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sindri_inn_arsaeli's reviews
1164 reviews
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
This one was.. interesting. I do love a well done wordless picture book, and I've seen some excellent ones. The detailed expression in something like the Korgi series by Christian Slade, or Mercer Mayer's A Boy, A Dog, and A Frog set come to mind. With this book, the illustration style is beautiful and I really liked the stark black and white. But it was difficult to track some of the specific characters. The adult humans would look d fferent based on the angle or their faces enough that sometimes I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be the same character or not, and it was hard to keep a good count of troop members because they spread out over to much space on some pages. I was also very unsure of the creature that was not really human. It was probably just a fun little thing to draw, but it felt disingenuous somehow. And for all the other threats faced, I did expect something to come from the volcano. All in all, fun illustrations, and I was hop ng for more, but not an especially driving tale.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Perfect and perf ctly devastating as all Suzanne Collins works are. My one gripe is that, while some characters fit well into the back story, I didn't like knowing that Effie Trinket has been at this gig for nearly 25 years. She felt, maybe not necessary younger in the original, but I definitely pictured her with less history with the games. Maybe it's just been too long since I read the original trilogy.
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Immensely enjoyable! Read by the author, who does an admirable job of bringing a lot of expression to the book, although there was less difference in character voices than some professional readers. But as the characters are all from the same small community and background, that doesn't detract from the story at all!
What I really enjoyed was that the story is clearly written as a fairy tale, and keeps that fairy tale feeling throughout the entire telling. And yet, through the majority of the book, the only "magic" that shows up is just knowledge: the ability to read, to follow a map, to use special tools like a compass. And yet superstition keeps the characters fearful of those who have the knowledge to do these specialized skills. The difference between superstition and folklore is a consistent theme which is really well explored. Highly recommend!
What I really enjoyed was that the story is clearly written as a fairy tale, and keeps that fairy tale feeling throughout the entire telling. And yet, through the majority of the book, the only "magic" that shows up is just knowledge: the ability to read, to follow a map, to use special tools like a compass. And yet superstition keeps the characters fearful of those who have the knowledge to do these specialized skills. The difference between superstition and folklore is a consistent theme which is really well explored. Highly recommend!
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read the original Earthsea books when I was in middle school, and they were a formative part of my early reading. This graphic novel is a beautiful retelling, but it does leave me yearning to go back and read the source again. The dark, soft artwork is a great match to LeGuin's original style, I did love how it reminded me of how her words showed me that fantasy didn't have to be bright and sharp and loud, like everything I'd read before. It could be soft, and reflective, and even powerful magic could be deeply subtle and quiet.
A fun book for those who might know the industry a little more, I was really only interested in Ole Evinrude, so once his part of the history was done being told I wasn't interested enough especially since I find oversized books harder to read.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
I love a good children's non fiction, especially picture books. But this one stood out as being non fiction with the gentle cadence of a bed time story. It moved at the same comfortable pace that I remember listening to my own dad tell me stories about him growing up and going camping, or working a farm. There was a bit of a story, and the soft little asides that adults give to help children understand a story. There were moments that almost became sing song, but not quite, like a well loved story told over and over. There were little connections to the humans in the city, like little connections parents make to their children in a bedtime story. A nice book at any time of day, but an especially charming bedtime book!
