Book Review: "The Seeing Stone" by Kevin Crossley Holland

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Arthur is a second son, living in medieval England and wanting nothing more than to be a squire. When Merlin gives him an obsidian stone, suddenly he has visions of another time and another young man named Arthur.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Arthur may wish to be a squire but he is better at reading and writing than swordsmanship and archery. He respects and admires his father and enjoys his lessons with the Priest, Oliver.

Serle is Arthur's big brother. He has a grudge against Arthur for unclear reasons.

Aunt Alice is quite kind to Arthur. He confides in her often. She is married to Sir Stephen and is the stepmother to Grace.

Merlin is an old man who has been a friend of Arthur's family for a long time. He doesn't share much about himself or his beliefs with anyone.

Oliver is Arthur's teacher and a priest who teaches him reading and writing.

PACING

A major problem of the story is that there is no sense of urgency. The story has no real pattern of where it's going either. The story goes back and forth between our Arthur and the Arthur in the magical stone that Merlin gives him. But that doesn't increase the pacing at all.

SERLE & TANWEN-SPOILERS

Arthur sees Serle and a servant girl, Tanwen together a few times and later on it's revealed that Tanwen is pregnant. Eventually she is taken away to the have the child in private while Serle has to do penance. We never see Serle and Tanwen talk about things we just know that their unhappy. All Serle says is that he doesn't know what he wants, and that his father wants Tanwen sent away.

This would have been a good time to make Serle a sympathetic character. He could have expressed regret at what he did to Tanwen (ruined her life). And anger at his father for not letting him marry Tanwen and make it right. But the relationship, and the whole event is depicted shallowly, as though we are strangers watching all of this from afar.

MERLIN AND ARTHUR

Arthur has known Merlin since he was born (he showed up soon after), but they don't come across as close. Merlin is rather mysterious, never explaining anything in detail, including what he believes. He has secret conversations with Arthur's father and generally stays a vague character throughout the story.

ARTHUR & SERLE

Serle is rather rude to his little brother, even though Arthur tries to stay out of his way for most of the time. Arthur does try to gain his trust, after seeing Serle with Tanwen. But Serle brushes him off angerly and Arthur is left wondering why. He is only a page, and may never be a squire. Serle is a squire, older and stronger than him.

Earlier, Arthur notes that Serle only pretends to like him when other people are around, and that he tells on him to their mother. But since she favors him, she does nothing about it.

Another incident, is when Arthur helps Gatty with farm work and Serle gets angry at him, saying a page shouldn't humble himself. He also bullies others into lying about Arthur, blaming him for making a mess with pig's blood.

Eventually Arthur asks why he hates him so much and he calls him a Cuckoo who pushes out the real son, but that he is stronger and won't be pushed out. None of this makes sense, because tradition says the firstborn son inherits the most. How is Arthur a threat? And why is Serle so insecure?

ARTHUR & GATTY

Gatty is a servant girl and a friend of Arthur's. They have a slight relationship. Serle is mean about something and Arthur doesn't defend her. But later when she saves his little sister, they kind of make up. There isn't much going on, unfortunately. So I had a hard time feeling invested in anything.

Another side story involving her has to do with the boy she wishes to marry, Jankin. His father is accused of stealing and has his hand cut off (I have no idea if this was a common practice or a practice at all). Arthur worries about her future. How will Jankin's father provide for him? And now his and Gatty's betrothal will be broken.

Again, I wanted to be more invested. But I knew little to nothing about Gatty and less about Jankin. I felt this was supposed to be a big part of the story. And maybe it could have been, if Gatty and Jankin had received more than a few pages in the story.

CULTURE SHOCK

It's made clear that this world is different than the readers' world without being ham handed.

Arthur may ask questions, but for the most part, he accepts how the world is. He isn't a twenthieth century child thrown into a historic/fantasy novel. Which I appreciated.

Oliver provides exposition for what Arthur's world is like. Even if some of his views came off as cartoonishly explained. It wouldn't be hard to show that religious people in Arthur's day believed that God judged those who rejected his teachings differently than those who didn't. Because Christians, for the most part, believe the exact same thing today.

Oddly enough, Arthur casually mentions to the reader that he knows his father hits his mother sometimes. It took me by surprise. Was I supposed to believe that hitting your wife was normal in Arthur's time? Because he didn't give it any thought and it's never mentioned again. It may have been the author trying to point things out to the reader, as if to say, “See how bad it was? Aren't you glad you didn't live in that time?” Because it wasn't essential to the story at all.

There is also a discusion about the Crusade and reasoning about it. Unfortunately it's a vague, some of our enemies are more honorable than our side, kind of thing. No real questioning as to why it is happening, and if it is justified.

I appreciated the attempts and diving into these issues, but unfortunately, they all came across as shallow attempts to explore deep subjects.

WEALTH & POVERTY

When Sir Stephen comes to the Manor, there are various trials that happen. One is a woman whose livestock was eating Arthur's father's hay. She excuses her behavior and explains she needs to make a living. Her cattle need to eat. She criticizes the whole system she was born into. And says that they all came from the same parents (Adam and Eve) but Sir Stephen and wealthy and she is poor. She also adds that he couldn't be wealthy if not for the peasants.

It was incredibly bold, and unfortunately, felt random. I had no idea who this character was (this is her one appearance). This scene was interesting, but felt like it only happened so Arthur could have an internal struggle about moralty (that never goes anywhere).

He wonders if there is some way so that poverty could end. He also wonders if people were allowed to steal, if everyone would do it. And if order would break down.

THE OBSIDIAN STONE

About a quarter into the story, Merlin gives Arthur a stone. Not long after, he sees a vision of a King, who Merlin later reveals is King Vortigern, who was King after the Romans left but before the Saxons fought the English.

We see King Arthur lust after Lady Ygerna, eventually disguising himself as her husband and having a child with her. Their son is sent away into foster care.

ARTHUR AND HIS FATHER

Arthur respects his father, who is in a powerful position and is quite wealthy. But he still tries to convince him to let him be a squire (he wonders if he father doesn't want him to be one). As it seems the man doubts his skills.

They have a few interesting conversations throughout the story, usually having to do with Arthur wanting to be a squire. Once, his father tells him doing what is right and what you want are not always the same thing (referring to Arthur wanting to be a squire for Lord William and not Lord Stephen).

When his father has to judge and sentence a man that is accused of stealing food, Arthur is left upset. While when he judges a woman who has stolen hay, leaves him conflicted.

EQUALITY

Arthur and his teacher, Oliver end up discussing equality. Oliver says some are firstborn and some are not, but we are all equal in God's eyes. Arthur is confused, and says people are not equal, because some are wealthy and some are poor. This leads to Oliver explaining how they need a King, and he needs Knights, and they need farmers and so on.

But when Arthur asks if the Muslims are equal to the Christians in God's eyes Oliver tells him no (all Christians are equal to him). This confuses him and he says he knows a man named Sir William who does not agree.

This short conversation was one I found interesting. I wanted it to manifest into action and conflict but it only resulted in some inner turmoil from Arthur.

THE GRAVESTONE-SPOILERS

Throughout the story, Arthur's baby brother Luke is in bad health. Eventually he passes on and a gravestone is to be made, but his father wrote the wrong number, calling him his fourth son, not his fifth (there were previous infant sons who died).

This is the first hint that Arthur isn't a son by blood (as well as the mysterious conversations between Merlin and Arthur's father. The other hint is that Arthur's father seems to have plans for him that he won't speak of (which is why he isn't sure about Arthur being a squire).

ARTHUR & GRACE

Arthur's cousin is named Grace, and he believes their parents wish them to marry when they come of age. Unfortunately she is not in the story very much so they don't really have any relationship. So when something is revealed about Grace, making their marriage impossible, it had little impact on me.

MERLIN'S BELIEFS

Merlin says he believes in “nine Spirits” but doesn't define just what they are. He seems to think he can believe in them as well as Christ, but since he never defines what they are, we can't side with him or the others, who call him a herectic.

CLIMAX-SPOILERS

Both Arthurs discover their true identities, one becoming a King, the other becoming a squire and going on a crusade. Turns out our Arthur was adopted and his real father is Sir William, an immoral man whom he destests (but he isn't in the story much so I didn't have any reaction to this news).

