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A review by annettebooksofhopeanddreams
The Good Hawk by Joseph Elliott
3.0
Apart from the fact that thanks to Book Box Club I get books I never would have bought myself (with of course sometimes better and sometimes less exciting results), I also actually read them because of the author chats and the amazing girls in the whatsapp group. I'm not sure if and when I would have picked up this book if I hadn't had those.
And even after reading I'm still not entirely sure what to think of this book. It's a typical "it's not bad, it's just not that outstanding or impressive either" case. So, let's start with the things I actually liked about this book:
First there is Agatha. Agatha is, most likely, a child with down syndrome. It's never actually said, but the hints are there. She has therefore a very unique and interesting way to watch the world. What I love is that this book acknowledges how people used to think about those amazing children, but it also turns Agatha into a hero, without changing her into someone she's not. She's the star in this story, because she is who she is.
Secondly the world is quite interesting and due to the roadtrip we get to see quite a lot of it. It's nice to have some nods here and there to our world, but there are clearly some fantasy elements in place too. I like how all the clans and tribes are clearly different, with their own beliefs and customs. And all of them have good sides and bad sides, which makes the world very vivid and which means that characters can learn from each other.
But, there were also a few things I wasn't that fond of. The big point of the story feels a little unclear to me. It's an adventure, Agatha shows what she can do and who she is, but not much actually changes. At least, we don't get to see the change in this book. Therefore it's just a roadtrip without some higher goal. Also, I'm not entirely sure why Jaime is also a point of view character in this book. No real big things happen to him and he doesn't add that much to the story. I would have been perfectly fine with just Agatha's point of view.
So, although the book was okay and adventurous and had some nice elements, it wasn't a book that truly blew me away. I don't think I'm gonna pick the next book in this series up.
And even after reading I'm still not entirely sure what to think of this book. It's a typical "it's not bad, it's just not that outstanding or impressive either" case. So, let's start with the things I actually liked about this book:
First there is Agatha. Agatha is, most likely, a child with down syndrome. It's never actually said, but the hints are there. She has therefore a very unique and interesting way to watch the world. What I love is that this book acknowledges how people used to think about those amazing children, but it also turns Agatha into a hero, without changing her into someone she's not. She's the star in this story, because she is who she is.
Secondly the world is quite interesting and due to the roadtrip we get to see quite a lot of it. It's nice to have some nods here and there to our world, but there are clearly some fantasy elements in place too. I like how all the clans and tribes are clearly different, with their own beliefs and customs. And all of them have good sides and bad sides, which makes the world very vivid and which means that characters can learn from each other.
But, there were also a few things I wasn't that fond of. The big point of the story feels a little unclear to me. It's an adventure, Agatha shows what she can do and who she is, but not much actually changes. At least, we don't get to see the change in this book. Therefore it's just a roadtrip without some higher goal. Also, I'm not entirely sure why Jaime is also a point of view character in this book. No real big things happen to him and he doesn't add that much to the story. I would have been perfectly fine with just Agatha's point of view.
So, although the book was okay and adventurous and had some nice elements, it wasn't a book that truly blew me away. I don't think I'm gonna pick the next book in this series up.