Book Review: "Emlyn's Moon" by Jenny Nimmo

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

When Nia and her family move from her farm to the city, she makes friends with a boy named Emlyn. But there seems to be a secret regarding his mother and her connection to Nia's friend, Gwyn.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Nia lacks confidence due to her siblings making fun of her. She is not musical or book smart like two of her sisters are. So perhaps she feels average by comparison.

Emlyn lives alone with his artist father in an old chapel. He eventually reveals his feelings about his mother and his mixed feelings about residing with his father.

Gwyn isn't the main character in this story. He becomes friends with Nia but doesn't get on with Emlyn. He plays an important role as he reveals to Nia about his Aunt (Emlyn's mother) and how his family was involved with her. Also he is important to the climax of the story.

Nain reveals information of the past and is the first one to encourage Nia.

PACING

The pacing of the story is slower. The only thing that helps is perhaps the suspense regarding Emlyn's mother and waiting for the blowback of one of Nia's lies to be uncovered.

UNWANTED

After returning to Emlyn and his father a second time, Nia suddenly feels unwanted. She says nothing but gets the impression that since she didn't bring her dog or her clothes (to be drawn in) that she is not good enough.

I understood the message that was trying to be given: Nia has no confidence in herself. But it felt way out of proportion. She barely knows these people to be able to read their motivations. It's not as if there was some misunderstanding. She just reads way too much into this interaction.

I felt the character would have been better served to overreact to something that could have more easily been misinterpreted.

PROMISE BROKEN-SPOILERS

Nia promises to Emlyn that he can have her dog but comes home only to see him already being taken by someone else. She is upset but instead of telling Emlyn keeps quiet on it. It reinforces her lack of confidence. She thinks of Emlyn learns she broke her promise then he wont want to be friends anymore.

I understood why she would do this, as children we often fear telling the truth if we do something wrong because we fear the anger we may receive. But I just kept coming back to the root of it and asking, why does she feel so unloved and unwanted?

EMLYN & NIA

Emlyn gradually comes to know Nia and confides in her about his mother. But their relationship suffers when Nia lies to him and he finds out about it.

EMLYN & GWYN

Since they both are cousins, you think they would get on or at least be acquaintances. But it seems there is something bad between them and they rarely speak. This is one major plot point that pushes the story.

NIA'S ART TROUBLES-SPOILERS

During the first part of the book, Nia's class is assigned an assignment that is open ended. She can write, draw, do anything artistic. But she doesn't feel like she is good at anything. So throughout the story she gets into trouble while trying to complete the project.

Firstly, by taking her brothers sock, cutting it, and then flushing it down the toilet to get rid of the evidence. It made no sense to me. Why wouldn't she have thrown it into the garbage and buried it so no one would have seen it?

I suppose she is just a kid but she came off as stupid. The second one was silly and involved her stealing but I could see her thinking she could get away with it.

MAGIC

Emlyn gets to see his mother through a spider web and Nia sees a reflection that is not her own. The first has a huge impact on the story while the second does not. Either way, magic takes a back seat in the story until the end.

NIA'S CONCLUSION

Nia's art project that she struggles with finally comes back at the end of the story. It serves to show she has grown as she actually succeeds and gets praise. While throughout the story, she struggles with her feelings of inferiority. I think it was supposed to be merely the icing on the cake, as her real accomplishments are regarding uniting two families while reuniting Emlyn with his mother.

EMLYN'S MOTHER-SPOILERS

When we finally find Emlyn's mother it turns out she is a little odd. She refuses to see her husband or son but it's only because she is embarrassed that she never leaves her house. She has become a shut in and doesn't seem mentally stable.

I am not quite sure why she turned out that way. I mean, it's hinted at that she left because she couldn't live in a house without electricity or something so supposedly her marriage unraveled because her husband refused to get a full time job to take care of his family.

And when Nia brings up the idea that she is nuts, Gwyn just brushes her off saying she was just protecting her baby like a mother hen. I found his view rather unbelievable.

