Reviews

Heart of the Wild by Philip Reeve

thebibliogeek's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

bladmuis's review

5.0

utterly dark, i hope you will have many more great adventures to come. i will read about all of them.

cosy_armchair_reader's review

adventurous hopeful lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I found this book quite slow which made it hard to read ( because it is not the pace I usually read at ) I did however find it interesting and enjoyable in many places. I think I personally would have enjoyed it better if I had read the first book. I liked the idea of the old magic resurfacing but I found the plot twists easy to predict and not at all unexpected. All in all I think it would be a better read for the younger of readers, however  it is rather entertaining for older readers, as it was not particularly challenging but it was a nice lighthearted read which allowed me to have a break from the books I usually read. 
I would recommend for ages 9 - 12, with a little give way, people who enjoy magic and the element of fantasy.

gabliotecaria's review

adventurous mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

year62022's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Sienna G 

fifireader's review

adventurous

4.25

jwtaljaard's review

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

3.75

bluejay21's review

adventurous hopeful mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

erebus53's review

4.0

This is the second Utterly Dark book and once again Philip Reeve weaves an engaging and exciting narrative for younger readers, that is also entertaining for older people. In the first book we meet Utterly, a child who is half human and half of the sea god, The Gorm. The first book is all about the wildness of the sea and its shorelines, and this second offering is focused instead on the woods and wild spaces, and their stories, creatures, and genius locii. Reeve writes great girl characters, who are fierce and, have pockets. Utterly and Egg are as much their adults' caretakers and rescuers as the other way around.

When Uncle Will is invited to his cousin's house after his cousin's twin sister is struck by lightning, it seems that not all is as planned. A local vicar seems to be running things, and also seems to be treasure hunting, and delving deep (sometimes literally) into the secrets of old magicks and myths. It's all not very God-fearing of him, and he's not a very popular chap.

The setting is painted in hues of late summer, in browns and golds. Again we are treated to delicious character names, that are evocative and whimsical, and lean heavily into old British traditions. There is even a place called Runny Bottom, which is a bit of a lark. The church is old and spooky, and built on a barrow. Older readers will recognise barrows and lichgates and all manner of perverse corpsey things mentioned in the neck-prickling descriptions of what should otherwise be a house of God.

The Utterly Dark books are undoubtedly a celebration of ecological health. In the discussion of Genius Locii (the gods of a place - hills, rivers etc.) I caught a whiff of a notion about stock effluent running off into rivers; the stream being slow-moving and thick with weed next to the cow fields is a sign that farming is taking a toll on the land, even though this is set in the late 1800s. The other idea that I noticed was the notion of re-wilding, which is certainly an anachronistic concept, as the urbanisation around the Industrial Revolution was more about conquering nature than re-embracing it, but it is certainly a wonderful idea to introduce to young readers, so I'm not bothered by it.

I'd say this is a must read for anyone interested in fantasies, myth and magic, aged 9-13 years.

sjhbooks's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0