Book Review: "The Wrath of Mulgarath" by Holly Black

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

When the Grace children discover who the hostage of Mulgarath is, they know they must mount a rescue mission. They must finally find Arthur Spiderwick, and get some answers. And they must go to where the hostage is being kept, a castle among a massive junkyard. But there is more than Mulgarath and goblins to deal with, but dragons as well.

RETURNING CHARACTERS

Jared resolves his issues his his father by the end of the book. I thought for a main character, it made sense why all of the character development was focused on him.

Simon actually gets another opportunity to be a crucial part of the story. He has to do something very difficult for him, in particular. It's obvious when this happens.

Mallory plays the part she usually plays, the girl with the sword. She is useful, and she protects her brothers while harming a dragon. I appreciate how she is important to the story, but I still thought we never got to learn about her that much.

NEW CHARACTERS

Mulgarath is a massive ogre, almost resembling a tree. He is rather two dimensional. I can understand why he would hate humans because they rule the world and are much weaker. And the magical creatures must hide. But when he explains why he killed the dwarves, it doesn't make much sense. Perhaps if the story had been longer, we would have learned more about him.

Arthur Spiderwick finally makes his appearance. We know he cannot simply step and solve all of Jared's problems. He merely offers advice and shares some information about Mulgarath that later comes in handy. I appreciate that he wasn't built up, and then knocked down. Instead he was simply portrayed as an innocent man with an interest in faeries.

PACING

The pacing is good. Just as fast as the previous two rescue books from the series.

MEETING ARTHUR-SPOILERS

Jared goes to Arthur with mixed feelings. He previously wanted to hate him for abandoning his daughter, but now he needs him. Suddenly Arthur has risen much higher in his opinion. So to see it all come crashing down is sad, but not surprising. When Jared shows his desperation, we know that he must go on his own. He must face his fears.

Perhaps it would have been nice for Arthur to become a mentor character, but it was just too late in the story for that.

FAMILY TIES-SPOILERS

I appreciate that their mother was brought into the story in the last book. Most fantasy books I read have the parents completely in the dark about the activities of their children. Their interaction with their kids is minimum at most. I appreciate that Black realized that since the kids were going through a lot already, with the divorce and relocation, that there needed to be healing and closure in the family before the story ended.

THEME-SPOILERS

One theme that reoccurs is letting go of anger and moving on. For the entire book, Jared has held onto his anger to his father. Something happens in the climax in which Jared is forced to admit the truth: his dad is not going to change, realize he has been selfish and destroyed his family, and come home. And Jared has to recognize that and try to move on. It's terrible that a nine year old has to do that. I do wish that forgiveness would have been emphasized a little more. But it seems implied: when He see's how Lucinda treats her father, not with anger and a desire for revenge, but forgiveness and love.

CLIMAX

The location of the climax is a blend of a medieval castle and a junkyard. And instead of a long, drawn out battle with a beast that the kids probably wouldn't stand a chance against, we finally get to see Byron the Griffon in action. And Jared and Thimbletack have to think of a way to outsmart the giant ogre. Although the use of the sword does come into play.

CONCLUSION

Mulgarath was kind of a generic villain, but I appreciate the resolving of family issues, as well as including their mother in the story. I give “Mulgarath's Wrath” three and half stars.

What do you think? Have you read this book? Agree or disagree with any of my points? Please let me know!

Book Review: "The Ironwood Tree" by Holly Black

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Mallory is excited to have her first fencing competition, but Jared notices some odd behavior around him at the school. He investigates, but only finds trouble. He and Simon end up having to go underground and face a bunch of dwarves.

RETURNING CHARACTERS

Jared and Simon are the two main characters. The contrast between the brothers is on full display. We witness Jared giving into his temper, but for the first time, apologize instantly. He seems more aware of it. Also, we learn that Jared thinks of Simon is much smarter than him. Simon does get a chance to shine, where previously Jared was the one who solved most of the problems.

