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| 143476429X
| 9781434764294
| 143476429X
| 4.29
| 10,187
| Sep 01, 2011
| Sep 01, 2011
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really liked it
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4.5 stars This was a strong series end! While "The River of Time" hasn't been my favorite series of all time, it has definitely had enough unique twist 4.5 stars This was a strong series end! While "The River of Time" hasn't been my favorite series of all time, it has definitely had enough unique twists to keep me going through the whole thing, wondering how everything will work out in the end. Heads up that I may say some things that reference spoilery aspects of the book. I can't praise the positive things without doing so and they really deserve praise. I'll try not to state spoilers outright without using spoiler code, but just be aware that you might be able to guess some spoilers based on what I say here. As usual, I'll start with the critiques so I can end on the positives. With this book, I think the main thing that I didn't care for was the borderline-love triangle that tried to get started when someone attempted to sway Gabi's affections away from Marcello. I just didn't feel like that was entirely necessary, and I didn't care for how it brought up the historical fact that in some political marriages, witnesses were required to watch the couple be intimate for the first time to confirm that it happened. (Note: It didn't SHOW this. Gabi only learns that it happens.) In an adult book I wouldn't have cared so much about such a passing reference as long as there wasn't a scene of this occurring. But in a YA series where the sexual content previously has been limited to men leering at women, I felt that it was TMI and has the potential to put a hormonal teen's mind where it doesn't need to go. Especially in the instance of younger teens who are reading up. If I were a parent checking this series out for my kid, it would make me pause to debate whether that's a historical fact that my teen reader needed to know about yet. If I did decide they were mature enough, I would definitely want to know that this was in the book so that I could be aware and available for discussion if my kid had questions, so that's why I wanted to mention this in my review, for the awareness of others. Please see my content advisory for more heads-up about other sexual content. I also have to add one lesser critique about the entire series that has been in my mind since the first book, but I only just now figured out how to phrase it thanks to another reviewer. Throughout this whole series, the dialog for Gabi and Lia sometimes hits like this is how a mother *thinks* her teenage daughter talks and thinks, not how teens actually talk and think. The parts where they use more archaic speech helped keep this from being a constant problem, and of course, every teen is different, but there were still times in every book where I had to squint a bit because I've never met a teen who actually sounds like that unless they're being silly and joking around. Enough of the negatives, though, because there were many positives here. One huge one was the family element. There are memes out there that poke fun at portal fantasies where the main character is anything but ecstatic over getting to explore a new fantastical world. And while I think many of us fantasy readers would be excited at such a chance... Come on, y'all... unless your real life family and friends are just horrible people, you're going to start missing them after a while, if not immediately, especially if you don't know how or if you'll ever see them again. If given a choice between staying permanently in your own world or the new one, I'd HOPE that most of us would take our family's feelings into account. This is something that this series addressed and I SO appreciate that Gabi's family got to come along for the ride, and that Gabi and Lia INTENTIONALLY brought their parents as part of the adventure out of a desire to continue being together as a family. The world is in desperate need of more fiction that doesn't act like your family, especially parents, are just spoil sports out to ruin your good time. They're not! They love you, and you love them even when they're annoying, and we need more books that represent this reality! I was so glad that this series had that positive message. Along similar lines I really loved how this book handled the conclusion of the romance between Gabi and Marcello. This is coming from someone who got annoyed by Gabi repeatedly emphasizing how hot her Italian boyfriend is for three books straight, (Hotter than wasabi??? Really, Gabi, really?) so you know it did something right. It became clear in book 2 that the two of them were SPOILER ALERT: probably headed for marriage by the end of the series. By modern terms, Gabi (IIRC, she's about 17) is still underage, but for Medieval times she was of marriageable age, and she and her mother had already had discussions about how lifespans were shorter back then, therefore people married younger and Marcello might well propose to her. Well, he did, and she accepted, but I appreciate: A) that she and Marcello realized they needed to convince her family that this was the right choice and that that they were ready and B) that her parents had deep discussion with her to discern whether or not she was truly mature enough and understood the commitment she was making on more than one level. (Commitment to Marcello for life, but also commitment to staying in Medieval times and dealing with the plague to come, among other Medieval struggles.) And you know what? Along with convincing her parents that Gabi was ready, she convinced me, too. The author did such a good job with setting up her journey of maturity and the deepening of her faith and values that I too believed that she understood the important things about life, death, faith, and marriage and that this wasn't just a fling or momentary fancy. *slow claps* Good job, Ms. Bergren, good job. I have to reiterate that I truly appreciated the conclusions that this series draws about faith, love, and making the most of every day. It really was quite touching in several places in this last book. As much as I had issues and irritations with certain things while reading this series, the fact that I was able to finish it feeling a little emotional is significant. Overall, I think I'm giving this last book and this trilogy as a whole 4.5 stars. Not quite 5 since I did still have some issues, but overall I thought it was a pretty strong ending. I'm looking forward to starting the more recent spin off series later this year to see where Ms. Bergren decided to take things, and I'm also very curious to see how much her writing has grown and changed over 10 years. Content Advisory: I would say that this last book in the series is ages 16+ due to certain thematic elements that may be better suited for more mature teens. Because this is the last book in the series, there are spoilers ahead, so please only read the following if you are concerned about content. Language: None. Sexual/Romance: There is still tons of teenage attraction and all the tingly feelings between Gabi, Lia and their respective love interests. Along with what I mentioned in the main review, I want to note that there is more kissing in this book than the previous ones (though I didn't personally feel that it was excessive), and the kisses continue to be described, though not to an extreme. Some of the kisses get a little longer and a little more sensual the closer Gabi and Marcello get to marrying. After they get engaged, Gabi experiences a moment of temptation where she wants to "become Marcello's" sooner than the wedding night and she briefly attempts to temp Marcello to come in her room, but he chooses to maintain his and her honor so they can go into their marriage without any regrets or secrets. Gabi comes to realize that this was the right choice. There is a point where an antagonist actually questions Gabi's "honor". (She states in her thoughts that she's humiliated that they would try to drag her virginity into the discussion. Gabi and others come to her defense. As stated in the review, Gabi becomes aware that if she were to marry the other man who wants her, legally and politically, they would be required to allow four old men into their wedding chamber to witness the consummation of the marriage. She is very grossed out by this thought. When Gabi and Marcello finally marry, the story takes them into their wedding chamber and spends enough time there for the couple to kiss and Marcello to begin unbuttoning the back of Gabi's dress before fading to black. The next scene finds them in bed together, but they're only talking. Marcello suggestively states that he hopes there will be days in the future when they don't have to leave the bed at all. Mention of a villain touching a cornered and terrified woman's backside. Violence: Just like in the previous two books, violence and intense situations occur. The descriptions (or lack thereof) are handled in the same way here as they were in the first two books. Sometimes, there are brief mentions of blood, but nothing is ever described graphically, though, again, awful violence is threatened at times, and awful things happen "off screen". Mentions of capture and torture and the stabbing out of someone's eye("off screen"). Mention of the stink of rotting flesh. Brief mention of someone getting stabbed through the shoulder. Drug/Alcohol I don't actually recall any significant mentions of alcohol or drugs, but please make note that I listened on audio and may have simply missed it. Spiritual: This book continues Gabbi's faith journey and she makes a decision to follow Christ. A dying man says that he hears and sees angels singing right before he passes. There is discussion of the history of the church and the realization that, no matter what denomination we may choose, or even if we choose no denomination, believers need to follow Christ first and foremost even when the imperfect humans in an individual church go wrong. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Apr 22, 2024
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May 05, 2024
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Apr 22, 2024
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Paperback
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| 1621840476
| 9781621840473
| 1621840476
| 4.19
| 512
| Jan 01, 2000
| Jul 01, 2015
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it was amazing
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Wow, that was quite the epic finale to the original Firebird trilogy! (I didn't realize that the original trilogy and latter two books were written at
Wow, that was quite the epic finale to the original Firebird trilogy! (I didn't realize that the original trilogy and latter two books were written at separate times until I saw mention of it in the comments and did some Googling.) I really can't say much about this book because it would spoil a lot of things about the previous two, but suffice it to say that I've enjoyed Firebird's story and all of its epic intensity, and I especially appreciated a certain redemption arc for one particular character. I'm super curious to continue to the final two books and see where things go as they wrap up the series and the messianic prophecy. 5 stars! Content Advisory: This is adult Christian scifi. While it is clean, it deals with more mature topics and intense situations that make it most suited for ages 16+. Language: No real life swears, and I barely remember any made up ones other than what has already been featured in the series. Sexual/Romance: Firebird and Brenan continue to have a healthy marriage but there are no details about anything beyond kissing. The multiple kisses they share are barely described, if they get described at all. Once, it's vaguely implied that they spend some special alone time together, but Firebird literally closes the door and the chapter ends there. The next chapter begins the next day. Violence: This book had less frequent violence than the second book. Violence and intense situations still occur, but the descriptions (or lack thereof) are handled in the same way here as they were in the first two books. Sometimes, there are brief mentions of blood, but nothing truly graphic or gross ever happens, though, again, awful violence is threatened at times. One of the more intense moments is when a character gets shot in the shoulder (some blood mentioned) and seems okay at first until they learn that there is now a bomb in their chest that will explode in a matter of minutes. Because of someone's Jedi-like powers, however, they survive without the explosion occurring. There are also some space battles with explosions and implied deaths when ships crash or get shot down. There are many, many terrible threats made by the antagonists against our heroes. For example, an antagonist states that he wanted to hide explosives in Firebirds tiara in the hopes of literally blowing her head off in front of a crowd of people, but this doesn't happen. One antagonist also threatens to destroy an unborn child. (See the "Other" section for further details.) There are also still instances of the antagonists mind controlling people to try to make them kill others. There are still a few instances where it's mentioned that the culture of Firebird's home planet has a tradition of "honorable suicide" in certain circumstances. The series makes it clear that taking one's own life is wrong and these traditions needs to change. There are no depictions of suicide here. However, there are a couple mentions of the antagonists planning suicide and attempting to mind control someone into suicide. Drug/Alcohol Firebird has a trauma flashback to times in her childhood where she was punished by being injected with a certain drug that made sounds too loud, lights too bright, etc. The antagonists also mind control her once into hallucinating that there are needles in the cockpit of her ship. She has a phobia of needles, so this is upsetting for her. Spiritual/Magical: As with the previous books, this series is Christian fiction and there are many Christian faith themes. Again, the Sentinel powers (similar to Jedi powers in appearance, but the source is genetic engineering that has allowed certain humans to use telekinesis and mind reading/control, not "the Force.") get used. There is one group that has moral rules about how they use their telekinetic powers and one that has no rules. The latter group uses their powers for mind control and harming others, often while enjoying the harm that they do. They also use it to try to see and manipulate the future (they see multiple future possibilities, not one future set in stone, and use this information to try to force the outcome that they want) and this is an act that the moral group forbids. At one point, an individual who is trying to see the future gets the impression that a Power much greater than him (God) has control over all of the threads and he can't truly make any changes that this Power doesn't allow. Other: This book features a character who does genetic experimentation. Some may find it disturbing that the book starts with her being very cold toward the embryos that she fertilizes in test tubes. If they won't turn out exactly the way her manipulative father (the leader of the antagonist group) wants, she destroys them, seeing them as nothing more than a cluster of cells. She also makes mention of how sometimes the "fetuses" get destroyed later in their growth (not depicted) if that's when their imperfections become apparent, but that makes her uncomfortable because they look more human at that point. The culture that this woman lives in barely even acknowledges anyone under adult age as human, calling all children and infants "sub-adults" and it's clear that the woman herself was not exactly treating with tender loving care in her growing-up years. SPOILERS: This woman's father stole some of Brenan's genetic material in the previous book and has his daughter fertilize a test-tube embryo with it, then basically forces her (through threats, not physically) to impregnate herself with it (not described) as part of a long-term plan to hurt Brenan, his people and the messianic prophecy connected to Brenan's people. (The plan, obviously, doesn't work because the messianic prophecy can't be stopped.) There are multiple scenes that visit the thoughts of this woman as she struggles with her feelings about this pregnancy. Slowly, she goes from resentful to feeling the baby move and the hormonal changes in her body, which cause her to bond with the child and acknowledge it as a baby instead of just a science experiment or a tool in her father's plans. Her father makes threats that if the plan fails, he will kill the unborn baby. and possibly force her to suicide as well. She finally decides that she can't go through with the plan and defects to Brenan and Firebird's side out of a desire to allow herself and the baby inside her to live. Brenan and Firebird choose to protect her and her unborn child. They even acknowledge the baby as their own sons' half-sister. The woman's father follows through with his threats and tries to mind control her from a distance into suicide (mentioned, but not described, and she resists) until Firebird and Brenan get her out of physical range of the mind control. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Apr 15, 2024
