What do you think?
Rate this book
The Chronicles of Gwendolyn Gray #1
The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray
Gwendolyn Gray faces an overwhelming battle every day: keeping her imagination under control. It’s a struggle for a dreamer like Gwendolyn, in a city of identical gray skyscrapers, clouds that never clear, and grown-ups who never understand.
But when her daydreams come alive and run amok in The City, the struggle to control them becomes as real as the furry creatures infesting her bedroom. Worse yet, she’s drawn the attention of the Faceless Gentlemen, who want to preserve order in The City by erasing Gwendolyn and her troublesome creations.
With the help of two explorers from another world, Gwendolyn escapes and finds herself in a land of clockwork inventions and colorful creations. Now Gwendolyn must harness her powers and, with a gang of airship pirates, stop the Faceless Gentlemen from destroying the new world she loves and the home that never wanted her—before every world becomes gray and dull.
But when her daydreams come alive and run amok in The City, the struggle to control them becomes as real as the furry creatures infesting her bedroom. Worse yet, she’s drawn the attention of the Faceless Gentlemen, who want to preserve order in The City by erasing Gwendolyn and her troublesome creations.
With the help of two explorers from another world, Gwendolyn escapes and finds herself in a land of clockwork inventions and colorful creations. Now Gwendolyn must harness her powers and, with a gang of airship pirates, stop the Faceless Gentlemen from destroying the new world she loves and the home that never wanted her—before every world becomes gray and dull.
300 pages, Paperback
First published May 15, 2018
8 people are currently reading
749 people want to read
About the author
B.A. Williamson
3 books37 followersB. A. Williamson is the overly caffeinated writer of The Chronicles of Gwendolyn Gray. When not doing battle with the demons in the typewriter, he can be found wandering Indianapolis with his family, singing in a tuxedo, or taming middle-schooler actors. He is a recipient of the Eli Lilly Teacher Creativity Fellowship. Please direct all complaints and your darkest secrets to williamsonwriter@gmail.com, @BAWrites on social media, or visit gwendolyngray.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
February 25, 2019
Gwendolyn Gray lives in a dystopian place where the only dominant colors are black and white. Unruly citizens and imagination are also strictly prohibited, and this is why Gwendolyn is having a hard time because of how she sometimes disobey and she likes to exercise her imagination.
Her life change when she saw a bright green leaf in an old and dead tree. Not only that, she tried to imagine one of her classmates, Missy, with floppy ears like a bunny and surprisingly it came true which the entire class witnessed. After the said incident, Gwen wants to look for Missy's parents and tell them what happened to their daughter after she was taken out of the classroom. She ventured out to the outskirts of the City and that's where she met the faceless men who tried to capture her.
Gwen found a book which has a title "Tales of Adventure From Kolonius Trash" and a bright gem that she found while trying to hide in one of the old houses. She was saved from her pursuers by the siblings she met, Starling and Sparrow.
The adventures of Gwen with her new friends continued until they got lost in a different world, the land of Tohk, and it was in the verge of perishing because of how the faceless men want to get rid of it. While trying to run away again from the faceless men, the trio was rescued by a teenage boy who brought them up to the flying airship, The Lucrative Endeavour. They never thought that their rescuer is no other than the famous and daring captain Kolonius Trash.
While reading and looking in the book cover, I can't help but compare Gwen from the Disney movie Brave's Merida because of the uncanny resemblance of the red and curly hair up to their personality. Also, when I've read Kolonius Trash and the flying airship, the first thing that came to my mind is the Japanese Manga One Piece. I reckon that B.A. Williamson's inspiration for writing Gwen's character is from the aforementioned film and there's a high probability that he might be a big fan of the Lupin and the Straw Hat Pirates.
Moreover, the title of this book fits the story well because of how really marvelous the adventures of Gwen and her pals are: from trying to save the land of Tohk up to how she, Starling and Sparrow are looking for a way to go back home. There are a lot of good things that young readers could also learn from reading this wonderful book, just like never stop on being creative and learning, be courageous and helpful, and respect and love for family.
I may be too old for this kind of stories because I'm a young adult, but reading middle-grade books like this are really entertaining to read. I'm quite certain that other adult readers like me are also fond of this genre because of the same reason. Hence, I highly recommend this to anyone especially to those who love reading this type of adventure-theme kind of books.
Her life change when she saw a bright green leaf in an old and dead tree. Not only that, she tried to imagine one of her classmates, Missy, with floppy ears like a bunny and surprisingly it came true which the entire class witnessed. After the said incident, Gwen wants to look for Missy's parents and tell them what happened to their daughter after she was taken out of the classroom. She ventured out to the outskirts of the City and that's where she met the faceless men who tried to capture her.
Gwen found a book which has a title "Tales of Adventure From Kolonius Trash" and a bright gem that she found while trying to hide in one of the old houses. She was saved from her pursuers by the siblings she met, Starling and Sparrow.
The adventures of Gwen with her new friends continued until they got lost in a different world, the land of Tohk, and it was in the verge of perishing because of how the faceless men want to get rid of it. While trying to run away again from the faceless men, the trio was rescued by a teenage boy who brought them up to the flying airship, The Lucrative Endeavour. They never thought that their rescuer is no other than the famous and daring captain Kolonius Trash.
While reading and looking in the book cover, I can't help but compare Gwen from the Disney movie Brave's Merida because of the uncanny resemblance of the red and curly hair up to their personality. Also, when I've read Kolonius Trash and the flying airship, the first thing that came to my mind is the Japanese Manga One Piece. I reckon that B.A. Williamson's inspiration for writing Gwen's character is from the aforementioned film and there's a high probability that he might be a big fan of the Lupin and the Straw Hat Pirates.
Moreover, the title of this book fits the story well because of how really marvelous the adventures of Gwen and her pals are: from trying to save the land of Tohk up to how she, Starling and Sparrow are looking for a way to go back home. There are a lot of good things that young readers could also learn from reading this wonderful book, just like never stop on being creative and learning, be courageous and helpful, and respect and love for family.
I may be too old for this kind of stories because I'm a young adult, but reading middle-grade books like this are really entertaining to read. I'm quite certain that other adult readers like me are also fond of this genre because of the same reason. Hence, I highly recommend this to anyone especially to those who love reading this type of adventure-theme kind of books.
December 31, 2017
+Digital ARC gently provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review+
Gwendolyn Gray is a twelve-year-old girl living in a gray city, under gray skies, with gray clothes and gray buildings. She doesn't want to grow up, after all the adults look all the same and didn't do anything different ... ever. But Gwendolyn has something that they don't - she has imagination.
This is a middle grade fantasy-adventure story. At the start it reminds me a bit of Momo de Ende. But later some characters invoke different imagenery like the scifi-noir-film Dark City. There are chase, and ships, and pirates, and strange and beautiful cities.
And bad men.
☀ The good :
-Fearless read-head girl with great imagination. Who fall in love with the first book she see.
-Great 'winks' to other books. I mean the crocoach?
☁ The no-so-good:
-Though she is not yet a teen girl the annoying: It's ALL MY FAULT that so many teen protagonist exhibits. Ug.
-Pushing the friendship in romance for a not yet 13 y.o. girl is not my cuppa. Thank you very much.
At the end, there still unresolved questions , so... will be probably a next book, Mr. Author? Seems like it.
#TheMarvelousAdventuresOfGwendolynGray #NetGalley
Edit: There will be a second book. (See comments)
Gwendolyn Gray is a twelve-year-old girl living in a gray city, under gray skies, with gray clothes and gray buildings. She doesn't want to grow up, after all the adults look all the same and didn't do anything different ... ever. But Gwendolyn has something that they don't - she has imagination.
This is a middle grade fantasy-adventure story. At the start it reminds me a bit of Momo de Ende. But later some characters invoke different imagenery like the scifi-noir-film Dark City. There are chase, and ships, and pirates, and strange and beautiful cities.
And bad men.
☀ The good :
-Fearless read-head girl with great imagination. Who fall in love with the first book she see.
-Great 'winks' to other books. I mean the crocoach?
☁ The no-so-good:
-Though she is not yet a teen girl the annoying: It's ALL MY FAULT that so many teen protagonist exhibits. Ug.
-Pushing the friendship in romance for a not yet 13 y.o. girl is not my cuppa. Thank you very much.
At the end, there still unresolved questions , so... will be probably a next book, Mr. Author? Seems like it.
#TheMarvelousAdventuresOfGwendolynGray #NetGalley
Edit: There will be a second book. (See comments)
January 11, 2020
***Note: I received a copy curtesy of Netgalley and North Star Editions in exchange for an honest review.
Gwendolyn Gray is a 12yo girl living in a distopian gray world: gray sky, gray buildings, gray landscape, gray clothes, gray everything.
I totally loved B.A. Williamson’s writing style, and I very much enjoyed the interactions with the reader. Here’s a little taste of it:
- Brave - the same red-haired, curageous and curious girl
- Michael Ende’s Momo - a girl against bad grey men in bowler hats:
- The Adventures of Baron Münchhausen mixed with Peter Pan - flying ships and pirates:
- The Lambents made me think of a combination between the memory-erasing neuralyzers from M.I.B. and the mind-controlling TVs from Fahrenheit 451
I totally see this as an adventure movie for kids (and not only kids) ㋡
Finally, I will leave you with my favourite phrase from this novel:
Gwendolyn Gray is a 12yo girl living in a distopian gray world: gray sky, gray buildings, gray landscape, gray clothes, gray everything.
