What Really Happened in Peru

Book Title: What Really Happened in Peru

Author: Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan

Series: The Bane Chronicles #1

Date Started: June 1st 2013

Date Completed: June 5th 2013

Genres: Fantasy, Comedy, Romance, Adventure

Rating: Four stars

Review:

This is the perfect novella to accompany the Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices series'. Not only does it give us an insight into one of the best character's past and how they've changed throughout centuries, but it's also an enjoyable, hilarious short story that I wish went on for a lot longer.


What Really Happened in Peru tells of four events to happen to Cassandra Clare's character of Magnus Bane (the high warlock of Brooklyn in the time of the Mortal Instruments). We know Magnus has been banned from entry to Peru, and these short stories tell us just how and why he became banished from the country in a whirlwind of heartbreak and humorous exploits.

The writing was much like that in Clare's full novels, although there is that extra flair that I picked up on that I assume came from the assistance of co-author Sarah Rees Brennan (I haven't read any of her work, so I can't be sure, but there is something added and different to the general style). I found the narration humorous, as well as the actual lines and story - something I'm not entirely familiar with but liked a lot.

Throughout the Mortal Instruments series we're constantly hearing about all these wild things Magnus has done in the past and all the trouble he's caused with his personality without really meaning to. The extravagant myths work perfectly with his character and are even more entertaining when re-lived in these stories.

I always liked Magnus, but now I really empathise with his character and fully appreciate his true majesty. He's a fascinating and complex character that has many hidden sides as well as his showy personality on the surface.
The inclusion of Ragnor Fell was interesting, as we learn very little about him in the series, and it proves how many ties Magnus really does have with the magical world.
The other characters were also amazing and I love the involvement of the other characters that really brought the stories to live and showed a more sensitive side to the protagonist.

I usually get sad with novellas, because I want them to be longer and this is no exception. I didn't expect Cassandra Clare to be able to write novellas due to the character development she has in her novels and how the plot is mainly focused on their journeys, but actually she did this amazingly well so that I actually thought of it as a comedy as well as fantasy and romance.

I would recommend this to anyone who likes fantasy, comedy and romance. Also, if you're not sure about Clare's books, this would be the perfect taster to decide to get into the Mortal Instruments or Infernal Devices series'. I really enjoyed it, despite the lack of depth - but after all it is only a novella and an impressive amounts of emotions was contained within the odd hundred pages.

Image Source: http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1366745722l/17334079.jpg.

Monsters of Men

Book Title: Monsters of Men

Author: Patrick Ness

Series: Chaos Walking #3

Date Started: June 1st 2013

Date Completed: June 2nd 2013

Genres: Adventure, Mystery, Action, Dystopian, Romance

Rating: Four stars

Review:

Monsters of Men is the epic end to the Chaos Walking trilogy and it's possibly the best end to a series of books I've ever read.


Like the second book, Monsters of Men continues on immediately from where The Ask and the Answer left off. Todd and Viola now have to fight to bring peace to the three armies marching towards each other that could potentially destroy New World. With the new settlers' arrival coming faster and faster, they must ensure peace between the conflicting forces - but can alliances formed in desperate times be trusted? And will peace between the Ask, Answer and Spackle actually be possible?

Once again, the writing improved massively from the previous book. Ness is able to flow between different styles in the text for each chapter to represent the emotions and personality of each character he narrates.
I liked the way the story not only follows Todd and Viola, but also an influential member of the Spackle. This gave the story a lot of depth and encouraged the reader to think for all three sides of the war and understand that the situation wasn't quite as simple as 'good' and 'evil'.

The story became more complex, which gave a certain maturity to the story that I liked - I feel like it's not only the characters that grew up throughout the books, but also the author.
An awful lot of events was packed into a very basic set-out of locations and characters - yet there was always something happening. The pace didn't slow down once for the entire book - good in a sense since I definitely didn't want to put the book down; but at the same time, also a little tiring and when it came to the larger climaxes, they didn't seem quite so important because we, as the reader, are already in the adrenaline-packed atmosphere.