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Apr 20, 2024
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Apr 15, 2024
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Paperback
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| B08CCFWLLC
| 3.60
| 2,654
| 2022
| Jan 2022
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it was amazing
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This book was one of the rare instances where a random reel by someone I don't even know on Instagram actually convinced me it would be a good read. A
This book was one of the rare instances where a random reel by someone I don't even know on Instagram actually convinced me it would be a good read. As I recall, the text of the reel was something like, "When it starts out as a cozy Christmas fantasy and ends with an epic battle." I was immediately intrigued. Upon investigating, I discovered that not only did the description sound interesting, it was also Christian fiction. Then the ebook went on sale for Christmas, and what do ya know, it magically appeared on my Kindle. (Yes, it was magic. It totally wasn't an impulse buy. :P) The story was exactly as promised. It's a portal fantasy where a girl from our world, named Helen, bumps into a stranger on the street who shoves an orb into her hands and then disappears. Suddenly, Helen's a "Carrier of Truth," able to see things and fantastical beings that no one else can see, and a mysterious boy with ice powers pulls her into a wild adventure in the world of Winter. First of all, the author did this story justice in so many ways. The quality and quirkiness of the writing was SUPERB and exactly what a story like this needed. She did such an amazing job helping Helen and the reader figure out the world of Winter even as we get thrown head-first into it together. I really loved how the world was so complex, but she trickled in information as it became important so that there was never any big, overwhelming info dumps, but you're also not left to be confused. There were a couple of times when I wanted to know a little more detail than was given, but there are three more books in this series, so those things may well be clarified later. I felt that the world reminded me most of a combination of Narnia and Wonderland. The former because of the winter and allegorical elements. The later because of the strangeness of the new world, at least until we start to understand it better. The author also made comparisons on her Instagram to the "Rise of the Guardians" movie, but I haven't personally seen that one to comment on similarities. The most I know is that certain characters in the book carry staffs and have ice powers, and I think, based on the posters, that a character in that movie does that too? Also, THE CHARACTERS. The characters were definitely the best part, which is impressive because the world and the writing were already so amazing. Helen at first seems like a painfully average girl, and that's how she thinks of herself. However, as we get to know her, we see that her life isn't quite so boring as she might think. Her father left when she was small and her mother passed on of an illness, so she and her siblings are being raised by their Grandmother. There was also a side thread that I found very interesting where we learn that Helen's been limping around on a sprained ankle because (view spoiler)[ before the book started, she found a schoolmate laying unconscious by a lake and Helen injured herself getting this girl onto her bicycle and to a hospital where the girl now lays in a coma and Helen is the only one who visits her. (hide spoiler)] I have suspicions that this random girl's injury that seems unrelated to anything else actually ties into the greater story and I'm SUPER curious to see what comes of it as the series goes on. Anyway, I thought it was great foreshadowing that Helen actually does have a heroic spirit hidden within her, even if her brand of heroism is the quieter type that doesn't do it for attention and will help someone even if that person wasn't kind. Zane was also very cool. It's clear that he's been through a lot in his young life and I enjoyed discovering his past and learning about the world of Winter through him. I really liked that, despite being a teenager and having been through and lost a lot of things and people, he wasn't brooding or angsty. He held on to his joy and had a boyish quality that made him feel real and fun. Mature in some ways, but still a kid in others, as is appropriate for a boy his age His dynamic with Helen was nice, too. I absolutely ship it, but their attraction is very slow burn and is being given room to breathe and grow over the course of the series, and I love that. I also love that Zane has chivalrous qualities, too. He never treats Helen as incapable, but he very much protects and takes care of her, and shows that he values her with many small gestures even as he's doing his job of protecting her as her Patrolman. And the allegory. Wow, that was handled really well! I loved how it was revealed very slowly, but is very impactful by the end. I feel like saying too much more would be spoilers because it's so interwoven into the story, but if you want details, please see my content advisory. The only thing that wasn't my favorite (notice that I'm not saying I disliked it, it just wasn't quite what I prefer...) was certain aspects of the villainess. At first it seems like she's very "White Witch" of Narnia-like. But as the story goes on, she's honestly even scarier than the White Witch. In fact, it turns out she's actually (view spoiler)[ demon possessed. (hide spoiler)] Now, this worked for the story, and I thought the author handled it with a great degree of tact and sensitivity. I honestly felt a small (like, really tiny) degree of pity for Mara Rouge when it was realized that she gave up her soul for power and is basically nothing more than a puppet anymore. I also appreciated that while the author made it appropriately frightening, she also didn't dwell on this aspect in too much detail. However, as I've stated in my reviews of some other books (view spoiler)[ demon possession (hide spoiler)] is not my favorite thing to find in my books. It's more real and scary than I prefer. It also looks from the epilogue that this element will continue on as it relates to the Big Bad Villains in this series, so I'm going to approach the latter books with a little caution, even as I believe this author will probably continue to handle it appropriately. That said, there are a lot of things that the author did with this book that have earned my trust. Things got intense in places, and there were many moments where it could have become graphically violent, but she always showed restraint when it came to violent descriptions, and I appreciate that so much. I've personally always just felt that it makes books more accessible to a wider range of readers if there can be a balance between having action, but not getting graphic about it, so I really like that this author seems to be one I can trust in that area. Overall, this book was such a delightful surprise. It was equal parts quirky, wonder-filled, scary, deep, and epic. I didn't realize I wanted an epic Christmas book, but it turns out that I did, and I'm so glad to have found it, and to have had such a fantastic book as my last read of 2023. I'm excited to continue the series during winter and Christmas seasons to come! Content Advisory: This book is YA, and while it is also plenty appropriate for preteens who are reading up, there are some more intense moments and scarier elements that parents may want to be aware of to make sure this book is right for your unique child. Language: Zane and other denizens of Winter use the British vulgarity "bloody" rather frequently. Otherwise, all "swears" and exclamations are made up. Sexual/Romance: Nothing sexual occurs. There is some romantic tension between Zane and Helen, but it all remains very mild and subtle. There's hand holding and some physical closeness to the extent that Zane has to use his special abilities to make himself and Helen go faster to escape danger, and sometimes he has to pull Helen along, or even carry Helen on his back to do this. Helen is mildly flustered by this frequent physical closeness. Zane also sometimes puts his arm around her protectively. However, there is no kissing, and no outright declarations of love or attraction. The closest thing to overt flirtation is once when Zane gives Helen his coat to keep her warm and another young Patrolman asks her if there's room under the coat for him too. (She awkwardly takes the coat off and gives it to him rather than responding.) Violence: There is a fair amount of violence in this story as the world of Winter is a dangerous place. Our main characters get threatened and chased frequently. Some people get frozen into blocks of ice and shattered. Sometimes people get stabbed with ice or otherwise injured, but either they leak frost instead of blood, or blood is barely described. A couple of humanoid people burst into snowflakes, the implication being that they're now dead. Evil fantasy beings called "gnomes" get killed several times as they fight for the villainess, but this is only ever barely described, if it gets described at all. The duel at the end of the book is particularly intense. Two people appear to be killed: One by falling into an abyss, and one by assumed impalement (barely described, no blood.) Threats are made, punches are thrown, someone gets choked, but lives. Icy spikes and swords are thrown and swung. Drug/Alcohol Someone gives a teenage girl a drink that seems like it might be alcoholic as it burns when she swallows and it causes her to feel inebriated, but then it turns out to be poison and she nearly dies. (view spoiler)[ Someone saves her life with an injection in the leg that the reader is left to assume was an antidote. (hide spoiler)] Spiritual/Magical: Faith threads are woven throughout as this story is full of allegorical elements that become clearer as the story goes on. There is a Christ figure (called Elowin) in Winter who was born as a baby, grew into a man, and then was killed. Then characters start to hear rumors that he has come back to life, having overcome all the evil powers of Winter, and this rumor proves to be true. There are several short chapters where the narrator breaks in and talks about a prayer that sort of gets personified. (I'm not sure I'm using the right word. I'll edit if I think of a better descriptor.) Someone spoke the prayer years ago and the prayer kind of follows Helen through the story, fighting for her in the spiritual realm until its job is done. Helen and Zane both grapple with belief and unbelief. The Patrolmen are implied to have all been followers of Elowin until he died, and then many fell away. Zane kept doing his job and believes the Truth (the Truth of Scripture), but struggles to believe Elowin has risen again until he sees him with his own eyes. Helen several times hears a voice in her mind that she comes to realize is Elowin, and she eventually decides to follow him even without seeing him. It's never stated outright, but it seems like the Patrolmen got their "magical" powers over ice when they became Patrolmen (aka, followers of Elowin and protectors of those, like Helen, who carry orbs of Truth.) Another character is temporarily given special ability after speaking the Truth of Elowin in the face of evil. One short scene features Helen becoming interested in a fortune teller in a market. Zane warns her to stay away from the old woman, calling fortune tellers liars who, if they "see" anything at all, twist the facts to benefit themselves and trick people. The old woman starts to tell Helen's fortune with a crystal ball, but birds (who seem to be special in this world) attack her and break her crystal ball. As stated in my review, the villainess "Mara Rouge" is not just evil, she actually seems to be possessed. While this evil entity is never called a demon, the implication is very strong and some readers, especially younger ones, may find it creepy. When Mara Rouge speaks, she seems to speak with multiple voices, and it seems that the demon is the thing that gives Mara Rouge her evil power. While it has previously been undefeatable, the demon can't stand to even hear the name of Elowin, and then flees when faced directly with his risen form. (view spoiler)[ The epilogue implies that, once Mara Rouge is dead, another evil character makes a deal with the demon and becomes possessed, setting up the villain for the next books in the series. (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Nov 27, 2023
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Dec 29, 2023
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Jul 14, 2023
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Kindle Edition
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| 1621842347
| 9781621842347
| 1621842347
| 4.70
| 195
| unknown
| Jun 14, 2022
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it was amazing
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WOW. I've probably said that about every book in this series, but they're all wow-worthy. I truly don't know how Ronie Kendig keeps this much story, m
