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ruben_franz 's review for:
The Whispering Skull
by Jonathan Stroud
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Disclaimer: Reviewer is not a native speaker, Read in German translation (Katharina Orgaß and Gerald Jung)
Another solid book, but compared to the first volume, it has expanded some weaknesses even more, in my eyes. Especially the opening scene is full of strange behavior of the characters, which certainly could have been solved better.
The world becomes more colorful, some things become clearer, exciting considerations are made, the main characters become more accessible. But here, too, you sometimes get the impression that the rest of the world stands still as soon as an important scene with the heroes takes place. And again, some decisions just don't add to the complexity of the characters, but only to the "strangeness".
This can also be a philosophical or stylistic problem when it comes to the possibility of understanding all the motives and needs of otherwise stereotypical characters. Therefore, I can't really fault Jonathan Stroud for this.
Still positive is the well-dosed humor, good pacing, and judiciously chosen cliff-hangers. A recommendation for fans of the series, but in comparison to Bartimäus, I think it is even more important to have read the previous volume.
Otherwise, the recommendations are halfway pointless for follow-up volumes. Therefore perhaps rather the questions: Am I curious about the next part?
Yes. Is that only in terms of content, or also as a work of writing?
Both, but leaning more towards the content.
Another solid book, but compared to the first volume, it has expanded some weaknesses even more, in my eyes. Especially the opening scene is full of strange behavior of the characters, which certainly could have been solved better.
The world becomes more colorful, some things become clearer, exciting considerations are made, the main characters become more accessible. But here, too, you sometimes get the impression that the rest of the world stands still as soon as an important scene with the heroes takes place. And again, some decisions just don't add to the complexity of the characters, but only to the "strangeness".
This can also be a philosophical or stylistic problem when it comes to the possibility of understanding all the motives and needs of otherwise stereotypical characters. Therefore, I can't really fault Jonathan Stroud for this.
Still positive is the well-dosed humor, good pacing, and judiciously chosen cliff-hangers. A recommendation for fans of the series, but in comparison to Bartimäus, I think it is even more important to have read the previous volume.
Otherwise, the recommendations are halfway pointless for follow-up volumes. Therefore perhaps rather the questions: Am I curious about the next part?
Yes. Is that only in terms of content, or also as a work of writing?
Both, but leaning more towards the content.