Her elaborate pencil box had every shade available—light grey, dark grey, medium grey, charcoal, ivory, smoke, ash, and a dozen other shades.She’s unique in her city, as she’s the only one red-haired and also the only one with an imagination. And what an imagination, that can conjure things out of her mind! I liked the pace of the novel, the action and the twists, and I very much liked all of the characters, with distinct and seemingly-real personalities.
I totally loved B.A. Williamson’s writing style, and I very much enjoyed the interactions with the reader. Here’s a little taste of it:
If Gwendolyn had turned around and boarded the monorail like a good little girl, her life would have turned out very differently. But stories are rarely told about normal, well-behaved little girls, the ones who go home and grow up into normal, well-behaved ladies. So it is fortunate for us that she did not go home, but went back into the School instead, though I cannot promise that it will end fortunately for Gwendolyn.The novel reminded me of several other works, like:
“What else could go wrong today?” Which, as everyone knows, is quite the worst thing to say in such a situation. But the fates had mercy on her this time.
- Brave - the same red-haired, curageous and curious girl
- Michael Ende’s Momo - a girl against bad grey men in bowler hats:
- The Adventures of Baron Münchhausen mixed with Peter Pan - flying ships and pirates:
- The Lambents made me think of a combination between the memory-erasing neuralyzers from M.I.B. and the mind-controlling TVs from Fahrenheit 451
I totally see this as an adventure movie for kids (and not only kids) ㋡
Finally, I will leave you with my favourite phrase from this novel:
“Magic, invention, spells, stories. It’s all the same. Pulling stories out of thin air is just as much magic as pulling a rabbit from a hat! Magic equals imagination equals creation!”
November 21, 2017
"Creepy!? Do you mean creepy good, or creepy bad?" (H. Wolowitz)
I mean creepy very good.
If this were an adult novel it would start as "1984" with a touch of the movies "Dark City" and "Metropolis", and proceed to an extended series of fantasy/action sequences. Since it is in fact an ambitious middle grade book it just has hints of "1984", and an opening touch of dystopia, but then a generous helping of sly fantasy that drifts into magical realism steampunk. Actually, in order to really get a sense of the wonder of this book I'd also add some "Wizard of Oz", a touch of "Peter Pan", a hint of "The Matrix", and the progressive symbolic colorization of the movie "Pleasantville". How's that for a list of ingredients?
The setup is that Gwendolyn is something of a rebel and free thinker. Everything, and I mean literally everything, around her comes in shades of grey. (There's a great joke to the effect that her most prized possession is a drawing pencil set that consists of every possible shade of grey.) Gwen's a red-headed, green-eyed non-conformist who fantasizes that there must be more out there somewhere beyond her strictly regimented city, ringed in as it is by class specific circles of housing and a limitless supply of rules. One day Gwen daydreams about a mean girl growing rabbit ears. The girl in fact does grow rabbit ears and is whisked to the principal's office, where she is disappeared/disintegrated by two creepy truly unnerving men in black suits and bowler hats, and then erased completely from everyone's memory. Wow, this isn't just Alice-in-Greyland anymore. The balance of the book moves Gwen through the multi-verse as she tries to avoid the black men and bring life and color back to her world. The book gets pretty magical steampunk power-of-the-mindy by the end, but everything is racketing along at such a pace that you don't mind that we aren't on the rails anymore.
There is a lot of dry and deadpan edge and vinegar, but the odd spoonful of sugar makes it easy to digest. Gwen is neither always right nor always wrong, and the challenges she faces and the choices she makes feel authentic. I suspect that almost any young reader will respond well to the general tone, and more advanced readers will get some of the more adult themes. Doesn't that sound interesting?
This is also one of those books that subtly subverts a lot of middle grade fiction cliches. Gwen's parents have their rough and their smooth sides, and are treated sympathetically, which I found refreshing. The author has no problem exhibiting the fact that this is a story. In fact, the idea of the power of stories and storytelling is central to the book. So, the author will offer dry observations and chummy asides that are aimed directly at the reader. The reader is almost collaborating with the author, and it sometimes feels like the author is asking the reader for advice on what should happen next. This is not off-putting but rather is quite engaging and strikes me as likely to have the effect of making the reader feel comfortable and welcome.
The upshot is that while this book appears at the outset to be a conventional sort of fantasy adventure it actually zigs and zags unpredictably and invites and challenges the reader's imagination. That struck me as a solid plus.
(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
I mean creepy very good.
If this were an adult novel it would start as "1984" with a touch of the movies "Dark City" and "Metropolis", and proceed to an extended series of fantasy/action sequences. Since it is in fact an ambitious middle grade book it just has hints of "1984", and an opening touch of dystopia, but then a generous helping of sly fantasy that drifts into magical realism steampunk. Actually, in order to really get a sense of the wonder of this book I'd also add some "Wizard of Oz", a touch of "Peter Pan", a hint of "The Matrix", and the progressive symbolic colorization of the movie "Pleasantville". How's that for a list of ingredients?
The setup is that Gwendolyn is something of a rebel and free thinker. Everything, and I mean literally everything, around her comes in shades of grey. (There's a great joke to the effect that her most prized possession is a drawing pencil set that consists of every possible shade of grey.) Gwen's a red-headed, green-eyed non-conformist who fantasizes that there must be more out there somewhere beyond her strictly regimented city, ringed in as it is by class specific circles of housing and a limitless supply of rules. One day Gwen daydreams about a mean girl growing rabbit ears. The girl in fact does grow rabbit ears and is whisked to the principal's office, where she is disappeared/disintegrated by two creepy truly unnerving men in black suits and bowler hats, and then erased completely from everyone's memory. Wow, this isn't just Alice-in-Greyland anymore. The balance of the book moves Gwen through the multi-verse as she tries to avoid the black men and bring life and color back to her world. The book gets pretty magical steampunk power-of-the-mindy by the end, but everything is racketing along at such a pace that you don't mind that we aren't on the rails anymore.
There is a lot of dry and deadpan edge and vinegar, but the odd spoonful of sugar makes it easy to digest. Gwen is neither always right nor always wrong, and the challenges she faces and the choices she makes feel authentic. I suspect that almost any young reader will respond well to the general tone, and more advanced readers will get some of the more adult themes. Doesn't that sound interesting?
This is also one of those books that subtly subverts a lot of middle grade fiction cliches. Gwen's parents have their rough and their smooth sides, and are treated sympathetically, which I found refreshing. The author has no problem exhibiting the fact that this is a story. In fact, the idea of the power of stories and storytelling is central to the book. So, the author will offer dry observations and chummy asides that are aimed directly at the reader. The reader is almost collaborating with the author, and it sometimes feels like the author is asking the reader for advice on what should happen next. This is not off-putting but rather is quite engaging and strikes me as likely to have the effect of making the reader feel comfortable and welcome.
The upshot is that while this book appears at the outset to be a conventional sort of fantasy adventure it actually zigs and zags unpredictably and invites and challenges the reader's imagination. That struck me as a solid plus.
(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
May 12, 2018
Gwendolyn Gray is a twelve (going on 13) year old red-haired girl in a seemingly Dystopian Gray world and the only citizen who has an imagination and that's her problem. With her colored hair and vivid, colorful imagination, she's labeled as Rebellious and Rioter. And at first, she didn't even know the real danger of her imagination, or the real beauty of it. And as everything in Gwendolyn's Gray world turned clearer to her, she was also thrown into a perilous adventure that includes saving the world and her own made-up world.
First, I love Gwendolyn and her ability to conjure everything that comes in her mind. Second, I love the double meaning of every sentence and of the entire story. It shows how powerful imagination can be and how magical. And by making imagination as some kind of magical ability, it also brings a message to us that any of us can have colorful lives, all we need is our imagination.
I was really surprised to find myself so fascinated while reading this. And the storytelling is amazing. The narrator, which thankfully isn't Gwendolyn as I'm afraid of what she might sow in my mind with her imagination (lol)...anyway, the narrator succeed on taking me into Gwendolyn's world and share her adventures. I particularly loved how it ended. Not only did everything turned alright, but the little surprise (though I actually guessed it beforehand) was a nice treat.
If you love Middle Grade and Children's, this book is for you though I am 25 and terribly enjoyed it. If you're older you can buy this for a kid. Children will like this story best as its very magical and imaginative.
NOTE: The publishers and author provided me a copy thru Netgalley. Thank you...
First, I love Gwendolyn and her ability to conjure everything that comes in her mind. Second, I love the double meaning of every sentence and of the entire story. It shows how powerful imagination can be and how magical. And by making imagination as some kind of magical ability, it also brings a message to us that any of us can have colorful lives, all we need is our imagination.
I was really surprised to find myself so fascinated while reading this. And the storytelling is amazing. The narrator, which thankfully isn't Gwendolyn as I'm afraid of what she might sow in my mind with her imagination (lol)...anyway, the narrator succeed on taking me into Gwendolyn's world and share her adventures. I particularly loved how it ended. Not only did everything turned alright, but the little surprise (though I actually guessed it beforehand) was a nice treat.
If you love Middle Grade and Children's, this book is for you though I am 25 and terribly enjoyed it. If you're older you can buy this for a kid. Children will like this story best as its very magical and imaginative.
NOTE: The publishers and author provided me a copy thru Netgalley. Thank you...
May 15, 2018
🎂🎉Happy book birthday to one of the most imaginative and engaging middle-grade fantasy books I have ever read!
Let me preface this by saying that I do not read a lot of YA these days, but if more were as eloquently written, engaging, and surprisingly relatable as The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray I would definitely read them more frequently. I was hooked with the opening and continued reading with fervor.