Having said that, there were a few quieter moments that I felt were dealt with very well. I'm glad Ness wasn't afraid to seriously injure some of his characters - and he didn't give up trying to keep the after-affects going on, which I think often happens in stories. Instead, the affects of everything that had happened to the characters - both physical and mental - were consistent throughout the plot line.
Furthermore, I'm also glad that Viola and Todd's relationship saw some more light (and that with Lee, as well) but still didn't take the limelight to draw attention away from the base plot of war (which I felt was presented extremely well.)

Great characters. Todd's more real than ever - and I'm glad Ness didn't show him as always being good and in control. He was a lot more real when he started making fatal mistakes and then paying the price for them.
The same goes for Viola - she definitely became more powerful, and for the I'm glad, but she also made mistakes through it. But the character's determination set them right in the end.
I've never been quite sure if I liked the Mayor as the villain, and I still can't make up my mind. He is a very good dictator figure, but I'm still not sure if I actually believe him.
I'm glad Lee wasn't abandoned because of Todd and Viola's relationship.
I'm also glad Wilf was included - because everyone loves Wilf; especially when he's being a hero.
The new additions of Bradley and Simone worked well with the story, too. Simone was an interesting character that I couldn't decide I liked or not. Bradley was the kind of character I always love: the strong, protective brotherly figure that always stands up for the right thing. (I know I say I like realistic characters that make mistakes - but I always think that kind of character is needed to be the little voice to the protagonists that makes sure they stay on the right path - and he's definitely that to Viola.)

There are obvious morals in the story. The title itself is a phrase repeated several times in all three of the books and is effective in proving that was does indeed make 'monsters of men'. There are many more too, and it's one of the few series' I've read where there are such obvious morals. In a way that's good - for a younger age group things might sometimes have to be more obvious. But at the same time, I would have liked the ideas being put forward by Ness to be a little more implied so that the reader could almost discover them for themselves, rather than being straightforwardly told.

I might have to crown Patrick Ness as the best writer for book endings in the history of ever. I've said in my other reviews how good he is at leaving his books on cliffhangers to make you want to read the next one. Monsters of Men does end on a cliffhanger, and you do want to read more, but it's enough to definitely close the story on; the strings are mostly tied up and you can probably guess where it's going to go from there - yet you still want to read it for yourself to make sure. One of the best endings I've read.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a light read (although this is heavier reading than the previous novels) involving action, mystery, adventure, thrills, dystopian and romance. Definitely read The Knife of Letting Go and The Ask and the Answer first. Otherwise not a lot will make sense and the stories of the first two books will be thoroughly ruined. (I have to say, I didn't enjoy Monsters of Men as much as I liked The Ask and the Answer, but it was still very good and a perfect ending to the series.)

Image Source: http://www.inismagazine.ie/files/cache/
a9b5d637dbafa4cd3b9b14c4462a23a908c7f246.jpg

The Ask and the Answer

Book Title: The Ask and the Answer

Author: Patrick Ness

Series: Chaos Walking #2

Date Started: May 30th 2013

Date Completed: May 31th 2013

Genres: Adventure, Mystery, Action, Dystopian, Romance

Rating: Four stars

Review:

I read this book in one day straight after finishing the first book because the cliffhanger was so good I had to know what happened next. This suspense was continued throughout the whole of this book and I'm already reading Monsters of Men - the final instalment of the Chaos Walking trilogy. I don't usually read books that keep me questioning what's happening throughout the whole story, but this did it in a way that made me just want to keep reading and keep reading and keep reading. I don't know what I'm going to do when I get to the end of the series.

The Ask and the Answer continues immediately on from the end of The Knife of Never Letting Go. (I've just realised how hard it is to write a synopsis that doesn't include any spoilers for the previous book.) Todd and Viola are now in the clutches of New Prentisstown and with little hope of escape. The Mayor's power has grown and Todd and Viola find themselves in the middle of a dangerous game between the ruling force and the rebels. When they're separated against their will, can the friends still trust each other from becoming manipulated into aiding the wrong side?

