I believe the series matured along with its readers, introducing more sophisticated themes, relationships, and plot developments, without losing its whimsical and youthful charm.
However, I must say that while the resolution was quite fast, that wasn't what bothered me the most.
I am still in shock with Jim and Vanilla’s age…Are you seriously telling me that an 18-year-old asked a 9 year-old to be his bride? And yes, I consulted Wiki and other forums to verify my information. Some entries stated that Jim was 16 (because of the next volumes' information), but my point still stands. Are you telling me that a real teenager fell in love with a child?? Yeah, hum…. I’ll pretend I did not see that.
And while we’re at it, I’ll close my eyes to Primula Pull’s fatphobic description too, so that I don’t get personally offended 😬
I loved to see Vanilla shine in this book. Despite being a light witch and somewhat of an outlier due to her gentle and kind nature, seeing her empowerment was uplifting. The contrast with her rebellious and volatile sister added depth to the narrative, even though I was left curious about Pervinca's off-screen events.
The whole plot culminated in a great (and quick, I might add) climax. The magic system was simple yet had enough intricacy to engage its primary audience.
I appreciated the exploration of themes such as unity, resilience, sacrifice, tribute, and most importantly, trust - both in loved ones and one's intuition. However, the book's highlight was its depiction of genuine friendships, especially between different genders (like Grisam and Vanilla). Many books, even outside the middle-grade genre, primarily focus on romantic interactions, often neglecting the camaraderie among friends or those united by a common cause, like the entire village or those who care for a common individual, such as Vanilla, Grisam, and Flox. I'm relieved this book avoided the cliché of only showcasing romantic interactions. It beautifully illustrated various forms of love, showing that friends are also willing to make sacrifices, as shown by Grisam's courage and the village children's actions.
Overall, I believe the series matured along with its readers, introducing more sophisticated themes, relationships, and plot developments, without losing its whimsical and youthful charm.
However, I must say that while the resolution was quite fast, that wasn't what bothered me the most.
I am still in shock with Jim and Vanilla’s age…
And while we’re at it, I’ll close my eyes to Primula Pull’s fatphobic description too, so that I don’t get personally offended 😬