The story follows Gwendolyn, a twelve year old girl with a wild imagination - one that is in contract to the drab, dystopian City she lives in: gray sky, gray skyscrapers. School in her City brings the Foucaultian notion of education serving only to prepare children for adulthood and to train them in the rules of society. Her imagination gets her into trouble with her vivid daydreaming... Not to mention that she sticks out like a sore thumb with her fire red hair... she doesn't want to conform. She accidentally rides the metro beyond what is known and uncovers a world beyond her imagine, stumbling into a battle beyond reason. Rescued by two kids that appeared seemingly out of nowhere, she embarks on an adventure to save the world.
This YA tale is written in third person, Williamson crafts a compelling a fast-paced read that is suitable for the middle grade reader as well as those interested in dystopian adventures with strong female leads. The central themes of the book - imagination and creativity - are woven into an allegory for growing up and having that childlike wonder crushed by society.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher, North Star Editions and Jolly Fish Press, for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Let me preface this by saying that I do not read a lot of YA these days, but if more were as eloquently written, engaging, and surprisingly relatable as The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray I would definitely read them more frequently. I was hooked with the opening and continued reading with fervor.
The story follows Gwendolyn, a twelve year old girl with a wild imagination - one that is in contract to the drab, dystopian City she lives in: gray sky, gray skyscrapers. School in her City brings the Foucaultian notion of education serving only to prepare children for adulthood and to train them in the rules of society. Her imagination gets her into trouble with her vivid daydreaming... Not to mention that she sticks out like a sore thumb with her fire red hair... she doesn't want to conform. She accidentally rides the metro beyond what is known and uncovers a world beyond her imagine, stumbling into a battle beyond reason. Rescued by two kids that appeared seemingly out of nowhere, she embarks on an adventure to save the world.
This YA tale is written in third person, Williamson crafts a compelling a fast-paced read that is suitable for the middle grade reader as well as those interested in dystopian adventures with strong female leads. The central themes of the book - imagination and creativity - are woven into an allegory for growing up and having that childlike wonder crushed by society.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher, North Star Editions and Jolly Fish Press, for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 18, 2018
*Thank you Net Galley and B.A. Williamson for the free copy of this book in exchange with an honest review*
I really really loved this book! I had no set expectations going in, but the writing really grabbed me from the first pages! I know that you may be wondering, why an adult would read a children’s book? Well, if every children’s book was as good as this one, more adults would read them!
The plot was fast, with the right amount of adventure and humour and with very nice vocabulary, which is something I always look for in children’s book especially. I believe that when a kid reads a book he ought to have fun, but he also ought to learn something from it, whether that’s the moral of the story or the chance to expand his vocabulary.
Gwendolyn and Sparrow were my two favourite characters in the book, they were funny, adorable and fearless and overall, I loved them so much! Sparrow made my laugh countless times with his antics and as an older sister myself, I could really relate with Starling’s (Sparrow’s older sister) exasperation regarding him!
“The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray” is the kind of book I wish I read when I was 11, because I found Gwendolyn very similar to myself when I was her age. I loved the message of the book, how it tells you that no one’s weird and having traits that separate you from the group, doesn’t mean you are abnormal or an oddity.
Summing up, I urge everyone with a younger sibling or any parent to gift this book to their loved ones. It is and amazing adventure, filled with many twists and exciting themes, like pirates and airborne ship battles, which are sure to enchant any child!
I really really loved this book! I had no set expectations going in, but the writing really grabbed me from the first pages! I know that you may be wondering, why an adult would read a children’s book? Well, if every children’s book was as good as this one, more adults would read them!
The plot was fast, with the right amount of adventure and humour and with very nice vocabulary, which is something I always look for in children’s book especially. I believe that when a kid reads a book he ought to have fun, but he also ought to learn something from it, whether that’s the moral of the story or the chance to expand his vocabulary.
Gwendolyn and Sparrow were my two favourite characters in the book, they were funny, adorable and fearless and overall, I loved them so much! Sparrow made my laugh countless times with his antics and as an older sister myself, I could really relate with Starling’s (Sparrow’s older sister) exasperation regarding him!
“The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray” is the kind of book I wish I read when I was 11, because I found Gwendolyn very similar to myself when I was her age. I loved the message of the book, how it tells you that no one’s weird and having traits that separate you from the group, doesn’t mean you are abnormal or an oddity.
Summing up, I urge everyone with a younger sibling or any parent to gift this book to their loved ones. It is and amazing adventure, filled with many twists and exciting themes, like pirates and airborne ship battles, which are sure to enchant any child!
March 23, 2018
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an eARC.
I really enjoyed this book. It was quite sweet and even as someone in their mid 20s, I remember feeling (and still do really) like the odd ball out or having trouble finding people that understand me or don't judge me.
Gwendolyn is an incredibly likable, enjoyable and intelligent character that I couldn't help but root for and want to protect. Her curiosity and strength were so admirable and definitely my favourite part of this book as a whole. She's a really great character to root for and watch develop. I also really loved her brother-sister duo helpers...and Gwendolyn's love and passion for that one book (we all have one book we would take with us on an adventure).
I loved all the portals and the chase happening from Mister Five and Six. I also enjoyed the concept of the segregation within Gwendolyn's home world and then you zoom out and see other worlds. Loved getting to travel all over the place and the creativity that went into the transportation and "magic"/inventions.
My only two complaints were that I don't think the villain dystopian guys were quite as fleshed out as I would have liked and the pacing. The pacing wasn't bad, I just found that parts where there were supposed to be climaxes, I found myself inhaling and waiting...and waiting and then realized they had returned to the traveling aspect of the adventure journey.
The cover is STUNNING and a fantastic representation of the book. I will definitely keep an eye out for a finished copy for myself and will certainly be picking up a digital copy for my libraries.
I really enjoyed this book. It was quite sweet and even as someone in their mid 20s, I remember feeling (and still do really) like the odd ball out or having trouble finding people that understand me or don't judge me.
Gwendolyn is an incredibly likable, enjoyable and intelligent character that I couldn't help but root for and want to protect. Her curiosity and strength were so admirable and definitely my favourite part of this book as a whole. She's a really great character to root for and watch develop. I also really loved her brother-sister duo helpers...and Gwendolyn's love and passion for that one book (we all have one book we would take with us on an adventure).
I loved all the portals and the chase happening from Mister Five and Six. I also enjoyed the concept of the segregation within Gwendolyn's home world and then you zoom out and see other worlds. Loved getting to travel all over the place and the creativity that went into the transportation and "magic"/inventions.
My only two complaints were that I don't think the villain dystopian guys were quite as fleshed out as I would have liked and the pacing. The pacing wasn't bad, I just found that parts where there were supposed to be climaxes, I found myself inhaling and waiting...and waiting and then realized they had returned to the traveling aspect of the adventure journey.
The cover is STUNNING and a fantastic representation of the book. I will definitely keep an eye out for a finished copy for myself and will certainly be picking up a digital copy for my libraries.
November 24, 2017
This book is for a younger audience, probably ages 9 to 14. I am an adult and I thought it was a beautiful story. Young Gwendolyn is 13, but does not want to grow up because adult life is so boring. She lives in a world of sameness and no color. Everyone has hair that is black or washed out blonde. Her whole world is in shades of black and white Gwendolyn is bullied because she's is different. She refuses to use her lambent, and instead let's her imagination run away with itself. She has no friends and so she talks to inanimate objects. Until one day her imagination makes things real, and that's when her life starts to change. This story gives the message that being different isn't always bad. You can to anything you set you mind to. This book is a great read, worth all 5 stats in my opinion.
December 7, 2017
I received an arc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Middle grade fiction never ceases to amaze me, and this book is another fantastic example as to why I will NEVER stop reading 'children's books'. Gwendolyn lives in a boring grey city with boring people, but she refuses to grow up to be a boring grey person and who can blame her?! Adulting SUCKS! I loved coming home from a long day at work to read about her crazy imagination and the PIRATES 😍😍😍. I AM A SUCKER FOR PIRATES!
she doesn't conform to societies standards which is a great lesson in itself. This fun book thst has just a TEENY bit of a '1984' vibe would love this. It isn't completely dystopian but I love how it is hinted.
A great read for all ages!
Middle grade fiction never ceases to amaze me, and this book is another fantastic example as to why I will NEVER stop reading 'children's books'. Gwendolyn lives in a boring grey city with boring people, but she refuses to grow up to be a boring grey person and who can blame her?! Adulting SUCKS! I loved coming home from a long day at work to read about her crazy imagination and the PIRATES 😍😍😍. I AM A SUCKER FOR PIRATES!
she doesn't conform to societies standards which is a great lesson in itself. This fun book thst has just a TEENY bit of a '1984' vibe would love this. It isn't completely dystopian but I love how it is hinted.
A great read for all ages!
January 8, 2018
This review is originally published on my blog: https://bookishpuffcorn.wordpress.com...
The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray by B.A. Williamson is a fantasy read about a 12 year old girl whose imagination is vast. Gwendolyn, with her red hair, always stands out. She lives in a grey world where everything is dull colored and uniformed. The red-headed girl was special, although others look at her as a freak. Everything changed after Gwendolyn gave her classmate bunny ears.
B.A. Williamson is a new author to me and I admit that the cover and title immediately caught my attention which made me request it from NetGalley. I can say that it was written quite nicely. Williamson made a great job at creating different worlds including where Gwendolyn came from. The book is divided into three parts which indicates the phases of their adventures.