I often say how author's writing changes over the course of a series because they've grown more comfortable and adventurous with their style. But I've never read such a dramatic progression as in this book. I like Ness' writing well enough in the first book, but this time I was completely engaged throughout the whole thing and I could picture a lot of it more vividly than in The Knife of Never Letting Go. Patrick Ness definitely has a unique way of writing, that suits a younger age group - yet The Ask and the Answer has turned the series more into a Young Adult trilogy in my opinion.
I admit, the writing is still fairly simple and I would still class it as a children's book-style writing; but along with the development of characters and story, this could sit quite comfortably in YA in my opinion.

In my review of The Knife of Never Letting Go I said how the plot didn't really involve much - running from one place to another until they were caught. I was expecting a similar sort of basic structure for the story in this novel: I was very wrong. From something that started off so simple, a huge, conflicting, complex plot line emerged.
The story was the main thing that made me start considering this series as a Young Adult trilogy since it was twisted with as many turns as the Hunger Games (although, I admit, I think the Hunger Games is much better written and the characters are more fitted to the story. But still - it's pretty impressive for a trilogy aimed at young teenagers.)
Another thing I loved about it was the fact that I didn't mind who's chapter it was: I wasn't speeding through certain chapters to get to a particular character I liked because they were all presented so well. (I also have some admiration for him dealing with the violence so sensibly - it wasn't overdone for drama and the after-affects were how you might expect them. I also think he used it appropriately in the right places.)

I'm still in love with the characters. Todd just gets better and better. I first thought that having his age at 13/14 was risky because adults usually portray younger characters unrealistically (I don't object to young people becoming heroes - I approve greatly - I just think that the affects it has on the characters aren't thought through and shown properly). However, I have a feeling Ness deliberately showed Todd as a younger character so he could present how his adventures had changed him - which is shown very well in the book.
I still love Viola and connect with her character very well (although I do feel she was shown as slightly weaker than I would have liked (But I'm already reading the third book and am happy to say that that changes)). The two characters work very well together and have chemistry that is believable - and the story includes it but doesn't focus around it. Just how I like it.
I said in my review of The Knife of Never Letting Go how I wish particular characters had had more time in the books. I was definitely repaid in this book: Davy came back and I really admire the changes in his character throughout the novel; Wilf was also included which made me happy - because who doesn't love Wilf?
I was also interested to learn about some new characters. The great thing about Ness is that he knows exactly where to stop adding things in to stop from overdoing his writing. All his characters are involved with just the right about of 'screen-time' and they're always relevant to the story. (I'll stop rambling about characters now. After one more...)
I love Lee. Lee is amazing. Lee is perfect. I feel very sorry for him, but I agree with how Ness has written it.

Carrying on from Lee, I'm happy that Patrick Ness avoided the love-triangle opportunity. It's definitely still there - but Ness focuses more on the story than the romance. I know this is a very hard thing to do, but it works well in making the characters realistic but also not creating a romance novel. It makes me happy to know that some authors can still write without becoming obsessed with relationships.
Again, Ness created a brilliant ending that made me go straight onto the third book. It has so much potential - I hope it gets even better, just as this did from the first novel.
(Perfect title again.)

I would recommend the book to anyone who wants a reasonably easy read and who likes dystopian, action, mystery books. Most definitely read The Knife of Letting Go first, because otherwise not a lot will make sense and it will reveal a million and one spoilers for the first book.

Image Source: http://gatheringbooks.files.wordpress.com/
2012/03/askandtheanswer1.jpg?w=560

The Knife of Never Letting Go

Book Title: The Knife of Never Letting Go

Author: Patrick Ness

Series: Chaos Walking #1

Date Started: May 27th 2013

Date Completed: May 30th 2013

Genres: Adventure, Mystery, Action, Dystopian, Romance

Rating: Four stars

Review:

It started slow. And then got interesting. And then it started getting really exciting so I didn't want to put it down. Then it got even better. And then it came to the end and I couldn't bear to leave it there. So I've bought the next one and I'm going to start it right away.