EIRLYS' SEEDS-SPOILERS

Turns out that Eirlys planted seeds and the children of the other world must come back. I was surprised as this hadn't really been mentioned. It certainly didn't seem to be weighing on Gwyn's mind throughout the story.

CLIMAX

Gwyn reveals his fear to Nia about the children from another world. Together they set out to save Emlyn, who they believe is vulnerable. Finally, a family is reunited.

CONCLUSION

I found Nia and Emlyn both to be sympathetic characters, although I never quite understood why Nia lacked confidence so much. The broken family was an interesting dynamic but I do wish there had been some reference to it in the previous book. Just a sentence or two mentioning that Gwyn had a cousin at least.

I appreciate how Gwyn finally seemed to realize that the children from another world were a threat (as opposed to last time when he didn't understand this until the last few pages.)

Also, I found the reuniting of Emlyn and his family as anticlimatic, as I didn't even get to see it happen. It's merely summarized as an after thought, even though it had been painted as a crucial part of the story.

I give “Emlyn's Moon” two and half stars.

Book Review: "The Snow Spider" by Jenny Nimmo

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Gwyn is just trying to deal with his dysfunctional family years after a loved one went missing. But when he receives seemingly useless gifts from his grandmother he learns he may be descended from less than a normal family.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Gwyn is a young boy who lives on a farm with his parents. His relationship with his father is tense and he spends most of his time avoiding him and trying not to cause drama. He is rather sensitive but tries to hide it from people but it's revealed how fragile he is when a friend rejects him.

Alun is Gwyn's best friend and his only confidante, other than his grandmother.

Nain is Gwyn's grandmother. She is close to the family and alittle eccentric. She is the one who reveals the familys' heritage.

Eirlys is a new girl at Gwyn's school who befriends him and his family.

PACING

This isn't an action orientated story and most of the story is pushed forward by suspense. Mainly by the tension between Gwyn and his father and the mystery of what happened to the sister.

FATHER AND SON

The struggling relationship between Gwyn and his father is a major theme of the book. From first introducing the source of his father's anger and eventually revealing why it has so much to do with Gwyn.

There are scenes were we see that Gwyn desires to be close to his father again: firstly when he witnesses his father showing kindness to another child. This reveals he believes he will never have the intimate relationship he used to have. And he shouldn't even be able to witness it occurring with another child.

Secondly when his father stands up for him when he is accused of bullying. This scene reveals Gwyn's surprise but pleasure at having his father act like an actual father.

ALUN & GWYN-SPOILERS

Gwyn reveals what is happening to him and his upset when his friend refuses to believe him. Alun seems to be Gwyn's only friend, so it would make sense that Gwyn would get so upset over it.

However, I do wish their friendship would have been revealed before their disagreement. Perhaps through flashbacks, showing how Alun comforted him when he went through the tragedy that occurred years ago. As I knew nothing of their relationship, I just had to assume they had known each other and got on for a long time.

EIRLYS-SPOILERS

Gwyn's new friend is presented as a mystery. She oddly resembles his late sister and her presence adds suspense but also adds confusion. No one ever just comes out and asks who she really is or says that she could possibly be Bethan (the sister).

I thought perhaps this was supposed to be mysterious but I thought it made things unclear. I wanted them to discuss it and how crazy it all was. It could have added an interesting dynamic to Gwyn and his parents.

Also, I wanted Gwyn to struggle with this mystery as well. Instead, he takes it all in stride. And it's not until the end does he even have any anxiety.

GWYN'S SPIDER-SPOILERS

Gwyn gets a spider that can spin silver webs and show moving images through them. She places an important role, as she reveals a secret place. Also she reveals a girl who looks like his sister.

THE HORSE GOES FREE-SPOILERS

One of Gwyn's gift is a horse figurine with broken ears and tail. Nain tells him that it's evil. But Gwyn ends up letting is loose on accident and is suddenly rather reckless. He wants it to bring back his spider, which he had grown very close to. Although he does regret it later when he goes to visit Nain.