Gwendolyn is different. She doesn’t exactly blend in. She has a very wild imagination like kids these days and she refuses to be part of a boring world. I love how she still chose to be herself and stand up for who she is. Gwendolyn still doubts herself but she is a really loving daughter. All she thought about was how she was going to find her way back to her family. She reminds me of Merida from Brave.
Starling and Sparrow are Gwendolyn’s adventure companion. They’re brother and sister that came from a whole new world. The characters are great. They all have their very own personalities. Sparrow is a little stubborn. Starling is quite older and acts like a disciplinarian. I actually see myself in her because I’m the eldest child in the family.
It took me almost a week to finish reading this because I was in the middle of a reading slump. (I think I still am, somebody help me!) But when I got to the second part, I couldn’t get enough of it. Every character turned out to be lovable and the story got more interesting. I got the feeling wherein I belong to the world itself.
It’s a pretty colorful read. The book is not just great for middle-grades but for every other age as well. The book has a dystopian opening but it slowly came to life. It was like, a whole new world opened up for them (the characters and also us, readers).
What I didn’t like is the unnecessary romance! Gwendolyn wasn’t even in her teens yet. She was twelve but to force her into romance? I didn’t like it at all. It seems a little forced and maybe even slightly creepy. But all that aside, it ended really well. The revelations and plot twists left my mouth hanging open.
Overall, I rate The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray 4 out of 5 stars and I look forward to reading more of the author’s works!
******* I have received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray by B.A. Williamson is a fantasy read about a 12 year old girl whose imagination is vast. Gwendolyn, with her red hair, always stands out. She lives in a grey world where everything is dull colored and uniformed. The red-headed girl was special, although others look at her as a freak. Everything changed after Gwendolyn gave her classmate bunny ears.
B.A. Williamson is a new author to me and I admit that the cover and title immediately caught my attention which made me request it from NetGalley. I can say that it was written quite nicely. Williamson made a great job at creating different worlds including where Gwendolyn came from. The book is divided into three parts which indicates the phases of their adventures.
Gwendolyn is different. She doesn’t exactly blend in. She has a very wild imagination like kids these days and she refuses to be part of a boring world. I love how she still chose to be herself and stand up for who she is. Gwendolyn still doubts herself but she is a really loving daughter. All she thought about was how she was going to find her way back to her family. She reminds me of Merida from Brave.
Starling and Sparrow are Gwendolyn’s adventure companion. They’re brother and sister that came from a whole new world. The characters are great. They all have their very own personalities. Sparrow is a little stubborn. Starling is quite older and acts like a disciplinarian. I actually see myself in her because I’m the eldest child in the family.
It took me almost a week to finish reading this because I was in the middle of a reading slump. (I think I still am, somebody help me!) But when I got to the second part, I couldn’t get enough of it. Every character turned out to be lovable and the story got more interesting. I got the feeling wherein I belong to the world itself.
It’s a pretty colorful read. The book is not just great for middle-grades but for every other age as well. The book has a dystopian opening but it slowly came to life. It was like, a whole new world opened up for them (the characters and also us, readers).
What I didn’t like is the unnecessary romance! Gwendolyn wasn’t even in her teens yet. She was twelve but to force her into romance? I didn’t like it at all. It seems a little forced and maybe even slightly creepy. But all that aside, it ended really well. The revelations and plot twists left my mouth hanging open.
Overall, I rate The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray 4 out of 5 stars and I look forward to reading more of the author’s works!
******* I have received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 10, 2018
If there is any complaint about this book, it's that too much is packed in to the later sections that doesn't directly relate to the early chapters. Our young heroine Gwen has red hair but lives in an otherwise drab city, described in depth from her home and school life to the bullet train and the strange lurking men. She notices that certain kids disappear from her class. Because the other kids are busy being programmed with boring lessons, they don't notice, but Gwen does because she is not in the loop. This could be an author's warning about education.
Gwen tries to escape bullies and finds that at the far edge of the city, everything gets run-down and weird. Then she meets two youngsters who drag her off to adventures. This could be a warning about mixing with squatters and drug users, except that it's not presented as a bad idea. Not in the context of escaping the lurkers. I thought this was a mixed message.
Gwen's adventures then resemble Stardust with pirates and merchants and towns. As I mentioned, long before the end I was saying, but what about the other kids and the indoctrination? Is this dystopian (in which case we need to address the problem) or just daydream escapist fantasy? Well, decide for yourself, but I have no doubt that young readers, especially girls but boys too, will have a great time reading the adventure. And getting kids to love reading is what it's all about, right?
I downloaded an e-ARC through Net Galley and Fresh Fiction.
Gwen tries to escape bullies and finds that at the far edge of the city, everything gets run-down and weird. Then she meets two youngsters who drag her off to adventures. This could be a warning about mixing with squatters and drug users, except that it's not presented as a bad idea. Not in the context of escaping the lurkers. I thought this was a mixed message.
Gwen's adventures then resemble Stardust with pirates and merchants and towns. As I mentioned, long before the end I was saying, but what about the other kids and the indoctrination? Is this dystopian (in which case we need to address the problem) or just daydream escapist fantasy? Well, decide for yourself, but I have no doubt that young readers, especially girls but boys too, will have a great time reading the adventure. And getting kids to love reading is what it's all about, right?
I downloaded an e-ARC through Net Galley and Fresh Fiction.
April 26, 2018
I took one look at this cover and HAD to know more about Gwendolyn Gray! I was captivated from the first page and was completely horrified when Gwendolyn gets attacked by school bullies. The misters in bowler hats, also completely terrifying!
Then Sparrow and Starling show up and the REAL fun begins!! World jumping, running from the bad guys, getting rescued by a pirate, and trying to stop the darkness from destroying everything on the map? Just outstanding! The world building is SO real, the reader feels like they're RIGHT THERE with Gwendolyn instead of just reading it. Reminded me of The Neverending Story except there's no Falkor in this. But there were a couple of movies that came to me while being on this journey, I think Alice in Wonderland the pirate version is the best description because of how LIVELY and dangerous the plot is.
Not a complaint, but the only reason I didn't give this one a five star rating was because it was darker than I anticipated. The blackness that reaches through space and people trying to grab Gwendolyn had my eyes get bigger every time.
"You mean what if it all falls apart and we're forced to improvise and fight to get out alive?" He grinned wickedly. "Well, we call that Tuesday..."
Favorite character, EASY, was Kolonius..he has THE BEST lines in this and made me smile how he kept messing up Gwendolyn's name. So clever and funny! Also LOVED that Figment thing, I want one in PURPLE, PLEASE!
The ending had me SLIGHTLY confused. I get her imagination had a huge effect, but does that mean the bowler men were also just a figment or something more? Still a great book and one I really enjoyed. How she dealt with the school bullies at the end and the teacher was awesome.
I received a digital ARC from the publishers via NetGalley. My review is voluntary, the thoughts and comments are my own.
Then Sparrow and Starling show up and the REAL fun begins!! World jumping, running from the bad guys, getting rescued by a pirate, and trying to stop the darkness from destroying everything on the map? Just outstanding! The world building is SO real, the reader feels like they're RIGHT THERE with Gwendolyn instead of just reading it. Reminded me of The Neverending Story except there's no Falkor in this. But there were a couple of movies that came to me while being on this journey, I think Alice in Wonderland the pirate version is the best description because of how LIVELY and dangerous the plot is.
Not a complaint, but the only reason I didn't give this one a five star rating was because it was darker than I anticipated. The blackness that reaches through space and people trying to grab Gwendolyn had my eyes get bigger every time.
"You mean what if it all falls apart and we're forced to improvise and fight to get out alive?" He grinned wickedly. "Well, we call that Tuesday..."
Favorite character, EASY, was Kolonius..he has THE BEST lines in this and made me smile how he kept messing up Gwendolyn's name. So clever and funny! Also LOVED that Figment thing, I want one in PURPLE, PLEASE!
The ending had me SLIGHTLY confused. I get her imagination had a huge effect, but does that mean the bowler men were also just a figment or something more? Still a great book and one I really enjoyed. How she dealt with the school bullies at the end and the teacher was awesome.
I received a digital ARC from the publishers via NetGalley. My review is voluntary, the thoughts and comments are my own.
December 26, 2017
This book was marked in the young adult realm, however, I feel its for middle graders. With that being said. I enjoyed the book immensely, it gave true emotions and I found myself laughing out loud a lot. Gwendolyn is a unique little girl living in the dullest city possible. She is the only spark of creativity and color in a world so Gray and unoriginal. So basically shes the spark of red in a black and white/grey world. I think it was a great twist on fantasy and dystopian.
April 22, 2018
This was a very exquisite and imaginary story. I really enjoyed it, particularly the whimsical writing style. I found the writing very easy to read as well as immersed with plenty of cute sayings and lines to ponder. I found Gwendolyn a very likeable character and thought her fiery red hair added to the colour she brought to the grey world in which she lived. I loved the dystopian vibe I got initially, with the lambents being these brainwashing stones that controlled society. I loved this aspect of the book. I really enjoyed the ending and thought it wrapped up nicely. There were a few plot lines that I felt went off on tangents, like the bowler men disappearing and the pirate story dominating the book. I didn’t like how the bowler men kind of reappeared and then were destroyed, I felt that all needed a bit more. But I was soo happy when the lambents were all destroyed and everyone was normal. I also liked how it ended up being Gwendolyn’s imagination. Overall a beautifully written middle grade story that I thoroughly enjoyed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2018
Managed to get through this book in a day! It lived up to my cute expectations, I was totally getting Disney vibes from it and it didn't disappoint. Merida from Brave definitely made an appearance in my head, stepping in to play the role of Gwendolyn :p
I loved the magical whimsicalness to it, while also the fantastical elements such as the Lambents and her imagination running away with her. I didn't even cringe at the cronies because it's just the type of cute middle-grade story this was :) Although that ending did break my heart a little. I want to read more!