The Knife of Never Letting Go is set on a far away planet that humans have had to escape to in order to survive. The story starts in a small town where Todd is the only male who's still a boy - but his 13th birthday is coming up fast. But there's a strange thing about this town - there are no women. They were all killed off during the war that occurred in the early stages of the planet's invasion. But one day Todd finds a silence - something different to the constant droning Noise of thoughts that surrounds everyone in Prentisstown. When he returns home and his foster fathers start to suddenly pack in a wild desperation, Todd's strange world is turned upside down and he's forced to escape into the wild with something he didn't think existed anymore - a girl.

The writing of this book was obviously aimed at a younger target group than myself, but that didn't make it unreadable as books written for younger readers usually are. I was still able to enjoy the reading and it was reasonably good for a children's book. The words are spelt phonetically which tends to get on my nerves a bit, but the story and characters were good enough to let me forget this for most of the book.

The pace started off very slow. I admit, I was having my doubts near the beginning as to whether I was going to enjoy this book, but actually I'm very glad I kept with it.
I would have preferred the pace to be as fast as it is around the middle for the whole book - rather than slow at the start and then rather fast at the end - but the book didn't suffer too badly for it, and it still engaged me enough to keep reading.

Looking back, not a whole lot happened: the book mainly consists of Todd, Viola and Manchee running from one place to another, thinking their going to be protected and then having to escape after being attacked. Surprisingly, I didn't get bored of this while I was actually reading it, but I do think it would have been better if a more detailed plot line was in place - although for the age group this novel is aimed at, I can see how it would work well.
There were other events that happened in each location, but it didn't have as much of an affect on the protagonists as I would have like. Having said that, I was excited and engaged for the most part of this book, so I can't complain that much.

I fell in love with the characters. There's something about younger heroes in kid's books that just makes me fall in love with them.
I don't usually like the main characters of stories because I feel they're given too much time for the readers to get to know and find flaws in, but Todd is one of the few exceptions to that. His innocence - and lack of it - made him seem very, very real to me. So much so that I felt I knew him by the end of the book. His reactions were so alive, and his growing feelings for Viola were just right to give the subtle implication we were all waiting for.
Viola is also wonderful. She has a speech around three quarters of the way through that I found myself stopping at. It took me a few minutes to realise that she actually sounded like me. That's one of the magical things about books: you read them to know that you aren't the only person that thinks a certain way, but it's rare that you find a character or author that thinks just like you. And in that speech of heres, Viola was that character for me.
Manchee annoyed me at first - as I think he was meant to - but my feelings had certainly grown in time for what Ness had planned. (Sometimes I just hate authors.)
There are a lot of other characters around and about that feature for a short time, that I wished had been in the story longer (e.g. Hildy, Jacob, Ben, Cillian etc). I understand why they didn't, but I don't think it could have hurt to span their involvement for a little longer.

I admire Ness for being realistic about the reactions to death and destruction and loss in a children's book. I think those things are hard to present even in adult books, yet he has succeeded in this novel in a way that's gentle, but still gets the necessary point across - that killing and life isn't all it's cracked up to be.

The end was one of the best cliffhangers I've ever read. Most of the books I read finish on implications of a continued story, and I like that because I don't feel pressured into reading any more. In this case, however, I most definitely feel like I have to finish reading the series because the end was so well orchestrated - and so damn inevitable - that I want to know how it continues on.

(A very good title as well. I usually don't quite understand why certain titles are used - and then sometimes it's just blindingly obvious. But this title was very fitting and intriguing too.)

I would recommend it to any who likes adventures, dystopian, action, romance etc etc. Remember, I wouldn't class this as a Young Adult novel and it's not the most sophisticated thing you're ever going to read. But if you like books that focus on stories and characters, then you should definitely try The Knife of Never Letting Go. And then I'm sure you'll want to read the rest of the series right afterwards. I am.

