Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Minor Mage by T. Kingfisher

5 reviews

abbie_normal's review

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adventurous dark funny hopeful reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was a lot of fun, and I plan to hand it to my 12 yo, who I think will love it, too. It's funny and reflective about the very real issues of mob mentality. I also appreciated Armadillo's amusing input and wise advice throughout, especially to focus on doing the things well that you can actually do and not work beyond your attainable scope. 

There was a bit more violence than is average for a middle grade novel and more death of only partially guilty people. Oliver reflects on their unwanted deaths with regret.  Some very mild and occasional swearing. 
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thesunthesunthesunthesun's review

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

3.75

This was a fun read! I don't have much to add other than that, despite the protestations of the authors editors, this definitely is a children's book. No matter how "scary" it gets. Sometimes children simply experience the horrors
but they make it through anyway.
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bexi's review

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adventurous dark funny reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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emily_mh's review

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

3.75

This was a well-crafted novella. Kingfisher knows how to write a quest narrative! Often I find these to be filled with nonsensical obstacles thrown in to extend the story, but Kingfisher’s always serve a purpose beyond creating tension, and they also are tied up in who the characters are. The narrative was also well-structured, with the right amount of time spent at each stage of the quest.

I appreciated that Kingfisher actually acknowledged that traumatic events, such as being sent on a quest as a child by yourself, has an impact on a person. This is a concept rarely explored in fantasy.

There were a couple negatives. Oliver is our main character and while he undergoes development in regard to his confidence as a mage, I just wasn’t compelled by him as a person. As he is the one the story is focussed on, this was problematic for my enjoyment.
Another criticism is that the most interesting aspect of the world-building, the cloud herders, only comes in at the very end, so the world unfortunately feels bland up until that point.

While I do have these two critiques, I enjoyed my time with this novella overall.
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wickedgrumpy's review

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adventurous dark emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

I think the beauty of T. Kingfisher's writing is that even with "adult themes" like murder, monsters, and mob mentality, you still get wholesome lighthearted moments in the mix.
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