Reviews

Foundling by D.M. Cornish

adelle_bookworm's review against another edition

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1.0

Hm, tak tohle byl pořádný přešlap.

1yourmom1's review against another edition

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5.0

This entire series is highly underrated and I wish more people knew about it. I read these books right after the final book was published and I still come back to them from time to time. It’s a genuinely ORIGINAL world and storyline, which is what truly pulled me in. I hope one day these books reach the best seller list where they belong.

sydneysavior's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

cityinkwell's review against another edition

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5.0

An absolutely foundational text of my teen years, fundamentally changed my brain chemistry. If you want a fantasy book with detailed worldbuilding, then my god. My GOD. This book has almost 100 pages straight of just the glossary, the cartography the illustrations - just a labour of love top to bottom from an extremely talented man.

D.M. Cornish spins a gripping world of regency-era monsters and an economy based around their slaughter, focusing on a vulnerable young teenager who is swept up in all the little corners that make up this world. The character arc is in flawless lockstep with the worldbuilding from beginning to end, and finishing it left me desperately hungry for more.

The series loves its strong female characters, not in the 'power fantasy girl' sense, but in genuinely bold and striking personalities that have massive influence over Rossamünd. They are the characters that stick, more than any other in the story. It's novel, but well appreciated.

It's not a particularly breezy read, there's a lot of dry lore exploration, almost no real escalation (quite a bit of the payoff for all this book introduces is in book 2) and very very different from your typical fantasy; this is a book that slams the buttons of a particular type of reader. And that reader is MEEEEEE

thestoryowl's review against another edition

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4.0

Why do I secretly hate Rossamund? Why can't I quite get into this book? Why can't I read the word "vinegaroon" without going to get some salt and vinegar chips? GAH!

Okay, I take it back, once it really got going, I totally got into the plot. I'm excited to see what's next for "Little Man".

missbookiverse's review against another edition

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3.0

Der Findling ist der erste Teil der bereits komplett erschienen Monster Blood Tattoo Trilogie. Die Übersetzung fand ich äußerst gelungen. Nirgendwo gibt es seltsam formulierte Stolpersteine und da der Stil sowieso etwas altmodisch und mit vielen Fantasybegriffen gespickt ist, war es so wahrscheinlich sogar leichter zu verstehen.

Was das Buch zu etwas Besonderem macht, ist ganz klar seine Gestaltung. Bereits am Anfang findet sich die erste Karte, auf der man die Reise des Helden nachverfolgen kann. Im Anhang folgen noch weitere Karten, die für’s Verständnis nicht nötig sind, aber schön anzuschauen. Außerdem bekommt man ein Gefühl dafür wie viele Gedanken und Planung der Autor in seine Welt gesteckt hat.

Jedes Kapitel wird von einer Charakterzeichnung begleitet, so dass man am Ende jede der wichtigen Figuren mal durch die Augen des Autors (die Zeichnungen stammen nämlich von ihm) gesehen hat.

Leider muss ich zum Inhalt des Buches sagen, dass sich die Geschichte zwar leicht liest, aber nicht hängen bleibt. Ich mochte die Figuren und die Welt, doch nichts davon hat mich fasziniert oder ist mir großartig im Gedächtnis hängen geblieben. Die Fortsetzungen werde ich demnach wohl nicht mehr lesen.

Womit das Buch beeindruckt, ist sein hundertseitiges Glossar. Man kann nicht nur unzählige Begriffe nachschlagen, sondern sich auch intensiv über die Monster Blood Tattoo Welt informieren. Von einer unterschiedlichen Zeitrechnung bis zu verschiedenen Schiffskörpern wird so ziemlich alles erklärt und gezeigt. Um die vorangegangene Geschichte zu verstehen, ist all dieses Wissen nicht nötig, aber wer sich in die Welt verliebt hat, wird sicher Spaß daran haben noch viel mehr über sie zu erfahren.

kraley's review against another edition

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3.0

This was a fast moving "quest" type book. It would make a good read-aloud for boys. I liked it better than Ranger's Apprentice. I am putting "Lamplighter" the next one in the series on my to read list.

aoosterwyk's review against another edition

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4.0

This book was something of a slow start for me, but moved quickly after the main character was abducted by pirates. The characters are fabulous and very Dickensian. None of this will interest my ordinary middle school readers, but I think it will be a hit with those who enjoy Westerfield, Reeve, Slade and other steampunk authors.

cimorene1558's review against another edition

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3.0

Pretty good, although the fact that a HUGE chunk of it is notes is pretty intimidating, and also annoying, because I didn't know there was a dictionary/encyclopedia of Half-Continent words in the back, so a)I thought the book was going to be a whole lot longer than it was and b)I really could have used that dictionary that I didn't know about, because trying to keep all the invented words straight is really tough, and who wants to spend endless time flipping back through a book to find the relevant footnote?

emmeline790's review against another edition

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dark hopeful mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75