Image Source: http://i.imgur.com/kjvq6.jpg

The New Hunger

Book Title: The New Hunger

Author: Isaac Marion

Series: Warm Bodies #0.5

Date Started: May 27th 2013

Date Completed: May 30th 2013

Genres: Thriller, Dystopian, Action

Rating: Four stars

Review:

I enjoyed Warm Bodies, but I enjoyed this prequel more. I'm not sure whether that's because the story was focused on different people, or whether it was more maturely written or if I just liked the story more. But I definitely found this more interesting that the actual novel.

The New Hunger is the prequel to Warm Bodies, and sows the seeds of how protagonists Julie, Nora and R come into being the characters they are when the main novel begins. Set a few years earlier, each character starts off on their own and shows each individual journey and how their paths crossed over in a tragic set of events to join them together.

I can't remember whether Warm Bodies was written in the present text like this story (I think it might have been) but I did find the choice of style interesting. You don't find many books that let stories unfold as if they're happening as you read, and I still can't decide if I like the uniqueness or not.
Marion's writing style is very mature and I like the way he writes things not from a person's direct point of view, but still finds a way to represent their emotions and thoughts in the text.

Like I said before, I enjoyed this story more than the actual novel. I did like the actual novel, but I felt it was quite slow moving. The great thing about this novella is there's action almost all the time, and the story is clearly progressing at a steady pace throughout the chapters. The events were also a lot more exciting in my mind.
I was impressed that Marion was able to create a new story within the odd 160 pages (also an impressive amount of effort for a short novella) - whereas most short stories tend to struggle with creating an engaging plot. Since I already knew the main characters I had a vague idea of what happened to them before Warm Bodies, and I felt this did steal away the main climax for the book - although it was still very well presented and it did make me stop for a second to mourn that fictional tragedy.

Julie's character annoyed me a little bit in Warm Bodies - not enough to make me stop reading or hate her, just enough to make me frown every now and then. However, I feel this story made me understand her a little more, and in a way I almost wish I could have read this before the main book.
I suspected the zombie was R right from the beginning, although it did take a while for my theory to be proven. (I'm quite paranoid that I'm completely wrong now, but there you go.) I admit, his inclusion did make me wonder why none of the humans recognised him in the main book, but I'm sure logic can find a way around that.
Nora was my favourite character in Warm Bodies, so I was so relieved when I found out that The New Hunger included her a lot. I really liked her chapters - she's the most believable character in the story and I just generally enjoy her attitude and personality.
Addis is also adorable.

The pace was constantly continuous, which startled me a little since I found Warm Bodies lacking for speed in some places, and overdoing it in others. Overall, I definitely enjoyed this book, and I can see how Isaac Marion has learnt from his first novel. I hope the upcoming sequel to Warm Bodies will be even better.

I would recommend the book to anyone who likes dystopian and action thrillers. If you also like romance, you'd probably like Warm Bodies too. It doesn't matter which order you read these two stories in, although I think I would have preferred to read this first, so that I had some background knowledge for the main novel.

Image Source: http://cs417321.vk.me/v417321491/2b72/5qxmJsbG42A.jpg

Days of Blood and Starlight

Book Title: Days of Blood and Starlight

Author: Laini Tayor

Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone #2

Date Started: May 25th 2013

Date Completed: May 27th 2013

Genres: Fantasy, Thriller, Romance, Adventure, Action

Rating: Five stars

Review:

I think this is the first review in which I've actually been at a complete loss for words. The prequel to this novel, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, is officially my favourite book. Days of Blood and Starlight wasn't quite as good - but to be honest, what could beat the first book? - but it was still epic. I just don't know how to do it justice in words.


This book takes place a short while after the end of Daughter of Smoke and Bone. This time we follow both Karou and Akiva's stories as they fight on separate sides of the same war against the angels and the chimaera. Kaour is once again in the evil clutches of The White Wolf, whereas Akiva is struggling to find mercy for those he has been ordered to kill by the Emperor. Both face their own problems, but fate might decide to bring them together. Or it might not.

