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smart_girls_love_trashy_books's review against another edition
4.0
-POTENTIAL SPOILERS-
I was really surprised by how many people didn't like this book. Okay, it's a childrens' book, but it can't help that. I think it was quite well-written for a childrens' book, and for some who indiscriminately reads them with ease, that's saying a lot.
A lot of people were comparing to this author's big creation, Avatar, but I didn't think that was very fair either. Yes, there were definite similarities, and while I would've liked it to be a combination of both serious topics and funny scenes like Avatar does, I feel like it's only fair to judge both things separately.
My thoughts? I liked it! I thought the idea was really good, and while it's obviously not a new one, the author manages to take it into a new direction. Makes me wonder what my Genius would look like?
I also thought the plot about a world where art is banned is an appropriate book to read in this day and era in America, for obvious reasons. I won't say what I'm referring to, but you all should get it.
Overall, I thought it was a fairly solid book, and I'm eager to pick up the second book when it arrives. Hopefully all my questions will be answered in that one, and hopefully we'll meet some writer characters!
I was really surprised by how many people didn't like this book. Okay, it's a childrens' book, but it can't help that. I think it was quite well-written for a childrens' book, and for some who indiscriminately reads them with ease, that's saying a lot.
A lot of people were comparing to this author's big creation, Avatar, but I didn't think that was very fair either. Yes, there were definite similarities, and while I would've liked it to be a combination of both serious topics and funny scenes like Avatar does, I feel like it's only fair to judge both things separately.
My thoughts? I liked it! I thought the idea was really good, and while it's obviously not a new one, the author manages to take it into a new direction. Makes me wonder what my Genius would look like?
I also thought the plot about a world where art is banned is an appropriate book to read in this day and era in America, for obvious reasons. I won't say what I'm referring to, but you all should get it.
Overall, I thought it was a fairly solid book, and I'm eager to pick up the second book when it arrives. Hopefully all my questions will be answered in that one, and hopefully we'll meet some writer characters!
jlaz's review against another edition
4.0
I received by copy for free through Goodreads giveaways. This book states it's for ages 8-12, however I would recommend 10-12. It's relatively long for the average reader, but for bookworms out there, I would recommend it. There are small sketches throughout which is great for the visual person. I will be donating this to the school library I run to get some more use out of it. I'm sure the kids will love it.
mcf's review against another edition
4.0
A hella enjoyable MG fantasy adventure, featuring genuinely surprising twists -- will absolutely be recommending it to my nieces and nephews.
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for the ARC!
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for the ARC!
brandypainter's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
Rebel Genius is the first book in a new series by Michael Dante DiMartino. I wanted to read this book as soon as I found about it as DiMartino was one of the co-creators of Avatar: The Last Airbender. I know enough kids still obsessed with that series that I knew being able to book talk this would be important. Even without this I would have been interested though because it sounded like a great story. I was surprised by how much I ended up loving it. (Though I don't know why I was surprised.)
Giacomo lives in the sewers only coming out at night to study a famous fresco and try to learn as much as he can from it to help his own art. One fateful night Giacomo is attacked and in a moment of panic sets off a strange occurrence he cannot explain. He is healed and suddenly in possession of his very own Genius. A genius is a bird type creature that is the living embodiment of an artist's creativity. At twelve Giacomo is supposed to be too old to suddenly have a Genius. They are supposed to arrive when an artist is very young. Now Giacomo must live in fear for his life. Geniuses are forbidden by the ruler of the land who has outlawed all but her own. If any Genius is found, it is captured. Separated from a Genius, an artist loses their mind and becomes a Lost Soul. Less than a day into having a Genius, Giacomo has no idea how he will keep it a secret when he is found by three other children with Geniuses who take him to villa where there is a hidden studio where they learn their art apprenticed to a famous master. Soon after arriving at the villa, it becomes obvious that Giacomo has an extraordinary ability. When word comes that an evil artist is searching for the Sacred Tools so that he can overthrow the kingdom, the four children set out to beat him to it.
There is A LOT going on in this book. A lot. The world DiMartino has created is rich and layered. Based on Renaissance Italy, it is full of opulence, treachery, ruthless tyrants, and dangerous politics. The foundation of all of this is the marriage of art, science, and mathematics. There are a couple of moment that can best be described as "describing a tesseract" moments. The magic well the Geniuses help their artists tap into involves Sacred Geometry. (I know right? GEOMETRY.) But it actually works really well. The moments where things are being explained only make the world building stronger and do not slow down the action of the story at all. It's a fast paced adventure that follows a fairly typical fantasy set up plot wise: orphan finds extraordinary power, gains companions he's wary of, goes on quest, faces treachery, discovers something about himself he never knew. The familiarity of the plot elements do not render them tired or worn out though. They are tired and true because they work so well and DiMartino adds his own twists and flair to the story. The writing is deceptively simple and pulls the reader right into the story.