GWYN'S MOTHER

The main focus is on Gwyn's father as his mother is rather cowed as we learn straight away. She tries to give her son a birthday party only to have her husband complain. She doesn't really stand up to him.

The only other interaction between mother and son was when she claimed to have killed his spider. His reaction was hysterical and I wish the author had taken the time to cause the mother to attempt to comfort him. This should have set off alarm bells but she never does anything.

A STRANGE PLACE-SPOILERS

Gwyn learns of a strange place where only children live, with silver hair and pale skin. It's unclear whether this is another planet, dimension, afterlife, or anything. I really wanted to learn more and was disappointed that Gwyn didn't ask more.

I contrast this to “The Leap” by Stroud where I actually didn't care what the foreign place was. All of the questions just made me more interested and the pacing of the story made my questions take a back seat.

THE BULLY

After being betrayed by a friend, Gwyn gets bullied buy a group of boys. I thought it was an interesting aspect to see that he didn't run or try to talk his way out of it. He was very stoic but I wish I had learned if he had ever been previously bullied.

Perhaps it was vaguely mentioned who the bully was because he had bullied Gwyn before but I didn't get to learn about any details. The end result was exciting and unexpected but I think it would have had more impact if I had information of previous instances.

CLIMAX

Gwyn accidentally starts a massive storm and tries to trap the being that escaped the horse. But there are unintended consequences when someone else gets caught in it. After this is resolved Gwyn has to say goodbye to a new friend.

AFTERMATH-SPOILERS

After everything is settled, Eirlys reveals she has to return to her new home. Gwyn goes with her and suddenly realizes they want to take him too. But the event is over quite fast and he never fears Eirlys or sees her as a perversion of who she used to be. I think it was played down because it wasn't supposed to be as important as the storm and the horse.

CONCLUSION

I like the story idea, a boy discovering he is descended from wizards and a sister lost.

Gwyn is likable but I don't feel like he has any strong relationships with anyone. Not his mother or Alun. The one who is closest to is Nain but they never really grow to understand each other.

Perhaps the story was meant to focus on his father as the ending was supposed to show that their relationship had healed.

Also, I wish there had been more tension between Gwyn and Eirlys. I felt he should have desired answers more, or at least reacted more strongly when he realized the truth about her. I wanted him to not want her to leave or be in denial about her. Or something. Just strong feelings.

I get the idea was for him and his father to both heal, but I just didn't get that impression.

I give “The Snow Spider” two and half stars.

Book Review: "The Stowaway" by Geno Salvatore

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Maimun is on the run from a demon named Asbeel. He doesn't know why he is special and would rather not be, as it has hurt everyone he has ever known. And it seems this pattern may repeat itself even as he tries to prevent it.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Maimun is a young man who has spent most of his life not asking questions about himself. He desires to see more of the world and to be treated as an equal by Perrault.

Asbeel is a demon who desires an item that Maimun has been given. He will do anything, including kill, in order to get it. Not much is known about him.

Drizzt is an elf we don't learn much about. For some reason, he doesn't expose Maimun when he breaks the law.

Perrault looks after Maimun as a child and takes care of him for years. He can do magic and is quite capable even to the point of bluffing, lying and other less savory tactics. He considers protecting Maimun to be of utmost importance, even if it means screwing other people over.

PACING

The pacing starts fast, as Maimun running for his life. It slows down when he flashes back to his infancy, where he meets Perrault. But things take off not long after. The story is definitely action orientated.

STRUCTURE

The way the story is told is kind of strange. I understand the reasoning, as flashing back to the past often helps the pacing of the story while revealing personal and important information. But it just didn't have the intended effect.

The storys' present is Maimun sitting in a bar being threatened by a pirate who wants to kill him. So Maimun demands he tell his story before he be killed. But honestly, he wasn't very convincing and I didn't get why he wasn't just killed. His story is not essential to the pirate at all.

After that, we go to the end of his relationship with Perrault. And then back to when he was born and first met Perrault. And then back to their relationship ending. So to keep track we are going to three different time periods.

