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A review by itkovian_books
Black Water by D.J. MacHale
5.0
Eelong was an interesting world to visit in this book. In general, the various "territories" in this series have pretty shallow development, but given that it's a middle-grade series, I don't expect a lot of deep world building. Therefore, giving each territory an interesting quirk is good enough. I think making Eelong the one where humans weren't the dominant species was interesting, and perfect to introduce halfway through a 10-book series, where the story could run the risk of going stale. That's one of the greatest strengths of this series; by always moving to a new location each book, it continues to feel exciting.
Another great idea, given that this book is the halfway point of the series, was to start mixing elements from the various territories together. This leads to dramatic consequences as well as greater-level world building about how MacHale's universe works.
Lastly, I was glad to see Mark and Courtney enter the main plot, instead of being relegated to the side again. I've always been interested in these characters, so it was great that MacHale gave them more to do. I look forward to seeing how characters from previous books continue to re-enter the plot and interact with one another.
Rating: 9/10
Another great idea, given that this book is the halfway point of the series, was to start mixing elements from the various territories together. This leads to dramatic consequences as well as greater-level world building about how MacHale's universe works.
Lastly, I was glad to see Mark and Courtney enter the main plot, instead of being relegated to the side again. I've always been interested in these characters, so it was great that MacHale gave them more to do. I look forward to seeing how characters from previous books continue to re-enter the plot and interact with one another.
Rating: 9/10