A review by socialpsysteph
Black Water by D.J. MacHale

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.5

I started reading this series because it was my husband's favorite book series when he was a kid so we have them all and he really wanted me to read them too. Given that the target demographic is young males, I didn't have too high of hopes but I have been pleasantly surprised. The stories are engaging and interesting, they aren't super predictable, and the characters aren't overly annoying and/or childish. I'm always super interested to learn about the new worlds and nefarious plots of Saint Dane in each installment. 

In this book, there were definitely some twists and turns I didn't see coming. I enjoyed the overall story and found the plot around slavery and dehumanization interesting and deep, especially for a middle-grade novel. Things are definitely getting more complex and are looking pretty dire for Bobby and the Travelers at this point so I am excited to see what happens in the next one!
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