WOW. I've probably said that about every book in this series, but they're all wow-worthy. I truly don't know how Ronie Kendig keeps this much story, much less multiple planets-worth of worlds in her head. There were so many HUGE reveals in this book that clarify many gray areas from the previous two books that this whole review would be one massive spoiler if I were to go into detail. I'm so amazed how Ronie somehow makes each reveal feel like a puzzle piece slipping into place. Things I didn't understand before suddenly make perfect sense and totally changes how I see everything that happened in the previous books. I also love how she's able to take characters through such complex journeys. All of them have matured and changed in some way and are not the same people they were at the start of the series. I've been giving the previous books in the series 4 stars simply because of the ongoing nature of the story and lack of solid answers, but I truly feel that the breathtaking reveals in this book, not to mention the clarity they provided, deserve 5 stars for being masterfully executed. I already have my copy of War of Torment so I'm just gonna dive straight into that and finish this series. Here's hoping my emotions aren't completely shredded by the end. XD Content Advisory: This series, while clean, is very adult in tone, themes, complexity, and violence. I would say that it's best for ages 18 and up unless a teen reader is particularly mature. Language: Made up swear words only, like "Voids," "djell" etc. The word "djell" is revealed in this book to actually be the name of a gelatinous substance that promotes healing. Violence: A lot of violence occurs. War has been threatened since book 1 and the violence is amping up. Humans and aliens get injured and killed throughout, by laser guns, knives, a handful of explosions, and once, there's brief mention (no description) that someone got attacked and eaten by a large wild animal on an alien planet. Blood is mentioned frequently in relation to non-fatal injuries and deadly blows, but the descriptions are not lingered upon/gratuitous. Occasionally, there's mention of the feeling or sight of blood on hands or clothes, but again, it doesn't get lingered upon. Tigo in particular gets beaten up frequently. Sometimes it's because he's in training, but sometimes it's someone in charge beating him up out of anger. It's made clear that the beatings done out of anger are wrong and he fights the injustice. Bruises and bloodied injuries get mentioned frequently but not described in detail. Pain does get described and some of the blows described can be wince-worthy. Once, he gets beaten so badly he thinks he might die. There are a couple of instances of harsher/more abrupt violence, such as when Marco turns a "lava beast" alien's weaponized arm back at it, which causes it to blow its own head off. The lava beast is completely inhuman in appearance so it reads differently than a human death, however, there is still some splatter briefly described. Darien's kills someone with a knife in self defense, but it's in a fairly violent manner with blood described. Later, one of Darien's allies knifes one of his own men. It's an execution because the man was bragging about having just murdered someone, but it's rather abrupt, both for the reader and the characters who also didn't expect it to happen. Blood is described briefly. This execution is suggested to be justified because the man who carried it out does not receive a punishing mark on his body from the "Ladies" unlike when he himself had committed cold-blooded murder in the past. (This individual had just been expressing regret about his own crimes of cold-blooded murder before his man came in and started bragging, thus his realization that what his man had just done was wrong.) Sexual: Married couples share kisses and loving touches. Some unmarried couples also share a kiss or two. The kisses are described, some briefly and some a bit longer, and there is a sensual tinge to many of them. However, the scenes don't cross the line into sexual. An incident from the first book is referenced where Tigo (fully clothed) was discovered in his room with a woman (also fully clothed) laying asleep in his bed. The reader knows that this woman had simply come to his room to talk and was so tired because of her terminal illness that he let her lay down and sleep. Nothing sexual happened. However, the individual who discovered her in his room has long believed that Tigo slept with this ill woman, possibly injuring her for his own pleasure. This individual accuses him of that again in this book, but this time, Tigo gets the chance to defend himself and clarify that he never slept with her. He admits that while he likes to flirt with women, the heart behind it is that he wants to make women feel valued and beautiful. He's not seeking to harass and take advantage of them, though he admits that sometimes he's made mistakes and that other men make mistakes in this area too. He acknowledges that God made men to be protectors, not to cause harm, and he's trying to do better. During a moment of extreme bitterness, Kersie expresses that she regrets allowing Darius to "have his way with her" and get her pregnant. (view spoiler)[ However, they later mend their marriage relationship and she regrets saying this. (hide spoiler)] Spiritual/Religious: There has been spirituality throughout this series and we finally get some clarification about the true nature of the different spiritual beings in this book. Some may consider this a spoiler, but for those who do want to know, I'll put it in spoiler code. (view spoiler)[ The spiritual beings that have been mentioned in the series are "The Ladies," "Vaquar" and "The Ancient," respectively. It's been clear from the beginning that "The Ancient" is supposed to be reminiscent of the Christian God, but the Ladies and Vaquar got worshipped as gods by some groups and individuals as well. We finally get clarification in this book that the Ladies and Vaquar are not actually supposed to be worshipped, as they are only servants of The Ancient. The Ladies are angel-like beings with feathered wings and supernatural powers who fight for the Ancient, however they are not perfect. Some have fallen away from the Ancient completely and are doing evil, but those are called by a different name. Those that are not fallen still make mistakes sometimes. Their most obvious one is that they, as an all-female race, see men (specifically humans of the male gender, not "men" as in, "humans in general.") as being far more corrupted than women and certainly lesser than the Ladies themselves. (This false belief gets dealt with and they're reminded that God created men and women to be helpmeets for each other, not adversaries, and neither gender is supposed to dominate or otherwise beat up on the other.) Vaquar is revealed to have been a human man who, many years ago, was gifted by the Ancient with immortality and supernatural power. Again, he is not supposed to be worshipped, though some people do. One character even mistakes him for God, but he corrects them. He is a servant of God only. (hide spoiler)] Other: I'm aware that some people aren't comfortable reading lengthy birthing scenes, so heads up that there is one in this book that is two chapters long. No sensitive body parts are described, but the reader stays in the perspective of the pregnant woman through most of it while she labors to give birth in a pool. The scene is two chapters long because the characters are discussing other things that are important to the story and the woman's ongoing emotional struggles while she is in labor. Birthing pains are described as is the feeling of the woman's water breaking. TRIGGER WARNING for several instances throughout the book where a pregnant woman fears that her baby has died, and some stressful moments where there is fear that the baby might die during the birthing process. However, the baby ultimately (view spoiler)[ survives and is birthed successfully. (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Mar 25, 2023
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Apr 20, 2023
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Mar 25, 2023
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Hardcover
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| B07D5TM5VS
| 4.58
| 234
| 2018
| Mar 2020
|
it was amazing
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Where do I start with this book? I haven't read a lot of steampunk stories, but this one came with such glowing recommendations from friends I trust t
Where do I start with this book? I haven't read a lot of steampunk stories, but this one came with such glowing recommendations from friends I trust that I had to check it out. I completely fell in love. The characters are engaging, the story is fun, and the writing superb. I loved how it was both exciting and mysterious and I always looked forward to the next time I'd get to read it. Carthage and Huxley were great main characters, lovable, and both so dynamic with so much growth. I appreciated how different they were and yet how they worked so well together. The contrast of one being older and one being younger was refreshing as well, since so many books tend toward younger main characters only. It was great to see their friendship change and grow over the course of the story, and to see them learn from each other. They are new additions on my list of favorite characters I can't get enough of. The side characters were also well developed. I appreciated that all of them had some role to play, and some of them surprised me with exactly what role they played. There was even one robot that I got very attached to and was sad when something happened to him. It takes great writing to make me cry over a robot! Speaking of great writing, I love how this author handles descriptions. I could picture all the action so clearly, both the exciting things and the beautiful ones. (Electrical, performing, butterflies need to be a real thing! C'mon, people, surely we have the technology to do this!) Another thing I loved about this book were the themes. So many lovely themes, so expertly woven into the fabric of the story. I especially appreciated the themes of friendship, overcoming personal obstacles, and forgiveness. I don't know what else to say besides, I loved this so much and can't wait to read more from this author! Content Advisory: Language: All "swears" are made up words that fit with the world building, like "starfall". Sexual: Huxley is attracted to a pretty female magician and attempts to pursue her. They talk and flirt a little and go on one date. Nothing sexual happens. Huxley tries to teach Carthage how to be better with the ladies at a party, but again, none of it is sexual. Alcohol/Drugs: Wine is drunk in social settings. (A fancy party and celebratory meal.) Someone is drugged with a truth serum. Violence: A dead body has a gash in the forehead. Brief mention of blood. Animals get poisoned enough to make them sick but not to kill them. Action violence includes someone almost getting crushed by a falling light, someone almost getting strangled, someone getting hit in the face with a cane, and someone getting knocked unconscious and tossed around. A couple robots get shot with bullets. One robot gets crushed under debris and its "death" is a little sad. Some people get threatened with guns a couple times. Some people punch and wrestle each other. Someone falls from a height, but isn't hurt. A young girl is threatened with kidnapping and possible harm. Spiritual: God and Carthage's faith in God are mentioned a few times. The origin story for the world in which the story is set is briefly addressed and it resembles the creation story for our world. There's mention that a lot of people in that world have beliefs that resemble astrology, thinking the stars somehow govern their fates. ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Jun 21, 2019
not set
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Jul 06, 2019
not set
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Mar 11, 2023
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Kindle Edition
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| 0764239317
| 9780764239311
| 0764239317
| 4.30
| 630
| Aug 2021
| Aug 31, 2021
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it was amazing
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I haven't read much by Karen Witemeyer before this, besides one novel and a novella in a collection of Christmas stories by multiple authors, but ever
I haven't read much by Karen Witemeyer before this, besides one novel and a novella in a collection of Christmas stories by multiple authors, but every time, I've liked her writing style. This story collection was no different. Each story featured such unique characters and situations, and such a wide range of emotions. The first story, "A Texas Christmas Carol" was largely just very sweet. Our Scrooge-like character was actually pretty likeable even in his grumpiness, and I enjoyed his interactions with the different people (living people, not ghosts) he encountered who taught him lessons about being a better person. By the end, I really felt his change was genuine and very sweet. I did feel like he and the heroine fell in love a little fast... I was okay with it at first, because when he told her he loved her he was talking about working to earn her love over time by becoming friends and then courting, etc. But then she said she loved him already and would marry him tomorrow if he asked. I just thought that was a little hasty of her, especially after he was being so wise about it and willing to be patient, but it also didn't ruin the story for me because I know some people are very sure of themselves and their relationships and really do fall in love quickly and have lasting marriages, even if it's not how I would do things myself. *shrug* Story number 2 was super duper charming, and exciting at the same time. It apparently is a spin-off from Witemeyer's "Archer Brother's" series, but despite not having read that, I was still able to enjoy this story fully. It was clear that all these characters had history with each other, but she wrote it in such a way that I was able to quickly grasp the relationships even without knowing all the details of how they got to this place in their lives. One of my favorite things was the depth of the characters and their relationships, and I absolutely adored the family dynamic. This family would all take a bullet for each other and I just loved how they supported each other and were also willing to come to the defense of a pregnant mother running from her wicked outlaw husband (who was a massive jerk and I'm glad he got what he deserved in the end). The main couple especially were precious and I love them to bits. I may be seeking out the Archer Brother's series now, because I want to spend more time with these characters and get to know them better. Story 3 was giving me intense deja vu until I realized that I had already read it in the Christmas Novella collection I read this time last year, called "The Christmas Heirloom: Four Holiday Novellas of Love Through the Generations." That one included four stories by four different authors with Witemeyer's story "Gift of the Heart" being the second story in the collection. I was honestly a little surprised to find it repeated in this collection, but I guess Bethany House wanted three novellas for this collections and decided it stood alone well enough that they wanted to republish it 3 years after it was featured in the Heirloom collection. It's a sweet story that riffs on the Biblical story of Ruth in a western setting (The main character is Naomi, she has a young daughter named Ruth, and the hero goes by the name "Bo.") It borrows some flavor from the story of Ruth rather than retelling it (and it's Naomi and Bo who get together in the end... The daughter, Ruth is under 10 years old here and she and Bo just have a cute friendship.) and is very pleasant to read. What the book synopsis doesn't tell you is that there's actually a 4th story at the very end of this book. It's a short story instead of a novella, and features a man winning his lady's (and her family's) affections by giving her the gifts from the "12 Days of Christmas" song, only in Western style. (A cartridge in a prickly pear tree instead of a partridge in a pear tree... Two white gloves with turtles embroidered on them, a.k.a. "two turtle gloves" instead of "two turtle doves. That kind of thing.) IT WAS STINKING ADORABLE. How her father didn't think he was a suitable match, I do not know, but I'm glad our hero convinced him otherwise and the father let them marry in the end because they were perfect together. And between the stories, we also got a short Christmas devotional by Witemeyer and 2 Christmas cookie recipes. So overall, this was a really fun little collection. Most Christmas novella collections have stories where I like some better than others, but I actually really enjoyed all of these, and the additions of the devotional and cookie recipes was just the cherry on top of a sweet and well-crafted cake. 5 stars and I highly recommend it. Content Advisory: Lindsey from the blog Books for Christian Girls has already put together a thorough content review, so you can check that out here if you need information: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Dec 22, 2022
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Dec 27, 2022
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Dec 22, 2022
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Paperback
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| unknown
| 3.78
| 450
| 2021
| Sep 30, 2021
|
liked it
|
I'd dropped my Audible subscription last year to save money (libraries are a wonderful thing), so although I've wanted to try CJ Redwine's writing in