CONCLUSION

The story suffers from two big problems, a lack of urgency and direction. If I had to explain what the story is about I would struggle. Arthur has visions about another man named Arthur, who is more interesting than him (only at first) but that doesn't say much. He wants to be a squire but his father doesn't seem to think he would be good at it.

The characters have the beginnings of personalities but unfortunately, they never develop because we never learn that much about anyone. Not Oliver, not Merlin, not Gatty and not Serle. The same goes for relationships. There was some potential with Arthur's relationships with Merlin, Oliver, Serle and Lady Alice. But it never went anywhere.

On a positive note, I did like some of the conversations that Arthur had with Oliver and his father. And the incident involving new taxes being announced was interesting as well.

But all of these interesting thoughts and any inner turmoil that Arthur experiences never actually results in anything. They were philosophical musings. No conflict with his father. No conflict with Oliver. Nothing.

I give “The Seeing Stone” half a star.

Book Review: "Endymion Spring" by Matthew Skelton

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

While Blake is spending time in Oxford while his mother does research, he ends up coming across a strange book. Eventually he learns that this is no ordinary book but one with a magical history that goes back to Gutenberg. And someone is desperate to take it from him.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Blake Winters is an average boy who dislikes school and reading. He worries about his parents and thinks they may be separating. He tries hard to please his mother while at the same time has a hard time trusting her. He also has a strong desire to have something of his own, and not to share with his sister.

Duck Winters is the younger sister to Blake. She too worries about her parents' relationship. She doesn't share most of her feelings with her brother. Apparently she is really smart, I say apparently because it wasn't apparent to me. But I was shown Blake's annoyance about it.

Juliet Winters is Blake's and Duck's mother. She is doing research for her new book in England while trying to keep her children out of trouble.

Diana Bentley is the wife of Giles Bentley. Both are members of a historic book society.

Prosper Marchand is an Oxford professor who seems to be interested in Juliet.

Jolyon is a professor at Oxford who has knowledge of Endymion Spring.

Endymion is the young apprentice of Gutenberg in the 1400s.

PACING & ENDYMION

The story starts in the 1400s and introduces an apprentice to Gutenberg named Endymion. He ends up meeting Fust and getting to know that man's apprentice.

Normally, jumping back and fourth between two stories helps with the pacing of a story. We cut off one with a cliffhanger, and go the next. The pattern continues throughout and the reader is left feeling breathless. That doesn't happen in this story and I found the story slow.

Unfortunatly, after reading the introduction, I assumed these characters were done. They fell flat on the paper and I had no interest in them. So surely any other discovery regarding these books would be revealed in the present.

Wrong. We go back multiple times and each time I was left bored. Endymion was less interesting in every way. Not that Blake was written great, he just had my sympathy with his worries about his parents.

BLAKE AND DUCK

Blake and Duck are the two main characters (besides the flashback characters). I also think their relationship was supposed to be the most important. Even more so than the relationship between Blake and his mother.

But the main conflict between them is that Blake isn't as smart as Duck, so he is jealous. He still cares about her. And I think that love was supposed to push the climax. But Duck's intelligence isn't used that much (she comes up with pretending to have to use the bathroom and finds a collapsable bookshelf), and no past experiences are shown to explain Blake's jealousy. So the relationship feels shallow.

We may not know what past experiences that Blake has had with Duck, but it is clear how he feels about her. Blake is protective of the book he found, and has to point out that it is his, and not Duck's. He says the paper dragon he found is his as well, and has nothing to do with her. Also that Endymion Spring chose him and not her.

There is one scene where Blake says she is dumb to keep wearing her raincoat, like she has since their parents had a big argument. Because it won't save them.

What isn't clear is how Duck feels about Blake's feelings. She never addresses them or shows any sign as to why their relationship is less than good. Because of this, their relationship is not well developed.

BLAKE AND HIS MOTHER

For the majority of the story, Blake and his Mother are at odds. Usually Blake wanders off and gets in trouble and his mom is furious. It could have come across as loving but Blake had previously been suspected of messing up books in the library by her. So it comes off as accusatory.

But I didn't really undersand why Juliet thought so badly of her son. Before he admitted to sneaking into the library, there is no mention that he had ever caused any trouble. So I was left confused at her suspicions, expecting a revelation later on, revealing that Blake has been a troublemaker. But none ever occurs.

Later on Blake is given a book only to find out that his mom is making them stay in Oxford longer for her research. She didn't just come out and tell him, instead bribing him with the gift first. His reaction is anger, realizing he should have never trust his mother. Again, I was left waiting for a revelation showing his mother had a history of lying or at least being less than honest. That never occurs either.

BLAKE'S GIFT

Early on its said that Blake doesn't like reading because he can't concentrate on it. And then later on when he gets a book, he holds it, flips through the pages and enjoys the scent of the paper. I thought, why would a boy who dislikes reading revel in the scent of a book? It felt inconsistent with his character, as though the author forgot he wasn't a booklover. It's a small point, but something I noticed.

DUCK AND THE BOOK

Blake eventually ends up losing his book and later finds out that Duck found it and never told him. I didn't understand why. Duck knew that Blake had a strong attachment to it.

She is supposed to be the smarter one, so she should not have felt threatened by Blake (even though they argued about who the book belonged to). Did she feel the need to constantly prove herself because she wanted to prove her worthiness to her parents? I don't know.

As I mentioned before, we never learn if Duck knows why her relationship with her brother suffers. Perhaps she has been this selfish and deceitful in the past.

Lastly, this adds nothing to the story. We get a short amout of time that Blake is anxious about the book and if anything, the story is stalled. If something came from Duck and Blake's relationship, then I would understand this aspect of the story.

THE WORLD-SPOILERS

The Book of Endymion Spring is usually blank but sometimes reveals riddles that predict the future. For the most part I found them vague and uninteresting. Although it does point Blake to a second book, revealing that the two books can be used together. It's called “The Last Book”.

The Last Book reveals words of knowledge and power when a child's blood is taken. The villain in the climax reveals that the knowledge of witchcraft is in its pages and can help them get whatever they want, like money or power.

Fust is in this story and the Faust who made a deal with the devil is mentioned by Juliet. As well as theory her husband had about him being a real person. It sounded interesting, as well as a world of demons ready to cut deals with humans. But we don't get any of that. Nor do we get a main character who has any interest in what Faust and demons being real would mean. What could be a deep mythlogy ends up shallow and uninteresting.

I hoped for some connection between Endymion and Blake when I realized the story was going to go back and fourth between their separate time periods. But I never saw it.

EX LIBRIS SOCIETY

Blake learns of this society at Oxford, where he meets Jolyon who reveals the history of the society and the book of Endymion Spring. Later on he attends a meeting, where Giles Bentley and Diana are. As well as Paula Richards, the Oxford librarian.

BLOOD OF CHILDREN-SPOILERS

Back in the 1400s, Endymion ends up opening Fust's box and getting bitten by the snakes. Turns out Fust needs blood of children and Endymion was tricked into opening it so letters on the paper could be revealed. Peter reveals this and that Endymion must run away and hide the dragon skin since it cannot be destroyed.

Back in the present, Blake reads a poem about the blood of innocents but doesn't understand it until later. But even then, he kind of just ignores it.

PSALMANZER-SPOILERS

Blake and Duck see a weird homeless guy reading a blank book. They assume a connection between him and the book and try to find him (kind of a stretch, he could just be drugged out). They can't, instead he finds them, by leading them to him by his dog.

He introduces himself and tries to explain the riddles. How the power of their book may be passing away. But he doesn't know who the person of shadow is. Later we see a photograph of the founding members of the Ex Libris Society, turns out he was in it too.

THE TRUTH ABOUT DAD-SPOILERS

Early one we learn that Blake's dad remains in another town, and his relationship with his wife is shaky. They have a history of arguing and getting angry and it Blake worries for them. For some reason, he seems to put the blame on his mother, or at least we assume so, since his small interactions with his father seem nothing but positive.

Eventually, Blake learns that the reason they are here and their father is not, is because he lost his job. He has been looking for work while they were gone and Juliet has been working on her research to help take care of the family.

The odd thing is, when the time comes where Juliet reveals this to her son, it is told passively. We jump from the event happening, to being told that it happened. And instead of seeing the look on Blake's face as he hears it or his thoughts of disbelief we just see the aftermath. Seeing how important this matter was to Blake, it makes no sense to not show it in real time.

