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emmareadstoomuch 's review for:
Wildwood
by Colin Meloy
They tell you not to judge a book by its cover, but come on. It's 2021. It's days from 2022, in fact. Isn't it time we all admit that they are lying?
Take this book, for example. Look at its cover. You look at that, you assume: This is a charming middle grade adventure novel about two children. It takes place in a fairytale-y forest, or wood, or whimsical tree-heavy area of some kind. There are animals in it, and since they're wearing clothes, they probably talk.
That's a lot of information to get from a cover, and it's almost all correct.
This IS a middle grade adventure novel. It does contain children and trees and animals that have outfits and the ability to convey meaning via the English language.
Where it lost me was the adjectives.
If you exclude the illustrations, which are just wonderful and the best part of the book by a country mile, this was not, for me, charming, OR fairytale-y, OR whimsical.
In fact, there is a lot of gun violence and death in this for a children's book about a forest society of talking animals.
I'm no prude but jeez louise...maybe make the swap to archery or something.
There is also a 13 year old who unwittingly drinks alcohol to the point of hangover. There is a 14 year old who kills someone at point blank range with a pistol. There's a kid who decides to stay and live in the woods and his parents and siblings mourn him.
There's also ivy that eats babies, but that's cool.
Another book by Colin Meloy, The Whiz Mob and the Grenadine Kid, is funny and action-y and creative and interesting. And it has the same quality of illustrations. And a heist!
I went into this anticipating some of the same magic, and I got something close to the opposite.
Add it to my ongoing villain origin story.
Bottom line: Maybe I should stop judging books by their covers? At least in terms of how excited I am for them.
Nah, who am I kidding. That will never, ever happen.
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pre-review
i rarely think a book should have to be nearly 600 pages long even at the best of times, but this felt especially unnecessary.
among other things.
review to come / 2 stars
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currently-reading updates
i'm falling behind on my reading goals, so there's only one thing to do: pick up a 500-plus page book i haven't ever thought about reading event though i've owned it for three years
clear ur sh*t book 28 / quest 13: fantasy
follow my progress here
--------------
tbr review
i haven't read this book yet, but i am strongly considering framing the cover as a work of art
Take this book, for example. Look at its cover. You look at that, you assume: This is a charming middle grade adventure novel about two children. It takes place in a fairytale-y forest, or wood, or whimsical tree-heavy area of some kind. There are animals in it, and since they're wearing clothes, they probably talk.
That's a lot of information to get from a cover, and it's almost all correct.
This IS a middle grade adventure novel. It does contain children and trees and animals that have outfits and the ability to convey meaning via the English language.
Where it lost me was the adjectives.
If you exclude the illustrations, which are just wonderful and the best part of the book by a country mile, this was not, for me, charming, OR fairytale-y, OR whimsical.
In fact, there is a lot of gun violence and death in this for a children's book about a forest society of talking animals.
I'm no prude but jeez louise...maybe make the swap to archery or something.
There is also a 13 year old who unwittingly drinks alcohol to the point of hangover. There is a 14 year old who kills someone at point blank range with a pistol. There's a kid who decides to stay and live in the woods and his parents and siblings mourn him.
There's also ivy that eats babies, but that's cool.
Another book by Colin Meloy, The Whiz Mob and the Grenadine Kid, is funny and action-y and creative and interesting. And it has the same quality of illustrations. And a heist!
I went into this anticipating some of the same magic, and I got something close to the opposite.
Add it to my ongoing villain origin story.
Bottom line: Maybe I should stop judging books by their covers? At least in terms of how excited I am for them.
Nah, who am I kidding. That will never, ever happen.
--------------
pre-review
i rarely think a book should have to be nearly 600 pages long even at the best of times, but this felt especially unnecessary.
among other things.
review to come / 2 stars
--------------
currently-reading updates
i'm falling behind on my reading goals, so there's only one thing to do: pick up a 500-plus page book i haven't ever thought about reading event though i've owned it for three years
clear ur sh*t book 28 / quest 13: fantasy
follow my progress here
--------------
tbr review
i haven't read this book yet, but i am strongly considering framing the cover as a work of art