I loved the magical whimsicalness to it, while also the fantastical elements such as the Lambents and her imagination running away with her. I didn't even cringe at the cronies because it's just the type of cute middle-grade story this was :) Although that ending did break my heart a little. I want to read more!
August 10, 2019
**Thank you to the author and NetGalley for sending me an eARC in return for an honest review.
3 stars!!!
I was honestly expecting way more from this book when I got into it but sadly, it didn't live up to the mark. Let me elaborate further.
The book started out promising and I was really impressed with the prose. I found the worldbuilding, imagery and descriptions rather immersive and the language used was simple yet captivating. The world in which Gwendolyn lives is quite unique and I loved how the other realms were depicted. The contrast between her grey city against the vividness of the land of Tohk was exhilarating. I think middle-graders would be especially caught up with this fantasical, magical place filled with strange creatures, clockwork inventions and pirates.
I also did enjoy the MC Gwendolyn at the beginning of the story. Living in such a drab place as the City, she's the only bright spark of colour among the dreariness with her flame red hair and green eyes. I liked her creative and spunky personality. However, the book doesn't go much into developing her character beyond that as the minor characters were rather flat. I especially found Sparrow to be very irritating and the story seemed to progress only through some folly or mistake made by the characters. Starling, on the other hand, was very stand-offish and we don't really know much about Kolonius Thrash. I would have liked to have seen more character backstories, motivations and emotions. So, all we get is Gwendolyn's point of view but the other characters don't help in building her up as the interactions were very stilted. Furthermore, I didn't really see the point of the romance between Sparrow and Gwendolyn. There was absolutely zero chemistry.
Overall, I think the intended audience for this book will rather enjoy it as it is chock full of adventures. There's plenty of action and there's never a dull moment. The one thing that did stand out for me in this book was the importance of being different and letting your imagination run free. To not be afraid of who you are, to embrace your identity and to live life to the fullest. I thought this was a great way to teach children that it's okay to be unique and to pursue their passion. Moreover, I thought the pacing of the book was brisk and the structure flowed well. The plot devices could have been better developed with a bit more thought given to them. They were fairly generic and I would have liked a bit more complexity. I also found the conclusion to be rather wanting and was expecting a sequel of some kind as there are many loose ends. However, I still think it was an engaging read and was alright for the audience it was meant for.
3 stars!!!
I was honestly expecting way more from this book when I got into it but sadly, it didn't live up to the mark. Let me elaborate further.
The book started out promising and I was really impressed with the prose. I found the worldbuilding, imagery and descriptions rather immersive and the language used was simple yet captivating. The world in which Gwendolyn lives is quite unique and I loved how the other realms were depicted. The contrast between her grey city against the vividness of the land of Tohk was exhilarating. I think middle-graders would be especially caught up with this fantasical, magical place filled with strange creatures, clockwork inventions and pirates.
I also did enjoy the MC Gwendolyn at the beginning of the story. Living in such a drab place as the City, she's the only bright spark of colour among the dreariness with her flame red hair and green eyes. I liked her creative and spunky personality. However, the book doesn't go much into developing her character beyond that as the minor characters were rather flat. I especially found Sparrow to be very irritating and the story seemed to progress only through some folly or mistake made by the characters. Starling, on the other hand, was very stand-offish and we don't really know much about Kolonius Thrash. I would have liked to have seen more character backstories, motivations and emotions. So, all we get is Gwendolyn's point of view but the other characters don't help in building her up as the interactions were very stilted. Furthermore, I didn't really see the point of the romance between Sparrow and Gwendolyn. There was absolutely zero chemistry.
Overall, I think the intended audience for this book will rather enjoy it as it is chock full of adventures. There's plenty of action and there's never a dull moment. The one thing that did stand out for me in this book was the importance of being different and letting your imagination run free. To not be afraid of who you are, to embrace your identity and to live life to the fullest. I thought this was a great way to teach children that it's okay to be unique and to pursue their passion. Moreover, I thought the pacing of the book was brisk and the structure flowed well. The plot devices could have been better developed with a bit more thought given to them. They were fairly generic and I would have liked a bit more complexity. I also found the conclusion to be rather wanting and was expecting a sequel of some kind as there are many loose ends. However, I still think it was an engaging read and was alright for the audience it was meant for.
September 30, 2021
Oh Boy! The Marvellous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray left me super conflicted. I was disappointed while reading this book. It read so juvenile that I sometimes had to really push myself to stay interested. Even though it’s a middle-grade novel, I’ve read plenty of books that fall under that category but are still entertaining reads for all ages (Harry Potter, The Wall and the Wing, A Series of Unfortunate Events) but this isn’t one, at least not for me.
Now don’t get me wrong, overall this was a fun read and I did enjoy parts of it. It’s just not something I would read again, which is why I’m so disappointed, because Gwendolyn Gray is exactly the kind of character I would normally adore. Unfortunately there was just something missing.
P.S. There will be spoilers from this point on.
The beginning when Gwen bring a little colour back into the world was nice, and it’d be interesting to see how much the world changes after everything that happened. The lambents were cool, the way they worked was interesting … except they also turned everyone into zombies… so maybe not all that interesting.
I enjoyed the steampunk aspects of Coppernium, it sounds like an amazing place, beautiful and bustling with people creating things. However, one thing that is never explained is that the Coppernium was a book that Gwen found in her world… so was it based on a true story? Or did Gwen somehow imagine herself into a book?! This is never explained and gave rise to many questions… the destruction caused by The Abyss was that just erasing characters in a story, or real people? One has higher stakes than the other.
I also don’t understand how this can be a series because ***spoiler alert*** at the end of the book Gwen is deemed ordinary, she “used up” her excess imagination to save everyone from the lambents. She can’t see Sparrow and Starling anymore. It all felt very final… so I have no clue how they expect the series to continue. Also the climax of the final battle was quite anti-climactic. She fell through the sky, blasting light at The Abyss and then she wakes up in her bed, one day after she left. It just felt like a major cop out, and left my severely wanting (and not in a good way).
The premise of the book is cool, but I found the execution lacking and too many things left unexplained. Yes I know it’s a series, but I just don’t see how, unless they retcon the whole thing and she becomes special again.
If you want to read a book about girl with a knack for causing trouble who travels to a new world, I would recommend Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow instead.
Now don’t get me wrong, overall this was a fun read and I did enjoy parts of it. It’s just not something I would read again, which is why I’m so disappointed, because Gwendolyn Gray is exactly the kind of character I would normally adore. Unfortunately there was just something missing.
P.S. There will be spoilers from this point on.
The beginning when Gwen bring a little colour back into the world was nice, and it’d be interesting to see how much the world changes after everything that happened. The lambents were cool, the way they worked was interesting … except they also turned everyone into zombies… so maybe not all that interesting.
I enjoyed the steampunk aspects of Coppernium, it sounds like an amazing place, beautiful and bustling with people creating things. However, one thing that is never explained is that the Coppernium was a book that Gwen found in her world… so was it based on a true story? Or did Gwen somehow imagine herself into a book?! This is never explained and gave rise to many questions… the destruction caused by The Abyss was that just erasing characters in a story, or real people? One has higher stakes than the other.
I also don’t understand how this can be a series because ***spoiler alert*** at the end of the book Gwen is deemed ordinary, she “used up” her excess imagination to save everyone from the lambents. She can’t see Sparrow and Starling anymore. It all felt very final… so I have no clue how they expect the series to continue. Also the climax of the final battle was quite anti-climactic. She fell through the sky, blasting light at The Abyss and then she wakes up in her bed, one day after she left. It just felt like a major cop out, and left my severely wanting (and not in a good way).
The premise of the book is cool, but I found the execution lacking and too many things left unexplained. Yes I know it’s a series, but I just don’t see how, unless they retcon the whole thing and she becomes special again.
If you want to read a book about girl with a knack for causing trouble who travels to a new world, I would recommend Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow instead.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2018
Picture a pre-teen Merida (from Brave) with Mr. Smith (from Matrix) after her for daring to stand out and change her dreary, grey-scale world. Throw in some treasure island, the narration from Series of Unfortunate events along with some Easter eggs and this is what you'll get (along with other references I don't know, but other reviewers will). And I'm all for it.
Gwendolyn Gray is a mini Merida, with spunk and rebellion and independence, but in a world where everything is gray and bland and ordinary. Fortunately for us, Gwendolyn is none of those things. It reads similarly to Series of Unfortunate Events, as the narrator tells us a story provides us with metaphors and imagery we would understand but Gwendolyn maybe wouldn't. EDIT: Thinking about it more, the narration is not actually similar to Series of Unfortunate Events, it's just the 4th wall breaks which made me think of it, like reminding the reader that they are reading a story and communicating with the reader.
There are two Faceless Gentlemen titled Mr. Five and Mr. Six, not unlike Mr. Smith, who try to keep order in Gwendolyn's chaos. They work under the Collector, who we don't meet who I am assuming is another child from the clues given.