I think the story actually should have started at chapter seven, where Maimun describes not knowing his parents and the mysterious and dangerous events that surrounded him since birth. I found that more interesting, even if the pacing was slower.

A DEATH

Near the beginning of the story, Maimun realizes he just got someone killed. Unfortunately the reader has no idea who Maimun is, let alone the character he got killed. So it means nothing. And when he flash back and slowly get to the know the character and witness his injury and eventual death, we are just waiting for it. It's not a shock, since we already knew it was coming.

Basically, I think the pattern of storytelling was a big mistake.

BACK TO THE PRESENT

Once or twice, the story goes back to the Maimun in the present. It serves no purpose, although perhaps it was trying to make it seem more realistic, like he was being threatened while telling the story. But it just felt unnecessary.

MYSTERIOUS ITEM-SPOILERS

Maimun learns that the item he has been given halfway through the story and told to guard over, has amazing powers (he actually learns this early on, but then we flash back to the beginning).

A SUDDEN CLOSENESS

Maimun feels an inexplicable closeness to Drizzt, a character that is barely in the story. He gets a few pages, then is gone permanently. And yet Maimun expresses such a strong affection for him that makes no sense.

To be fair, I think he points out that he doesn't really know him. But the description of his affection wasn't just illogical, it was cringe worthy.

Drizzt senses that he is an orphan and says he will get a new family. And yet, such sentiments seem unwarranted and feel forced. Nothing so deep was expressed about Perrault, a man who was actually close to Maimun.

SIX YEARS

Maimun reveals he spent six years with Perrault, traveling all over. But he doesn't reveal much about their relationship or himself during those times. So I guess nothing really happened. We are just meant to know that Perrault became his foster-father.

FATHER & SON-SPOILERS

There is some complexity between the relationship between Perrault and Maimun. When pirates attack a ship they are on Maimun learns that Perrault was the one who sent for him. Turns out if they take charge, they will take the ship to where he wants (as opposed to the captain). Maimun is furious when he realizes this but they don't discuss this for long as other events quickly unfold.

THE LECTURE

Perrault lectures Maimun about using his time well when he doesn't get around to reading a book. I actually thought this would come back later to be meaningful to the plot. But it never did.

MAIMUN'S FRIEND

Maimun meets a girl on the ship that he and Perrault hitch a ride on. But they are basically acquaintances, so when Maimun sees her later in pain because of Perrault, his anger doesn't have the affect on the reader as I wish it would. If he had gotten close to her and known her longer, then it would have had such a greater impact, and Maimun's fury would be better understood.

ABOUT MAIMUN-SPOILERS

Maimun doesn't feel that deep of a character. He spends years with Perrault, but just kind of ignores his own past. And it's not until the climax that he shows any fury at his fate (which he has no control over). And he quickly admits he has no choice in it so just accepts it.

And when he is targeted by a bounty hunter, he thinks that he doesn't want to put the other sailors at risk. But he barely knows them. I wish there was some time to form an actual friendship. Instead we just keep learning that Maimun is a victim and cannot make friends, because they would get hurt.

A PRIESTESS

Maimun goes for help for Perrault to a woman named Jaide. She ends up fighting Asbeel and risking her life, but again, it doesn't feel like a sacrifice because we don't know her. And she gives him some vague advice: “Run away. You'll be lucky.” Not much help.

CLIMAX-SPOILERS

Maimun fails at the one task he has been given and then Asbeel shows up. But instead of killing Maimun, he inquires to the item he came for, annoyed at his preys incompetence. The story ends with this cliff hanger.

CONCLUSION

The story was interesting but was hampered by the way it was told.

There is plenty of action regarding pirates, the Demon Asbeel and an amazing horse that runs over water. As well as suspense regarding the item that Maimun receives and it's strange abilities.

But I wish there had been more to the relationship between Perrault and Maimun or there had been a chance for Maimun to become friends with someone. His only relationship is with his foster-father and it doesn't feel important enough to carry the story.

I give “The Stowaway” two and half stars.