Just as there is a lot going on, there are also a lot of characters. I was surprised by how attached I was to all of them by the end of the book. There is definitely more character depth that needs to be added to each, but DiMartino does a good job of giving us an introduction to each and providing action that highlights their flaws and strengths. Giacomo is a true hero who is empathetic and feels deeply for every being he comes in contact with. The other children in the book foil Giacomo in various ways. Some of them are developed better than others and their relationships with each other is something that I hope is explored in more depth in future books, but a good foundation for that is laid here. There are several villains to counter the party of heroes, but one thing I really appreciate about all the characters was how the line between the two was not always clear. It wasn't as black and white as that.
DiMartino is exploring some fascinating and relevant themes through the story, political and moral. I'm really looking forward to seeing where he is going with all of this.
The book has internal illustrations that are beautiful. It is fairly long with small print so might appeal more to the upper end of the MG spectrum (which is who it seems intended for). I see this straddling the MG/YA line and appealing to readers in both age brackets. It is a fantastic story to a new series. For fans of DiMartino's previous work on Avatar and anyone who loves complicated fantasy worlds, this is a sure hit.
Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
Rebel Genius is the first book in a new series by Michael Dante DiMartino. I wanted to read this book as soon as I found about it as DiMartino was one of the co-creators of Avatar: The Last Airbender. I know enough kids still obsessed with that series that I knew being able to book talk this would be important. Even without this I would have been interested though because it sounded like a great story. I was surprised by how much I ended up loving it. (Though I don't know why I was surprised.)
Giacomo lives in the sewers only coming out at night to study a famous fresco and try to learn as much as he can from it to help his own art. One fateful night Giacomo is attacked and in a moment of panic sets off a strange occurrence he cannot explain. He is healed and suddenly in possession of his very own Genius. A genius is a bird type creature that is the living embodiment of an artist's creativity. At twelve Giacomo is supposed to be too old to suddenly have a Genius. They are supposed to arrive when an artist is very young. Now Giacomo must live in fear for his life. Geniuses are forbidden by the ruler of the land who has outlawed all but her own. If any Genius is found, it is captured. Separated from a Genius, an artist loses their mind and becomes a Lost Soul. Less than a day into having a Genius, Giacomo has no idea how he will keep it a secret when he is found by three other children with Geniuses who take him to villa where there is a hidden studio where they learn their art apprenticed to a famous master. Soon after arriving at the villa, it becomes obvious that Giacomo has an extraordinary ability. When word comes that an evil artist is searching for the Sacred Tools so that he can overthrow the kingdom, the four children set out to beat him to it.
There is A LOT going on in this book. A lot. The world DiMartino has created is rich and layered. Based on Renaissance Italy, it is full of opulence, treachery, ruthless tyrants, and dangerous politics. The foundation of all of this is the marriage of art, science, and mathematics. There are a couple of moment that can best be described as "describing a tesseract" moments. The magic well the Geniuses help their artists tap into involves Sacred Geometry. (I know right? GEOMETRY.) But it actually works really well. The moments where things are being explained only make the world building stronger and do not slow down the action of the story at all. It's a fast paced adventure that follows a fairly typical fantasy set up plot wise: orphan finds extraordinary power, gains companions he's wary of, goes on quest, faces treachery, discovers something about himself he never knew. The familiarity of the plot elements do not render them tired or worn out though. They are tired and true because they work so well and DiMartino adds his own twists and flair to the story. The writing is deceptively simple and pulls the reader right into the story.
Just as there is a lot going on, there are also a lot of characters. I was surprised by how attached I was to all of them by the end of the book. There is definitely more character depth that needs to be added to each, but DiMartino does a good job of giving us an introduction to each and providing action that highlights their flaws and strengths. Giacomo is a true hero who is empathetic and feels deeply for every being he comes in contact with. The other children in the book foil Giacomo in various ways. Some of them are developed better than others and their relationships with each other is something that I hope is explored in more depth in future books, but a good foundation for that is laid here. There are several villains to counter the party of heroes, but one thing I really appreciate about all the characters was how the line between the two was not always clear. It wasn't as black and white as that.
DiMartino is exploring some fascinating and relevant themes through the story, political and moral. I'm really looking forward to seeing where he is going with all of this.
The book has internal illustrations that are beautiful. It is fairly long with small print so might appeal more to the upper end of the MG spectrum (which is who it seems intended for). I see this straddling the MG/YA line and appealing to readers in both age brackets. It is a fantastic story to a new series. For fans of DiMartino's previous work on Avatar and anyone who loves complicated fantasy worlds, this is a sure hit.
ksophialydia's review against another edition
I received an ARC of this book for free at San Diego Comic-Con, which has no bearing on this review.
