Reviews

Celandine by Steve Augarde

shewreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

Rarely do I enjoy the sequel more, but this time I surely did. Celandine comes after The Various and follows the childhood of its titular character and great, great, etc relative of Midge, the protagonist in the first novel. For Celandine, we’re back in WWI England when she, too, encounters the mythical creatures and tribes her descendant eventually will.

But let me tell ya, for a YA novel, Augarde gives just the right amount of dark intensity. We have boarding school bullies, vicious governesses, violent emotional reactions, and wartime fear all against a backdrop of your everyday adolescent and family issues.

Celandine is a force to be reckoned with; yes, she’s young and impulsive, but she’s also reasonable and compassionate. She’s a leader and a warrior who sees things — literally and figuratively — others don’t. And I’m so eager to see where the final novel of The Touchstone trilogy leads us.

o_claire_de_la_lune's review against another edition

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4.0

Peut-être même meilleur que le premier, j'ai adoré.

anispaperbacks's review against another edition

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I quite liked the first bit with Celandine running away, and enjoyed other bits with her. But I just did not care about or particularly enjoy the Various. I did like Fin. But apart from 'just liking' the book, I do not find myself caring about the story and can't see it going somewhere I'll do anything more than 'just like' it. 

I'm just not intrigued and when I'm not reading it, I don't find myself wanting to pick it back up. 

ginaruiz's review against another edition

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5.0

http://ginasblogging.blogspot.com/2007/01/celandine.html

willowsfair's review against another edition

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

5.0

Having stumbled across the first volume in Augard's imaginative trilogy, I had to seek out the others. What a world he has created. I, who rarely read fantasy, am captivated. In weaving an engaging historical fiction story with the plausible impossible, the author has ensured that the reader will never again take that rustle in the leaves, those glimmering sparkles of odd light at dusk, the shadows that move almost - but not quite - silently, for granted again. For there is much about the world that we do not know, and as Uncle Josef says, nor should we. I loved this story and these characters and cannot wait to dive into the third volume.

catherine_mack's review against another edition

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3.0

I didn't actually finish this before I had to take it back to the library.

While it's well-written it didn't grab me and I wonder if it would grab any teen/young adult readers. Perhaps I didn't give it long enough.

_niva_'s review against another edition

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War mein zweites Mal lesen

roseannmvp's review against another edition

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3.0

Love the fantasy of the little people and really like Celandine - or Dinah- so far. We'll seee...

rachael_amber's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

calaisreed's review

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2.0

Quite depressing, I did not like it nearly as much as I liked the first book.