The first third of the book is Gwendolyn in the City, dealing with her dreary life with parents who don't understand her, awful bullies and boring classes. Then, as her imagination escalates, so does her life. She begins to imagine things to life, like Easter eggs! Beaker from the muppets meeps an appearance under the name of Criminy. There was also a nod to Kafka, which I deeply appreciated.
Also, she meets new friends, Sparrow and Starling who introduce her to the art of hopping through worlds. Which is what she does. She hops into the world of a storybook filled with steampunk pirates and imagination. Things go bad, friendships are made, romances are had, and then the book ends with a sad twist. A very cute story! Looking forward to the sequel (P.S. Mr. Author, please write a sequel) and learning more about the world(s), the Collector and what the deal is with Misters 1, 2 and 3.
I received this book via Netgalley and am providing my honest review.
Gwendolyn Gray is a mini Merida, with spunk and rebellion and independence, but in a world where everything is gray and bland and ordinary. Fortunately for us, Gwendolyn is none of those things. It reads similarly to Series of Unfortunate Events, as the narrator tells us a story provides us with metaphors and imagery we would understand but Gwendolyn maybe wouldn't. EDIT: Thinking about it more, the narration is not actually similar to Series of Unfortunate Events, it's just the 4th wall breaks which made me think of it, like reminding the reader that they are reading a story and communicating with the reader.
There are two Faceless Gentlemen titled Mr. Five and Mr. Six, not unlike Mr. Smith, who try to keep order in Gwendolyn's chaos. They work under the Collector, who we don't meet who I am assuming is another child from the clues given.
The first third of the book is Gwendolyn in the City, dealing with her dreary life with parents who don't understand her, awful bullies and boring classes. Then, as her imagination escalates, so does her life. She begins to imagine things to life, like Easter eggs! Beaker from the muppets meeps an appearance under the name of Criminy. There was also a nod to Kafka, which I deeply appreciated.
Also, she meets new friends, Sparrow and Starling who introduce her to the art of hopping through worlds. Which is what she does. She hops into the world of a storybook filled with steampunk pirates and imagination. Things go bad, friendships are made, romances are had, and then the book ends with a sad twist. A very cute story! Looking forward to the sequel (P.S. Mr. Author, please write a sequel) and learning more about the world(s), the Collector and what the deal is with Misters 1, 2 and 3.
I received this book via Netgalley and am providing my honest review.
April 19, 2020
There’s a reason that middle grade books are such a big part of my reading life in my 30’s, and books like this are exactly it. This was such an engaging story that kept me captivated from beginning to end. The style of writing was witty, conversational, and perfectly descriptive.
I loved the adventure, the characters, and especially the overall message of finding your own path and letting your imagination guide you. While his message is important for middle grade readers, it may be even more so for adult readers. Too many adults are quick to dismiss imagination and creativity (and would probably be happy to live in the full world Gwendolyn began in!)
The world built in this story was so entrancing that I honestly didn’t want to leave. I hope that all of the loose ends and “stories for another time” might be clues that more will come from this world. For now, I will have to settle for buying a copy for all my friends with middle grade readers. (and a read aloud copy for my not-quite-middle grade readers)
Thank you to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
I loved the adventure, the characters, and especially the overall message of finding your own path and letting your imagination guide you. While his message is important for middle grade readers, it may be even more so for adult readers. Too many adults are quick to dismiss imagination and creativity (and would probably be happy to live in the full world Gwendolyn began in!)
The world built in this story was so entrancing that I honestly didn’t want to leave. I hope that all of the loose ends and “stories for another time” might be clues that more will come from this world. For now, I will have to settle for buying a copy for all my friends with middle grade readers. (and a read aloud copy for my not-quite-middle grade readers)
Thank you to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
February 3, 2018
*thank you to Netgalley, North Star Editions/ Jolly Fish Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*
4 stars.
Ohh this book was so so much fun and so so good to read! I really enjoyed it. It was also at times rather funny. I loved Gwendolyn. She reminds me of the girl from the Disney movie "Brave." She has such an amazing imagination with the ability to turn her thoughts into reality. The adventures she gets up to once she meets two other kids who she befriends. This is a middle grade novel, but even at 32 I very much enjoyed it which shows that its not limited to a particular age group. How could I not give a mention about the cover! That's what first caught my eye, it's so well done. I highly recommend this for all ages.
4 stars.
Ohh this book was so so much fun and so so good to read! I really enjoyed it. It was also at times rather funny. I loved Gwendolyn. She reminds me of the girl from the Disney movie "Brave." She has such an amazing imagination with the ability to turn her thoughts into reality. The adventures she gets up to once she meets two other kids who she befriends. This is a middle grade novel, but even at 32 I very much enjoyed it which shows that its not limited to a particular age group. How could I not give a mention about the cover! That's what first caught my eye, it's so well done. I highly recommend this for all ages.
February 18, 2018
The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray.
#Netgalley
#TheMarvelousAdventuresOfGwendolynGray
(I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)
I finished this book in 3 days—which given the pace at which I live (and the current imbalance in my work life balance), that is a definite compliment to the author. I loved Gwendolyn Gray—right from page one—and I thoroughly enjoyed this book about her. I give the book four stars, but it could be a three or a five depending on your taste and fortitude. There is so much I love about this book… but it has definite PROs and CONs. So, allow me to touch on both.
PRO:
• A Narrator who knows you’re there, and is glad to see you, and wants to know you. I loved the narrator’s voice. A very different kind of story, but the narrator's voice was reminiscent of C.S. Lewis in his Narnia series—though with more modern grammar. Infectiously readable.
• Story. The living breathing thing itself was treated with the dignity it deserves. There are few phrases more powerful than Once Upon A Time. But, I must agree with the author that “What if?” is decidedly more powerful. Well played Mr. Williamson.
• The Dystopian elements are brief and recognized as unpleasant. I loved the way the author threw a near-mocking hint at teen dystopian stories. Those little nods just plain made me like him.
• Pirates. Airships. Steampunkiness. Science and Magic of a sort. Really fun.
• Little Easter-eggy things. Placed just where they belonged. (Wilhelm. Brilliant! Each time Wilhelm screamed I gave the author a sideways grin. When Wilhelm fell overboard, I could hear it, and my chuckle was very rewarding.)
• Well crafted, believable worlds. I enjoyed the world-hopping aspect of the story, and the way Gwendolyn’s imagination played such an intriguing and important roll there.
• Loving parents who are not a throw away joke. Though they are under the influence of their Gray society, Mother and Father Gray love their daughter and she loves them, and they all have real respect for each other.
• Strong, enjoyable characters. Gwendolyn, Starling, Sparrow, Kolonius, Brunswick, and a few others… (including Wilhelm) but that handful were the heart for me. (I enjoyed how B.A. Williamson made me take seriously a character named Kolonius Thrash by first introducing him in a story within the story.)
• Gwendolyn in not JUST a rebellious kid. She does rebel, but in the way that America rebelled against England back in the day… or Princess Leah rebelled against the Empire. That sort of rebellion. When Gwendolyn is forced to skip school in direct opposition to a promise made to her father, it is with a heavy heart that she does so. This book felt very emotionally real.
• There are many more pros I could list (character motivations, cool gadgetry, inventive ways of moving the character growth forward), but I don’t want to give things away. So, on to…
CON:
• My daughter loves when I read to her, and I was trying to find an adventure book with a good and strong female lead for just that purpose. This one will have to wait several years. It passes between whimsical, adventurous, creepy, scary, terrifying, and horrifying at intervals throughout the book. Most of the time it’s Whimsy and Adventure, but the Mister Men with their facelessness, erasing people, and the black tentacles coming out of their hats… Creepy. The Collector or Abscess… scary/terrifying (tentacles of black climbing out of a shopkeeper’s mouth to kill people… Really?). The moments before and after the Abscess (terrified market dwellers that Gwendolyn and the reader have become fond of being overwhelmed by a screeching cloud of blackness, screaming and flailing, until the screaming stops abruptly and only dust remains), horrifying. If a film… a PG-13 film at minimum. Tense action like the moment with the Crystal eater? Totally good! Beloved characters being kidnapped by pirates? What the hey ;-) People screaming in panicked terror as they’re being consumed? Ummm… not in a kids book thank you.
• This one is both a PRO and a CON, but essentially lands on the CON side of the fence. There are numerous places where a profanity is replaced by the narrator telling us in various ways that he is sparing us ugly language or gestures (example: so-and-so said words that might lead to having one’s mouth washed out. Or something along those lines). I very much appreciated Mr. Williamson's way of handling that, but felt there was more of it than needed be in a Middle Reader story.
• Early scene while still in the City (dystopian section of book) dealing with the mean girl at school mocking another 12 year old for wearing a bra—and snapping the girl's bra strap—Gwendolyn comments that the mean girl shouldn’t be messing with someone else’s bra just because she lets one of the boys mess with hers. The look that passes between the mean girl and the mentioned boy clearly indicates Gwendolyn is right. Shortly thereafter the mean girl catches Gwendolyn staring at her, and makes a snide comment about Gwendolyn probably being in love with the mean girl and needing to control herself. Though having worked with kids that age for years, and knowing the behavior described is not particularly uncommon, the obviously sexual edge to the two comments just felt out of place with the rest of the tone of the book. Another reason I’ll have to wait Quite a while to read this to my daughter, or have her read it.
• Red-headed witch. Towards the end of the book the narrator tells us someone could not hold Gwendolyn’s gaze and the narrator refers to Gwendolyn, presumably speaking for the other character, as a red-headed witch. Nothing else in the entire book implied Gwendolyn is a witch, but because it was the narrator—not the character—saying it, it felt tonally off.
