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rosesandstuff's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Honestly just a weird read, but I think it would’ve been great if I was 12 or 13 reading it. A good intro to fantasy for someone in that age realm, if they can keep up what all the species and names. My only big “issue” was the weird random relationships the author establishes, I feel like all but one romantic attraction between two people were large age gaps (like the fairy who has lived 1000s of years and the human who is 24) but it didn’t impede my enjoyment, it was just a little icky to me personally.
Overall, this one just wasn’t for me, but I don’t think I fit the demographic anyway. I had read the inkheart trilogy when I was younger and loved it, so I’m sure if I found this book back then I would’ve loved it too. As an adult though, it was a quick read that solidifies I’m not that into fantasy.
Overall, this one just wasn’t for me, but I don’t think I fit the demographic anyway. I had read the inkheart trilogy when I was younger and loved it, so I’m sure if I found this book back then I would’ve loved it too. As an adult though, it was a quick read that solidifies I’m not that into fantasy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
theespressoedition's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
Honestly, I don't have much to say about this book aside from it was weird and I didn't enjoy it.
In the beginning, it felt like I was being thrown into the middle of the story. It was as if I was supposed to have additional information that I didn't have. There was no world-building so I had no clue why there were random fairytale characters mixed into it all. I was confused about everything.
The characters baffled me. Was I supposed to have any emotional connection to them? Because I certainly didn't. Their motive wasn't clear (aside from "save Will") and the way they went about certain tasks was baffling because, again, there was no further explanation. We were just supposed to understand why they did things the way they did.
It read like middle-grade but included cursing and one brief mention of sexual content. It was so simplistic it was actually a bit painful. If I hadn't been buddy-reading it, I would've DNF'd within the first couple of chapters.
I walked away confused and feeling as though I wasted my time. Huge bummer.
In the beginning, it felt like I was being thrown into the middle of the story. It was as if I was supposed to have additional information that I didn't have. There was no world-building so I had no clue why there were random fairytale characters mixed into it all. I was confused about everything.
The characters baffled me. Was I supposed to have any emotional connection to them? Because I certainly didn't. Their motive wasn't clear (aside from "save Will") and the way they went about certain tasks was baffling because, again, there was no further explanation. We were just supposed to understand why they did things the way they did.
It read like middle-grade but included cursing and one brief mention of sexual content. It was so simplistic it was actually a bit painful. If I hadn't been buddy-reading it, I would've DNF'd within the first couple of chapters.
I walked away confused and feeling as though I wasted my time. Huge bummer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death and Murder
ailsaod's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I listened to the audiobook in one go as I was stuck doing weekend working on my own. I was a bit wary about revisiting this series after reading book 3 back in 2020 and finding it extremely disappointing. Luckily this book was still quite enjoyable, though I could already see the aspects that made me dislike book 3 so much. I forgot just how much Jacob is. This guy is kind of insufferable and selfish and while he has his good traits too (he really does care for his brother and Fox!) he can be a little unlikable. Which is what makes if funnier that Funke often puts Jacob in situations where he gets injured - it feels like he is continually getting his instant karma for every time he is full of himself.
The world is interesting in these books - it is a portal fantasy and the Mirrorworld contains just about every European fairy tale, neither of which is really my thing but the execution was pretty decent. The narration of the audiobook was also good, although it was a little off putting how the accents were done. Why should a newspaper boy in Austria have a "'ello guv'nor" style accent? Why give some people accurate accents for where they are from but not others? Why do some of the goyl sound Russian but Kamien speaks with a posh English accent? I do think the range in nationalities and peoples present would stretch anyone but I found the lack of consistency a little off-putting.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, and Mass/school shootings
Minor: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Blood, and War
maren_hemsath's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
Minor: Addiction and Terminal illness