The writing was once again beautiful. What I love about Taylor's writing is that it isn't hard reading - I can get through each page reasonably quickly - yet it still has the magical quality of bringing the story to life in your mind. There are similar authors like Cornelia Funke and Philip Pullman that I feel do the same, but Laini Taylor manages it in such an effortless way that everything flows a lot more naturally and easily so that I don't have to concentrate on what's being said to get the vivid images in my mind.
The best way to describe her style is the maturity of an adult writer, with the imagination of a child - combined with the knowledge and curiosity of a teenager. (I'm sure someone can think of a much better description, but there you go.)

Never before have I read a plot that has so much going on all the time, yet only revolving around a few characters in a restricted variety of locations. The story was changing every other chapter, and not in a way that overwhelmed me with information - which is quite an achievement.
Furthermore, I've never read a description of a war that seems to accurate and yet engaging. The different sides were definitely a very clever idea and portrayed the war in a fabulous way.
It was also very symbolic, since every time someone on the angels side did something stupid, the same happened on the revenants'. It very cleared showed how war can become meaningless from its initial origins.

I have to say, it was a shame that the main protagonists have very little time together, but that fitted in with the story. And once again, I would like to award the realism of the actions of Akiva and Karou. Usually in a book like this, when one half of a couple does something terrible, the other half gets annoyed and then comes crawling back within the space of a few hours. Not with Karou. No. She's far too stubborn. And realistic.

The characters were better than ever. Karou is wonderful: she's one of those characters who you know has done wrong, but that's what makes her so appealing - you can relate to her. And she's a brilliant hero, even though she may not be out in the battlefield, she's changing the world from the confines the Wolf keeps her in.
And Akiva; just as amazing and equally heartbreaking in everything he does. It's all very well having twilight-esque male interests that declare their mad love and have a stalking nature, but it's even better when you get a hero that might be caught up in a girl, but respects her choices and then focuses on helping humanity whilst pining over her. Again, someone can think of a much better description, I'm sure.
The White Wolf is a fantastic villain; there wasn't really an evil figure in the first book, but the introduction of Thiago in this sequel was perfect. He was threatening enough at his mentions in Daughter of Smoke and Bone, but he's even more intimidating in the flesh - or fur.
I'm glad we got to see more of Akiva's siblings, Liraz and Hazael - I liked their characters in the first book, but they didn't get a lot of time in the plot. They featured quite a bit in Days of Blood and Starlight, which I was happy about.
Ziri was a brilliant addition to the cast. I'm not usually a fan of love-triangles, but actually it kind of worked well here - and Taylor didn't allow it to dominate the plot.
Zuzana is even more of a legend than before, and her and Mik are a great distraction from the magical world and add the much needed humour to release the book from being very dark and serious.
That's a lot of characters actually. Wow. Well handled.

The thing I love the most is that the book is centered around the fantasy and it's worldly matters - not the romance. Yet there is still a good amount in there to keep it interesting. And, instead of becoming a very dark and serious book, the humour woven in to the whole story makes it a lot brighter, but still allows everything to be taken seriously. (I always think that's a hard thing to do; the balance of comedy and drama are really hard to keep equal. But if it's managed it's amazingly effective.)

That cliff hanger, though. Wow. Pure genius. You can already tell the last book is going to be just pure awesomeness with a large dose of epic on the side. But now I have to wait until 2014. Why would you do that?

I would recommend it to everyone. Like I said, I preferred the first book, but Days of Blood and Starlight is still at the very top of my favourites list. It has fantasy, drama, action, thrills, humour, romance and everything in between. The writing isn't too hard but the mastery of the presentation is perfect. Just read it - read Daughter of Smoke and Bone first, though. It might not make much sense otherwise.