I'd dropped my Audible subscription last year to save money (libraries are a wonderful thing), so although I've wanted to try CJ Redwine's writing in some form, I didn't have access to this particular Audible exclusive until Audible decided to give me a second 30-day-free trial to try to get me back. Figured I'd listen to as many of their free Plus library as I can while I have the free month, and "The Disappearance of Emily Downs" was the first that I chose. I honestly wasn't sure what to expect since I'm aware that this is different from Redwine's Young Adult novels, (which I also haven't read yet, but I know what they're about) but I enjoy reading about kid sleuths and liked finding that element here. It was a pretty short book, but Redwine certainly crafted an interesting world and town in that short time! I never knew exactly what would happen next, and enjoyed following our spunky, determined heroine as she solved the big mystery of the town, not matter what obstacles stood in her way. The story is short enough that I feel like I'll spoil everything if I say too much in detail, but I can say that there was a lot of excitement, danger, sometimes a little scariness, and allllllll the snooping! One minor disappointment was the single unsolved mystery left over by the end, but I'm getting the impression that this might be the first of a series since Goodreads has it labeled as if it is. If so, I guess that unsolved mystery will get solved in other books, so I'm not taking off from my rating for that. At the same time, I'm not so invested in this world that I'm going to keep paying for Audible just to listen to them, so that's why I'm giving this 3 stars. This was enjoyable enough and I don't regret choosing it, but I felt fairly neutral about it by the end. It was written very well, and I know a lot of young readers will connect with Joey and her spunky, never-give-up attitude. For me, though, I just didn't click with the monster element that well. It didn't "bother" me and I didn't dislike it, I just didn't get that excited about it, either. It's clear, though, that Redwine is a great writer, and I definitely want to try more of her other works. Content Advisory: Sexual: None Language: None Spiritual content/Magic: None Violence and scariness: Mainly threatened violence, heart-pounding chases, and near-misses rather than anyone actually getting hurt. Joey and another girl say some hurtful things to each other about their respective mothers and end up slapping each other hard and nearly getting into a physical fight before the adults break it up. One 12 year old girl goes missing. (Not a spoiler since it's the title of the book.) It's discovered that she was (view spoiler)[ kidnapped, injured somehow (she has a bandage on her arm when she's found), and being threatened with being turned into/combined with a monster (hide spoiler)] but we aren't shown any of this actually happening, so nothing inappropriate for Middle Grade readers. As the synopsis implies, people think there are monsters in this town, and this turns out to be (view spoiler)[ True. The average townsperson hasn't actually seen them, but the main characters end up finding them during the story. Monster descriptions don't bother me personally, but the ones here do have physical descriptions that would probably be frightening for some readers, especially ones on the youngest end of Middle Grade readership. However, again, while they chase the kids and threaten violence, they never actually do serious damage that gets described on the page. One monster fights off another, but even that isn't given overly-graphic description. (hide spoiler)] We learn early on that Joey's mother is one of the people who has gone missing over the years, and no one but Joey searched for her. There was no violence involved in her disappearance, I'm just including this since some children may be sensitive to the subject of parental loss. Major spoiler: (view spoiler)[ The unsolved mystery at the end is that Joey realizes her mother may be one of the people who were combined with a monster, and that she may have seen and been protected by the monster her mother became, but she isn't able to save her by the end. It's implied that future books, if there are any, may feature her trying to save her mother from this fate. (hide spoiler)] Other: Many of the adults in Joey's town are untrustworthy. Some end up becoming trustworthy again, and some are unrepentant about the wrong things they've been doing. As implied in the violence section, one big reveal in the book is that someone is (view spoiler)[ combining humans and monsters in order to create "weapons" for military use. We don't learn the details of how this is done, but it's made clear that this is terrible, wrong, and hurtful. (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 26, 2022
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Aug 31, 2022
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Aug 26, 2022
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Audible Audio
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| 0439404371
| 9780439404372
| 0439404371
| 3.98
| 99,353
| Jan 2000
| Sep 2002
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liked it
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I hadn't even heard of this book until I was scouring a book sale at one of my local libraries and stumbled upon it. I recognised Cornelia Funke's nam
I hadn't even heard of this book until I was scouring a book sale at one of my local libraries and stumbled upon it. I recognised Cornelia Funke's name because I've read her books "Inkheart" and "Igraine the Brave". But the thing is, there were things I liked about the "Inkheart" movie better than the book, and "Igraine" only got 4 stars from me, so the author's name alone wasn't necessarily enough to sell me on "The Thief Lord." It was the synopsis that got me interested and convinced me to buy it. Because it was a middle grade, which, content-wise, tends to be fairly safe, I decided to just jump in blind and read it right after getting it. I did slip at one point while visiting the book's Goodreads page and started scrolling reviews out of habit, but I never got spoiled on anything important besides learning that there's a slight fantasy twist near the end, before I actually got to that part. The main way I would describe this story is, "Interesting." I definitely didn't hate it. I mostly enjoyed it. But it wasn't quite what I was expecting, and certain elements kept me from falling completely in love. I think the short version of this review would be that Cornelia Funke's writing style and I are just not a perfect match most of the time. I tend to like her concepts more than her execution of them. The long version is that, to start with, I did like the characters. They were intriguing and the back-and-forth between chapters from the children's perspectives and chapters from Victor, the detective's perspective, added interest and conflict. You half want to root for Victor to find the kids even as you also hope maybe Prosper and Bo are wrong about their aunt, but then you're afraid they're right about their aunt and you don't want them to be found and separated. I especially found the children's relationships with each other and the mysterious nature of Scipio interesting. That is one thing I can definitely say Funke does well: Character relationship dynamics. She also did well in making Scipio's true identity a real surprise. I think I was just as shocked by it as his friends. Truly, I gasped at the reveal. My favorite character was probably Ida because I appreciated her patience, understanding, and desire to truly help the kids when she totally didn't have to. My least favorite was Esther because, oh my goodness, how could anyone be that selfish and stupid??? I wanted to slap her so many times! As for the fantasy twist, I think it's for the best that I learned that twist existed before I got to that part of the story or I might have been completely taken off guard. Even knowing something magical was coming, it still surprised me when a certain thing actually worked. I'm honestly a bit conflicted about everything that happened after that point. On one hand, it was interesting, entertaining, and even mildly amusing at points. On the other hand, I do appreciate that Funke had the characters deal with the consequences of what happened, and there were ways that it resulted in a satisfying ending. But there were also ways it was just a smidgen odd and I wasn't quite sure what to think about it. On the positive side, I'm glad the majority of characters got a happy ending. I was hoping certain characters would end up uniting by the end and was glad that it happened that way. On the less positive side... I don't know. I guess it was a little odd to me the way the story went from being largely about the "Thief Lord" to being more about this magical element, and by the end there really wasn't a "Thief Lord" anymore, and I honestly felt that the last line of the story, where a certain character decides he's going to call himself "The Thief Lord"... It just felt a bit forced to me? Like, at least Scipio took up the mantle in order to provide for fellow children who needed help, but this other character basically took up the mantle in order to dominate other children, and that didn't feel like the most positive final line, nor did it feel totally necessary to me for the mantle of Thief Lord to even get taken up by anyone else. I would have been more satisfied had it just been stated that that character ended up in this place doing these rather negative things, and THEN end on the actual positive actions of our main characters. On the more technical side of things, I didn't connect fully with Funke's writing style in this book, either. I could tell this was her debut novel to the extent that her writing wasn't as strong as it was in Inkheart. She tended to stay in omniscient viewpoint in the chapters featuring the kids, and while not done completely poorly, it also was not the best example of omniscient that I've ever read, and it never allowed me to feel like I really knew Prosper and Bo as deeply as I thought I was going to get to know them. All the character development felt very surface level because of this. We see their actions and reactions, but never really dig into their thought processes. She did a better job with that in Victor's chapters, which was interesting since he was an adult and this was written for kids. You'd think she should have dug deeper into the kids' perspectives than Victor's With the kids' chapters, there were several times I wondered why we were in one of the other kid's perspective instead of Prosper's. I just feel there are several ways the story would have been stronger had she really rooted in Prosper's perspective instead of floating around from one kid to another. Some minor side-gripes are that I wasn't thrilled about the amount of swear word substitutes, and sometimes mean name-calling. For those who want details, I'll get into that further in my content advisory below, but let's just say these were used more frequently than I like seeing in Middle Grade books, which are aimed at children who are at ages where they're more likely to imitate stuff. I was also pretty surprised, not only at how many times guns were waved around, but how many times CHILDREN were the ones waving guns around. I guess, given our culture in 2022 vs what it was in 2000 when this was published, it was just... surprising to me. So, yeah. Despite the gripes, I didn't hate this. It was plenty entertaining, surprised me in good ways a few times, and was definitely well worth the $1 I paid for it at the library sale. I don't regret giving it a chance. But it also is not a new personal favorite, which is why I'm giving it 3 stars. Content Advisory: I personally would be okay giving this book to children 10 and up if they're fairly mature and already reading things like this. I would NOT give it to any child who has a tendency to copy characters they think are cool, or parrot dialog they think is funny because there are enough negative words and name calling in here that I wouldn't want to hear out of a kid's mouth, especially not aimed at another person. As always, know your unique child, and please use this advisory to decide what's best for your family. Language H*** is used by adult characters at least three times. Darn, used alone, and combined with "gosh" is used by children and adults upwards of seven times, sometimes multiple times in a row." Heck is used at least once. "God" and "lord" are used as exclamations multiple times each, but always spelled in lower case. It's stated 3x that some adult characters "curse and swear", but no swears beyond the ones mentioned above^ are ever written out. Name calling includes a child calling an adult a "blown-up toad" to his face. One child calls another a "lying piece of garbage." The children repeatedly and mockingly refer to an adult man as fat or "fatso". They also refer to a housekeeper as "fat" and "pudgy". Someone is called "the little dwarf" and "the midget" in mocking ways. (The individual being called these things is not actually a person with dwarfism, he's (view spoiler)[ an adult who was magically transformed into having the body of a 5 year old. (hide spoiler)] A boy tells an adult to "shut up." Violence Two boys get in a physical fight (no details about the actual blow) that results in one having a bloody nose, and the other having a scratch on the face from fingernails. Threats of violence include guns several times. Someone shoots a rifle at a boat from a distance, but doesn't hit anything or anyone. A woman points a rifle at kids who she catches trying to steal something inside her home, but eventually puts the gun down. One of the boys then gets hold of the rifle and points it at the woman, but she reveals that the rifle doesn't actually work. Victor carries a pistol, but never uses it. In a moment of anger and desperation, Prosper gets hold of a hand gun and states that he's going to go threaten someone with it by sticking it in their face. He actually does point it at an adult, but is quickly talked into putting it down before he accidentally does something stupid. A man drags a girl by the hair. Someone threatens two boys with large, aggressive dogs. Other: Prosper and Bo's aunt and uncle are generally uncaring about children unless they're cute, small, and basically act like mini adults. If a child fails to meet that criteria, they are rejected whether they are blood relatives or not. One boy's father is repeatedly condescending and verbally unkind to him. The children capture and tie up an adult detective. Three mentions of adults drinking port. (view spoiler)[ One of the characters mentioned drinking the port is a child who was turned into an adult only a few hours before, and the other is an adult in the body of a 5 year old, which... You'd think a 5 year old body wouldn't handle alcohol very well, but there's no mention of it affecting him even though it seems he drinks a full glass. (hide spoiler)] If it wasn't clear from the title and synopsis, there are instances of stealing and lying going on. Scipio is revealed to be stealing from his own home to provide for his orphan friends, but the fact that he lied and pretended he was actually stealing from anywhere and everywhere, obviously, influences some of the other children to want to actually steal from others. One of the boys is repeatedly scolded for pick-pocketing (an activity he clearly enjoys), and warned that he could get caught and arrested, but it's stated at the end of the story that he went back to that bad habit once the main adventure was over. Prosper repeatedly has to scold Bo for wanting to join Scipio in stealing things. Magic: Turns out that there is a light fantasy twist to this story not too long after the halfway point. (view spoiler)[ The kids learn a legend about a magical merry-go-round that turns children into adults and adults into children. They actually do discover this magical object and it actually does turn three adults into children, and one child into an adult, before being broken permanently so these people get stuck in their new state. The rest of the story involves the characters dealing with some of the consequences of this transformation. (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Apr 19, 2022
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May 07, 2022
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Apr 19, 2022
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Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 1621841456
| 9781621841456
| 1621841456
| 4.55
| 279
| 2020
| Dec 08, 2020
|
really liked it
|
