Reviews Week 50

 Reviews Week 50

December 12th-18th

Book 178: Sabriel (The Old Kingdom Book 1)

By Garth Nix

Read December 11th-14th

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This is the third time I have tried to read this book, and I did not enjoy it. At least I was able to finish it this time around. One of my favorite tropes in fantasy stories is creatures being turned into cats. Such as demons, wizards, or witches. It excited me that one of these characters was in the book, and I wanted to read it immediately after hearing this. Mogget, the demon turned cat, was the best part of this book for me. I still didn’t enjoy this book as much as I wanted. 

The magic system and the world intrigued me initially, but Sabriel is a bland main character. I was interested in her school at the beginning and the others around her; I did not want to read much about her after a while. Then we get the character that Mogget nicknames Touchstone, who is even blander than Sabriel. His backstory was interesting, but there needed to be more substance to his character as a whole. 

Also, I was disappointed that we got so little of her father in this story, especially in the prologue. The story was supposed to focus on Sabriel, but I wanted more of him. There is a book that Garth Nix just published recently focusing on Sabriel’s parents that does sound good. I may eventually pick up other books in this series.

Overall, I wish I loved this book much more than I did. 

Book 179: The Serpent’s Secret (Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond Book 1)

By Sayantani DasGupta

Read December 16th-17th

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I do not know much about Indian Mythology, but I thoroughly enjoyed what was in this book. It took me a bit to get into Kiran’s character, but as the story continued, I grew to love her and this world so much. This book had a significant amount of Indian Mythology mixed in with modern humor. Learning about the mythological creatures I had never heard of before was neat. This book is excellent for fans of Rick Riordan and other modern takes on Mythology. 

The new dimension that Kiran goes to with the princes is intriguing, with the moving map, the winged horses, the Rakkhoshi, and the various kingdoms throughout. My favorite character in the story was a talking bird named Tuntuni, who was the royal advisor to the king. He was adorable, and I loved his sarcastic attitude throughout. I hope that he will be in future books in the series. 

Also, the inclusion of scientific elements such as astronomy were wonderful additions to the story as a whole, and I like that they were easy to understand. I loved the world that she explored with the riddles and the rhyming. It was so much fun. 

I love the messages throughout this book, and I believe it would be great for any age. This book shows the importance of family (both birth and adoptive). It had a lot of humor throughout, but the most crucial aspect of the book was the relationships, which were the heart of the story. 

Sayantani also included a note at the end of the book where she discussed the cultural elements she used throughout and where she got her inspiration. I’m glad that books are being published that tell these tales and give a voice to authors from many different cultures. This book made me want to learn more about Indian Mythology and Bengali culture. I especially loved the folktales that we got throughout. I cannot wait for the rest of this series to see where Kiran, Keel, Tuntuni, and the rest of the gang go from here. This book is an entertaining read that I recommend. 

Book 180: Once Upon a Wardrobe

By Patti Callahan

Read December 18th

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I, similarly to George, was introduced to Narnia with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis when I was about nine or ten years old. My grandmother got me the whole Narnia series for Easter after that, and I instantly fell in love with most of the series. About twenty years later, I still adore the series as I did when I was a child. 

“The way stories change us can't be explained,' Padraig says. 'It can only be felt. Like love.”

This book is a beautiful story about the love between a sister and a brother and the lengths she will go to for him. Megs' little brother George falls in love with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and wants Megs to find out where Narnia came from for C. S. Lewis. Megs goes to meet C.S. Lewis (who goes by Jack) to find the answer to her brother's question. Throughout the novel, Jack tells Megs about his life, and she tells her brother the story. I adored this novel with all my heart and soul.

“Once upon a wardrobe, not very long ago and not far away,”

I loved that this story occurred right after the first Narnia book was published. Going into this book, I knew a lot about Jack's life, but I loved learning even more. I also enjoyed how this book showed how deeply George and Jack loved reading and how it helped them in their lives. Once Upon a Wardrobe was an absolutely beautiful novel that I highly recommend to Narnia and C.S. Lewis fans. I know that I will pick up the other books by Patti Callahan, especially Becoming Mrs. Lewis. 

Book 181: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: A Commemorative Pop-Up

Adapted by Robert Sabuda 

Read December 18th

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A great pop-up book adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. I enjoyed how Robert Sabuda used smaller pages on the larger pages throughout the book to add even more of Baum's text within the pop-up book. There was much more of the story than I had expected because he did this. This book was one of the best I have seen within the medium, and I enjoyed how it told the story. 

Robert's pop-up art is incredible, especially Oz's hot-air balloon and the tornado at the beginning. This is not a perfect adaptation, but I enjoyed it so much. Many of the pop-ups in the book are intricate and might not be the best for younger children. You have to be careful when you close the book.

Overall, this is a beautiful adaptation of a book I adore with all my heart. It is stunning to look at and is an excellent introduction to the Oz series. I will definitely be trying to pick up Robert's other pop-up adaptations, such as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Peter Pan, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Little Mermaid.