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midsummernoodle's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I really liked this book. It was a very fast read and I had some trouble putting it down; I just really wanted to know what happened next. It does wrap up sort of abruptly, as some other reviews mentioned, but I didn’t mind it. I like it and I will definitely keep it to read again in the future.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Xenophobia
Minor: Bullying
tigger89's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I'm not sure what exactly this book is. I found it in the adult section, and the internet seems to concur that this is not children's literature. Storygraph tags claim it's middle grade. Goodreads shelves it in general or young adult more than in middle grade. So with that in mind as I read it, I eventually came to the conclusion that this book doesn't really fit in any of our neat little categories. Parts of it feel childlike, but it doesn't contain the typical themes of middle grade literature, and it's definitely not YA.
Ultimately, though, does it matter? Does not being able to neatly label and bin this book make it a bad book? I don't think so. If I had to put any label on it, I'd say it was for "general audiences," containing nothing that would be objectionable to children but offering something for readers of all ages. It's not unique in that respect, as many older books fall into that category: Chronicles of Narnia and Neverending Story both come to mind immediately. It's a throwback in many ways, including the use of political allegory, the story-aware narration style, and the episodic structure. I wonder if maybe this is why people feel the need to relate it back to Dickens? It certainly feels like an older story, to me.
This book really has two plotlines: that of the missing Ds, and that of the Gamp. The Gamp's plotline was satisfying to me(if a bit on-the-nose, though I do wonder whether it was targeting an American Gamp, an English Gamp, or perhaps a warning against all Gamps in general), delivering a clear allegorical message and having an ending that made sense(that Chekov's Gun was so satisfying when it fired, I'd completely forgotten aboutthe helpers ). The story of the missing Ds, arguably the main selling point of the book, just sort of resolved itself. It was fine, but not satisfying in the same way.
From a character perspective, I thoroughly enjoyed accompanying Dhikilo on her journey. No complaints there. She was delightful.
Ultimately, though, does it matter? Does not being able to neatly label and bin this book make it a bad book? I don't think so. If I had to put any label on it, I'd say it was for "general audiences," containing nothing that would be objectionable to children but offering something for readers of all ages. It's not unique in that respect, as many older books fall into that category: Chronicles of Narnia and Neverending Story both come to mind immediately. It's a throwback in many ways, including the use of political allegory, the story-aware narration style, and the episodic structure. I wonder if maybe this is why people feel the need to relate it back to Dickens? It certainly feels like an older story, to me.
This book really has two plotlines: that of the missing Ds, and that of the Gamp. The Gamp's plotline was satisfying to me(if a bit on-the-nose, though I do wonder whether it was targeting an American Gamp, an English Gamp, or perhaps a warning against all Gamps in general), delivering a clear allegorical message and having an ending that made sense(that Chekov's Gun was so satisfying when it fired, I'd completely forgotten about
From a character perspective, I thoroughly enjoyed accompanying Dhikilo on her journey. No complaints there. She was delightful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent
Early on, Dhikilo spends a paragraph describing all the people around her using food descriptions for their skin colors, including the white people. It's a little weird.abookandaspotoftea's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation, Death of parent, Xenophobia, and War
saturnsheart's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
One of the easier reads for me this year. A good book full of adventure and a wide variety of characters, but lacked a sufficient amount of information during the height of the plot.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent
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