A review by xabbeylongx
Northern Lights: Bolvangar by Philip Pullman

challenging mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

Spoilers Ahead: 
I had to read this book for university, and I didn’t realise how meaty the book is! The audiobook is like 12 hours long, and it’s a big read, but definitely one I enjoyed. A little shocked it’s classed as a children’s book, even towards older children, because some of the stuff in it was difficult for even me to comprehend, but I did really enjoy it. 
We follow Lyra as she’s spying on an important meeting. They’re investigating ‘dust’, which is something that people are scared of in the North. When Children start to go missing, there are lots of rumours about what it could be, but they all decide on one name: the Gobblers. 
When the Gobblers take Roger, one of the kitchen staff and Lyra’s friend, she decides she wants to go and find him. The mayor puts her in the care of a woman, whom she quickly becomes attached to, on their trip to the North, but she finds out that the woman is actually part of the Gobblers, and so she has to escape. 
The whole of their journey around the North is to find the Gobblers and to bring the children back to their parents. She joins a group of Gyptians on their quest. She finds out that the woman who is in charge of the Gobblers and who was looking after her is actually her mother, and her uncle is actually her real father. He has plans to use the dust to gain power. 
I feel a little indifferent about this book, to be honest. It was good, but it went on too long. There were a lot of names to remember, and they’re all quite difficult or a mouthful to say, so I often found myself getting confused. The plot was good, and I was really intrigued by the idea of dust, but I don’t feel that the ending answered all the questions I needed answering. My concentration sort of dwindled towards the end. The plot is so good, but I think it could have definitely been broken down into more books (I know it’s already part of a series), or just have had some of the parts taken out, especially towards the end. All of the characters were a bit insufferable, I can’t lie, I didn’t bond with them as much as I normally like to in a book, and I think that’s where the problem started. I was a massive fan of Iorek Byrnison, he was a great, loyal character and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about him. Other than that, this book was okay, not my favourite, though I understand I’m not the desired audience for it. 
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