I stopped reading at page 56, which is much earlier than I usually part ways with books I decide not to finish. My reasons for stopping are largely based around this book being geared towards the younger end of the middle grade spectrum. I generally enjoy middle grade as a whole, but I'm too far removed from the target demographic to enjoy this one.
The writing isn't bad, but it's very simple, which made it difficult for me to focus on the story. This is my main reason for not finishing the book. I don't see this being a problem for younger readers, though.
None of the characters seemed like-able to me, but I think this is due to my age, and readers who would be in Giacomo's peer group if he was a real boy may find him and his fellow characters more engaging.
The artwork scattered throughout the story is a nice touch, and felt like a nod to DiMartino's previous television work.
I can't speak very much on the world-building due to stopping the book as early as I have. I expected a bit more than what I got, but I expect that the world is expanded as Giacomo leaves his sewer abode in the fourth chapter, which is right where I stopped. I think it'll be enough to spark the imagination of young readers, though.
I stopped reading at page 56, which is much earlier than I usually part ways with books I decide not to finish. My reasons for stopping are largely based around this book being geared towards the younger end of the middle grade spectrum. I generally enjoy middle grade as a whole, but I'm too far removed from the target demographic to enjoy this one.
The writing isn't bad, but it's very simple, which made it difficult for me to focus on the story. This is my main reason for not finishing the book. I don't see this being a problem for younger readers, though.
None of the characters seemed like-able to me, but I think this is due to my age, and readers who would be in Giacomo's peer group if he was a real boy may find him and his fellow characters more engaging.
The artwork scattered throughout the story is a nice touch, and felt like a nod to DiMartino's previous television work.
I can't speak very much on the world-building due to stopping the book as early as I have. I expected a bit more than what I got, but I expect that the world is expanded as Giacomo leaves his sewer abode in the fourth chapter, which is right where I stopped. I think it'll be enough to spark the imagination of young readers, though.
anisa_akeya's review against another edition
Holy shit! Ok first things first, I was very excited to read this book, Avatar the last Airbender and the Legend of Korra were both my Jams! However... once I started reading the book I was slightly confused, there was a lot to absorb, like there usually is in the first books of a fantasy series, and I found myself having to go back to the first few chapters to refresh my memory on all of the details that I couldn't keep track of. I can look past the headache of starting a new series because this one was a Thrilling adventure! You had fierce battle, monsters, magic, a few rebellious prodigies lead by a scrappy protagonist taking on an impossible task, and not to mention enough twists and surprises to leave you gaping at the pages. I got a lot more than what I expected from a middle grade book, but exactly what I expected from the creator of one of my favorite animated series of all time.
marimoose's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5 stars
Full review can be found at Story and Somnomancy.
The good thing is this story is swashbucklingly adventurous and reminiscent of Avatar: the Last Airbender. The bad thing is that it isn't Avatar: the Last Airbender. Just a sorta kinda copy with a completely different world and magical system. Did I like it? Yes! I did wish the story's medium had been an animated one, though.
Full review can be found at Story and Somnomancy.
The good thing is this story is swashbucklingly adventurous and reminiscent of Avatar: the Last Airbender. The bad thing is that it isn't Avatar: the Last Airbender. Just a sorta kinda copy with a completely different world and magical system. Did I like it? Yes! I did wish the story's medium had been an animated one, though.
samratbasani's review against another edition
4.0
Like many others, I checked out Rebel Genius as a fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender. While there are some potential similarities, they are clearly different stories in terms of tone, characterization, and imagery.
Unfortunately, that difference extends to the pace as well. At several points, the story drags, and it continues far too long after the climactic scene of the book. Further, while the imagery is potent, the idea of the Geniuses (Genii?) being primarily used for combat cheapens the story, a bit. In contrast, bending from Avatar is martial in nature to begin with.
Interesting plotting, solid characterization while leaving plenty of scope for future books in both areas. Would read again.
Unfortunately, that difference extends to the pace as well. At several points, the story drags, and it continues far too long after the climactic scene of the book. Further, while the imagery is potent, the idea of the Geniuses (Genii?) being primarily used for combat cheapens the story, a bit. In contrast, bending from Avatar is martial in nature to begin with.
