Book Review: "Stargazer" by Patrick Carman

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Alexa finally arrives at the Five Stone Pillars. She may have defeated Abaddon, but he is back, in the form of a sea monster. And he is determined to destroy the pillars.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Alexa and Yipes are our only returning characters. And they are separated for a small portion of the book. Although the books doesn't emphasize their relationship, it still mentions their unique bond.

NEW CHARACTERS

Matilda is the first person Alexa meets, and she becomes like a big sister to her. Physically, she is as quite small, but she can often be bold, which surprises Alexa. Upon meeting Yipes, she seems to have a slight crush.

Jonezy is the same little boy who was at the orphanage as Roland and Thomas. But now he is all grown up. He is a leader to the people on the pillars. He is at first upset with Alexa and confused to why she is here, and why she brought a monster with her.

Alistair Wakefield is just a legend to Alexa. She learns about how he lived here but eventually went to live and be alone on another pillar, and died long ago.

Marco is a young boy who dislikes Yipes, causing Alexa to become suspicious of him when a secret attempt is made on her life.

PACING

The pacing isn't all that fast throughout, but it enters fast enough. We only get two chapters before disaster strikes. Carman shows he isn't afraid to kill off his characters, once again. And we still get a few of his good chapter endings that force you to read on.

ALEXA'S RELATIONSHIP-SPOILERS

Throughout each book so far, I have felt there has been something lacking: a friendship with someone Alexa's own age, and a love interest. And it seems we finally have one of those in this last one. Unfortunately, it comes a little too late. And Marco really isn't in the book that much. Mostly in the second half, and slightly throughout.

A character named Phylo plays an important part in the book, although he, himself, really isn't in the book much. I would have liked Marco to play that role instead, and maybe have Alexa have to learn to trust him gradually, instead of, all at once, which happens instead.

The majority of Alexa's relationships have been mentoring relationships: Armon, John Christopher, Warvold, and even Pervis Kotcher. Although Kotcher started out as an antagonist, he became an ally. Besides, Yipes, all of her friends were animals, which I think limited her experiences slightly.

Even Carman seems to notice that, and inserts a scene where Alexa makes friends with girls her own age. But they are nameless and have no part in the story.

PRINCESS ALEXA-SPOILERS

When Alexa tells Jonezy who her father is, he is shocked. He says that Thomas Warvold was their leader and who they relied on to bring supplies. Alexa is overwhelmed at the idea of being so important. Jonezy says her father was like a king, which would make her a princess. Even so, she rises to the challenge, revealing their plan to defeat Abaddon, knowing only her lineage will give her the credit she needs to be believed.

ALEXA'S SECRET

In the beginning of the story, we learn that Alexa can now how hear Abaddon, instead of Elyon. I thought this really should have affected her more, psychologically. After all, replacing Elyon with Abaddon seems like a big deal. But there is never a scene where Alexa wonders how long she will hear it, how much, and what that says about her.

A SATISFYING ENDING?-SPOILERS

The story goes on a few chapters after the climax: defeating Abaddon. Not a surprise. Carman tends not to let any loose endings go untied. The plan itself enfolds well, forcing Alexa to take the lead and still reply on her friends. But it was the chapters after that I'm mostly critiquing. Carman summarizes Alexa's new friendship with Marco, saying they become great friends. I wish this had been developed throughout the book, and not simply summarized as an afterthought.

Also, Alexa was very hesitant to reveal her lineage, and it takes an emergency for her to do so. But when it comes to what she will do now, she takes on the role of the next leader and transporter of goods without any hesitation. I found this slightly puzzling, assuming her hesitation of revealing her lineage had to to do with her not wanting to take the responsibility. Instead, it's revealed she does this for years to come and was always meant to do this. It felt too neat to me.

And what about home? What about her foster father? Her two mothers? Pervis Kotcher? Her stepbrother? I do wish these characters had scenes or mentions. I felt so far away from the first book and Alexa's family. She feels rather young, but seems to have found an occupation for the rest of her life. It just felt forced. Maybe a little too perfectly tied up with a bow. When it says she found her way home, I remember thinking, she was lost? I guess I didn't realize how unhappy she was at her home with her family.

EXPLICIT CONTENT

A character dies. It isn't described in detail. Another character has a knife used on her.

CONCLUSION

Alexa's journey comes to an end, defeating Abaddon for a second time, and discovering a new world. But the character development felt all at once, and slightly unrealistic. The same with her relationship with Marco. But the world Carman paints is original and he manages to bring Elyon back into the story, weaving together the pillars in an ending that only a Creator could foresee. I give “Stargazer” three stars.