NEW CHARACTERS

Lord Korting is the king of the dwarves, who seems to think little of humans. Apparently, dwarves live much longer than humans, maybe forever, if kept from harm. I would have liked to learn more about them.

The knocker, a strange creature that resides underground and can hear information through the stones. He was barely in the story, and he seemed to come out of nowhere, make himself useful and then leave.

PACING

The pacing is just as good as the previous rescue mission in book two. There is a small part that relies on Simon solving a puzzle, but the rest of the book is more action.

THEME & PATTERN

The genre, not the theme, is a rescue mission. We tend to go from mystery to action and back again. Book one: mystery. Book two: rescue mission. Book three: mystery and confrontation. Book four: rescue mission.

CLIMAX

After finding what they came for, they still have to escape from the quarry. It's no easy feat, as its a maze. A knocker comes in and helps. And although I would have liked to learn more about it, we move onto the next problem fast. I expected more. But the chase scene was exciting and the resolution of the robot dogs was amusing.

CONCLUSION

Jared is developed slightly more and we gain insight into his feelings of abandonment by his mom. We learn more about Mulgarath, and the pacing is good. I give “The Ironwood Tree” three and a half stars.

What do you think? Have you read this book? Agree or disagree with any points I made? Please let me know!

Book Review: "Lucinda's Secret" by Holly Black

Note: Because this series has such short books in it, it is more set up like parts of a story. So I am going to review them like they are sections of one story, not a stand-alone story.

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

The Grace's go to visit Great-aunt Lucinda. Secrets are revealed, but also more questions. What really happened to Arthur Spiderwick? Did he abandon his daughter and leave her the mercy of the vengeful faeries? When they find a map, they decide to follow it and see where it leads in order to learn more. But trouble ensues.

RETURNING CHARACTERS

Jared is quite affected by the revelation that Arthur went missing and left Lucinda behind. He takes it personally, obviously comparing it to being abandoned by his father.

Simon's character doesn't show himself much. Except his naivete is revealed in one scene when he references his dad.

Mallory changes slightly during an event, she trusts that Jared has figured something out. Also, by the end of the book, she has changed her mind about the guide. There was one scene where her femininity came out slightly. I would like to see that more.

NEW CHARACTERS

Phooka is a shapeshifter they encounter. He speaks in riddles and is very Cheshire Cat-esque. It's impossible not to smile while reading his dialogue. He is more than just amusing though, he helps to direct the kids to the elves and gives Jared an idea about where Arthur Spiderwick is.

The elves are condescending and arrogant. They are bigoted against humans because of the way they chop down trees and destroy forests. They reveal they want the guide simply to prevent an ogre named Mulgarath from getting it.

Lucinda lives in an asylum. People think her to be nuts because she refuses to eat any food. She eagerly tells the children her story when they reveal they know about the faeries. She is kind but sad, still wondering why her father disappeared.

PACING

The pacing isn't as fast as book two, because the book is not the action part of the story. Since the last one was, it makes sense that this part of the story be balanced with questions and hints at what is to come.

THEME

Not really a theme, but a genre. Book three in the series presents a mystery like the first book. But this one also has an investigation, which leads to danger. Although this book is similar to book one, in which it ends with a hint at what is to come: further investigation into Arthur.

CLIMAX-SPOILERS

Again, not a traditional climax. Since the story is mainly an investigation part of the story, when the climax arises with trouble, it is easily and readily outwitted by Jared. But that it wasn't action packed wasn't the point. The point was to get information and come away unscathed, which we did.

CONCLUSION

This book probably has the best look into Jared's feelings. That is one of my favorite aspects. The phooka is charming and reminiscent of the Cheshire cat and the elves are arrogant enough to believe they are royals. I give “Lucinda's Secret” three and a half stars.

Book Review: "The Seeing Stone" by Holly Black

Note: Because this series has such short books in it, it is more set up like parts of a story. So I am going to review them like they are sections of one story, not a stand-alone story.