Interesting plotting, solid characterization while leaving plenty of scope for future books in both areas. Would read again.
mcbeezie's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book and so did my daughter. There were a few spots where she was nervous for the characters, but nothing too outrageous. The characters were likable and the story moved along at a good pace. We will definitely continue reading this series. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing us to read this in exchange for our honest review.
chasecassandra's review against another edition
2.0
I believe, like the majority of people who reviewed this book already, the first thing that caught my eye about Rebel Genius was that it was written by one of the creators of Avatar The Last Airbender. That show rocked my world as a child almost as much as the Harry Potter series and I knew I had to give DiMartino's book a chance.
After reading the inside cover of Rebel Genius, I was further encouraged to read the book as there were some elements that were reminiscent of my beloved ATLA series: children with special powers banding together, a corrupt government, a journey, unusual people/creatures to name a few. I checked the book out from my library and enjoyed the writing style. Being a children's book, it was nothing spectacular but certainly enough to keep my attention. The main troupe of children I encountered in the first few chapters of the book were charming as well and different enough from the cast of ATLA to make me think that DiMartino had come up with something relatively unique from his name-making series.
From there though, I quickly flatlined into a comfortable daze that somehow carried me to the final page of the book. I lost interest in the children early on and was dismayed at the description of the avian familiars that wore silly crowns on their heads to project lights in which to do their 'art magic'. A lot of the book was cheesy, which is to be expected of a children's book in some aspects, which I felt could have been avoided if DiMartino had written the series for a teenage audience. Being able to be a bit grittier in the dialogue and descriptions while deterring from gimmicks that felt like cheap ploys to entice the basic fancies of children would have made it a much better story.
There is one unforgivable part of the book though that made me want to both laugh and cry for it's stupidity (sorry DiMartino).
The main character is asked in his training to draw a two-sided shape without drawing a line(?) - I honestly can't remember exactly how this went down or what exactly he was asked verbatim. He correctly guesses a line as what he is meant to draw but doesn't know how to fulfill the request.
SOMEHOW the answer to this question is to draw a Venn diagram and draw a line down the center of the intersecting parts and maybe turn something on it's side(?).
Forgive my art ignorance here but that made zero sense to me and I expect a child to not understand this either. I read this part aloud to my brother to make sure that I had not simply misinterpreted the situation but he was equally confused and amused by the text.
I tried to overlook this part the rest of the book but it was honestly too much for me and haunted me the rest of the journey with Giacomo and his friends.
Ten year old boys with an interest in art will likely enjoy this book and there was a glimmer of hope in the 'big bad' empress (which is basically Fire Lord Ozai in a lot of ways) but I will not be continuing if there is a sequel.
However, I do hope for DiMartino's future success and continue to worship him for what he helped give me with ATLA. I am interested to see where his career takes him from here!
After reading the inside cover of Rebel Genius, I was further encouraged to read the book as there were some elements that were reminiscent of my beloved ATLA series: children with special powers banding together, a corrupt government, a journey, unusual people/creatures to name a few. I checked the book out from my library and enjoyed the writing style. Being a children's book, it was nothing spectacular but certainly enough to keep my attention. The main troupe of children I encountered in the first few chapters of the book were charming as well and different enough from the cast of ATLA to make me think that DiMartino had come up with something relatively unique from his name-making series.
From there though, I quickly flatlined into a comfortable daze that somehow carried me to the final page of the book. I lost interest in the children early on and was dismayed at the description of the avian familiars that wore silly crowns on their heads to project lights in which to do their 'art magic'. A lot of the book was cheesy, which is to be expected of a children's book in some aspects, which I felt could have been avoided if DiMartino had written the series for a teenage audience. Being able to be a bit grittier in the dialogue and descriptions while deterring from gimmicks that felt like cheap ploys to entice the basic fancies of children would have made it a much better story.
There is one unforgivable part of the book though that made me want to both laugh and cry for it's stupidity (sorry DiMartino).
The main character is asked in his training to draw a two-sided shape without drawing a line(?) - I honestly can't remember exactly how this went down or what exactly he was asked verbatim. He correctly guesses a line as what he is meant to draw but doesn't know how to fulfill the request.
SOMEHOW the answer to this question is to draw a Venn diagram and draw a line down the center of the intersecting parts and maybe turn something on it's side(?).
Forgive my art ignorance here but that made zero sense to me and I expect a child to not understand this either. I read this part aloud to my brother to make sure that I had not simply misinterpreted the situation but he was equally confused and amused by the text.
I tried to overlook this part the rest of the book but it was honestly too much for me and haunted me the rest of the journey with Giacomo and his friends.
Ten year old boys with an interest in art will likely enjoy this book and there was a glimmer of hope in the 'big bad' empress (which is basically Fire Lord Ozai in a lot of ways) but I will not be continuing if there is a sequel.
However, I do hope for DiMartino's future success and continue to worship him for what he helped give me with ATLA. I am interested to see where his career takes him from here!