Critique

I cannot stress enough how much I love this book and this series. I would definitely recommend it to any lover of fast-paced fantasy novels. Certainly stories about aliens, people with superpowers, or even aliens with superpowers are nothing new. However, I feel like the treatment of this is fresh, especially amidst the crowded room that is vampire super power novels. I get a little tired of John (number four) complaining so much about not being able to see his girlfriend, and I really hate love triangles, especially when they seem thrown in just to create more tension between the characters. That’s why I’m glad at least half of this book is about numbers seven and ten, and six takes a more active role in the story. I’m really stoked on number nine. He seems like a crazy fool, and I can’t wait to see more of him in the next book.

Over all, the narrative does a great job of drawing me into the story, the back-story and the overall fantasy. I find myself disappointed at the end when I have to wait another whole year before I can read the next book in the series.

Critique

I absolutely love this series. What I like about them especially is that they’re totally different from the standard young adult magic book. The winding narrative and voice of the heroine harkens strongly to a Mark Twain, fitting considering the time period the books are supposed to be set in. While the books are loosely connected to each other, each is really a separate story, and Eff is just a regular magician, not some child of promise upon whom the weight of the world stands. It’s refreshing to have a series of magic, fantasy stories that don’t work off of the same formulaic premise.

As to this addition to the series, if it’s possible, I actually like Across the Great Barrier better than the first, which is atypical to most fantasy series. I like that the story doesn’t focus on one single issue, but meanders around, similar to how regular life would go. Eff is a lovable character who you route for, and she always feels very tangible, making decisions that seem in character, and someone who comes across as a very real person.

Critique

As the sequel to Eon, it’s interesting that the two books are not very like each other. Eon is far more about the politics of the court, and Eona’s struggle with her new found power. Eona is really more of a long, straightforward story about the war the main characters suddenly find themselves thrust into. Little of it involves the fantasy and power of the dragons, and I certainly would have loved to see more, but, all in all, the narrative kept me interested from beginning to end.

Critique

Although I love this series and what Kinney has done with his unique voice in the genre of graphic novels, I was disappointed in this book. I suppose, at some level, you can only rewrite the same type of story so many times before it starts to become a little tired. The only major change with this book in comparison to its predecessors is that Greg is a little older, and his friend Rowley isn’t around. It’s not bad, by any means, and I would definitely recommend it to those who love this series, it’s not as good as the earlier books.

The other books in this series are Diary of a Wimpy Kid (book 1), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (book 2), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw (book 3), and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (book 4).

Critique

Certainly not as good or as groundbreaking as the first, The Scortch Trials was still an interesting story that kept me intrigued enough to continue reading. It’s hard to follow up a book like The Maze Runner, because, much like Lord of the Flies, it would probably work better as a standalone novel. Everyone’s got the series craze though, nowadays, so it’s hard to escape with just one. There were certainly a few plot twists along the way, but nothing like what The Maze Runner could offer, since the premise of that book was entirely based around discovery. Still, I would recommend it as a good read.

Critique

I cannot stress enough how much I love this book and this series. I would definitely recommend it to any lover of fast-paced fantasy novels. Certainly stories about aliens, people with superpowers, or even aliens with superpowers are nothing new. However, I feel like the treatment of this is fresh, especially amidst the crowded room that is vampire super power novels. I get a little tired of John (number four) complaining so much, especially about the fact that he’d rather be a regular kid and not have super powers. Get off it already. None of us believe you. That’s why I’m excited to see Six come along and unleash some serious butt kicking. She seems to be far more fond of her super powers than John is. The narrative does a great job of drawing me into the story, the back-story and the overall fantasy. I find myself disappointed at the end when I have to wait another whole year before I can read the next book in the series.

Critique

To be honest, I was disappointed in this final book. I feel like the first book was great, unparalleled in quality and story to anything else in the market. However, with each addition there is a stark decline. I believe this should have been a one-off rather than a series. I know that any publisher and often writer is tantalized by the dollars that can be made from a popular franchise, but I think there need to be books that stand alone. No one would make a sequel to Lord of the Flies or 1984 and expect them to be anywhere as good as the first. Not only that, but it would sully the originals.

The second book, Catching Fire, is decent, but not amazing, and this final chapter is not all that stellar at all. Not to spoil it for everyone, but lots of people die, most of the main characters, in fact, and the story doesn’t gain anything from it. It’s difficult to believe that Katniss is even on the sort of quest that she’s on, and it feels like Collins is simply trying to stretch out the story for the sake of creating a third book in a trilogy. The love triangle is boring and tired as a level of complexity for the plot, and it’s been played out for way too long. I definitely recommend the first book, and could go either way on the second, but don’t recommend this third book at all. Don’t bother reading it unless you need finality to the story.

Critique

At first I didn’t know what to think about this book. I was teetering a bit at the beginning, and it felt difficult to follow from time to time. However, as the book continued to unveil, I stumbled less and less and was able to lose myself in the story. Some of the confusion may have stemmed from my lack of knowledge about the Imperial China, but I do feel as though the text could have used a bit more scenery description so that the full breadth of the environment could be taken in. Also, I don’t typically recommend drawings in books, but it would have been incredibly illuminating to see depictions of the various fighting forms being used in order to imagine the fight scenes.

All in all, though, it’s an engaging, original fantasy that’s part historical China and part something of its own entirely. Eon is a believable character, so much so, in fact, that often I found it annoying that she was making choices natural to her personality that were shaping her future in detrimental ways. No criticism of Goodman’s work, certainly. Sometimes characters are like that, and as much as we want them to be different for their own good, they’ll continue making ridiculous choices that mire them further into the very mess form which they’re struggling to break free. I recommend this text to readers 12+.

The other book in this series is Eona.

Critique

Laurence Yep is known for his beautiful exposés on Chinese history as it intersects with American history. His two books that have previously won the Newbery Honor awards, Dragonwings and Dragon’s Gate, bring to life the under-explored story of the men who came to America from China to work on the railroad. They brought with them the hope and promise of a better life only to be met by hardship and disillusionment, but had the strength and perseverance to see it through.

Dragons of Silk is a perfect addition to this series and companion to the previous books because it provides a new perspective on Chinese history and culture as it intersects with American history and culture through a different medium—silk—but also through a different voice—women. The plot and conflict is palpable and multifaceted. Yep has brought his reader into the lives of the characters and done a masterful job creating connection and empathy with their struggles and triumphs.

It seems no accident that Yep has chosen silk as the object of the plot and a main symbolic theme throughout the writing. One can feel the connection, the threads that bind chapter to chapter, person to person, and generation to generation as his story is weaved throughout its 75-year span. I recommend this to all readers 10+ as it will connect with both children and adults.

Critique

Honestly, I was pretty disappointed with this book. I feel like it’s the weakest in the series so far. It just doesn’t feel like Nix is really into the story any more. He’s probably more interested in his next series and is kind of cranking these out at this point. I’m not in love with the series overall, although the world he’s created is at least unique and interesting at some level. My favorite book so far is Drowned Wednesday, which I feel is the most developed in characters and world. Not surprisingly, it’s the longest of the six. Nix can be hit or miss. This series is only slightly better, in my opinion, than The Seventh Tower series, although I actually like that world and unique fantasy better; I just wish that Nix had developed it more. The Abhorsen series is great, and Keys to the Kingdom is pretty subpar in comparison.