Image Source: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sx_1qGyJHVQ/URvsxSPplGI/AAAAAAAAJmg/
IprUmKY_trs/s1600/Days+of+Blood+&+Starlight+UK.jpg

The Book of Lost Things

Book Title: The Book of Lost Things

Author: John Connolly

Date Started: May 20th 2013

Date Completed: May 25th 2013

Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Mystery

Rating: Four stars

Review:

This book mainly reminded me of my childhood. It's a charming story with beautiful writing and it's just a lovely, lovely book.

During the beginning of World War Two, a little boy named David loses his mother. As David comes to terms with this lose, his father remarries and has another son. Typically, David is none too happy about this, but when he suddenly finds himself transported to another world that seems to be build around the fairytales he reads, he discovers that actually hate and jealously can be very dangerous things for both himself and his new family.

This is not a Young Adult book, and therefore the writing is slightly more sophisticated than the common novels I read. however it was just as wonderful as Cornelia Funke's writing, and managed to keep my attention, despite the slow progress I made.

The story was very good. I expected something a little more complex, but the simplicity of the story reflected it's origins and actually increased the charm of the book. I would have preferred for certain parts to have gone on for longer (I really liked Roland and he was in very little of it) so that we could have gone deeper into the plot and characters, but there isn't anything especially disappointing because of this.
The Book of Lost Things is one of those books that is very like lots of little stories woven into one with a smaller underling plot throughout. I, personally, like links to different parts of books and stories, which was not included - however I still enjoyed it.

The thing I especially liked was that Connolly put his own twist on the traditional stories so that the typical fairytale story of the book was different enough to avoid boring readers who may have experienced similar works before.

The War was featured a little bit, but not too much. I'm still not sure whether I approve of that or not: when the War was mentioned and involved it added to the story a great deal. Maybe Connolly decided not to include it more so that it didn't distract from the main story, or maybe he just decided not to use it. I don't know, but maybe the events in David's world could have added more detail to the novel.

David was a brilliant protagonist. I'm usually dubious about younger heroes, since they're often portrayed as something unlikely for their age, but David was very real to me and acted how I would expect an 11 year old to act - yet he still managed to be the hero of the story.
I really wish Roland had been around for longer. Roland was a brilliant character and I really would have liked to be able to get deeper into his relationship with Raphael.
I felt that with a lot of the characters: the Woodsman, the Huntress, Anna etc. I felt that they had very short roles that could have been prolonged so that we could have learnt more about them. (The reason I'm so harsh about the lack of their time in the book is that I loved these creations so much I wished there was more of them - that's a positive thing!)
I also would have liked to learn something about the Crooked Man's past. That would be very interesting.

The end killed me.
I hate happy endings. I find them unrealistic and I get the impression that the book stops being for the reader, and ends well so that the author can get something out of it.
But for once, I am content with this happy ending. Although, you can argue that it isn't a very happy ending. But it was very touching and I almost cried - almost.

The one problem I had with this book was that the consistency of information was extremely varied throughout the story: I felt like at the beginning the story was very simple - not necessarily a bad thing - but then a large amount of information and past was crammed into the last 50 or so pages. If this had been required due to the story, I wouldn't have minded much, but I feel like certain parts could have been included earlier on in the story so that things made more sense quicker.
I also became a little overwhelmed near the end, so that the climax and action was lost in the sea of new information I was given.

The other thing I loved about the book is that it has over 100 pages of extras at the back (so the actual story is only 348 pages long!) John Connolly decided to feature all the original tales that influenced and inspired his writing, however he adapted them and why. I really enjoyed this part since, having been brought up on fairytales, I understand a great deal of Connolly's reasoning for including aspects of the folktales.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy and fairytales. It's a lovely book that put a smile on my face, despite the lack of in-depth knowledge we gain from it. The writing is a little harder than normal, but it still isn't difficult. It's just a lovely book that was a nice break from the serious fiction I usually read.

Image Source: https://www.palmertrinity.org/ftpimages/
241/photo/large_photo28639_191181.jpg