It's always so hard to review the second book in a series, because I want to talk about it, but it feels like spoiling the first AND the second book t
It's always so hard to review the second book in a series, because I want to talk about it, but it feels like spoiling the first AND the second book to say too much! Well, I will try to say what I can without spoiling anything. The first book, "Brand of Light" was filled with exciting twists and turns and then ended in a place where there was some resolution, but then other things happened that made it not really a happy ending so much as a "there is hope, but you have to wait and see how this gets worked out," ending. So, "Dawn of Vengeance" had a lot of stuff to work through and lot to live up to, but it did not disappoint me. Just like "Brand of Light" DoV kept me involved and excited the entire time, and does a great job giving you equal amounts of small, intrapersonal dramas, as well as overarching, galaxy-impacting, oh-my-goodness-how-are-they-going-to-get-out-of-this-alive drama! I enjoy a good book like this that makes my brain work and is just so well developed that I can really get immersed in the expansive world, and the drama, and the politics. Truly, I don't know how Kendig keeps all of this in her head! I was a little worried about some of our characters after what happened in the first book, but (without spoilers) I like how Kendig has continued their stories. I actually wasn't sure I liked it at first, but by the end, I did. Kendig used much of this story to play with the expectations of both the readers and the characters. We thought we wanted things to end one way only to realize maybe we misinterpreted the information we had and there is another option that is just as good and satisfying. I think that's a good message, because in real life, we rarely have all the information, even though we often think we do, but God can surprise us by saying "You thought you knew what was best, you thought this was the only thing that would be satisfying, but I have something even better in store!" In a similar vein, there were also new characters I wasn't sure at first how I felt about them, but ultimately liked. I don't think it's a spoiler to say that Isuara and her relationship with a certain character grew on me, when at first I thought, much like said certain character, that they *couldn't* end up together because that would ruin what I thought I was "supposed" to want to happen. But then I realized she and this character work really well together and she's a strong, honorable, smart, and humble woman, and now, I actually don't want to other scenario to play out the way I thought it would because I don't want anything to happen to Isuara! I even found myself wanting the redemption of a character I thought wasn't redeemable and was glad that it seems they may get a second chance! Truly, while the story in this series isn't overtly Christian (there are more Christian undertones than overt messages/symbolism/allegory, or anything like that) there's still a stark difference between the way this story is handled by a Christian author and how it might have been handled by a secular author. I've seen and heard of some secular series that would have been 100% okay with justifying morally questionable actions, so long as the characters who believe themselves "in love" end up "happy" in the end. But Kendig instead shows individuals CHOOSING to let go of what they thought would make them happy in order to honor the other person, honor a marriage, and CHOOSE to move on and eventually find something different than what they thought they wanted, but is actually just as good if not better than what they thought they wanted. It's difficult, it requires self sacrifice and putting someone else's needs above their own (what a stark contrast to our own culture where it's all about pleasing ourselves!), but it's right, and it's good. And as I said above, Kendig even takes us from wanting to see a man who did very wrong things get "what he deserves" to making us see that maybe he too can be redeemed and receive mercy instead. My only quibble is that the story did have just a *smidgen* more hints at the physical relationship between a newly married couple than I personally would have preferred to have on the page. This series is very much intended for an adult audience, so this wasn't inappropriate in that regard, and was only a small part of a much bigger story, and never crossed the line of showing the couple doing "the act", but did feature a little bit of the lead-up. Overall, I've felt Kendig has kept a good balance between acknowledging that married couples have a physical relationship without going too far, but at the same time, let's just say that, had I written this book, I would have snipped out a little thing here and there just to hint a little LESS at it, if that makes sense? I would hold up Morgan Busse's "Flight of the Raven" as handling a newly married couple in a way I was more okay with. BUT Kendig also didn't give so much detail that I felt I shouldn't be reading it at all. It was simply closer the edge of my personal boundaries and preferences. I do suggest that those who may be concerned about such content check out my content advisory for more details to decide if this is right for you. ANYWAY, once the story got past that, it got back into the twisty, turn-y adventure and drama I love and I still enjoyed the book as a whole. I'm going to hold off on 5 stars until I know that I'm happy with the way the whole series wraps up, but I'm happy to give this individual book a solid 4 stars while screaming from the rooftops that I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!!! XD Content Advisory: Violence: The violence in this one is similar in description and intensity as book one. Some of the characters are being pursued by evil/insane/cursed beings who are said to slaughter many innocents with each attack, but the violence of said attacks are never described in extreme or gory detail. Mentions of blood are rare, and when it does get mentioned, it's brief. There is also brief mention of a decapitation, at least one neck snapping, and one throat slitting, all perpetrated upon evil attackers, but lacking extreme detail. It's more limited to statements of fact that these actions happened. Mentions of the bodies of allies and enemies strewn on the ground during an ambush. Many mentions of punching, kicking, sometimes cutting and stabbing with blades, and sometimes shooting with laser guns. Women and children are in peril several times. A child gets killed from a wagon going over a cliff and there's mention of the limp body. A pregnant woman goes into labor after the accident and loses the baby, but the loss of the child happens off the page. A woman who was long considered insane jumps off a building and kills herself even as someone is trying to rescue her from attackers. Brief mention of her body on the ground. (This same women is said to have previously tried to throw her own baby off a building because she thought it had an evil soul.) Though not necessarily violent, there is one scene in which a character is about to have a translation-type device implanted into her body so she can understand the speech of an alien. She is meant to be unconscious for the procedure, but instead, experiences the phenomenon where she can't move or speak, but is aware of everything that is happening. There is mention of intense pain in her neck, and her panic at being conscious is described, but nothing beyond that is described. Someone is killed (off the page) by an explosion. The deadly injuries on the body are described in one short sentence and there is mention blood floating in the zero-gravity environment. Mention (but no extreme description) of the burned skin and hair of another person. Someone gets hit over the head while being kidnapped. Sexual: There did seem to be more romantic and sexual implications in this book than the last one. (Though book 1 was also not completely lacking in this area.) It never gets graphic, but there are quite a few vague references to sexual things. One married man is insanely jealous and suspicious, and repeatedly accuses his wife of wanting to sexually cheat on him, or having cheated on him already (she doesn't want that and hasn't done it), and accuses another man of wanting to be the one his wife cheats with. (The two of them *are* struggling with lingering romantic feelings for each other since Man1 quite literally and suddenly forced this arranged marriage on the woman, but the woman and Man2 are moral people and trying to let go of the old feelings and honor the marriage since they couldn't stop it from happening.) A woman sees a man shirtless (once, by accident, and the next while tending to him medically) and notices his muscles. Many mentions of attraction between an unmarried man and woman. A married man notices his wife's curves. Several kisses on the lips, some between married couples and one between an unmarried couple. A couple of the kisses are passionate and pretty described. One kiss is considered by others to be the man having tarnished the woman's honor even though it didn't go any farther than a kiss. There's a number of vague sexual references after a certain couple gets married, including someone questioning why the man hasn't "lain with" with his new wife yet. (This person is told firmly via being punched in the face that this is not his business.) There is one sensual scene and one fade-to-black scene between a married couple. The sensual scene is limited to the couple in bed, clothed, talking (not about sexual things, but about life and some emotional things) and kissing, and gets interrupted before anything more can happen. The other scene starts the same way and fades to black before anything too sensitive happens, but it is stated frankly later that they "made love." Spiritual: As stated in my review of "Brand of Light" "The Ancient" seems to be what characters in this book universe call God. (There's another name Marco uses for The Ancient, but I'm blanking on it at the moment.) There aren't a lot of details about The Ancient, but the name gets referenced multiple times and sometimes prayed to. There are also beings called "The Ladies." It's not super clear exactly what these all-female beings are and I don't feel that they're meant to have any real world comparison like how "The Ancient" seems to be the book world's version of God. It seems to me that they're simply meant to be totally fictional elements Kendig invented for her story world. But I'm mentioning them in the spiritual content section because, while they can appear humanoid to the point that they can marry humans, produce offspring, and some manage to go so "undercover" no one knows these women are "Ladies" unless and until they reveal themselves as such, they seem to have a powerful spiritual aspect as well, to the point of feeling almost angelic. (Tbh, there are a few times they almost feel similar in my mind to Tolkien's elves, specifically Galadriel, with the ability to marry humans but still be these super powerful beings.) They speak and fulfil prophecies, can communicate with people through visions and the like, etc. Some people (not everyone) worship them as if they are gods, while others seem to think they're almost like sirens, ensnaring men for their own purposes. (This rumor doesn't seem to be true. They're not very siren-like at all and if they marry it seems to be for love, not manipulation.) But the Ladies themselves occasionally make reference to The Ancient as being above them in power. Plus, the Ladies seem to be able to be killed, whereas "The Ancient" is not. Whereas Marco's blue "brand" on his arm is a symbol of prophecy and gift from the "Ladies" there are evil characters called "raiders" that are punished for their evil by being given blue markings that burn and move under their skin. Every time they kill someone they get another burning mark. A couple of good characters have prophetic visions, as well as visions sent from the Ladies trying to tell them to do something important before it's too late. There is a religious sect known as the "Iereas". In the previous book we saw that they have temples, shave their heads, and dress a certain way. Some of them seem to worship both the Ancient and the Ladies, but some seem to only worship the Ancient. As with any religious organization, some of the Iereas are genuine about their faith and some are not. Some are outright corrupt. In this book, however, we only see one of these men, whom we met before. He is one of the uncorrupt Iereas and a friend of Marco's, and performs a coronation ceremony, marriage ceremony, and acts as advisor to a king and queen. We again see Marco use his ability that he was given in the previous book, where he can touch someone and see, via the color of a light that appears in their eyes, whether or not their soul is good or corrupt. A man wakes up and thinks he's died and gone to the afterlife to be punished because he's floating in a healing goo-like substance. (He's still very alive.) Language: Any and all "language" is made-up space swears, like "scuz" "slag" and "djell". Other: I hope this isn't a spoiler because it happened in the previous book and one assumes that if you're interested in book 2, you probably read book 1, but just in case, the following may qualify as a SPOILER . . . . In the previous book, there was some sci-fi freaky-ness when one character essentially got wired up to use his abilities to essentially power a machine. (view spoiler)[That happens again in this book, only more so. (hide spoiler)] While not gross, per se, some may find the description of a human man with tubes and wires poking out of him disturbing (and it is meant to be so, because it is done by the villains and is obviously inhumane and evil.) There is some mention and description of his pain and the whole thing just sounds like a horrible experience. Several mentions throughout the story of different individuals vomiting for various reasons. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Feb 10, 2022
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Mar 15, 2022
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Feb 10, 2022
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Hardcover
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| 3.96
| 307,210
| Sep 07, 1953
| Jan 02, 2008
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it was amazing
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I finally read it! For anyone who didn't see my reading updates, The Silver Chair was the only Narnia book I hadn't read yet despite discovering the
I finally read it! For anyone who didn't see my reading updates, The Silver Chair was the only Narnia book I hadn't read yet despite discovering the series as a child. My family got the first four books at our church library when I was small, but either they didn't have the last two or we just forgot to get around to them, and it took until I was an adult to get around to buying the whole series for myself and do a total series read-through. As such, I haven't actually read The Last Battle either, but that one's been the subject of so much analysis in the Christian literary community over the years I know the entire plot anyway. With The Silver Chair I truly didn't know anything about what happened besides knowing it featuring Eustace and a girl named Jill instead of the Pevensie children. It was a whole new Narnia story to me. I'm happy to say I enjoyed it very much! I loved seeing Eustace again. It was great to learn that even kids at the nasty boarding school had noticed the change in him after his first trip to Narnia. (But good grief, no wonder he was such a snot for much of Dawn Treader if he was being educated in a place like that.) I liked how he and Jill befriended each other. It was interesting to see Narnia through the eyes of someone who hadn't been there before, and that we the reader also got to see many parts of the world we hadn't seen before, including glimpses of Aslan's country. I totally wasn't expecting that the story would start and end there. And the underground! The descriptions of it were so fascinating, both before and after it was freed from the witch's control. I almost wish there had been time to explore it further. And y'all, if someone ever brings this book to the screen, whomever makes it better not skip The Great Snow Dance! Lewis really knows how to paint a beautiful portrait with words and that one had to be my favorite of the book. I wish I could see it! As for the other new things and characters, Puddleglum was both ridiculous and wonderful. I wasn't sure about him at first as a Marsh-wiggle was very different than other speaking creatures I've met in Narnia before, but he quickly grew on me and he really was quite brave despite, or maybe even because of his... er... pessimistic optimism? Hehe. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Nov 18, 2021