ENDYMION'S GOODBYE

Back in the 1400s, Endymion finally escapes with the dragon skin. With the help of Peter and his fiance, Christina, they end up sneaking him away during a festival. Endymion is supposed to have a close relationship with these two.

So when they unceremoniously push him and vanish, I was told how upset he was. But I felt nothing because I had never seen any relationship develop. I had merely been told, when the story jumped back to Endymion, that Peter had slept beside his new friend for months and he had become like a brother. That was all.

CLIMAX-SPOILERS

Duck and Blake manage to sneak into the underground libraries, after Duck pretends to have to go to the bathroom. Kind of easy, but I guess they hadn't acquired any skills to get in otherwise. The book leads them on to where they meet the villain. Duck gets taken and Blake has to confront the kidnapper.

THE PERSON IN SHADOW-SPOILERS

Turns out the person in shadow is none other than Giles Bentley's wife, Diana. I honestly had no idea who it would be and had little interest or information that was given to me.

I suppose I got information, like the exposition from Psalmanzer. But no little hints here and there that would point me in any one direction. Besides the bookshop where Giles bought the book that Blake wanted, and the meeting of the Ex Libris Society, there wasn't much interaction between Blake and Diana.

There was Psalmanzer, Jolyon, Prosper Marchand (teacher who flirted with Juliet) and Paula Richards (Oxford librarian). Not too many people to chose from and only Psalmanzer really held any interest from me.

On another note, Diana gave some exposition about Marchand but I didn't have any interest in the backstory of a character I barely knew.

BLAKE'S GUILT

When Duck is kidnapped, Blake feels awful. He suddenly realizes he has been obsessed with his book even after being told that he was putting himself and Duck in danger. To be fair, he did encourage Duck into the darkness that magically appears in the underground library. But for the most part, Duck was all for it. She was even the one that helped him get in and find his away around.

I wish he had addressed just why he was so obsessed with the book. Did he think he had something to prove? Did he want to solve a mystery on his own? Did his jealously of his sister have something to do with this? I don't know because Blake never addresses his reasoning. Just admonishes himself.

CONCLUSION

Blake is likable enough, and I didn't dislike Duck. But neither character felt fleshed out enough. I didn't understand exactly what motivated them either.

I was told that Blake was jealous of his smart sister but I didn't really see why.

I understood that Juliet distrusted her son but I didn't know why.

And I understood that Blake had a rocky relationship with his mom but I didn't know why, beyond a marriage in crisis. So the characters and their relationships were lacking.

The story was average, but it suffered from slow pacing and a lack of of cohesion. I didn't see how Endymion Spring and Blake had anything in common or why they both ended up with the book. I wanted a connection between both stories but they felt unrelated.

Neither Jolyon or Psalmanzer play any clear part of a mentor character to Blake. Psalmanzer could have been interesting but we only get one conversation with him.

I never felt any real sense of urgency, and Blake thinking he or Duck was going to die, and then brushing that off, didn't help things.

I give “Endymion Spring” one and half stars.

Book Review: "The Whispering Road" by Livi Michael

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

When Joe escapes from child slavery he knows he can't trust anyone. And it's up to him to take care of his little sister, Annie. But it doesn't help that she acts so strange and yet still seems to fit in better than he does. Eventually Joe has to decide how to obtain what he wants most in life: freedom. And who he can trust.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Joe is both stubborn and proud. He has a strong desire to be independent and free of any responsibility most likely due to the fact he has been abused his whole life. He loves his sister but at the same time hates her.

Annie is quiet and a little strange. She is very attached to her brother due to the fact that he is all she has in the world. She seems meek at times but can be oddly persistant.

Trevor is a traveling man who lives his entire life on the road. He is in the first story and becomes a father figure to both Annie and Joe.

The Little Angels are a street gang that Joe ends up joining. He learns a lot of his skills regarding stealth and theft from them. They are led by a girl named Queenie.

Mr. M is a wealthy man who takes in Joe and makes sure he recovers his health. His motives for doing so are not obvious.

Abel is a man who runs a secret newspaper that prints materials that the government forbids due to its criticisms of them.

STRUCTURE

The story is set up into three parts. Joe finally gets his independence by the end of part one, and when part two starts he joins a gang.

This entire middle section of the story consists of his adventures with the gang, his leaving the gang and then ending up in the care of Mr. Mosley. After that he leaves Mr. Mosley and ends up with a man named Abel. Only when he learns about his sister does part three start.

I can't say that part one is merely an introduction to the characters and their world, because it's far too long to be an introduction. It's sixteen chapters long and 144 pages in.

Neither is part three the climax, more like the aftermath of the plot, as Joe finds his sister and learns about his mother. It's as though the author is reminding us he hasn't forgot these plot points. Even if Joe barely thought of them all through the story.

A SERIES OF STORIES

The story may be set up into three parts as described by the author but it's really set up into an abundance of smaller parts that sometimes feel self-contained.

It goes something like this: Joe meets a person or a few people. He gets to know them; They help or hurt him, or seem to help and then hurt him. Then Joe escapes or moves on to the next person. Rinse and repeat.

To be fair it's not all the same. Both Trevor and Arlin don't ever abuse Joe or Annie. Neither does the Gang, even though the relationships aren't exactly healthy. And near the end, Abel and his coworkers all treat Joe well.

THE PROBLEM OF RELATIONSHIPS

Because Joe meets so many people and then moves on, it's hard for relationships to really form. Most characters he never sees again and often the ones he does see were villains to begin with.

The strongest relationship I felt that he developed was with Trevor in the first story. Joe clearly desires a parent and that made him very likable.

Arlin was a good guy, but I barely got to know him, let alone understand why he would go out of his way for a pair of strangers. I hoped for him to form a relationship with Joe and Annie but he was barely in the story and I felt it was a missed opportunity.

Joe tells the reader he is close to one of the gangmembers but we don't ever see this relationship forming. I believed he felt bad when a few died and others were put at risk, but they still just felt like a group of people, not any individuals.

As for the last story, I wanted Abel to be a mentor character but there just wasn't enough time to learn anything about the character other than the basics. And the the new surrogate parents felt thrown in merely to give the story some sort of closure.

MOST PEOPLE ARE BAD

Before Trevor says goodbye to Annie and Joe, he tells them its better to live on the road, rather than in houses. And that they should stay away from people because they will buy and sell them and teach them to be slaves. Only on the road can you be free.

I suppose he is talking about his own experiences. But this is a theme in the story, that you can't trust most people. Not that everyone they meet is bad, just most people. For instance, besides Trevor, when Annie and Joe get tricked into believing a man is nice only to discover him trying to sell them, a young man stands up for them and helps them escape.

THE TRAVELING TROUPE

Annie and Joe get taken to a group of traveling performers after avoiding being sold as slaves. Annie suddenly fits in, and has a part written for her in a play. She is doted on by one of the woman who treats her like her own daughter.

Joe on the other hand, can't seem to please Old Burt, as he lies about accidentally hitting a horse and gets the stage props stolen when he is supposed to be watching them. And Joe kind of came off as unlikable, treating the horse like he did.

GOODBYE ANNIE-SPOILERS

When Annie's gift is revealed, Old Burt realizes how much money he can make off of her. Joe has had such a rough time with his new life and his jealously of Annie causes him to lash out at her. I admit, I struggled to like Joe in this moment. I understand that characters must have flaws, but Joe's anger felt so out of proportion. It's clear that Annie is a very sensitive child who can't help her gifts, and has been through just as much as her brother.

I kind of wish there had been one incident where Annie actually showed some sort of fault, even just the appearance of one that was actually a misunderstanding. The moment that Joe left Annie behind whlie she was sobbing, I truly hated him. What had she done to deserve this treatment? And the fact that he doesn't much think of her when he is with the gang and with Mr. M didn't help matters.

A GANG OF HIS OWN

Joe finds the Little Angels, a gang who stole props from the troupe. He earns their respect by helping them rescue a member of their gang. Turns out he stood up to a scary woman called the Tally Lady (on accident) after he is sent their by a stranger who was supposed to be helping him.

Joe eventually gets cocky and arrogant. He starts to feel like he should run the gang and that a girl like Queenie shouldn't. So he offhandedly suggests they change their names and that she can keep her name but they'll all change it. No one takes the suggestion seriously. Except Queenie.

