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A review by nostalgia_reader
The Wonderling by Mira Bartók
4.0
The description for The Wonderling describes it as Dickensian and steampunk, and I can’t agree more with those two descriptors.
Bartok writes and incredibly bleak, melancholic story–I pictured it as a mixture of Dickens and Lemony Snickett–but in the end, hope and perseverance persist in Arthur and his friends long enough that they’re able to save the day. However, while this theme of “don’t lose hope” is always present, even it cannot permeate the bleakness of it all. It can be depressing, but even during the most sad parts, Arthur still remains a strong character and never forgets Trinket’s words to be hopeful.
Speaking of Trinket: OH MY GOODNESS TRINKET AND PEVILL ARE SO FRICK-FRACKING ADORABLE, I CAN’T EVEN. They were my favorite characters, not only for their brain-melting adorableness, but also because they were strong and not afraid to break molds. Trinket is an amateur inventor and Pevill is a brave little mouse that would likely feel quite at home in Redwall Abbey.
All of the Groundlings were difficult to imagine, as they were all various shades of animal. Some were mostly human, aside from a few traits, but others were almost purely animal, right down to their size, but were still human. The illustrations definitely will be helpful to imagine what each of the characters look like, but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story one bit.
This is a great book for middle schoolers, but high schoolers and older will certainly find enjoyment in it as well. I can definitely see it as being an amazing read aloud book for younger kids, since some of the vocab and themes are complex and lend themselves to discussion.
Although the themes in this book–never lose hope, good triumphs evil, be true to yourself even when you’re not encouraged to be–are fairly typical, they were all written very well, with good characters you could sympathize with, evil characters you could easily hate (with a light dusting of sympathy), and settings that have amazing ambiance. While it’s certainly not a “fluffy” read, it’s a lovely example of quest-type bildungsroman storytelling.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy to review!
(Cross posted on my blog
Bartok writes and incredibly bleak, melancholic story–I pictured it as a mixture of Dickens and Lemony Snickett–but in the end, hope and perseverance persist in Arthur and his friends long enough that they’re able to save the day. However, while this theme of “don’t lose hope” is always present, even it cannot permeate the bleakness of it all. It can be depressing, but even during the most sad parts, Arthur still remains a strong character and never forgets Trinket’s words to be hopeful.
Speaking of Trinket: OH MY GOODNESS TRINKET AND PEVILL ARE SO FRICK-FRACKING ADORABLE, I CAN’T EVEN. They were my favorite characters, not only for their brain-melting adorableness, but also because they were strong and not afraid to break molds. Trinket is an amateur inventor and Pevill is a brave little mouse that would likely feel quite at home in Redwall Abbey.
All of the Groundlings were difficult to imagine, as they were all various shades of animal. Some were mostly human, aside from a few traits, but others were almost purely animal, right down to their size, but were still human. The illustrations definitely will be helpful to imagine what each of the characters look like, but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story one bit.
This is a great book for middle schoolers, but high schoolers and older will certainly find enjoyment in it as well. I can definitely see it as being an amazing read aloud book for younger kids, since some of the vocab and themes are complex and lend themselves to discussion.
Although the themes in this book–never lose hope, good triumphs evil, be true to yourself even when you’re not encouraged to be–are fairly typical, they were all written very well, with good characters you could sympathize with, evil characters you could easily hate (with a light dusting of sympathy), and settings that have amazing ambiance. While it’s certainly not a “fluffy” read, it’s a lovely example of quest-type bildungsroman storytelling.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy to review!
(Cross posted on my blog