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Nov 29, 2021
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Nov 18, 2021
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Paperback
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| 0439903793
| 9780439903790
| 0439903793
| 3.89
| 9,057
| 1998
| Sep 24, 2007
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really liked it
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Very enjoyable. I honestly don't have a lot to say besides that, LOL. It's truly appropriate for readers from children to adult who want a light and w
Very enjoyable. I honestly don't have a lot to say besides that, LOL. It's truly appropriate for readers from children to adult who want a light and wholesome advenure with honorable heroes and heroines, and a bad guy who is bad, but not to the point of frightening small children. There's a talking cats, humorous magical oopsies that may or may not involve people accidentally getting turned into pigs. Etc, etc. A very positive and uplifting story. Content Advisory: A couple statements that someone swore, but never actual swear words written out. Action and adventure happen and there are occasional light battles, but all violence is kept bloodless and exciting rather than intense. Human characters have magical abilities and the magic spells tend to be along the lines of short rhymes that animate stone statues, turn people into animals and back again, give animals the ability to talk, make dresses, and other light and often silly things. Zero romance. ...more |
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1
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Oct 21, 2021
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Oct 26, 2021
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Oct 21, 2021
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Hardcover
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| 1621841871
| 9781621841876
| 1621841871
| 4.13
| 874
| unknown
| Aug 10, 2021
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it was amazing
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I follow Enclave Publishing's social media and found out about Secrets in the Mist the second it was announced. It immediately grabbed my attention be
I follow Enclave Publishing's social media and found out about Secrets in the Mist the second it was announced. It immediately grabbed my attention because I need more steampunk in my life. Then it briefly lost my attention because someone, somewhere clarified that the "undead" referenced in the synopsis are actually zombies and my sensitive-to-violence brain said "nope". But then I saw an interview with Busse herself who talked about the inspiration behind the story and promised that while there are zombies, she doesn't do gory yuck and mainly uses them and the mist to investigate certain deep themes. Having read and adored her Ravenwood Saga books, I decided I trusted her enough to give Secrets in the Mist a chance. I'm glad I did. Yes, there are zombies (they're called Turned in this steampunk world) but aside from the typical physical description of being decaying bodies that shamble around (slowly) chasing people who dare enter the mist, there isn't any brain eating going in here. Even when the characters occasionally have to fight off the Turned, it never ever gets gross. I felt Busse handled the whole thing very tastefully and never once had my anxiety get triggered in a bad way that would make me want to put the book down. So, now that I've addressed the one thing that was of particular concern for me, let's talk about the story! I looooved our two main characters, Cass and Theo. They come from such different backgrounds and it was interesting to see their different perspectives on this threatening world in which they live. Busse did an amazing job of making the world feel so real and showing realistic ways that people of different classes would be trying to survive in it. For Cass, who grew up poor, most of her life was about survival. Finding food, avoiding the "Purges" (shoving people into the mist to kill them, then burning the Turned bodies) that the government did to those people living near the edge of the mist when the population grew to a point of overcrowding the mountaintops where the air is still clean. For Theo, a son of one of the five wealthy families that control everything, things are much easier because the rich people live near the tops of the mountains, or even in mansions on floating sky islands. They can travel, get educations, and rarely worry about food or being too close to the mist. But unlike the others, Theo does care about the fact that everyone has become so numb to the "Purges" and begins to theorize what would happen if there was some way to destroy this mist. You'd think everyone in the world would support Theo in his desire to find a cure for the mist, but something Busse does so well is showing exactly why someone of means *wouldn't* want that. I won't spoil it, but it was frighteningly realistic. I loved seeing how Busse brought Cass and Theo together, and being strung along by the mystery of a possible cure, but also wondering what might happen to get in their way. I will say that I wasn't initially *quite* as gripped by this story as, say, the Ravenwood Saga for the simple sake that it seemed easier, after a certain character is introduced, to guess at what the solution to the mist might be and I was afraid I knew what was going to happen (while also wondering if there was really going to be enough conflict for an entire second book). but then the ending. THE ENDING!!! How naïve I was in thinking there wouldn't be enough conflict. That final chapter had me gripped all the way through, and just when I thought I'd predicted what would happen, BOOM, Busse smacked me with something unexpected and I just... *flailing intensifies* HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WAIT UNTIL AUGUST 2022 TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS??? This is totally unfair and should qualify as reader torture! Torture, I say! Well, seeing as I can't control publishing choices, no matter how unfair they may be ...more |
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1
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Oct 05, 2021
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Oct 20, 2021
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Oct 05, 2021
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Hardcover
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| 136801061X
| 9781368010610
| B08VFHM2HW
| 4.26
| 1,475
| May 04, 2021
| May 04, 2021
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really liked it
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Note: I listened to this on audio. Please excuse any terrible misspellings. I read the first Willa book back in May and was surprised to fall in love Note: I listened to this on audio. Please excuse any terrible misspellings. I read the first Willa book back in May and was surprised to fall in love with it. I wasn't sure I liked it at first, but it won me over with the aspect of found family and a very sweet, touching ending. This second book had that found family aspect again, so I was pleased to start with, but there were some other elements I was a little iffy about. Then the story won me over again for a while, but then the ending. THE ENDING. Hmm. I'm just... I'm not sure what I feel about it. Let's discuss. If the overarching theme of the first book was learning to stand for what's right as an individual even when everyone around you has forgotten the truth, then this book's theme was figuring out how to deal with the consequences of the choices you make as an individual, and what to do when you eventually come up against problems that are bigger than you alone can overcome. I did like the author's handling of this theme. He's great at capturing the perspective of a 13 year old child. The way things at that age can feel so overwhelming. You feel too young to deal with it all, but are also at an age that mom and dad can't always rescue you. You start having to deal with the consequences of your own actions, and that's what Willa faces here. In the last book, Willa defeated the evil leader of her people, freeing them, but also scattering them. She also got adopted by a new, loving family like none she ever would have imagined and now we get to see her working together with them. The main conflict this time is that the woodcutters we learned of in the last book are still around, cutting way more lumber than is actually needed and destroying the forest of the Blue Ridge mountains. Willa wants to stop them, but doesn't know how. But then, strange, smoky beasts begin showing up and killing some of the woodcutter. Meanwhile, Willa's adoptive father gets blamed for the murders and arrested based on a false witness' claims. Willa must figure out how to save her father and the only world she's ever known before it's too late for both of them. But it seems this challenge is too big for just one person... Something I really appreciated about what the author did with this story is that he balanced out the themes of individualism in the previous story by showing that there are going to be times when we can't overcome every challenge all by ourselves. And that's okay. Good, even. We can't and shouldn't try to do everything alone. It's 100% okay to ask for help and remember that we have friends and family who will come alongside us to lift us up. (Something that can be easy to forget when things feel overwhelming. Even for adults.) Another thing I loved was the theme of TIME. Our decisions don't just affect us, they can effect other people now and even down the road. Willa realizes in this book that when her grandmother made the choices she did, to raise Willa in a way that was opposed to the established norms (harmful norms, in this case) of Faeran society, she was looking toward the future, realizing that she may never live to see the results of the change she started, but that she had to do it or nothing would ever change for the better. She had to accept that sometimes you make choices and take actions for the sake of improving life for future generations even if it will make life harder for you right now. That was a pretty weighty theme for a children's book, but one I think is important in our real world where it's so easy and even encouraged to focus only on yourself and what will make you comfortable and happy right now. I also think it's an important thing to teach kids, who, again, can get so overwhelmed with the challenges they're facing right now that they forget to think about the future. We have to remember that time changes things and we won't always be stuck where we are right now. There was also more of Willa's found family, which I adore and were the main reason I wanted to read the sequel. I was afraid they might get hurt in this one, but was satisfied with the way things turned out. Willa really showed her love for them... *sniffle* Oh, and there was one big twist to this story that I totally did not see coming. Wow. I'm usually good at spotting this stuff, but this really managed to surprise me in a good way. I loved it. Now we get to what I didn't like. Mainly, I wasn't super on board with the idea of trees having spirits. As a Christian I'm all for being good stewards of the earth God created. We shouldn't be wasteful of our natural resources, wantonly cutting down trees that aren't going to be used, or not replacing the ones we do cut down. etc. But I do think there are those who take nature conservation past the point of stewardship and borderline worship nature. Sorry, trees are living organisms, but they don't have feelings and they don't have souls or spirits. So, I couldn't help rolling my eyes a bit when Willa kept calling the cutting of trees "murder". In her world, yes, it is murder to some degree because her trees do have spirits, and we learn that ones that are cut down wantonly can even be angry and become (view spoiler)[ ghosts (hide spoiler)]. This later revelation was one where I really had to tell myself to keep suspending my disbelief because I just... I would have been okay with the mysterious smoky creatures being the (view spoiler)[ghosts (hide spoiler)] of the animals and even people of the forest, but just wasn't super behind them being (view spoiler)[ murderous, angry ghost trees. (hide spoiler)] This didn't ruin the story for me, though, and I was able to get past it. I think what made me really flip-flop on what to rate this, though, was the ending. Whereas the first book's ending sealed the deal for me and made me effervescently happy, this one... I saw it coming. It was foreshadowed well. But. It really didn't make me happy. And it wasn't meant to, I get that. It was meant to be poignant and I do appreciate the theme of loving someone enough to be willing to sacrifice for them. Really, the last few moments of this story read like a fairy tale or ancient legend where someone does something miraculous to save someone else, but with the consequence that they themselves won't be the same again afterwards. If you want a spoiler, well, (view spoiler)[ Willa sacrifices herself to save her father by connecting so deeply with the trees that she actually becomes one. And, apparently this change is permanent. She's a tree now. End of story. Literally. (hide spoiler)] It actually didn't make me cry, because again, I saw it coming. But it was such a stark contrast to the previous book's ending I guess I just didn't know what to feel, and still don't. I'm a little sad, while still appreciating the love on display. I just am not necessarily a fan of melancholy endings, so I can't say that I'm "happy" with it. It just is what it is. I briefly thought I might drop my rating to three stars because of this, but I think I'll still stay with 4 stars because of the strong, positive themes throughout. While I don't believe that I'll ever reread the Willa books, I don't regret having read them. They were different from anything else I've read, very creative, and I enjoyed them more than I ever expected. However, they are on the darker end of children's literature, which is not my go-to thing, so that's the main reason they haven't become new personal favorites. Others who like that kind of thing more will probably enjoy them immensely. Content Advisory: Once again, the tonality of this book leans more toward YA than Middle Grade, though the synopsis suggests it's okay for kids as young as 8. I personally would have been scared by some things in here as a sensitive 8 year old, so please take into consideration your unique child and what they normally read and are sensitive to when deciding if this book is right for them. Sexual: None. Language: God's name gets taken in vain twice. Violence: Threats of violence throughout. Rifles get waved around and fired, but no one actually gets shot. Some smoky, fantastical critters that carry with them coldness and the smell of death (and would probably frighten some young readers) kill a handful of people. The killings aren't graphic or gross (no blood or wounds involved at all because they kill with only a touch), but there is mention of men screaming and writhing in pain and black veins climbing up their skin. Willa and a friend are also threatened by these creatures, but escape. Some blood mentioned in relation to wounds. Nothing graphic. A couple mentions of the sound of a bone breaking, like when a man injures his leg. Spiritual: In the world of this book, trees are more than living organisms, they're sentient in their own way. They can hear and communicate in their own way, have emotions, respond to Willa's requests of them. Willa considers the cutting of trees for no reason "murder" and refers to the fallen ones as "carcases." In this book world the trees actually do have spirits that leave them when they're "killed" and can be angry. It turns out that (Major SPOILER) (view spoiler)[ the smoky creatures I mentioned in the violence section that are terrorizing and killing the woodcutters are actually the angry "ghosts" of dead trees, as well as the ghosts of some of the animals that have been killed because of the destruction of the forest. (hide spoiler)] Willa seems to see the mountain as a living, controlling force in the world and sometimes asks it things in a way that could be considered prayer. No real world belief systems are ever references. Magic: Willa, just like in the last book, is a "wood witch" which means she has the ability to communicate with plants, "dead" and alive. However, this is an ability that runs in the family and is natural to the Faeran people (though she's pretty much the only one left alive who still remembers how to do it.) There is a lake near where the bear lives that has healing properties. In the previous book, Willa healed her own wounds by going there once. It comes up again in this book when someone is grievously injured and Willa has to take them there to save their life. Willa does even bigger communicating with plants in this book than the last one, connecting to them so deeply that a couple of times she "sees" and feels and breathes and drinks the way a tree would. The plants, too, seem to want to claim her as one of their own after one such incident. MAJOR SPOILER: (view spoiler)[ In the end, Willa has to connect deeper than ever with the trees in order to save a human life by transporting special water to the individual via the root systems of the trees. It is a moment of self sacrifice as she knows that if she does this she probably won't be able to sever the connection again. Indeed, she saves her loved one's life, but the book ends with her having become a literal tree. (hide spoiler)] Other: As in the previous book, "following your heart" is implied to be the best guide for your decisions. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 27, 2021