Joe awakens in the night to her choking him. I was rather shocked by this, and I thought she would be a threat to him later on. But it never happens. And Joe even jokes, asking if she doesn't like the name change idea.

THE END OF THE GANG-SPOILERS

Eventually the weather gets so hot that the gang members start getting sick. They think it's from drinking water. When one dies and another shows the same symptoms Joe reveals he has money (left over from a previous event). This eventually leads to him confronting a gang boss and accidentally killing him. Queenie tells him he can't stay with them, because they are going back to their old boss and he would just hand over Joe as a way to keep the peace.

THE PROBLEM OF THE POOR

After the gang ends, Joe ends up passing out and waking up in a well furnished bedroom and eventually learns that he has been taken in by Mr. Mosley. He later meets Miss Chitter, who teaches him to read.

Mr. M and Miss Chitter, both very wealthy, seem to think it's up to them to get rid of poverty. Only Joe, who has lived a poor life, understands that this is an impossible task. Also he observes from their behavior, neither of his teachers really care about the distress of the poor. They see them as a mere incovenience to society. A bother that should be fixed, so they can go on unmolested by such depressing thoughts as of how the poor live.

They need to stop them from having babies, and stop them from consuming alcohol. They need to be policed by the upper classes (who of course, could have more children because they can afford it, and can drink because they deem themselves responsible). And since they have all of the political power, it would be the first nanny state not voted into power by the poor.

The conversation's between Mr. M and Joe were actually some of my favorite dialogue in the book. I thought it was insightful when Joe points out that they say “the problem of the poor” and not the “problems of the poor”. It summed up their beliefs.

It may come across as rather blunt and perhaps if the majority of the story was about Joe's experiences with Mr. M, it could have been less so.

FREE SPEECH

When Joe finally escapes Mr. M, he goes to the only place he can think of, the print shop where he looked for his mother. There he gets a job delivering papers as well as place to stay. There he learns about the lack of speech rights. Turns out some ideas are considered dangerous, so they aren't allowed. Apparently all speech isn't free speech if it offends the wrong people.

THE RETURN OF QUEENIE-SPOILERS

Near the last part of the story, Joe runs into Queenie on the streets. She looks thinner and weaker, and is now wearing long dresses like a lady. Joe realizes, without her saying so, that she is a street walker.

He suddenly becomes desperate, telling her she can come with him and leave her life. I was struck with how sad this scene was, especially since I barely knew Queenie as a character. I think the fact that it's not spelled out, but merely implied that she is a prostititute suffering from an illness, makes it more effective. It was one of the few scenes in the story that struck me emotionally.

THE RETURN OF TREVOR

Trevor returns near the ending of the story, setting the ending in motion, revealing that Annie was not with the traveling troupe. Now he has lost both a leg and an eye (wouldn't that have been an interesting story to witness, and not just learn about after the fact?).

THE TRUTH ABOUT MOTHER-SPOILERS

While in the hospital, a nurse asks what his name is, because she overheard it. Turns out that she knew Joe's mother and had a message for him. To be honest I almost forgot about his mother, as it had been so rarely mentioned in the story. I thought, are we really going to finish this aspect? Get a satisfied resolution?

She said she loved them and never stopped looking for them, but she died. I guess it is to be expected. No effort was put to find her, and to actually find her alive and well might be too coincidental. Either way, I didn't care too much.

I get that the author was trying to get Joe to let go and move on (it kind of works with Annie, who chose a new mother) but Joe just never thought about her. It would make sense if his mother abandoning him was the clear reason why he distrusted everyone but this case is never made.

CLIMAX

Joe eventually learns where Annie ended up, in a sanitarium. Joe speaks to the doctor, trying to explain that his little sister is just different. Turns out she has refused to speak to anyone and doesn't even feed herself. Joe visits her but she doesn't respond, so he promises to come back and see her. He keeps trying to bring her back, apologizing about leaving her and hugging her.

NEW PARENTS-SPOILERS

While Joe is working for Abel, he meets a woman who lost her two kids. Turns out they were not Joe and Annie, but the two dead children that Annie saw earlier in the story. This felt contrived to me. Joe goes on a carriage ride, hears a woman saying her babies were taken by Mr. M; So he finds her thinking she meant him and Annie.

I get why he would go find her, it's just her dead children being Annie's ghosts that feels forced. I would have liked if instead, the ghosts had led Annie and Joe to their parents. Annie using the attributes that her brother most hates about her to give them what they both most want (a family) would have been poetic.

Or maybe Joe could have been skeptical of the ghosts (it isn't revealed if he believes it or not, he is just annoyed with Annie). And this revelation could have made him value Annie and take her more seriously. Instead of just giving her up.

THE PROBLEM OF JOE

I already mentioned the times that Joe comes off as selfish and unlikable. I couldn't help thinking how it could have been handled better. Like actually finding a place where Annie clearly loved being there (that wasn't clear with the troupe) and where she would be loved and safe. He could rationalize to the reader that this was best for Annie, and even lie to her, saying he would be back. We, the readers, could still dislike him for the moment but not hate him completely.

But when Old Burt explains he wants Annie to merely make money off of her and buys her from Joe, it's obvious that this won't be a good place for her. Joe and Annie were slaves, so if anything Joe should be horrified by the offer to buy Annie. And he does seem slightly hesistant, but that is all.

Also, what Joe wants the most is freedom, but why does it mean freedom from Annie? She clearly has a gift, why not think of a way to make money off of her, himself? Like I mentioned before, he could eventually follow her ghosts to his new parents. This could come from him trying to entertain others by using her gifts.

CONCLUSION

The main gripe I had with the story is that it feels like a bunch of little stories that should each have their own bigger story. Because of this aspect, relationships never form between characters that have any depth. I wanted the whole story or most of it to have Trevor in it, to develop a relationship with Annie and Joe. And to learn more about his history.

I would have liked if we had gotten more time with the Little Angels gang, to actually get to know the children.

The last portion of the story, where Joe was working for a newpaper could have been really interesting. If we had a chance to learn about the owner and publisher better. But I only got the bare minimum of who he was.

By reading the Author's notes I understood that he wanted to put many historical aspects into his story, but I felt it would have served him better to pick one (like child slavery) and stick with it.

It could have been a story about surviving on the streets as a gang, intermixed with Joe getting saved by Mr. M. That alone could have carried the story.

Or it could have been a story about a search for their mother, that ended up with a search for Annie, who is valued and kidnapped due to her spiritual abilities.

In the end, I never felt invested in the characters or the story.

I give “The Whispering Road” two and a half stars.

Book Review: "The Ravenmaster's Secret" by Elvira Woodruff

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

When Forrest learns about new prisoners in the tower of London, he is surprised to learn one is a young Scottish girl. He realizes she is an enemy to the English King, but as he gets to know her by bringing her food, he wonders if she's all bad.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Forrest takes care of the ravens and has spent his life behind the walls of the tower of the London. He dreams of adventures in foreign lands.

Rat or Ned, as he is named, works for the rat catcher in the tower. He, like Forrest, dreams of adventure. He is crucial to the plot as he assists in the climax. He also allows Forrest to show his likabilty by being able to admit to fault.

Maddy is a young Scottish girl, the daughter of a Jacobite, a rebel who fights to put James Stuart on the throne of England. At first she is guarded, only expressing her anger. But eventually she shares her love of her family and country.

Hugh Harper is Forrest's father and the Ravenmaster. He is sometimes stern and blunt.

Tuck the raven is Forrest's companion. He has trained him to do many tricks.

PACING

The first few chapters introduce Forrest and his family, as well as Forrest's feelings of not belonging. After that we meet Rat and his relationship to Forrest is established. We learn about the prisoners coming and they arrive by page forty-two.

The story doesn't jump right into action, but sets the scene for the reader, letting them understand the world they are entering and the motivations and feelings of the main character. The slightly slower pacing didn't bother me at all. After all, the story is not an action story, but more one of mystery and suspense.

A WOMAN'S JOB

When Forrest is told to hold his baby sister Bea, he is annoyed. He doesn't think he should have to do a woman's job. I was pleasantly surprised to see Forrest portrayed in a realistic way in keeping with his time. Woodruff must not have cared of offending anyone or making Forrest seem unlikable.

HARE HEART

In the first chapter, we learn that there is to be a hanging. It is considered to be a great event, a form of entertainment. There is food and music and a huge crowds. His father seems indifferent to the event, but reminds his son that his mother loves a hanging. But Forrest admits he finds it gruesome, and when the dreaded event occurs, he looks away. This causes other boys to taunt him and cause him “hare heart”.

