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A review by hellomei
The Children of the King by Sonya Hartnett
hopeful
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
i picked this book up when i was a kid i think bc there were (checks notes) ghost boys in it?? and i thought that fucked??? i never read it but cracked it open recently when cleaning my shelves and got immersed. to my surprise the ghost boys were not the draw in the end!
it feels very mature for a children’s book — not just because it’s set during wartime, but also because of the way it’s written. all these little observations about people’s behavior and children growing up that kids might pick up on but not fully grasp, and that adults will know full well from experience. the main character is annoying as hell but in that way that kids really can be, without meaning to be, so i still enjoyed reading her. loved the other characters too (particularly jeremy!) — all annoying and endearing and wonderfully real. the ending of the book suckerpunched me, as one susceptible to anything about pasts and futures and the passage of time. i really enjoyed this book
it feels very mature for a children’s book — not just because it’s set during wartime, but also because of the way it’s written. all these little observations about people’s behavior and children growing up that kids might pick up on but not fully grasp, and that adults will know full well from experience. the main character is annoying as hell but in that way that kids really can be, without meaning to be, so i still enjoyed reading her. loved the other characters too (particularly jeremy!) — all annoying and endearing and wonderfully real. the ending of the book suckerpunched me, as one susceptible to anything about pasts and futures and the passage of time. i really enjoyed this book