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Aug 04, 2021
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Jul 27, 2021
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Kindle Edition
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| B093ZFFXDQ
| 3.80
| 431
| Sep 10, 2021
| Sep 10, 2021
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it was amazing
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I'M SO GLAD THIS WAS MY FIRST READ OF THE YEAR! I think it's safe to say that I will read absolutely anything Allison writes (and I don't say that abo
I'M SO GLAD THIS WAS MY FIRST READ OF THE YEAR! I think it's safe to say that I will read absolutely anything Allison writes (and I don't say that about many other authors, even some of my other top favorites) so obviously I was so excited when I heard she had a book in this "A Villain's Ever After" series. The idea of taking the villain of classic fairytales and turning their stories around so they become the hero is fascinating to me, and I knew that if anyone could pull it off in a way that I would genuinely be able to root for the supposed villain, it would be Allison. About the story itself: I truly enjoyed this from beginning to end. While Grik the goblin did do some wrong things that could totally make us see him as the villain were the story told from another character's perspective, Allison skilfully used Grik's perspective to show us his thought process. She also kept a careful balance between making Grik likable and sympathetic, but never trying to excuse his big mistake as anything but wrong (which is always my concern about any villain- centric story). But that doesn't mean redemption isn't possible and I was so happy to find that thread of mercy and forgiveness in the story. For our other two main characters, Rosanna and Paul, I loved their depth of character, as well as the way their relationships with each other and Grik changed in a way that felt so natural. The timing of all the events were skilfully woven to mold them into new people and help them understand each other better. As for my personal experience with the story, this was an instance where I feel that the Lord put me in the mood for this book at exactly the time He knew I would need it, even before I knew. This isn't just a retelling of The Steadfast Tin Soldier, this is a story about finding hope in the darkest of times. While reading this book, my family endured a 30-hour power outage caused by heavy snow (no heat, no water, and no way out with a tree across our driveway), as well as another health issue for Mom. Thankfully, both problems have now passed, but I experienced a lot of stress and anxiety while they were happening. It is times like that in which I tend to need books that are adventuresome and fun enough to be distracting, but also "safe" enough to not increase my already growing levels of anxiety. This story was exactly what I needed. Grik, Rosanna, and Paul kept me company, distracted, and comforted during those difficult times. And when pure distraction wasn't enough, they went deeper and pointed me to the hope that can be found in any situation and showed me how to dance in the dark. I am so grateful to have had this story to remind me of the light even when it felt that there was none. I will definitely be reading it again and again over the years and recommend without hesitation to anyone who will listen! 5 stars. Content Advisory: Romance/Sexual: Multiple characters are romantically attracted. Everything remains sweet and family-friendly throughout. There are a couple kisses that are only mildly and briefly described. Violence: Plenty of action and adventure throughout, including almost constant peril for our three main characters. Characters fall in a river and nearly drown, get lost in dark underground caverns, get attacked by those living underground, and attacked by a mythological animal. Paul and Grik in particular give and take a number of blows to and from enemies. Roseanna throws a few punches and kicks herself. But while things get exciting, there is never any graphic or gory violence. Magic: Despite being set in a fantasy world with elves, goblins, and other mythical creatures for its inhabitants, there are little to no mentions of magic, besides the "magic" of Rosanna's beautiful dancing. Worldviews: No real world belief systems explicitly referenced, though the thematic elements of right and wrong, forgiveness, mercy, and hope, all align with a Christian view of these subjects. ...more |
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1
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Jan 2022
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Jan 09, 2022
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Jun 01, 2021
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Kindle Edition
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| 1368005845
| 9781368005845
| 1368005845
| 4.21
| 7,082
| Jul 10, 2018
| Jul 10, 2018
|
really liked it
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Note: I listened to this on audio haven't the foggiest clue how to spell any fantasy words that aren't mentioned in the synopsis. Please forgive any t
Note: I listened to this on audio haven't the foggiest clue how to spell any fantasy words that aren't mentioned in the synopsis. Please forgive any terrible or silly misspellings. As I said in my first update while reading, I first heard of this book very recently when the Parade section in the newspaper interviewed actress Amy Adams about what she's been doing lately. My mom read the article and told me that it said Adams was working on a screenplay for a children's book called "Willa of the Wood" and asked if I'd heard of it. I hadn't, but decided to look it up and ultimately was curious enough to get it on audio. Interesting thing, though: I didn't realize until after I'd used my monthly Audible credit that the author is the same one who wrote the "Serafina" series. I'd heard about Serafina several years ago, and my mom actually tried to read the first book because it was set in the historical Biltmore Estate and she thought that sounded interesting. Unfortunately, she ended up DNFing it because it got creepy halfway through and she didn't like that. I never read it either, because I don't do creepy. Supposedly, Willa is also set in the same world as Serafina. Cue me being nervous. BUT it appeared completely different than Serafina, so I decided to give it a chance knowing that if I totally hated it I could always DNF and get my Audible credit back. I'm happy to say that I didn't hate it. Even though it's supposedly in the same world as Serafina, it bears very little resemblance to that series. It took some time for me to warm up to because the tone was darker than I was expecting (not creepy, thankfully, just darker), but once I adjusted my expectations, I was actually surprised at how much I liked it. Willa is a member of the Faeran clan. The Faeran are a fantasy race that lives in the great Smoky Mountains (circa 1901, if I understand correctly). Their natural skin color is a mottled green, but those who remember the old ways and the old language are able to blend into their background so as to become invisible even to their own people. They can also talk to/manipulate wood and understand animals. Unfortunately, many of the Faeran have forgotten the old ways. However, Willa's Mamaw still remembers and has taught them to Willa. The plot: For the Faeran, "There is no 'I', only 'we.'" They're taught from birth that the individual can only survive with the help of the clan. Willa, however, has been taught by her Mamaw, that no matter what the clan may say, it's important for Willa to hold on to her her ability to think as an individual and hold on to the natural kindness and concern for others that she's always had in her heart. This is where Willa's troubles start, as the story begins with her going off on her own to steal from the "day-folk" (human settlers) living nearby. She gets caught by one of the humans, who shoots her, not knowing who or what she is, but when he corners her and sees that she's a young girl, rather than finish the job, he's startled long enough for her to escape. When she returns to her clan, they're less worried about Willa's injuries than the fact that she didn't team up with one of the other "Yaeters" (sp?), a small group of members of the clan whose job it is to steal sustenance and valuables from the day-folk for the benefit of the entire Faeran clan. But she didn't team up because the other Yaeters have been stealing from her take, making her look bad and receive scorn from the leader of the clan (supposedly a god), the Padaran. She's able to prove this, though, and then produce something the Padaran values even more than food: Gold. And suddenly she's back in his good graces. More than that, he decides to honor her by inviting her to participate in a new plan he has for the good of the clan: Killing and selling the pelts of the woodland animals who just helped save Willa's life. It is then that Willa realizes for the first time that she cannot obey her leader. In her moment of rebellion, she discovers wicked secrets the Padaran himself has been hiding from the clan. He's been disguising his appearance, for one thing, and worse, there are human children locked up in cells hidden in tunnels under the place where the Faeran live. Suddenly, Willa realizes she can't stay with this clan that she no longer knows or can trust, and the one person she could trust is now gone. But how will she survive on her own? Could it be possible that the humans she's been taught all her life were her enemies might be more than she thought? Could they help her? Could she help them? I guess you'll have to read the book to find out. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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May 06, 2021
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May 24, 2021
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Apr 25, 2021
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Hardcover
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| 0990555585
| 9780990555582
| 0990555585
| 4.43
| 129
| unknown
| Jul 23, 2019
|
really liked it
|
FTC Disclosure: I won this book in a giveaway from the author about 2 years ago. I was not asked or required to give a review, positive or negative. I' FTC Disclosure: I won this book in a giveaway from the author about 2 years ago. I was not asked or required to give a review, positive or negative. I'll be honest, my entry into said giveaway a little impulsive. The book's description sounded interesting, but I hadn't read this author before to know if I would like her work or not. I was also a little nervous when I finally opened the book and saw that it's labeled new adult, because I rated the last new adult book that I read with two stars due to rampant content problems of the sexual and constant, strong profanity variety. I did finally get in the mood to read Oath of the Outcast, though, and am happy to report that my concerns were unfounded. The world in which this book is set has an ancient Scotland feel, and I and my Scottish ancestry am 100% here for that. The author did a great job setting the scene quickly and keeping that feel throughout the book. What really hooked me, though, is the characters and their dynamics with each other. I fell in love with these manly men almost instantly. I say the men specifically because, really, there are only like, two or three women in this. They're present now and then, but don't have a lot of reason to be involved in the main storyline, and I honestly didn't mind because it felt natural given the setting and culture. I still thought that you can still feel their grounding influence when they weren't present, though, because they're honored and cherished by their men. I signed up for a good adventure with strong characters, and that was what I got. I love how much history the main characters have with each other and the way the author wove that history throughout the story. Especially Rhys's history with Sean and Alan, who were brother and childhood friend to him respectively. For reasons that you'll learn when you read the book, they've been forcably separated for years and now are forced by circumstances to come back together. While it was difficult to learn of all the pain Rhys has been through, it was beautiful to see the beginning of healing in his relationships as he learns that familial love may be stronger than he thought, and maybe not everyone has rejected him as thoroughly as he was led to believe. The relationships between him and his band of outlaws was also great to see as they've become something of a found family who would do anything to help and protect each other. Believe it or not, there was even one villain that, though I didn't "like" him, I didn't completely hate him because it turned out he does have *some* standards way, way, way, (way) deep down inside him. I liked that author allowed him that nuance instead of every single villainous person (there are several) being all-out evil. He's still not a nice person, mind you, but I have a little hope that maybe, just maybe, he might see some positive change in a future story. Truly, the only thing I really didn't like was the druids, but y'all... NOBODY liked them. Even the guy who's voluntarily working with them basically just puts up with them. If he didn't think they could help him be more powerful, he wouldn't even do that. And there's the guy who interrogates/tortures people for a living, and even he's giving them the side-eye (view spoiler)[ and starting to try to undermine them (hide spoiler)], so you know it's bad. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Apr 2021
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Apr 26, 2021
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Apr 01, 2021
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Paperback
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| B086C7TGWG
| 3.93
| 83
| unknown
| Apr 13, 2020
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None
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Notes are private!
