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A review by pumpkinspies
The Floating Island by Elizabeth Haydon, Brett Helquist
2.0
If you like Tolkein-like fantasy with a seaboard twist, this might be the series for you.
Personally, I'm still struggling with the decision to move on to the second book. My hope is that, now that all that appear to be the main cast have their foothold, that future plots will progress more swiftly. My biggest complaint is that the story moved too slowly. While character development is important and I'm a fan of internal monologue, it made the story drag on unnecessarily. Facts and worries were blatantly pointed out on many occasions without tact or variety. This is a common problem posed by first-person narration, which Haydon uses to tell Ven's story in The Floating Island. While, yes, first-person is supposed to be conversational, it is not supposed to be long-winded and tiring.
I mean we're in a fantastic world of mythical beings (such as catgirls and Nain, what we would call dwarfs) living alongside humans. We're in the mind of a young (fifty year old) Nain trying to earn his father's respect and a place in his ship factory. We encounter pirates and thieves and everyday sleeze balls, ghosts and mystical places, clever kings and loving mothers. This should be a story that had me planted on my butt until I finished it. I should be yelling at the book for having to end.
Instead, it took me months to plow through. I actually had to force myself to sit down and read ten pages some days. Parts of the book were very exciting and I don't NOT recommend it, but the manner in which the tale was told made me exhausted sometimes. It's redeeming quality is that the ending was nearly-satisfactory. There are some cliched moments, some "Are you kidding me," sorts of explanations. But keep in mind that it IS, by all means, a children-to-YA series. As I said, I am hoping that the second book, should I encounter it, will rise above. It's been known to happen.
Personally, I'm still struggling with the decision to move on to the second book. My hope is that, now that all that appear to be the main cast have their foothold, that future plots will progress more swiftly. My biggest complaint is that the story moved too slowly. While character development is important and I'm a fan of internal monologue, it made the story drag on unnecessarily. Facts and worries were blatantly pointed out on many occasions without tact or variety. This is a common problem posed by first-person narration, which Haydon uses to tell Ven's story in The Floating Island. While, yes, first-person is supposed to be conversational, it is not supposed to be long-winded and tiring.
I mean we're in a fantastic world of mythical beings (such as catgirls and Nain, what we would call dwarfs) living alongside humans. We're in the mind of a young (fifty year old) Nain trying to earn his father's respect and a place in his ship factory. We encounter pirates and thieves and everyday sleeze balls, ghosts and mystical places, clever kings and loving mothers. This should be a story that had me planted on my butt until I finished it. I should be yelling at the book for having to end.
Instead, it took me months to plow through. I actually had to force myself to sit down and read ten pages some days. Parts of the book were very exciting and I don't NOT recommend it, but the manner in which the tale was told made me exhausted sometimes. It's redeeming quality is that the ending was nearly-satisfactory. There are some cliched moments, some "Are you kidding me," sorts of explanations. But keep in mind that it IS, by all means, a children-to-YA series. As I said, I am hoping that the second book, should I encounter it, will rise above. It's been known to happen.