• Gwendolyn is not just rebellious. This was (and is) a PRO. However, near the end of the book she appropriately rebels, but knocks over someone’s desk for good measure. It felt out of place. A step beyond the need, and it affected how I saw Gwendolyn.
• Puppy-love romance. I liked it, because I was the 12 year old who was already a romantic at heart, but some may not appreciate the leaning toward romance at that age.
• This point will be a PRO to many reading my review. This appears to be the first in a series (I wish the title had said “Book One”, I might have passed this one over). I am in the odd camp of people who love stand-alone books. I like my stories complete and wrapped up in a nice little bow. Because I don’t have copious amounts of time to spend reading, series tend to frustrate me. However… When the next book comes out, I will very likely get it as well.
• Questions posed in the last two chapters. Foreign elements added very near the end only to whet your appetite for the next book. That always annoys me, and can actually make me not pick up the next book.
• Ah… and one last bullet: Sparrow and Starling. I saw it coming, and I wish it were different. Fix it for book two—please. I can think of several ways you could (and I’m sure you can too).
So, to wrap this up. B.A. Williamson has written a thoroughly enjoyable book that I could hardly put down. It is inventive, adventurous, silly, sweet, and captivating in all the best ways. It also has dark moments that drive it into a higher age category than I had hoped for (frankly, some scenes could give my wife—not just my daughter—nightmares). This odd juxtaposition makes it hard to rate. If I could give a 3.5, I might. But at the same time without some of the darkness there, this book would be a 5+
(I actually began telling my daughter a toned-down version of the story at bedtime last night). So, depending on your sensibilities this either is or isn’t a read for you or your child. And I hate to say it, but… Mr. Williamson, I am looking forward to the next book. Best regards.
#Netgalley
#TheMarvelousAdventuresOfGwendolynGray
(I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)
I finished this book in 3 days—which given the pace at which I live (and the current imbalance in my work life balance), that is a definite compliment to the author. I loved Gwendolyn Gray—right from page one—and I thoroughly enjoyed this book about her. I give the book four stars, but it could be a three or a five depending on your taste and fortitude. There is so much I love about this book… but it has definite PROs and CONs. So, allow me to touch on both.
PRO:
• A Narrator who knows you’re there, and is glad to see you, and wants to know you. I loved the narrator’s voice. A very different kind of story, but the narrator's voice was reminiscent of C.S. Lewis in his Narnia series—though with more modern grammar. Infectiously readable.
• Story. The living breathing thing itself was treated with the dignity it deserves. There are few phrases more powerful than Once Upon A Time. But, I must agree with the author that “What if?” is decidedly more powerful. Well played Mr. Williamson.
• The Dystopian elements are brief and recognized as unpleasant. I loved the way the author threw a near-mocking hint at teen dystopian stories. Those little nods just plain made me like him.
• Pirates. Airships. Steampunkiness. Science and Magic of a sort. Really fun.
• Little Easter-eggy things. Placed just where they belonged. (Wilhelm. Brilliant! Each time Wilhelm screamed I gave the author a sideways grin. When Wilhelm fell overboard, I could hear it, and my chuckle was very rewarding.)
• Well crafted, believable worlds. I enjoyed the world-hopping aspect of the story, and the way Gwendolyn’s imagination played such an intriguing and important roll there.
• Loving parents who are not a throw away joke. Though they are under the influence of their Gray society, Mother and Father Gray love their daughter and she loves them, and they all have real respect for each other.
• Strong, enjoyable characters. Gwendolyn, Starling, Sparrow, Kolonius, Brunswick, and a few others… (including Wilhelm) but that handful were the heart for me. (I enjoyed how B.A. Williamson made me take seriously a character named Kolonius Thrash by first introducing him in a story within the story.)
• Gwendolyn in not JUST a rebellious kid. She does rebel, but in the way that America rebelled against England back in the day… or Princess Leah rebelled against the Empire. That sort of rebellion. When Gwendolyn is forced to skip school in direct opposition to a promise made to her father, it is with a heavy heart that she does so. This book felt very emotionally real.
• There are many more pros I could list (character motivations, cool gadgetry, inventive ways of moving the character growth forward), but I don’t want to give things away. So, on to…
CON:
• My daughter loves when I read to her, and I was trying to find an adventure book with a good and strong female lead for just that purpose. This one will have to wait several years. It passes between whimsical, adventurous, creepy, scary, terrifying, and horrifying at intervals throughout the book. Most of the time it’s Whimsy and Adventure, but the Mister Men with their facelessness, erasing people, and the black tentacles coming out of their hats… Creepy. The Collector or Abscess… scary/terrifying (tentacles of black climbing out of a shopkeeper’s mouth to kill people… Really?). The moments before and after the Abscess (terrified market dwellers that Gwendolyn and the reader have become fond of being overwhelmed by a screeching cloud of blackness, screaming and flailing, until the screaming stops abruptly and only dust remains), horrifying. If a film… a PG-13 film at minimum. Tense action like the moment with the Crystal eater? Totally good! Beloved characters being kidnapped by pirates? What the hey ;-) People screaming in panicked terror as they’re being consumed? Ummm… not in a kids book thank you.
• This one is both a PRO and a CON, but essentially lands on the CON side of the fence. There are numerous places where a profanity is replaced by the narrator telling us in various ways that he is sparing us ugly language or gestures (example: so-and-so said words that might lead to having one’s mouth washed out. Or something along those lines). I very much appreciated Mr. Williamson's way of handling that, but felt there was more of it than needed be in a Middle Reader story.
• Early scene while still in the City (dystopian section of book) dealing with the mean girl at school mocking another 12 year old for wearing a bra—and snapping the girl's bra strap—Gwendolyn comments that the mean girl shouldn’t be messing with someone else’s bra just because she lets one of the boys mess with hers. The look that passes between the mean girl and the mentioned boy clearly indicates Gwendolyn is right. Shortly thereafter the mean girl catches Gwendolyn staring at her, and makes a snide comment about Gwendolyn probably being in love with the mean girl and needing to control herself. Though having worked with kids that age for years, and knowing the behavior described is not particularly uncommon, the obviously sexual edge to the two comments just felt out of place with the rest of the tone of the book. Another reason I’ll have to wait Quite a while to read this to my daughter, or have her read it.
• Red-headed witch. Towards the end of the book the narrator tells us someone could not hold Gwendolyn’s gaze and the narrator refers to Gwendolyn, presumably speaking for the other character, as a red-headed witch. Nothing else in the entire book implied Gwendolyn is a witch, but because it was the narrator—not the character—saying it, it felt tonally off.
• Gwendolyn is not just rebellious. This was (and is) a PRO. However, near the end of the book she appropriately rebels, but knocks over someone’s desk for good measure. It felt out of place. A step beyond the need, and it affected how I saw Gwendolyn.
• Puppy-love romance. I liked it, because I was the 12 year old who was already a romantic at heart, but some may not appreciate the leaning toward romance at that age.
• This point will be a PRO to many reading my review. This appears to be the first in a series (I wish the title had said “Book One”, I might have passed this one over). I am in the odd camp of people who love stand-alone books. I like my stories complete and wrapped up in a nice little bow. Because I don’t have copious amounts of time to spend reading, series tend to frustrate me. However… When the next book comes out, I will very likely get it as well.
• Questions posed in the last two chapters. Foreign elements added very near the end only to whet your appetite for the next book. That always annoys me, and can actually make me not pick up the next book.
• Ah… and one last bullet: Sparrow and Starling. I saw it coming, and I wish it were different. Fix it for book two—please. I can think of several ways you could (and I’m sure you can too).
So, to wrap this up. B.A. Williamson has written a thoroughly enjoyable book that I could hardly put down. It is inventive, adventurous, silly, sweet, and captivating in all the best ways. It also has dark moments that drive it into a higher age category than I had hoped for (frankly, some scenes could give my wife—not just my daughter—nightmares). This odd juxtaposition makes it hard to rate. If I could give a 3.5, I might. But at the same time without some of the darkness there, this book would be a 5+
(I actually began telling my daughter a toned-down version of the story at bedtime last night). So, depending on your sensibilities this either is or isn’t a read for you or your child. And I hate to say it, but… Mr. Williamson, I am looking forward to the next book. Best regards.
February 18, 2018
#Netgalley
#TheMarvelousAdventuresOfGwendolynGray
(I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)
I finished this book in 3 days—which given the pace at which I live (and the current imbalance in my work life balance), that is a definite compliment to the author. I loved Gwendolyn Gray—right from page one—and I thoroughly enjoyed this book about her. I give the book four stars, but it could be a three or a five depending on your taste and fortitude. There is so much I love about this book… but it has definite PROs and CONs. So, allow me to touch on both.
PRO:
• A Narrator who knows you’re there, and is glad to see you, and wants to know you. I loved the narrator’s voice. A very different kind of story, but the narrator's voice was reminiscent of C.S. Lewis in his Narnia series—though with more modern grammar. Infectiously readable.
• Story. The living breathing thing itself was treated with the dignity it deserves. There are few phrases more powerful than Once Upon A Time. But, I must agree with the author that “What if?” is decidedly more powerful. Well played Mr. Williamson.
• The Dystopian elements are brief and recognized as unpleasant. I loved the way the author threw a near-mocking hint at teen dystopian stories. Those little nods just plain made me like him.
• Pirates. Airships. Steampunkiness. Science and Magic of a sort. Really fun.