This a reoccuring theme in the book, Forrest wanting to gain courage. He even says he wishes he was big like his father, instead of small like his mother.

MADDY'S GOD

When Forrest witnesses Maddy praying in the prison, he wonders if God knows that she is the enemy. I thought it was insightful to learn about Forrest's views that God must support the English in all of their endeavors. As if God is English or that the English are the only followers of Christ.

Woodruff does this multiple times in the book, jumping into Forrest's viewpoint that is shaped by his culture.

A WORLD BEYOND

Since Forrest has spent his whole life behind the tower walls, he dreams of a life beyond them. He daydreams of adventure and shares his desire with Ned. This desire softens him to Maddy as he inquires all about her homeland in Scotland.

A TOKEN FOR GOOD LUCK

The first time that Forrest takes a risk is when Maddy asks him to deliver a sprig to her father. It is the only scene where we see Maddy's father. We never see them together but I never doubted their love for each other.

The story doesn't dwell on it but it's clear that under her tough exterior, Maddy is scared and afraid for her father. Mostly, the scene serves to push Forrest towards taking action, he has made a choice: he is risking his life for her.

SAVING NED-SPOILERS

Less than halfway through the book, Ned gets given to Frick by his master, who recklessly bet him in a card game and lost. Forrest knows he has to save his friend, because Frick treats his slaves awful, and they get injured and ill. Maddy learns of his troubles and gives him her gold ring so he can sell it and buy Ned's freedom. But things get complicated when he loses it and when Frick refuses to set Ned free.

THE SCOTTISH RACE

After Forrest hears Maddy singing, he asks why she is there and learns it's treason. But she is young and seems innocent, so Forrest inquires if all Scots are bad people. His father says blood is blood and that they are all low-minded traitors who have no love for England.

It's only when Forrest asks if they foam at the mouth that his mother asks where he heard that. She points out that men inflame hatred in times of war. So she does provide a slight counter to her husband without being out of character for her time.

THREE FRIENDS

While the story is short, the relationship between these characters comes across as genuine. Forrest's only human friend is Rat, but he doesn't even know his real name. He is embarrased by this but is humbled many times, like when he admits there are expectations because of his father, but Rat is a no one. Rat forgives him and realizes the truth of his words. There desire for adventure seems silly but it ties them together.

Maddy starts out as tough and defensive, but slowly melts when she shares about her homeland and her family. She learns to care for not just Forrest, but Ned, who ends up willing to take risks for her.

TUCK'S TRICK

It's Forrest's job to take care of the ravens, and Tuck, the young crow will one day replace the older crow. Forrest spends time teaching him tricks but has never gotten him to speak. But a miracle happens when he depends on him the most, near the climax.

A FAILED ESCAPE-SPOILERS

When the prisoners are being transferred, they all attempt to escape but are killed, including Maddy's father. But Maddy alone is spared, as she is kept from running away. Instead she is sentenced to be executed by guillotine.

MADDY'S ESCAPE-SPOILERS

A plan is set in motion to free Maddy from prison so she can escape being executed. But things go wrong and Forrest has to be more involved than he expected. He ends up distracting them with the help of Tuck and with Ned then he manages to sneak Maddy out.

CLIMAX-SPOILERS

After Maddy escapes, she waits for her rescuer to take her home, but he never shows. Turns out he was late and instead of going to her hiding space, he went to retrieve her from the tower. Ned delivers him to her but accidentally brings an unwelcome guest. With the help of Tuck they escape the intruder. Forrest makes a decision about his future.

EPILOGUE

Forrest has grown up, replaced his father as Ravenmaster of the tower and married and had has children. He recieves a letter from Ned and learns about him as well as Maddy. Turns out that Forrest named his daughter Maddy and Ned got his wish: he had plenty of adventures; He became a captain in the British Navy.

CONCLUSION

Woodruff manages to create a world that accurately depicts a time period of racism and sexism, without making us dislike the characters who live in it. She merely shows how it is, not that it's right or fair. She doesn't step in the story herself to lecture Forrest for his desire to be free from babysitting or Harper for thinking racist thougts towards the Scots.

Forrest, Ned and Maddy are all likable characters with arcs. Forrest develops courage to risk his life for another (while realizing his dream has changed), Ned gains courage as well, and while Maddy no doubt has her own hatred of the English, learns to be friends with two English boys and stand strong under the threat of death.

The climax is full of suspense and even some action. Although I appreciated Forrest having to come to a conclusion about his dream, the choice he made wasn't surprising to me. And Tuck managing to perform a brand new trick did feel very lucky.

I enjoyed the epilogue sharing a rare ending, one where the characters were happy merely to live and be free.

I give “The Ravenmaster's Secret” four stars.

Book Review: "The Extraordinaires" by Michael Pryor

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Kinglsey just wants to be a magician, but on the night of his debut he gets a letter from his father, beckoning him home. He returns with a beautiful new acquaintance in tow and quickly learns that there is secret underworld that has taken an interest in him and kidnapped his father. It's up to him to rescue his father and save all of mankind from going extinct.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Kingsley is a young man who wants to me a magician who specializes in escapology. But he has a secret, another nature that he has been fighitng his whole life that he calls his “wolfish nature”.

Evadne is a beautiful albino woman and a juggler. She also has a large inventory of weapons, most that she built herself. Not only can she make guns, bombs and knives be she also makes her own eyeglasses. Not to mention she has a vast knowledge of technology that is used in the secretive world known as the Demimonde.

Jabez Soames is a greedy man who deals with beings he knows little about for profit. He doesn't have much motivation besides money.

Demona is a female of another race of people called the Neanderthals. She is a loner and has spent most of her life planning and building things on her own. She has a deep hatred for mankind as well as a hatred for the immortals who attacked a clan long ago and killed them all.

PACING

The pacing is a little slower. It starts with Kingsley's magic show going wrong, then he meets Evadne and gets a letter from home. There is a hint that they are being followed but there really isn't any sense of urgency. This might have to do that when Kingsley gets the letter he doesn't immediately explain what the problem is. He just states that he has to return home.

For the most part, the pacing feels slower. And jumping back and forth between Jabez and Demona doesn't really help.

THE VILLAINS

There are two groups in this story. The Neanderthals and the Immortals. The Neanderthals hate the human race, and call themselves the True People. But they also hate the immortals because of supposed kidnappings.

Damona is one of the oldest among them so she ends up being a leader, even though she has spent most of her life alone building her machines. I don't know why she has forgone marriage and friendship. We don't get told why. You would think the Neanderthals would think the most important thing is to increase in numbers and marriage would be mandatory. But it's never discussed.

The immortals live forever but they cannot do this unless they switch out their bodies which wear our human bodies rather fast. But the younger the body the longer they last in it, which is way they look like children even though they are centuries old.

WOLFISH NATURE

In the beginning of the story, we learn that Kingsley has what he refers to as a “wolfish nature”. It's not quite clear what this entails, but it's a supposed danger to Kingsley and he has to fight to keep it in check. I say “supposed” because there is no mentioning of what trouble this has caused him in the past. If there was, that would result in oppressing it making sense to the story. But the there is never a moment in the story where he loses himself to this nature.

Kingsley never admits that he might be crazy and that he doesn't know what's wrong with him. In reality this should be a major problem for him if he has had this his whole life. But other than the fact that he admits he is a loner...it doesn't seem to have bothered him much. We mostly just get told about him struggling to keep himself in check.

THE TRUTH ABOUT KINGSLEY-SPOILERS

Kingsley never clarifies why he might have his "wolfish nature". And yet when Rudyard Kipling walks into the story for some exposition and reveals that Kingsley was raised by wolves, Kingsley isn't shocked or confused. He says he remembers being taken and not rescued and that he only ever felt love and safety in the wolf pack.

So he knew all along about the wolves raising him? He might have started with that. And if that was the case why did we need Kipling to tell the reader anything?

As for his abilities, he can sense danger sometimes and move stealthily. I think he can jump farther and move faster but it's not clarified. But Evadne never notices his skills nor does the author note how his skills are beyond human.

