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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A resounding MEH. This is a mish mash of SF and fantasy. There are alien critters invading the earth. But the only way to fight them is with magical books of power that can only be read by kids which all appeared the same day as the alien critters. Our hero is uniquely angry at the critters for grabbing his father before they disappeared. Anyway, there's a school for kids with nascent magical powers where our hero winds up. Then it turns out the aliens gave us magic back in the day and then took it back because we weren't docile enough. Confusing story, borrows from every formerly successful children's fantasy or SF you can think of, and the world building is not great either. But what I really didn't like about it is...no character development. Everyone remains the same cardboard cut-out figures they were at the beginning: smirking bullies, badass warrior chicks, angry, self-righteous heroes, etc.
What if Harry Potter was a bit more militant, included more demonic possessions and didn't have any of the light-hearted fun? Well, it wasn't amazing in all aspects but an enjoyable enough bedtime read for the family.
I am huge fan of James Riley, but this one somewhat missed the mark for me.
Very unique and interesting premise, but the characters are all very annoying and unlikeable so it makes it hard to care about them.
At any rate, I will continue with the series and hope everyone is less annoying in book two.
Very unique and interesting premise, but the characters are all very annoying and unlikeable so it makes it hard to care about them.
At any rate, I will continue with the series and hope everyone is less annoying in book two.
The Revenge of Magic is fast paced and fun, but I didn’t feel like the protagonist, Fort, was overly likable. I think Mr. Riley probably did a good, realistic job of portraying what a 12y old boy would feel under the circumstances, but he wasn’t very...heroic. More just angsty and bitter. My daughter (age 12) and her friends are getting ready to read this book for their book club and I’ll be interested to know their thoughts on Fort. Not my favorite James Riley book, but worth the read.
adventurous
fast-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:
Yes
The Revenge of Magic is fast paced and fun, but I didn’t feel like the protagonist, Fort, was overly likable. I think Mr. Riley probably did a good, realistic job of portraying what a 12y old boy would feel under the circumstances, but he wasn’t very...heroic. More just angsty and bitter. My daughter (age 12) and her friends are getting ready to read this book for their book club and I’ll be interested to know their thoughts on Fort. Not my favorite James Riley book, but worth the read.