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hooksbookswanderlust 's review for:
Tilly and the Lost Fairytales
by Anna James
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Add another to the "sophomore slump" shelf. This book was just not as good in my opinion as the first.
My problems with this one...
First, Tilly, who seemed so mature in the first book, is now acting out and lying to her grandparents, making unsafe choices out of spite and the overwhelming belief that she's right and everyone around her is wrong. She is generally a bit annoying throughout. In a book targeted toward children, it feels like there weren't enough repercussions to Tilly's behavior that affected her directly to show young readers that disobeying guardians and acting rashly have negative consequences. I get that part of her character growth seems to be questioning the status quo (admirable), but she's letting emotion guide her actions, not sound logic.
Second, this book is getting a bit political and felt like there was definitely some other agenda at work here disguised as good guys vs bad guys. The details of this went well over my 8 yo son's head, but it makes me wonder what aspects he retained and how they have shaped his thinking, even with me doing my best to explain to him in a relevant way. Yes, I realize he's much younger than the target audience, but I would argue the same even for kids older than he is. All of this took up more space in the book than any of the magic of entering books did, which was a huge drawback for me. I wanted more of that magic!
The first book was lighthearted and easy, with a simple, straightforward plot that seemed like a great adventure, but this one was a pretty big departure from it. It is darker and scarier and with Tilly's 180, it just didn't feel like it expanded the series in a believable way.
If I'm being honest, though, my biggest complaint is with Tilly, and I hope that what she learned by the end of this book is enough to change her attitude/behavior in future books. Even disliking this one as much as I did, I'm still curious to find out how the rest of the story goes, so we'll probably pick up the next book. I'll just read it before reading it to my son instead of at the same time so I know what we are in for and whether I want to read the next one to him or not.
My problems with this one...
First, Tilly, who seemed so mature in the first book, is now acting out and lying to her grandparents, making unsafe choices out of spite and the overwhelming belief that she's right and everyone around her is wrong. She is generally a bit annoying throughout. In a book targeted toward children, it feels like there weren't enough repercussions to Tilly's behavior that affected her directly to show young readers that disobeying guardians and acting rashly have negative consequences. I get that part of her character growth seems to be questioning the status quo (admirable), but she's letting emotion guide her actions, not sound logic.
Second, this book is getting a bit political and felt like there was definitely some other agenda at work here disguised as good guys vs bad guys. The details of this went well over my 8 yo son's head, but it makes me wonder what aspects he retained and how they have shaped his thinking, even with me doing my best to explain to him in a relevant way. Yes, I realize he's much younger than the target audience, but I would argue the same even for kids older than he is. All of this took up more space in the book than any of the magic of entering books did, which was a huge drawback for me. I wanted more of that magic!
The first book was lighthearted and easy, with a simple, straightforward plot that seemed like a great adventure, but this one was a pretty big departure from it. It is darker and scarier and with Tilly's 180, it just didn't feel like it expanded the series in a believable way.
If I'm being honest, though, my biggest complaint is with Tilly, and I hope that what she learned by the end of this book is enough to change her attitude/behavior in future books. Even disliking this one as much as I did, I'm still curious to find out how the rest of the story goes, so we'll probably pick up the next book. I'll just read it before reading it to my son instead of at the same time so I know what we are in for and whether I want to read the next one to him or not.