KINGSLEY & EVADNE

Kingsley's and Evadne's relationship doesn't make sense and it doesn't feel real. Minutes after Kingsley meets Evadne he is allowing her to travel home with him on the train. Though he knows nothing about her and is aware from his letter that he is going to be going through some personal issues. But he tells Evadne that he trusts her so that makes it acceptable.

On another note, later on, after they have been through life and death together Evadne says she has to run some personal errands and he can't come with because she doesn't trust him. Ouch.

Also for the most part, Evadne pushes the story while Kingsley goes along. He chooses to go home but it's Evadne who has all the knowledge, weapons and skills. It's she who has the hideout. It's she who has a grudge against the Immortals.

Kingsley's wolfish nature is rarely on display and instead of it being a superpower that might be useful (even if it may be dangerous as well) it's seen as a negative that must always be repressed. Even though we don't acknowledge it much in the story.

There are random parts in the story where it's obvious that Kingsley finds Evadne attractive. It's clumsily inserted and makes him look stupid and shallow. Once or twice I could have forgiven but it happens over and over again throughout the story.

Also a lot of the conversation between them attempts to be light-hearted banter but it gets annoying. And I kept finding Evadne obnoxious, as she was the one that always started this banter. It would have been fine if they sometimes confided in each other to contrast the banter, but they never did.

KINGSLEY'S ROLE-SPOILERS

As I mentioned previously, it's Evadne who knows everything, has all of the skills and has a hatred against the immortals. So why is Kingsley even involved? Turns out his wolfish nature makes him special to the Immortals and the Neanderthals.

I don't know how they learned about him since he hasn't actually done anything amazing with his nature. I guess they just learned that he was an orphan in India and found living in the forest.

They think his brain is special so they want to kill him and take it. That's it. We never learn if his brain really is special by the way. But since the Immortals take the brains out of all they kidnap and kill I guess they have special knowledge.

JABEZ & DEMONA

Jabez and Demona each get a few of their own chapters. They seem to have formed out of thin air and have no real history.

Demona has no family members or friends (she mentions she is a loner, but not why). Except for a grandmother named Signe who died long ago. She says she wants to restore the spirit of her people but she can't even make friends with one.

Jabez has no family members or friends. I guess he is a loner too. Again, we don't learn why. Just because Jabez is greedy and a liar doesn't mean he wouldn't have a girlfriend or a mother that he cared about it. But he has nothing, not even the vague histories that Kingsley and Evadne get.

Also, neither of these characters really get an arc. Jabez starts as a greedy liar and when it ends he hasn't changed. Demona starts as a loner desperate to erase the human race and she ends the story that way.

Damona says she may know who Kingsley really is, because of his behavior (she is told he seemed to change personalities, from passive to aggressive). But we never learn of how she knew of Kingsley's past.

Also when Jabez lies to Damona, telling her that the Immortals want her machines (he thinks it would be good for his business) instead of hating him I couldn't have cared less. I assumed it was important to the plot to cause trouble and that was all.

KINGLSEY & HIS FATHER

Kingsley admits his father never spoke of how he ended up taking care of him. Dr. Ward never married so his foster-son's upbringing wasn't the norm. I expected there to be some sort of conflict between them but for the most part their relationship was dull and lacking in importance to the plot.

There is only one scene where Dr. Ward shows some sign of regret, saying he was sorry not to make it to his son's first show. But that one line is all he gets. And Kingsley doesn't even react to it. We get the line and the chapter ends. We move on and it's never mentioned again.

And earlier Kingsley says his father never spoke about his origins. I guess this caused some sort of conflict but we don't talk about it nor do we get flashbacks to reveal these conflicts.

To say their relationship is neglected would be an understatement. Which is a detriment to the story because it starts out with the goal of saving his father and it becomes saving the world. His father becomes a footnote.

EVADNE'S SECRET-SPOILERS

About a third way in of the story Evadne admits she has a crusade. She has a list she keeps of people who hurt children. The Immortals are on that list. Kingsley's response is “Oh.”

Near the climax, she reveals that her little sister was kidnapped and never found. I found her story uninteresting to say the least. There is no indication of any relationship with her sister which would have made me sympathetic and invested in it.

Perhaps if Evadne had spent the story mentioning her little sister as her only friend and telling jokes and stories about her would have helped. Maybe letting the reader know what an impact her sister had on her. And then revealing that her sister was actually dead.

EVADNE'S INTENDED

Soon after Evadne meets Kingsley she reveals that the picture in her locket belongs to her “intended”. It's obvious that this man is made up although it's not until near the end of the story that she admits the truth.

When we first met her, she gets defensive, explaining that she is an albino and what names not to call her. So clearly she has been teased and bullied most of her life. And yet when she reveals that he is fake, she says it's to stop men from trying to date her.

So she has been bullied and harrassed but she is so beautiful she has to resort to making up a fake boyfriend? She is a victim because she is bullied and a victim because she is so gorgeous that all men desire her. She feels like a bad fanfiction character.

SMARTER THAN A MAN

More than halfway through the book, Evadne asks if Kingsley is bothered by the fact that she is smarter than him. Besides how arrogant this is (as if Evadne knowing a lot about weapons and technology makes her smarter than Kingsley on everything) it's unrealistic to give Kingsley some sort of twenthieth century feminist view on women. It's a pet peeve of mind that writers cannot put themselves in the place of any other time for fear of offending someone.

Any man would feel intimidated if a woman was constantly saving him and showing his ignorance. But Kingsley doesn't feel anything negative? Their relationship is quite dull and giving them an actual conflict would have done wonders. But Kingsley doesn't even confront her about her fake boyfriend.

IMPORTANT BOOKS

Kingsley finds books that Dr. Ward has written in the Neanderthals' possession because they needed it to make the time travel machine (even though this isn't explained).

I am assuming that these books were unpublished notes kept in a journal. Or else the Neanderthals would have had no reason to break into Dr. Ward's home to get them, they could have just broken into an unoccupied bookshop. This isn't clarified though and initially I was left confused.

You could say they wanted to kidnap Dr. Ward in his home, so they had to grab the books he had written while they were at it. Even so, it would probably be easier just to ransack some bookshops at night so they could take their time. Did most bookshops at the time have their owners reside in them? Maybe. Unfortunately it's all left to the reader to make sense of it.

You could argue that Neanderthals are not too bright but this is obviously not true as they manage to build a working time machine. If anything, they are geniuses.

THE OLYMPICS

Turns out the olympics are going to be held in London and the Immortals want to capture some sort of energy from the populace. Apparently, when large groups of people are together they produce a kind of energy called “animus” that isn't anything spiritual but more like a person's beliefs and morals.

I can't be any more specific than that because the story isn't. In fact, it seems to forget about this narrative altogether only to mention it near the end of the story. It comes across like an atheist attempting to find meaning and significance and failing.

TIME TRAVEL-SPOILERS

When exploring Kingsley and Evadne get surrounded by neanderthal. But they have just found the time machine and Kingsley says the only way to get out is to use it. So they end up traveling back in time to 1666 and witnessing the Great Fire of London.

The fact that they just got send more than two hundred years back in time should make them freak out. After all, the time machine doesn't go with them and they have no way of returning. But they just seem curious and maybe slightly unsettled. But I suppose both of them have no friends or family that they are attached to.

Soon afterwards they talk about living here and how they could do a lot of good. They just don't act like real people. Real people would be thinking about how hard it would be and what they would have to go without. They would think of catching a disease and dying. They would be regretting getting into this mess in the first place.

CLIMAX

Evadne and Kingsley seperate, her to stop the immortals and Kingsley to save his father. After this they meet up with Kipling and have tea. Evadne and Kingsley plan to go into show business together.

CONCLUSION

The problems with the story are multitude. The characters are shallow and don't really have arcs. Not to mention they don't make sense becase they are never fleshed out.

Kingsley has a wolfish nature that apparently has never done anything but make him look weird. Not once in the story does it cause him anything more than a slight inconvenience. Evadne is really smart and so beautiful that she has to make up a fake boyfriend. She has been bullied her whole life because she is an albino. So she is a victim and super gorgeous like a mary sue.

Neither Kingsley nor Evadne have relationships with anyone but each other. Kingsley likes his foster father but no information is given as to why. Also the father is only in a few pages of the story.

Jabez and Damona have even less personality, relationships and history.

The story itself is original but unfortunately that's all I can say about it. Neither the Immortals or the Neanderthals make compelling villains, even though the leader of the Neanderthals is a side character.

