A review by jessalynn_librarian
Crossing to Paradise by Kevin Crossley-Holland

3.0

It's been a while since I finished this one, so I'm trying to pull up the impressions that stuck with me. The sense of place and culture was strong without being overly descriptive. Simple things like Gatty's use of language compared to more sophisticated characters said a lot quickly. Which isn't to say that the book doesn't indulge in rich descriptions of teeming cities or mountain passes or sea voyages - something which may disappoint readers reading for plot. The characters are pretty great, and easily distinguishable despite their large numbers. I would be inclined to give the book another star except for one thing that was both tantalizing and extremely annoying. This is the first of Crossley-Holland's books that I've read, and it turns out that Gatty was a more minor character in another series. Mostly I love it when that happens - I suspected some characters also appeared in his Arthur trilogy, and I was happy at the thought of turning to those books next. But THEN - mild spoiler - the emotional weight of the conclusion was somewhat dependent on readers knowing what was set up in those books. Not completely - the conclusion still made sense emotionally - but I felt cheated. If this is a stand-alone title, I'll enjoy references to other books, but I don't want the stand-alone book doing the business of resolving issues raised in other books. I don't want to suddenly feel like I'm missing out. I'll probably still read the Arthur trilogy, but I liked the style, but I'm peeved.