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A review by ehays84
Dandelion Fire by N.D. Wilson
4.0
Speaking of better fantasy children's novels/series, here is one. I really enjoyed the world that Wilson had created with the first book in this series, and my reading list is long enough that I don't continue a series unless it has really grabbed me.
There are problems with this book, and the main one is the middle of the book once we kind of lose our tethering to the mooring of the house in Kansas which has kept the series rooted so far, but Wilson can really write, and is good enough to keep me going despite the flaws. I think because he has undertaken such an ambitious "world" which is really many worlds, we missed having that "home" of the house in Kansas. One thing I liked about the ending was how they brought baseball with them to Hylfing, which symbolizes bringing home with them, and encourages me for the conclusion of the series.
The prose is always very well done, he can really write characters and dialogue, and his ideas are big and broad enough to keep you thinking. I think the fairies, who were kind of like mischievous and bureaucratic leprechauns, didn't really work out very well. And the compelling character of Darius didn't end up getting developed enough to really drive that home.
At the end of the day, though, you can really lose yourself in this series, and that is a fun thing to do in the world he has created. I also like that these books aren't super long because sometimes fantasy can do that and sort of rely on you just wanting to stay there forever, which is not always the case. I won't go and read the final one right away, but I will read it, and I will read his other series too.
There are problems with this book, and the main one is the middle of the book once we kind of lose our tethering to the mooring of the house in Kansas which has kept the series rooted so far, but Wilson can really write, and is good enough to keep me going despite the flaws. I think because he has undertaken such an ambitious "world" which is really many worlds, we missed having that "home" of the house in Kansas. One thing I liked about the ending was how they brought baseball with them to Hylfing, which symbolizes bringing home with them, and encourages me for the conclusion of the series.
The prose is always very well done, he can really write characters and dialogue, and his ideas are big and broad enough to keep you thinking. I think the fairies, who were kind of like mischievous and bureaucratic leprechauns, didn't really work out very well. And the compelling character of Darius didn't end up getting developed enough to really drive that home.
At the end of the day, though, you can really lose yourself in this series, and that is a fun thing to do in the world he has created. I also like that these books aren't super long because sometimes fantasy can do that and sort of rely on you just wanting to stay there forever, which is not always the case. I won't go and read the final one right away, but I will read it, and I will read his other series too.