I give “The Extraordinaires” one and a half stars. Because the story idea and the world itself were original.

Book Review: "A Tale Dark & Grimm" by Adam Gidwitz

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Hansel and Gretal are royalty born in the Kingdom of Grimm. But after a series of traumatic events, they decide to leave their lives behind and find a new family. But this is harder than it seems as the twins run into problem after problem and struggle to trust anyone.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Hansel and Gretal are well intentioned but sometimes naive. Their main itnention of the story is to get a new family. I am not sure if they really have an arc. Both become brave and take risks (I am assuming they were not brave before). Both admit they were wrong about some things (although we don't know exactly why or how Hansel made one major mistake). But they don't ever admit they should not have run away. Or that they should have forgave their parents.

Johannes is the servant to the King and Queen. He is loved and introduced at the very start of the story. He also makes a return near the end.

PACING

The beginning is kind of slow, mainly when three crows get involved and start talking. But the story kicks off right after that. And from then it's one bad event after another. Because of that, I would say it's well paced. Although near the end it slows down a bit to wait for Hansel and Gretal to save the day and figure out the obvious.

A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS

When Lemony Snicket wrote his famous series about fifteen years ago or so, it was original. It was silly and unbelievable. All the adults were idiots or evil and the narrator stepped in every few seconds so you remembered he was there.

I liked it when I read it as a teenager. But fast forward and I no longer find such stories amusing. I don't mind if the narrator has a strong voice but I do mind the constant jokes jammed in stories, movies and television shows.

And when every other character besides the main ones are idiots or stupid, it's bad writing. In order for your characters to be likable and to succeed, every other character displayed shouldn't have to be an imbecile.

This story is set up into small chapters, and each chapter has it's own unfortunate event. It's easy to read, and perhaps children will like it because they can consume a chapter and stop, but still feel like they accomplished something.

WARNING: MY BIASES AGAINST PARODIES

I have to making a warning: I don't like parodies. I don't mind making fun of things but it's been done so many times over the decades and I think you really have to be clever to make it work. Think Monty Python or Mel Brooks.

I don't mind subversion if it's done well, it's just not usually done well. It's a gimmick that usually falls flat because a gimmick is all it is.

CHARACTERS

As I mentioned earlier, most of the characters are evil or stupid. It's hard to forget you are reading a children's book because of this. I think perhaps these kind of stories are for a certain age only, and once you go past it, you can't enjoy the book ever again. Some stories are like that. But I think the best stories, even the ones aimed at children or young adults, are books you can read at any age and still enjoy.

HANSEL GOES FERAL-SPOILERS

Hansel and Gretal find a place to live called Lebenwald, the Wood of Life. They are told by some nature spirit not to upset the balance. But Hansel does for some unknown reason. He decides he likes killing animals. This makes him go crazy and Gretal doesn't see him much after that.

He lives alone in the woods because eating berries alone couldn't sustain him. Yeah it doesn't much make sense, he goes crazy and we don't really know why. Whatever the reason, the twins end up separated and Hansel is killed (but not really).

THE CHARMING KILLER-SPOILERS

Gretal meets a young man who is handsome and charming. He invites her to come to his place, alone out in the woods. Gretal's new foster mother won't have it and says its too dangerous but she breaks the rules and sneaks out.

Turns out that this man is a murderer. It's creepy and eerie but the strange part is that is comes across kind of gross. No sexual acts are mentioned but the young man is clearly only targeting woman and girls. And Gretal is a preteen so he is a child predator.

Any adult or young man who wants to spend time alone with a young girl is strange but the villagers are too stupid to realize what's going on. Even though multiple girls have gone missing and he lives out in the middle of nowhere, is not married and keeps flirting with young girls.

So why is it okay to joke about murder but not this? Because most kids will be taught at a young age about murder and death by their parents. They will be told not to talk to strangers or to go off with them. But they won't be told all of the details as to why, just that it is dangerous.

Kids and adults can laugh about the antics in the book because they know it's insane. Meeting the devil is a joke. Cutting your head off and coming back to life is silly. But this one story felt off to me.

HANSEL RETURNS

The story loves to feature gruesome crazy things, perhaps trying to harken back to Goosebumps. Hansel ends up being revealed as not dead (big surprise) and alive inside of a beast. I guess the beast ate him whole. It was silly but I didn't mind.

THE DEVIL DID IT

Hansel eventually meets the Devil after being lost in a card game by his new foster-parent. The story has been silly all the way through but I found meeting the devil slightly more silly.

It's my own personal preference but I have an aversion to meeting Satan, God or angels in most stories, whether they be for adults or children. It's just so hard to write without coming across as cheesy and confirming the author's views on religion.

Hansel eventually escapes by imitating Satan's grandmother (or mother, I don't remember) because Satan has bad eyesight. Yeah, I told you it was a bad idea to have Satan in a story.

PARENTS AND REDEMPTION-SPOILERS

Hansel and Gretal finally go back home but when they talk to their parents, they avoid having to forgive their parents. Instead they focus on the problem the kingdom is going through.

I didn't mind that, it would make sense for them to struggle with it. But this isn't addressed later on. Instead the parents admit they are hopeless and stupid and hand over the throne to their kids.

No, that's really how it ends. Since Hansel and Gretal are good and have traveled around the country, that means they can run a country better.

CLIMAX

Hansel and Gretal are reunited, return home and meet their parents. There they learn about a dragon that has been attacking the kingdom. They put a plan in motion to kill it because their parents are too dumb to think of anything. After a few failed attempts and many deaths, they find out the truth about the dragon.

CONCLUSION

The story is silly and constantly sarcastic. But younger kids could like it, especially boys (I think girls may find it stupid more so than amusing).

The break down of each chapter as a single story is easy reading for children who struggle with short attention spans.

Both children have to go through brutal events, like witnessing people being killed. And this is emphasized to amuse children, like Gretal having to cut off her own finger to open a door, or Hansel hunting down and killing animals like a wolf.

Although I think some of the messages of the book are devious. All parents are not evil and stupid and children should not be the ones teaching their parents. If abuse happens they should reach out to an adult they trust (unfortunately their aren't any in this story).

Also the one story about the killer of woman comes across as inappropriate for kids. I am surprised it wasn't scrapped or rewritten to have less sexual undertones.

I may be harsh, but I can't recommend this book to anyone because of these elements. I can't excuse it by saying the author was just joking. I give the story one and half stars. Because some parts were interesting.

Book Review: "The Cabinet of Wonders" by Marie Rutkoski

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

When Petra's father returns from working for the Prince of Bohemia, he does so without his eyes. Determined to bring them back and restore her father's sight, Petra sets off to the capital where she plans to work at the Palace. But she will need the help of some new friends to do so.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Petra is a twelve year old girl, raised by her father and allowed independence from a young age. She is sometimes naive but brave.

Kronos is Petra's father. He is highly skilled and makes things with metal, like tin animals. He loves his daughter dearly but can be rather harsh with her at times.

Neel is a young thief who lives with the Roma, a group of travelers who live in a camp outside of Prague. He can be hot tempered but cares for Petra greatly.

Sadie is Neel's sister. She is light skinned so is able to pass as non-Roma. She isn't in the story too much but she does play an important role.

Prince Rodolfo is one of the three sons of the King of Hapsburg, who was given Bohemia to rule. He is used to being obeyed and is often cruel to his subjects while at other times he treats them as if they were children. He seems disconnected from how normal people live.

John Dee is foreigner visiting Prague. He ends up meeting with Petra and trying to manipulate her for his own purposes.

Astrophil is a tin spider that Petra has had for a long time. She is very smart and helps Petra out on many occasions including the climax. Also she helps Petra be kinder to Neel when she overreacts once.

PACING

We get an introduction where we meet Petra and learn of the magical world she lives in with her tin creatures. We learn about her family situation and that she is quite used to her freedom.

After that is established, her father returns home and Petra learns what happened to him. Even so, she doesn't just run off. She goes to her friend and plans what to do.

Before we learn about the main thrust of the story, that Krono's eyes have been stolen, we are establishing who our heroine is, how she became how she is and her relationships and desires. All of the information felt important and didn't slow the story down.

As for the rest of the story, it never felt slow to me but it's not an action story. There is plenty of suspense and mystery to push the story along though.

THE WORLD

Petra's lives in the country of Bohemia (present day Czech Republic) during the the Renaissance, the end of the sixteenth century.