What do you think? Have you read this book? Agree or disagree with me on any of my points? Or just have an insight? Please let me know, by commenting.

Book Review: "Into the Mist" by Patrick Carman

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Before Alexa was born, the Warvold brothers, Roland and Thomas lived in an orphanage. There they are treated like slaves and made to hunt through trash heaps to earn their meals. One day they find an item that urges them to leave and discover the unknown. From there they go to amazing places, like an underground lake of fire, a towering building of a maze, and a place outside of time.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Thomas is the more adventurous of the two brothers. He often acts first and thinks later. He loves to draw and paint. He has a blank book that's special to him, as its the only thing that is really his since growing up in an orphanage.

Roland is more cautious than Thomas, and it's through his eyes that we see the story. He admires his brother and wants more for them. Often times, Roland compliments his brother by being the one to stop and examine things, while Thomas would rather just barge in.

Thorn is a wild cat that was found and tamed by a cruel man, who uses her for his own purposes. She is rather curt with the brothers at first, but eventually opens up and tells them her past. She learns to respect and care for them, putting her life on the line. Her blunt way of speaking is rather distinct, but its her past and her confusion over her freedom that endears her to the reader.

PACING

The pacing is decent. By chapter three they have found the odd item that will push them to their journey. By chapter five the boys decide they are leaving. Carman creates many good cliff-hanger endings for his chapters that urge you to turn the page. Only near the end of the book did this taper off and leave me a little restless.

NO SET VILLAIN

The story is really a discovery story. We don't go on a quest to defeat an enemy, but to gain knowledge. At first, it just involves the item, but it evolves into something much more important. The story doesn't suffer for it, because we understand that this all happened before Alexa. And to me, solving the mystery of the item was enough to sustain my interest.

BACK AND FORTH

The story sometimes goes back and fourth, from the main story of the brothers, to Alexa being told the story on the ship with the present day Roland. These chapters were very short, but I still felt they were kind of unnecessary. I skimmed them, knowing nothing of any real significance was going to occur. I think perhaps Carman wanted to remind the reader that this book was just an interlude, and Alexa is still our main character. But I'm not sure that it was needed.

RELATIONSHIPS

Carman does a good job of portraying the relationship between Thomas and Roland. We see their personalities contrasted in many situations. And both develop as the journey progresses. But there are a few occasions where the writing seems awkward, and their is a time or two when the phrase “brotherly love” is used. It just feels clunky, like he's trying to explain what he should be showing.

As for Thorn, she is used as more than a guide and an informant about Elyon and Abaddon. She is the first being the boys have meant that actually puts herself into harms way for them. Roland explains how this changed him and his brother and I thought that was significant. Two often in stories I read, characters almost die for their friends, and no one seems to react like a real person. They just say thanks and the author hurries onto the next action-packed scene, not wanting bore us with a characters feelings and reactions.

THE CLIMAX

If you are reading the story alone, without the previous books, I understand how the climax may feel underwhelming. Put in context, it sets up the next book, where we learn about the origin of where Alexa is heading. Even so, I thought it dragged on a bit too long, a whole five chapters before coming to a close.

THORN'S WISDOM

As I mentioned, Thorn is also an informant on Elyon. Her information is never boring, but I thought it was rather odd when she said that Elyon and Abaddon could not exist without one another. It seems obvious that Carman is drawing on the Judaeo-Christian tradition, and yet here he seems to get rather Eastern in his philosophy. I don't feel it was intentional, as there were no other elements of Eastern philosophy in any of the other books.

On a positive note, I fully enjoyed Thorn's tale about the chained bear. I thought it was rather insightful about her character, that she would tell a story to relate her feelings, instead of simply stating them outright. It was a simple tale, and still I realized I have read many childrens' books that never put in little nuggets like this, things to get you thinking. Although it was rather blunt, and a more poetic way might have been to have the story being told actually being witnessed first hand, and then applied to the main characters.

EXPLICIT CONTENT

There are two dogs that are kept as pets by the owners of the orphanage and it is referenced that sometimes they may harm children. They are used as threats.

CONCLUSION

Carman creates a prequel with likable characters that grow and change as the story progresses as well as an original tale with fantastic places. A feat that is surprisingly rare. The pacing is good, but the climax is slightly too slow in my opinion. The highlight for me was the relationship between the boys and Thorn. I give “Into the Midst” three and a half stars.

What do you think? Have you read this book? Agree or disagree with me on any of my points? Or just have an insight? Please let me know, by commenting.