Book Review: "The Chestnut King" by N.D. Wilson

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Henry has to find a way to defeat Nimiane with the help of his friends and family.

REGARDING HENRY

Henry has a few moments where we see his personality. We admits he doesn't know how to act around his siblings because he has always been an only child. Again, I would rather see this in action multiple times instead of just being told about it.

Other feelings seem out of the blue and disjointed. Like when he is confronted by a son of Nimiane and thinks that a part of him really just wants to fight and get it over with. And yet he has never had those feelings before.

In another scene he is suddenly sarcastic. Another, he is suddenly bold and commanding. He never recognizes these behaviors as erratic so I just chalk it up to bad writing.

It's not that he's unlikable. He shows doubt, fear, and bravery. He seems heartfelt when he apologizes to his grandmother. But there is no natural development to any of these things. So I just feel indifferent about him.

RELATIONSHIPS

There is more talking about things then showing them. Henry recalls to Zeke how his father is teaching him and how strange it is to have a father. But there are no scenes where we see this awkwardness in effect. Not even any flashbacks.

In another scene he recalls some things about his father, but it's all in past tense. So I felt disconnected from his feelings. I didn't get to see these facts being learned, just had them recited to me after the fact.

UNCLE FRANK'S STORY

Uncle Frank and his family get taken by force on a ship. We don't learn much about him except for one scene where we meet a man named Roderick. The man rails against Frank's family, saying that trouble falls them everywhere they go. But he doesn't really present any evidence and I felt like I only got the beginning of a story.

Also Frank spouts some weirdly vague sayings that just make him look dense. He did this in the first book but that was before any trouble happened. So it just came off as eccentric then.

FAT FRANK-SPOILERS

Fat Frank is slowly losing his magic and will eventually die. This ties into the ending but fortunately I didn't really care since I wasn't fond of him.

HENRY'S SECRET

Henry has been sneaking back to Kansas to play ball with Zeke. Henrietta says she knows about it, but this secret isn't of any importance. Henry never gets caught and its of no real importance.

NIMIANE'S SISTER

Henry ends up meeting Nimiane's sister, Nia but we don't learn anything really important. Just that she and her sister were sealed up here long ago.

THE ROT-SPOILERS

The blood of the witch is still in Henry, and he only has so much time before it gets to his brain and he goes crazy or dies. Either way its bad. Henry feels so overwhelmed that he just shuts his feelings away. But this isn't from any pattern of behavior that we have seen from him and it's never mentioned again. Nor does his father take note while this happens in front of him.

RICHARD

We get a mention of Richard's past and how horrible it was. But Richard himself never talks about how his parents were gone, but he was left to control the estate like a puppet. It's only vaguely mentioned.

BIG BROTHER

Henry meets his big brother James, but they don't spend much time together. He isn't a distinct character either.

GRANDMA ANASTASIA

Henry's grandmother has the ability to connect to people in their dreams just like Henry. She appears multiple times in the book to give her grandson advice and direction. It's nice she had such a big role, but I didn't feel like they had any relationship prior to this. It would have been nice if he had confided in her about his dreams and his feelings. They should have had a connection before this book.

PACING

There are multiple stories, like last time. We get Henry's, Uncle Frank's and Henrietta's. Although I don't feel this helped, as I still felt that the story was slow. Again, no cliffhanger endings and the stories awkwardly all end up together.

HENRIETTA'S STORY

We see more of Una and Penelope in this book. But I didn't really notice any relationships form nor see any personalities. As such, I had little interest in their stories. Even more so than the other two. I had hoped Henry, Henrietta and Zeke would develop in the later books. But since this is the last, I knew these characters wouldn't. There was no hoping.

A VILLAIN TO FEAR?

Near the climax, Henrietta is being taken to the Queen. And even knowing her kidnapper is capable of great evil, she actually taunts him. It comes off looking as if he is no threat and she isn't scared of any repercussions. The same thing happens again, this time when she sees Nimaine herself. Henrietta calls her a name, because she knows that she will be safe, for some reason.

THE CHESTNUT KING'S OFFER

When Henry meets the chestnut king he gets an offer to stay with him. If he does, time will stop for him and the witch's blood will not kill him. Henry ponders this but there is no real chance of him taking the offer. So I didn't really take any interest. In order for these ultimatum scenes to be compelling, there must be some doubt in the readers mind about the choice to be made.

CLIMAX

Henry's friends are all taken to the Queen. Henry confronts her and defeats her. The scene feels long and drawn out but there is no suspense nor sense of urgency. Then Henry gives Fat Frank a gift that saves his life.

PROLOGUE

Henry, now an adult, is shown using his baseball skills to earn a place on a team. His girlfriend says she thinks that he can throw faster but doesn't. I didn't quite get the reason for this scene. How did Henry get so good? Did it have something to do with his magical abilities? There is no reference to being particularly good at baseball before this. Then he takes her back to Kansas with him, and she mentions a story about a boy that disappeared. I guess he is bringing her to meet his family.

This part just felt disjointed. There is no explanation to how he went missing and yet came back and also had a life and got a girlfriend.

CONCLUSION

The story somehow has no sense of urgency even with three stories going on at once. And although Henry does show emotions, it just never feels natural but instead out of the blue. Also, we keep being told things instead of shown them when it comes to relationships. I give “The Chestnut King” one and a half stars.