One can be born with a magical ability but they don't usually come into it until the age of fourteen, which is considered the age of adulthood. For some reason, only noble families usually have magical abilities. The way this is explained is kind of confusing.

I felt what the author meant to say was that the training in magical abilities was only for the wealthy and powerful, because only they could afford to make huge donations or have good connections in order to get into the Academy.

Kronos has the ability to move metal with his mind and can speak telepathically to his intelligent creations.

Petra's friend, Tomik is able to make magical abilities. Although his don't have to do with metal, instead they have to do with glass, as his father is a glassblower.

Petra's mother had the gift of seeing the future. While those called scryers can see the present or the past.

There is a scene in Prague where Petra overhears two students discussing that people can only have one magical ability, not two. It was rather clunky exposition but it was an interesting tidbit.

NEEL'S GIFT-SPOILERS

Turns out that Neel has a strange gift, he can move items without touching them, simply by putting his hands near an object. We get an interesting story explaining the myth behind it and eventually it becomes a big help in the climax.

THE GIFT OF SCRYING

When Petra meets John Dee he wants her to scry for him. Eventually we learn the darker purpose behind that request but we learn more about Petra's fears. Turns out her mother had that gift and Petra doesn't want it. She thinks it's dangerous and can drive people crazy.

I thought that was an imporant aspect to the world, because magic isn't without risk. There is one scene in the beginning where Petra wonders if she even wants her father's magical ability, because it brought such a horrible incident. But to be fair, she never brings these worries up again except when she mentions Dee.

PETRA'S MOTHER

For the most part, Petra's mother is a secret. She died long ago and Petra doesn't think of her much in the story except when she talks about scrying. She would much rather have her father's gift with metal then her mother's gift with scrying.

THE WORRY VIALS-SPOILER

Petra goes to see her friend, Tomik, to tell him about her father returning. Tomik's father makes and sells magical items, one of them being the popular “worry vial”. You put your anxious thoughts into it and it allows your burdens to be lifted.

But it turns out Tomik has a secret, he has learned that the items have a flaw: the thoughts can be heard by someone other than the worrier. This seems just to be strange information but later on in the story it is crucial to the plot. Petra ends up searching the chambers for a worry vial to steal so she can learn where her father's eyes are being kept.

KRONO'S EYES

We learn at the beginning of the story that Petra's world is a magical one. But the strangest thing is that Krono's eyes can be taken out and used by someone else. And that they can just switch out eyes whenever they want.

Although that doesn't make everything wonderful and easy. Petra realizes her father went through agony losing his eyes, and that the prince had to do the same. Also Kronos points out that the prince took his eyes and not his mind, so they may not work like the Prince wants.

THE CLOCK-SPOILERS

Kronos was helping to build a special clock for the prince. Turns out it is supposed to be able to control the weather and in turn would help Rodolfo rule over other nations. But he can't figure out how to work it, even with Krono's eyes.

PETRA & NEEL

Petra doesn't meet Neel in the best of circumstances: he tries to rob her and she catches him. But when she refuses to report him to a police officer, he earns her respect. But he already earned her interest because no one should be able to feel him stealing because of his special gift. He also takes pity on her because she is all alone in the city and he I used to being an outsider. He takes on a slight teacher role and reveals important information to Petra multiple times.

Petra admits she wants to impress Neel, who she feels is rather street smart and daring. While he implies that she is naive and sheltered, a few times. This leads to arguments between them but both learn to grow and forgive each other.

NEEL'S MOTIVATION-SPOILERS

Petra tries to gain Neel's trust, by giving him an important book (she can't keep it in the palace) that he could sell for money if he wanted to. She realizes he doesn't trust easy and hopes to gain his friendship.

A part of her knows that he just wants to be involved so he can steal some items from the Cabinet of Wonders, but another hopes he wants to be involved to help her in her task of retrieving the eyes. Astrophil is crucial to helping Petra be kinder to Neel when she overreacts once.

ABOUT SADIE-SPOILERS

Sadie isn't in the story much but she does play multiple roles. She is the one who gets both Neel and Petra a job at the palace. Also, she helps Petra find an item she needs in the palace. Lastly, she is the one who reveals the truth about Neel's ancestry, allowing Petra to keep this to herself but learn more about her friend.

Neel eventually confides in Petra about this and she makes sure not to reveal she already knows this. It may reveal why he is sympathetic towards Petra, as she was obviously a lost outsider. And perhaps he doesn't feel like he belongs anywhere.

PETRA AND THE DYE WORKS

Petra ends up being sent to a place no one else wants to go: the Dye Works. There she meets a cranky woman who has a habit of turning to acid and burning her clothes when she loses her temper. Her name is Iris and she isn't happy to have a new servant. But Petra reveals some knowledge of metal and earns her begrudging respect.

Gradually Iris grows to respect her servant even if she doesn't express it very well. I found there interactions amusing (also important to the plot) and was glad when Iris returned later on in the story.

PETRA & JOHN DEE

Petra and John Dee don't have too many interactions but they ones they did have I found interesting. The back and fourth between them is especially well written. Dee reveals her knows her true name so she is immediately on edge, worrying about his intentions.

Dee is cunning and confident, sure that he can get Petra to do what he wants and be of use to him, but caring little for her own safety and her own troubles.

PETRA & KRONOS

The relationship between Petra and Kronos is rather complex. Petra is used to getting her way on most things, or at least being left alone to do as she pleases. Her cousin coming in and trying to replace her mom never went well, as Petra doesn't think she needs a mother.

When Kronos returns Petra is horrified and then angry at her father. How could he not know the Prince's intentions and why does he still talk so nicely about him? They argue and Petra has to learn to be silent and respect his authority. Also to forgive him.

PETRA & RODOLFO

Prince Rodolfo ends up taking notice of Petra even though she is just a random maid. He does so when he is wearing her father's eyes but he doesn't know why she intrigues him. He ends up summoning her and letting her be a servant to his chambers, where she is allowed to clean his library. In their one meeting he doesn't mistreat her but he does come across as condescending, playing a game with her and rewarding her with an orange.

A SUPRISE HELP OR TWO-SPOILERS

Iris ends up helping Neel and Petra escape by showing them a secret passageway. She surprised me by being bold and willing to help. Although it was clear she was always fond of Petra, I was glad she was willing to take a risk and help them.

Later, when Neel and Petra are trying to escape the palace, they end up in the stables. There they run into Jarek, one of them who delivered Kronos home. He ends up feeling bad and helping them escape. It felt rather out of the blue as I completely forgot about this character. I wish he had made an appearance once or twice before.

TOMIK'S MARVELS

When Petra and Neel finally achieve their goal, they have to escape. This is when Tomik's gifts come in handy. Three small spheres can be thrown onto the ground to achieve a distraction. The first one creates a huge light and thunder, the second, a large wave and the third a hive of bees.

CLIMAX-SPOILERS

Neel and Petra search for her father's eyes and retrieve them but not without incident. They end up being chased by Prince Rodolfo and his men. Neel and Petra part ways and Petra returns home.

PETRA'S RETURN-SPOILERS

When Petra returns triumphant, her father is furious at her. Her cousin reveals they all thought she was dead. And Kronos says she has brought danger to their family and that surely the Prince will come after them. Petra clearly never thought of this but is too upset and angry to defend herself. She runs off.

Eventually Kronos forgives her but still pretends to be blind. Petra realizes her father was right about danger coming, and even though she doesn't regret what she did, she realizes she needs to take responsibility. The story ends with her taking up a sword.

CONCLUSION

Petra's world is original and detailed and I couldn't help feeling there was much more to explore. More magical abilities yet to be revealed.

Petra is likable but flawed. She is motivated by love for her father but is naive. Neel is daring and brave and slightly wreckless. I liked seeing the relationship between these two, as Petra works to gain Neel's respect and trust.

I found the Prince to be suitably creepy and intimidating. He clearly thinks he does nothing wrong but feels detached from the consequences of his actions and how he affects those around him. We barely got to know him as John Dee was more of an antagonist. So I look forward to seeing him again.

I enjoyed most of the interactions between Petra and othe other characters, as it showed different aspects of her: her desire for a friend with Neel, her patience with Iris and her righterous anger with John Dee. Not to mention her boldness.

My only critique is that the climax felt slightly rushed.

I give “The Cabinet of Wonders” four stars.