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Now that Simon and Jared have discovered the field guide and their first brownie, they learn more about the world around them. But this leads to trouble, when one gets kidnapped and the others have to mount a rescue mission.

RETURNING CHARACTERS

Jared and Mallory are in the book the most. They have to learn to work together, and they may get along worse than Simon and Jared do. In the first chapter, she makes a snide remark about him getting detention.

NEW CHARACTERS

Thimbletack, the brownie who they met in the end of the last book, returns. He serves a purpose, as he helps them find the seeing stone, which in turn, helps them rescue Simon.

The Troll is huge, creepy monster that lives in the stream. It is presented and later serves a purpose in the climax.

Hogsqueal is a goblin that seems different than the others. His eyes are different, and he has odd teeth. He says that he is a hobgoblin. It remains to be seen if he is trustworthy.

LIKABILITY

Jared still refers to Simon's animals as dumb. I kind of hoped that would stop. But he is still angry and there is still time for him to mature. Mallory yells at her brothers to shut up, which just shows her temper is similar to Jared's. Hopefully, she will change, seeing how the story is still in it's infancy.

THEME

Again, not a theme. But a genre. It's basically the first adventure the kids go on. The first time they have to work together to solve a problem.

CLIMAX-SPOILERS

I think the climax of their first confrontation was done well. We see Simon's compassion for animals get them in trouble, while at the same time Jared uses his cleverness to trap the goblins and turns a previous enemy into a temporary ally.

CONCLUSION

The story is well paced and it was nice to see Mallory and Jared have to work together. I give “The Seeing stone” three and a half stars.

Book Review: "The Field Guide" by Holly Black

Note: Because this series has such short books in it, it is more set up like parts of a story. So I am going to review them like they are sections of one story, not a stand-alone story.

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Twins Simon and Jared and their older sister Mallory are moving away from the city into an old Victorian house in the country. They have enough to go through, moving and dealing with their parents' divorce. But this new house brings more trouble, as disasters befall them right and left, and Jared is blamed.

OUR CAST OF CHARACTERS

Jared Grace is probably isn't dealing with the divorce any worse than his siblings, but getting in one fight at his old school has caused him to be blamed for things. Because of his anger issues, he often snaps at his siblings, most often at Simon.

Simon Grace has a large affection for animals, and had stuffed his apartment in the city with small animals like mice and frogs. Because of this attribute, he is less upset about moving than his brother.

Mallory Grace is the older sibling to the twins. She can be rather harsh and doesn't quite see herself as a caretaker of her younger siblings. She has no problem snapping at Jared and making him angry.

Helen Grace is the mother of the main characters. She is obviously struggling herself from the divorce, and doesn't have the patience with Jared perhaps she once did.

PACING

The pacing is decent. We are presented with the sounds in the walls in the first chapter, and in the second chapter we learn the house contains mysteries. From each chapter we either learn more or the problem escalates.

THEME

Traditionally, I don't think there is a theme, exactly, but maybe more of a genre. This first book is basically a mystery. And the book doesn't conclude until the mystery is solved.

LIKABILITY

Simon is likable because of his love of animals.

I was rather indifferent to Mallory, although her temper seemed sometimes as bad as Jared's own.

Since the story is told from Jared's perspective, I still felt sympathy for him even though he is mean and snaps at his siblings often,(even before he becames a victim). We learn how he misses home the most and got into a fight before.

CLIMAX

The climax isn't a traditional climax. Like I said, the story is short and each book is really more like a portion of one story. The book ends with the discovery of the brownie, the one who has been doing all of the damage. It's a fitting end to an introduction story.

CONCLUSION

The illustrations are beautiful. The characters are reasonably likable, except for Mallory who I felt indifferent to. The pacing is good and it sets up a good amount of mysteries to be solved later. What happened to Arthur Spiderwick? Is Lucinda really crazy? I give “The Field Guide” three and a half stars.