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deluciate's review against another edition
4.0
This might be my favorite of the stories so far. Taran meets a series of skilled craftsmen and learns about the world and himself.
6teencand1es's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
could also be renamed “taran’s gap year”
youngthespian42's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 rounded down. This book Me-and-ers. The plot is missing for large sections. The charming cast of character is missing for about half this book and it shows. Great character moments for Taran and his growth over these 4 books is impressive but this book felt twice as long as it actually was. I am excited to wrap up this series but this one is a standout in quality from the first three.
hobbitfreddie's review against another edition
4.0
This series just gets better in each story. Taran grows, the stories get more interesting, and even the writing becomes better.
The formula of a similarly structured quest that this series follows I'm not too fond of, but each book makes the quest more interesting and developed. It's more about the characters not the story. The quest was way too crowded for a good portion, but when it's just Taran and Gurgi it really shines. It really goes into his character and the theme of identity. I think that's a great theme to explore in a book for younger audiences, rather than the standard good vs evil. There are some really excellent moments in this book, so I can't give it anything lower than a 4. But the formulatic parts do weigh it down a bit.
But the Taran Wanderer parts are really great. We get some more worldbuilding that goes off the last book. Since the last book I've felt more attached to this world and it's characters. It's just cozy.
For the books younger audience, I really think it appeals to all ages, old and young. I think anyone can take something away from this book.
The formula of a similarly structured quest that this series follows I'm not too fond of, but each book makes the quest more interesting and developed. It's more about the characters not the story. The quest was way too crowded for a good portion, but when it's just Taran and Gurgi it really shines. It really goes into his character and the theme of identity. I think that's a great theme to explore in a book for younger audiences, rather than the standard good vs evil. There are some really excellent moments in this book, so I can't give it anything lower than a 4. But the formulatic parts do weigh it down a bit.
But the Taran Wanderer parts are really great. We get some more worldbuilding that goes off the last book. Since the last book I've felt more attached to this world and it's characters. It's just cozy.
For the books younger audience, I really think it appeals to all ages, old and young. I think anyone can take something away from this book.
belgatherial's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
cyanide_latte's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
To my understanding, Lloyd Alexander wrote this because he was of the opinion that more story was needed to show Taran's character growth and development between the previous installment and the final one. And honestly I can say that I'm very glad he went ahead and made this book, because it does very much focus on and showcase the growth of Taran's character in a way that was very much still needed. The same is also true for Gurgi, albeit to a lesser extent.
I do want to say that if anyone is reading the Chronicles of Prydain and you reach this book, don't skip it. Make no mistake that this one is very much a bit of a slow burn, and it goes quite all over the place, but it's worth it for what we get in terms of character growth. It is very much needed and I think overall the final story of this quintet is going to be much richer for what we got in this book and what was focused on. I continue to be very very glad that I am reading this series at last, and this is just so highly underrated among any fantasy children's books I ever hear talked about. I really do think more people need to give this series a shot.
I do want to say that if anyone is reading the Chronicles of Prydain and you reach this book, don't skip it. Make no mistake that this one is very much a bit of a slow burn, and it goes quite all over the place, but it's worth it for what we get in terms of character growth. It is very much needed and I think overall the final story of this quintet is going to be much richer for what we got in this book and what was focused on. I continue to be very very glad that I am reading this series at last, and this is just so highly underrated among any fantasy children's books I ever hear talked about. I really do think more people need to give this series a shot.
capgambit's review against another edition
3.0
Not very impressed with this one. I understand the reason for this book but the way it was written was more like a mash up of people that Taran met during his travels. Didn't hold my interest very well.
llanirev's review against another edition
2.0
Taran went all over the place in this story. But the book went nowhere.