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0
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not set
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not set
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Feb 10, 2021
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Kindle Edition
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| 0764237187
| 9780764237188
| 0764237187
| 4.25
| 1,906
| May 04, 2021
| May 04, 2021
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it was amazing
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I have been waiting for this book since 2019 when I was one of the many Elizabeths who pre-ordered "The Number of Love" and ended up inspiring this st
I have been waiting for this book since 2019 when I was one of the many Elizabeths who pre-ordered "The Number of Love" and ended up inspiring this story. I was the teensiest bit nervous after waiting that long that maybe The Nature of a Lady would be a total disappointment, but I haven't hated anything by Mrs. White yet, so I held on to hope, and I got it, and read it, and loved it! I'm so glad this released when it did because it is a perfect book for summer. I looooved the island setting, and PIRATE TREASURE! I did not know there would be pirate treasure, but there was, and I was a happy reader on a treasure hunt with the characters. Not a treasure hunt without danger, of course, because White is so good at adding conflict, but it was so much fun to wonder what was going on and learn how everything worked out. Speaking of characters, they were so well done, but that's no surprise coming from Roseanna White. Most of her books that I've read tend to have a perspective from the heroine, the hero, and sometimes the villain. This one had the heroine, the hero... and the maid... which I wasn't expecting at all, LOL, but I liked getting to know Mabena, Libby's maid, from inside her head because she was a really interesting character who had so much more to her than you first realize! There was a lot to all of the characters, really. I'm so glad there's another book coming because I'd like to get to know several of them better than this book had room for! But for the ones I was able to get to know well, like Libby, Oliver, Mabena, and even Casek, I liked them a lot! I say "even Casek" because I didn't think I liked him at first since we initially meet him while learning about his and Oliver's issues with each other, but he turned out not to be such a bad guy, just competitive. I really like it when an author plays with first impressions like that by making you think a character is unlikable and then changing your mind. White did that with Sheridan as well. It's easy to think he's a villain at first because he's the one Libby's brother wants to force her to marry. White could have taken the easy road and made him a jerk so the reader would be totally on Libby's side, but he wasn't a jerk, he just wasn't very good at standing up to his friend. And he made some unwise decisions that spiraled out of his control, but it was nice to see him try to make up for it. I actually liked his personality, but even then I could see how he and Libby wouldn't be a good match. It seems I was right when I whiffed some chemistry between him an another character, though, given the synopsis for the second book. :D As for the two Elizabeths, Libby and Beth, I enjoyed how White played with their similarities and differences. They looked enough alike that people who didn't know Beth well mistook Libby for her, but their personalities were totally different. It was exciting to watch Libby try to figure out where Beth had disappeared to, and I'm excited to get to know Beth better in the second book. Another thing I liked was that Oliver, despite being a vicar and generally nice person, wasn't perfect. His rivalry with Casek was unexpected, but I think it helped him feel more real and I liked seeing them both grow and start to understand each other better. And Mamm-Wynn was such a sweet lady, but feisty! I loved her dynamic with the other characters. So, basically, I really enjoyed this! I'm honestly trying to think of anything I didn't like, but anything I wasn't sure about got satisfactorily resolved by the end, so I don't feel a particular need to bring them up. 5 stars! Content Advisory: Sexual: Various characters are attracted to each other, but the attraction isn't obsessed upon. The mystery of the story is just as important as the romance. Four kisses throughout the entire story. One is barely described at all. The other three are described a little bit longer, but more in emotional terms than physical. Spiritual: At the start, Libby believes in God but sees Him as a distant creator rather than someone who loves her and wants a personal relationship with her. But of course, she learns differently. Mamm-wynn, though a little bit senile at times, sometimes knows things she couldn't possibly know via natural means. Like how she knew where certain people were without being told, or sometimes seems to have a little knowledge of future events. It befuddles Oliver, Libby, and Beth how this is possible. Mamm-wynn says something vague about "the veil slipping" but this is never explained in detail. I got the impression that she was implying that as she nears death, the veil between this world and heaven might be slipping for her a bit and perhaps God is allowing her to know some things others can't. Violence: A teenage boy is said to have been found dead in a cave and there are suspicions that it wasn't an accident. However, the body is not described. Two people get knocked over the head, and one almost drowns. Pain described. Multiple people are threatened by a gun and threatened in general. Someone is almost shot but is only grazed by the bullet. Brief mentions of pain and blood. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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May 13, 2021
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Jun 14, 2021
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Dec 30, 2020
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Paperback
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| B00Q26U3GW
| 4.01
| 87,935
| 1895
| Nov 23, 2014
|
liked it
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Yet another classic where I'd only seen the Disney version and only just got around to reading the book. For me, it falls under the category of "Didn'
Yet another classic where I'd only seen the Disney version and only just got around to reading the book. For me, it falls under the category of "Didn't hate it, but didn't love it." (And definitely find the movie more enjoyable.) Turns out there are more stories in The Jungle Book than just those about Mowgli. I actually remember reading Rikitikitavi in my literature book in Middle or High school but didn't comprehend at the time that it was part of The Jungle Book. The other stories were interesting too, though some held my attention far better than others. As for Mowgli's stories, I found it very interesting how different and yet similar it was to both Disney's animated movie and the more recent live action remake. It was especially interesting to me to notice where the remake got the inspiration for its changes, which, turns out, some of which were slightly more book accurate than the animated movie. Though I don't think either version of the movie drew inspiration from the final Mowgli story, I can now see how Andy Serkis's Jungle Book (which I haven't seen, but have heard about from people who have seen it) can get away with being really violent and gritty, because that story actually was a tad violent at the end. Overall, I enjoyed the first half of this collection more than the second half. I did generally enjoy the whole thing enough to not completely skip anything, but unfortunately didn't love it as much as I was hoping to, which is why I'm giving it 3 stars. Other people will and have enjoyed it more than me, though, so if it looks good to you, I hope you'll give it a try. :) Content advisory: The main content concern is violence. Though not graphic, animals do fight and get hurt and sometimes die. The types of wounds dealt are often specified but not described in detail. Blood gets mentioned in passing somewhat frequently, though, especially in the final Mowgli story. Mention of animals being skinned as well, with a little detail given in a couple instances. I personally wouldn't recommend all of these stories to young children who are animal lovers and might be bothered by animals being hurt or killed. I recall no swearing or sexual content. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jan 02, 2021
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Jan 11, 2021
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Dec 17, 2020
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Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||||
| 0525653589
| 9780525653585
| 0525653589
| 4.69
| 15,625
| May 2011
| Sep 15, 2020
|
it was amazing
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Wow, wow, wow. I just finished listening to the readalong (still on Youtube or Facebook, but Andrew Peterson also said he's going to be recording audi
Wow, wow, wow. I just finished listening to the readalong (still on Youtube or Facebook, but Andrew Peterson also said he's going to be recording audiobooks soon, so there's that to look forward to!) and all I can say is wow. I can't say much about the story itself because doing so would involve massive spoilers for those who haven't read the books, or haven't read this one yet, but I'm completely blown away. This story was so beautiful, and sad, and happy, and touching. I felt all the emotions, and cried, and just loved it so much. Peterson does such an amazing job touching on deep spiritual truths, specifically, in this case, discovering hope where there seems to be none, courage in the face of extreme danger, and what it looks like to love beyond surface appearance, and love so deeply one is willing to sacrifice oneself for others. An extra special thing about listening to the readalong was that Peterson pulled out his guitar and actually sang a very touching song featured near the end of the story. Pretty sure everyone listening cried, including him, and it was wonderful. I'd listened to him and his daughter sing the song together on Youtube before, but now knowing the context in which is was sung... *sniffles* Now it has a whole new depth of meaning. <3 I truly can't wait to find out what happens in the fourth and final book. Having finally gotten physical copies of the books, I know the last one is much thicker than the others, and I'm tempted to go on and read it myself, but hearing the author's own interpretation of the words (and getting to hear his fun accents) is so fun, I'll be patient and wait until he does the final readalong. Content Advisory: These books are intended for Middle Grade children, however, I will note that they can get emotionally intense at times, and battle and killing happens. Every child is different and some may be able to handle it while others may be scared or upset by it. While they are not too much for me as an adult (who can still be sensitive to graphic violence) I'll be honest that I probably would have been too sensitive to read these books when I was at the intended age. The details: No sexual content or swearing. Spiritual: The Maker (this world's name for God) is referenced multiple times, just like in the previous books. It is made clear the he is an all knowing, ever wise, and loving Maker who will work everything together for good those who serve him. Up till this point in the books, who or what exactly Nag the Nameless is has been left up in the air, but it is finally revealed that (view spoiler)[ he is human. Not goblin, not fang, and not any kind of spiritual entity. However, he has figured out how to use some special stones in a corrupted way in order to create mutant creature for his armies. (hide spoiler)] Violence: There is a fair amount of violence and threats of violence, and some non-fang blood in this one, specifically toward the end. In swearing an oath of sorts, Nia cuts her hand and puts her bloody handprint on a tree among many other, older handprints. Children sometimes push, shove, and fight with fists. Only a little described. The Igibys are under constant suspicion and threat of harm by the people of the Hollows who are afraid Cal in his current form is a threat to them. Blood mentioned in relation to chickens that have been killed and eaten. Barely described. The cloven's (sp?) cave is filled with bones and nasty smells. Two prominent characters are almost hanged based upon an unproven accusation of murder. (No murder was actually committed.) This could be intense for some children as they get all the way to the gallows and have the ropes placed around their necks before the almost-execution gets interrupted at the last minute. The bear-like cloven has a description that could be scary to some children. Fangs get shot with arrows and also pulled off a boat and drowned. Minor description. A creature gets shot by many arrows. There are a few mentions of the arrows sticking out of its hide, and also multiple mentions of the fact that the creature is bleeding and apparently dying. Mention of blood on the ground underneath it. The same creature later gets stabbed in the gut with a sword up to the hilt. Again, there are a few mentions of blood in relation to its injuries. I feel that I must reveal this one spoiler because it increases the emotional intensity of what is going on, but PLEASE NOTE that this is a HUGE SPOILER. DO NOT CLICK THE FOLLOWING SPOILER TAG UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE SPOILED FOR THE BIG TWIST OF THIS BOOK!!! (view spoiler)[ The bear-like cloven, aka the creature that I said gets shot and stabbed and is dying gets revealed to be the Igiby children's long lost father, transformed into a mutant creature just like Cal/Tink was. His final moments are very emotional and sad, but touching. He ultimately sacrifices himself to save his children, wife, and the people of the Hollow by continuing to fight despite his mortal wounds and finally swimming after the boat that took the children, defeating the bad buys on it, and then disappearing under the water. (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 20, 2020
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Nov 07, 2020
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Oct 20, 2020
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Hardcover
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my rating |
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| 4.29
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really liked it
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May 05, 2024
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Apr 22, 2024
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| 4.19
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it was amazing
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Apr 20, 2024
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Apr 15, 2024
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| 3.60
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it was amazing
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Dec 29, 2023
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Jul 14, 2023
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| 4.70
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it was amazing
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Apr 20, 2023
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Mar 25, 2023
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| 4.58
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it was amazing
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Jul 06, 2019
not set
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Mar 11, 2023
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| 4.30
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it was amazing
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Dec 27, 2022
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Dec 22, 2022
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| 3.78
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liked it
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Aug 31, 2022
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Aug 26, 2022
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| 3.98
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liked it
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May 07, 2022
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Apr 19, 2022
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| 4.55
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really liked it
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Mar 15, 2022
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Feb 10, 2022
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| 3.96
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it was amazing
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Nov 29, 2021
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Nov 18, 2021
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| 3.89
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really liked it
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Oct 26, 2021
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Oct 21, 2021
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| 4.13
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it was amazing
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Oct 20, 2021
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Oct 05, 2021
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| 4.26
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really liked it
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Aug 04, 2021
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Jul 27, 2021
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| 3.80
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it was amazing
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Jan 09, 2022
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Jun 01, 2021
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| 4.21
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really liked it
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May 24, 2021
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Apr 25, 2021
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|||||
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| 4.43
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really liked it
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Apr 26, 2021
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Apr 01, 2021
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|||||
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| 3.93
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not set
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Feb 10, 2021
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||||||
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| 4.25
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it was amazing
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Jun 14, 2021
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Dec 30, 2020
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| 4.01
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liked it
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Jan 11, 2021
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Dec 17, 2020
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| 4.69
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it was amazing
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Nov 07, 2020
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Oct 20, 2020
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