Reviews

Tinder by Sally Gardner, David Roberts

ayereads's review against another edition

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medium-paced

3.75

 I can't believe the collective stupidity of people who get free wishes and they waste it on the most absurd, idiotic thing ever. But then these are characters from fairy tale so maybe that excuses it.

The book is visually perfect. The illustrations are the perfect balance of breathtaking and creepy. The writing is also beautiful. The plot on the other hand is not something I am attached with and also the protagonist got on my nerves so many times that now I have some sympathy for myself. 

yellowhighwaylines's review against another edition

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3.0

Loved the illustrations. Thought the story was interesting, though it didn't fully captivate me.

elfyn's review against another edition

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3.0

I don't know if I really liked this book to much, it just didn't have the right kind of vibe for me I guess. I think the ending was a bit more than cruel to the characters, and it just didn't really make me want to keep reading it, keep reading it, keep reading it. Again, I read this for Carnegie 2015, and it just didn't really hit me as a book worthy to be on the shortlist.

ohnoflora's review against another edition

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5.0

Read for Carnegie Medal/ Kate Greenaway Medal 2015 and my current frontrunner - it reminded me of the power, scope and ambition that writing for young people can have.

This is an unnerving work, filled with strange apparitions, witches, wolves, dreams, woods and blood (lots of it, oceans of it). It wears its fairy tale inspirations lightly (Hans Christian Andersen's The Tinderbox) and carves out a new unsettling place for itself as a genuinely scary and satisfying fireside story.

It reminded me of Emily Carroll's brilliantly bloody stories in [b:Through the Woods|18659623|Through the Woods|Emily Carroll|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1414845473s/18659623.jpg|26477611] - particularly the art style, which can be both fluid and oppressive and makes judicious use of the colour red - as well as the Over the Garden Wall miniseries (but with Mitteleuropean gloom rather than Americana oddity).

I hope adult readers will not be put off by the Young Adult tag - this is not just for children by any means.

coyotes_tiptoe's review against another edition

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3.0

I can appreciate the writing and the illustrations are gorgeous but for some reason I simply didn't enjoy this. I think it could be that the characters are just too 2D for me but I definitely prefer character driven books over plot driven so it's probably that.

smbrady15's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

leila's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-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? Yes

3.75

This is a wonderful, gripping fairy tale, but it did feel as though something was missing from the story. 

helhas3letters's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

rayniebee's review against another edition

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4.0

This was certainly a fun read, but it kept a kind of distance from the reader, if that makes sense. The artwork was captivating, and the writing was stylish and oozing with imagination. The characters aside from Otto were all quirky and well described, but I never really latched onto any of them, particularly Safire. Perhaps there needed to be fewer characters with more time dedicated to them, or just a longer novel - I definitely would enjoy more of this.

luwae's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-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

3.75