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kitvaria_sarene's review
3.0
Not perfect, but good enough YA fantasy.
I liked the different story and magic in this one, that didn't feel like the 100th carbon copy of other YA books.
However the setting didn't exactly work as well for me. Hitler being names as "that german wizard" did annoy me, as I definitely like books that enlighten teens about that horrible time frame, but making Hitler a wizard just feels off to me, like just not taking the topic as serious as it is. Also if it didn't mention Hitler, I'd probably not really have picked up on this taking place quite a while ago, and not today, so the time frame could have been written better.
Aside from that I liked the characters wellenough, even though they could have done with a little more of depth, and the plot was interesting enough to keep me going. The tone and voice was easy to digest and fluent enough to keep me going.
I liked the different story and magic in this one, that didn't feel like the 100th carbon copy of other YA books.
However the setting didn't exactly work as well for me. Hitler being names as "that german wizard" did annoy me, as I definitely like books that enlighten teens about that horrible time frame, but making Hitler a wizard just feels off to me, like just not taking the topic as serious as it is. Also if it didn't mention Hitler, I'd probably not really have picked up on this taking place quite a while ago, and not today, so the time frame could have been written better.
Aside from that I liked the characters wellenough, even though they could have done with a little more of depth, and the plot was interesting enough to keep me going. The tone and voice was easy to digest and fluent enough to keep me going.
fortifiedbybooks's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed reading this book for more than it being an exciting, adventurous Fantasy story. Tommy ends up meeting a girl, Naomi, who is better at magic than most who have trained for years. However, this being set right before World War II, she comes up against sexist ideas about what girls can and can’t do throughout the story. She’s constantly underestimated by everyone, except Tommy, but they pay the price for their narrow mindedness. I find it refreshing to read a Fantasy story, especially a middle-grade one, in which sexism is faced without being preachy or accepted and allowed to go without remark of any kind.
The book journal I use to write down notes and thoughts about my review books has a rating scale from 1 to 10 for various elements of the story, such as quality of writing, pace, characters, etc. I marked a 9 or 10 for every single element. I highly recommend Tommy Black and the Staff of Light to Fantasy lovers of all ages, especially if you enjoy Urban Fantasy.
The book journal I use to write down notes and thoughts about my review books has a rating scale from 1 to 10 for various elements of the story, such as quality of writing, pace, characters, etc. I marked a 9 or 10 for every single element. I highly recommend Tommy Black and the Staff of Light to Fantasy lovers of all ages, especially if you enjoy Urban Fantasy.
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