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A review by wretchedtheo
The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Entertaining enough, and I imagine it's even more so for its target audience of kids younger than fourteen - but it's not quite as unputdownable as the reviews say, and the ending is really, really sappy. And I mean I wouldn't have liked it even when I was a kid. It's just... you know when you say a word so many times it loses its meaning? That's what happens in this ending with the word "love". Also, the ending feels rushed, but at the same time takes too many pages. Overall it feels not detailed and snarky enough to be one of those homey, cozy middle grade fantasy novels like Howl's Moving Castle, and not fast-paced or inventive enough to be one of the Adventurous middle grades. It tries to be a bit of both, and it just doesn't do it for me.
Then again, the writing style is nice enough, with some really pretty quotes at times and some really interesting crumbs of worldbuilding. It's not a bad books by any means, it just could have been better.
Also, take me with a grain of salt. I'm an overly critical literature student reviewing a children's book, for heaven's sake. Your twelve year old will love it, don't worry.
Then again, the writing style is nice enough, with some really pretty quotes at times and some really interesting crumbs of worldbuilding. It's not a bad books by any means, it just could have been better.
Also, take me with a grain of salt. I'm an overly critical literature student reviewing a children's book, for heaven's sake. Your twelve year old will love it, don't worry.