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A review by juliawitmer
Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would - and I don't mean that in a mean way!
I read the first book and enjoyed it relatively well, but felt it was missing a certain...umph. I feel like this book actually has that umph, which is awesome! Despite that, it has weaknesses along with its strengths, so let's get into those.
(All of these are also taking into consideration the fact that this is a middle-grade/borderline YA novel, and therefore has different standards/expectations than, say, a YA or Adult novel)
Ok moving on
**THIS SECTION HAS SPOILERS**
STRENGTHS:
- further character development
- plot full of twists and turns
- a story world that feels even deeper and more complex than what we can see
- a story world that we can see that feels well thought out and unique
- an intriguing cliffhanger ending (I like cliffhangers, but I guess this could be a downside for others!)
WEAKNESSES:
- Kendra and Seth don't feel like realistic siblings. Maybe my siblings and I just got along uncommonly well, but it feels like they're more at each other's throats than I ever was with my siblings as a kid.
- I think some plot points were dropped or forgotten? FOR INSTANCE (with spoilers): I thought that they said once they got into the tower at the climax of the story, that getting out with the artifact would be nearly impossible. But they just...waltzed out?? And it was fine?? Maybe my reading comprehension is bad or something but that just really confused me lol
- because the plot had so many twists and turns, it was sometimes hard to follow.
- it feels like there weren't a lot of negatives/consequences for things happening. (i.e. nobody who got mortally wounded actually died except one guy that we didn't care about that much and low-key wanted to die)
**END OF SPOILER SECTION**
Overall, I enjoyed this read. I give it a 3.5 or 4 out of 5 stars!
I WOULD NOT suggest this book for...
- most Christian families (demons and dark magic are a big element of these stories, and a lot of Christians are uncomfortable with them or their kids reading books like that)
- people who don't like violence in stories (contained some graphic violence)
I WOULD suggest this book for...
- readers who like fairytales with a twist
- readers who enjoy books with cool story worlds and magic
- readers who enjoyed book 1 in this series (lol)
That's the end of my thoughts! Thanks for taking the time to read 😌
I read the first book and enjoyed it relatively well, but felt it was missing a certain...umph. I feel like this book actually has that umph, which is awesome! Despite that, it has weaknesses along with its strengths, so let's get into those.
(All of these are also taking into consideration the fact that this is a middle-grade/borderline YA novel, and therefore has different standards/expectations than, say, a YA or Adult novel)
Ok moving on
**THIS SECTION HAS SPOILERS**
STRENGTHS:
- further character development
- plot full of twists and turns
- a story world that feels even deeper and more complex than what we can see
- a story world that we can see that feels well thought out and unique
- an intriguing cliffhanger ending (I like cliffhangers, but I guess this could be a downside for others!)
WEAKNESSES:
- Kendra and Seth don't feel like realistic siblings. Maybe my siblings and I just got along uncommonly well, but it feels like they're more at each other's throats than I ever was with my siblings as a kid.
- I think some plot points were dropped or forgotten? FOR INSTANCE (with spoilers): I thought that they said once they got into the tower at the climax of the story, that getting out with the artifact would be nearly impossible. But they just...waltzed out?? And it was fine?? Maybe my reading comprehension is bad or something but that just really confused me lol
- because the plot had so many twists and turns, it was sometimes hard to follow.
- it feels like there weren't a lot of negatives/consequences for things happening. (i.e. nobody who got mortally wounded actually died except one guy that we didn't care about that much and low-key wanted to die)
**END OF SPOILER SECTION**
Overall, I enjoyed this read. I give it a 3.5 or 4 out of 5 stars!
I WOULD NOT suggest this book for...
- most Christian families (demons and dark magic are a big element of these stories, and a lot of Christians are uncomfortable with them or their kids reading books like that)
- people who don't like violence in stories (contained some graphic violence)
I WOULD suggest this book for...
- readers who like fairytales with a twist
- readers who enjoy books with cool story worlds and magic
- readers who enjoyed book 1 in this series (lol)
That's the end of my thoughts! Thanks for taking the time to read 😌
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
would not suggest for most young Christian audiences