• Little Easter-eggy things. Placed just where they belonged. (Wilhelm. Brilliant! Each time Wilhelm screamed I gave the author a sideways grin. When Wilhelm fell overboard, I could hear it, and my chuckle was very rewarding.)
• Well crafted, believable worlds. I enjoyed the world-hopping aspect of the story, and the way Gwendolyn’s imagination played such an intriguing and important roll there.
• Loving parents who are not a throw away joke. Though they are under the influence of their Gray society, Mother and Father Gray love their daughter and she loves them, and they all have real respect for each other.
• Strong, enjoyable characters. Gwendolyn, Starling, Sparrow, Kolonius, Brunswick, and a few others… (including Wilhelm) but that handful were the heart for me. (I enjoyed how B.A. Williamson made me take seriously a character named Kolonius Thrash by first introducing him in a story within the story.)
• Gwendolyn in not JUST a rebellious kid. She does rebel, but in the way that America rebelled against England back in the day… or Princess Leah rebelled against the Empire. That sort of rebellion. When Gwendolyn is forced to skip school in direct opposition to a promise made to her father, it is with a heavy heart that she does so. This book felt very emotionally real.
• There are many more pros I could list (character motivations, cool gadgetry, inventive ways of moving the character growth forward), but I don’t want to give things away. So, on to…
CON:
• My daughter loves when I read to her, and I was trying to find an adventure book with a good and strong female lead for just that purpose. This one will have to wait several years. It passes between whimsical, adventurous, creepy, scary, terrifying, and horrifying at intervals throughout the book. Most of the time it’s Whimsy and Adventure, but the Mister Men with their facelessness, erasing people, and the black tentacles coming out of their hats… Creepy. The Collector or Abscess… scary/terrifying (tentacles of black climbing out of a shopkeeper’s mouth to kill people… Really?). The moments before and after the Abscess (terrified market dwellers that Gwendolyn and the reader have become fond of being overwhelmed by a screeching cloud of blackness, screaming and flailing, until the screaming stops abruptly and only dust remains), horrifying. If a film… a PG-13 film at minimum. Tense action like the moment with the Crystal eater? Totally good! Beloved characters being kidnapped by pirates? What the hey ;-) People screaming in panicked terror as they’re being consumed? Ummm… not in a kids book thank you.
• This one is both a PRO and a CON, but essentially lands on the CON side of the fence. There are numerous places where a profanity is replaced by the narrator telling us in various ways that he is sparing us ugly language or gestures (example: so-and-so said words that might lead to having one’s mouth washed out. Or something along those lines). I very much appreciated Mr. Williamson's way of handling that, but felt there was more of it than needed be in a Middle Reader story.
• Early scene while still in the City (dystopian section of book) dealing with the mean girl at school mocking another 12 year old for wearing a bra—and snapping the girl's bra strap—Gwendolyn comments that the mean girl shouldn’t be messing with someone else’s bra just because she lets one of the boys mess with hers. The look that passes between the mean girl and the mentioned boy clearly indicates Gwendolyn is right. Shortly thereafter the mean girl catches Gwendolyn staring at her, and makes a snide comment about Gwendolyn probably being in love with the mean girl and needing to control herself. Though having worked with kids that age for years, and knowing the behavior described is not particularly uncommon, the obviously sexual edge to the two comments just felt out of place with the rest of the tone of the book. Another reason I’ll have to wait Quite a while to read this to my daughter, or have her read it.
• Red-headed witch. Towards the end of the book the narrator tells us someone could not hold Gwendolyn’s gaze and the narrator refers to Gwendolyn, presumably speaking for the other character, as a red-headed witch. Nothing else in the entire book implied Gwendolyn is a witch, but because it was the narrator—not the character—saying it, it felt tonally off.
• Gwendolyn is not just rebellious. This was (and is) a PRO. However, near the end of the book she appropriately rebels, but knocks over someone’s desk for good measure. It felt out of place. A step beyond the need, and it affected how I saw Gwendolyn.
• Puppy-love romance. I liked it, because I was the 12 year old who was already a romantic at heart, but some may not appreciate the leaning toward romance at that age.
• This point will be a PRO to many reading my review. This appears to be the first in a series (I wish the title had said “Book One”, I might have passed this one over). I am in the odd camp of people who love stand-alone books. I like my stories complete and wrapped up in a nice little bow. Because I don’t have copious amounts of time to spend reading, series tend to frustrate me. However… When the next book comes out, I will very likely get it as well.
• Questions posed in the last two chapters. Foreign elements added very near the end only to whet your appetite for the next book. That always annoys me, and can actually make me not pick up the next book.
• Ah… and one last bullet: Sparrow and Starling. I saw it coming, and I wish it were different. Fix it for book two—please. I can think of several ways you could (and I’m sure you can too).
So, to wrap this up. B.A. Williamson has written a thoroughly enjoyable book that I could hardly put down. It is inventive, adventurous, silly, sweet, and captivating in all the best ways. It also has dark moments that drive it into a higher age category than I had hoped for (frankly, some scenes could give my wife—not just my daughter—nightmares). This odd juxtaposition makes it hard to rate. If I could give a 3.5, I might. But at the same time without some of the darkness there, this book would be a 5+
(I actually began telling my daughter a toned-down version of the story at bedtime last night). So, depending on your sensibilities this either is or isn’t a read for you or your child. And I hate to say it, but… Mr. Williamson, I am looking forward to the next book. Best regards.
#TheMarvelousAdventuresOfGwendolynGray
(I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)
I finished this book in 3 days—which given the pace at which I live (and the current imbalance in my work life balance), that is a definite compliment to the author. I loved Gwendolyn Gray—right from page one—and I thoroughly enjoyed this book about her. I give the book four stars, but it could be a three or a five depending on your taste and fortitude. There is so much I love about this book… but it has definite PROs and CONs. So, allow me to touch on both.
PRO:
• A Narrator who knows you’re there, and is glad to see you, and wants to know you. I loved the narrator’s voice. A very different kind of story, but the narrator's voice was reminiscent of C.S. Lewis in his Narnia series—though with more modern grammar. Infectiously readable.
• Story. The living breathing thing itself was treated with the dignity it deserves. There are few phrases more powerful than Once Upon A Time. But, I must agree with the author that “What if?” is decidedly more powerful. Well played Mr. Williamson.
• The Dystopian elements are brief and recognized as unpleasant. I loved the way the author threw a near-mocking hint at teen dystopian stories. Those little nods just plain made me like him.
• Pirates. Airships. Steampunkiness. Science and Magic of a sort. Really fun.
• Little Easter-eggy things. Placed just where they belonged. (Wilhelm. Brilliant! Each time Wilhelm screamed I gave the author a sideways grin. When Wilhelm fell overboard, I could hear it, and my chuckle was very rewarding.)
• Well crafted, believable worlds. I enjoyed the world-hopping aspect of the story, and the way Gwendolyn’s imagination played such an intriguing and important roll there.
• Loving parents who are not a throw away joke. Though they are under the influence of their Gray society, Mother and Father Gray love their daughter and she loves them, and they all have real respect for each other.
• Strong, enjoyable characters. Gwendolyn, Starling, Sparrow, Kolonius, Brunswick, and a few others… (including Wilhelm) but that handful were the heart for me. (I enjoyed how B.A. Williamson made me take seriously a character named Kolonius Thrash by first introducing him in a story within the story.)
• Gwendolyn in not JUST a rebellious kid. She does rebel, but in the way that America rebelled against England back in the day… or Princess Leah rebelled against the Empire. That sort of rebellion. When Gwendolyn is forced to skip school in direct opposition to a promise made to her father, it is with a heavy heart that she does so. This book felt very emotionally real.
• There are many more pros I could list (character motivations, cool gadgetry, inventive ways of moving the character growth forward), but I don’t want to give things away. So, on to…
CON:
• My daughter loves when I read to her, and I was trying to find an adventure book with a good and strong female lead for just that purpose. This one will have to wait several years. It passes between whimsical, adventurous, creepy, scary, terrifying, and horrifying at intervals throughout the book. Most of the time it’s Whimsy and Adventure, but the Mister Men with their facelessness, erasing people, and the black tentacles coming out of their hats… Creepy. The Collector or Abscess… scary/terrifying (tentacles of black climbing out of a shopkeeper’s mouth to kill people… Really?). The moments before and after the Abscess (terrified market dwellers that Gwendolyn and the reader have become fond of being overwhelmed by a screeching cloud of blackness, screaming and flailing, until the screaming stops abruptly and only dust remains), horrifying. If a film… a PG-13 film at minimum. Tense action like the moment with the Crystal eater? Totally good! Beloved characters being kidnapped by pirates? What the hey ;-) People screaming in panicked terror as they’re being consumed? Ummm… not in a kids book thank you.
• This one is both a PRO and a CON, but essentially lands on the CON side of the fence. There are numerous places where a profanity is replaced by the narrator telling us in various ways that he is sparing us ugly language or gestures (example: so-and-so said words that might lead to having one’s mouth washed out. Or something along those lines). I very much appreciated Mr. Williamson's way of handling that, but felt there was more of it than needed be in a Middle Reader story.
• Early scene while still in the City (dystopian section of book) dealing with the mean girl at school mocking another 12 year old for wearing a bra—and snapping the girl's bra strap—Gwendolyn comments that the mean girl shouldn’t be messing with someone else’s bra just because she lets one of the boys mess with hers. The look that passes between the mean girl and the mentioned boy clearly indicates Gwendolyn is right. Shortly thereafter the mean girl catches Gwendolyn staring at her, and makes a snide comment about Gwendolyn probably being in love with the mean girl and needing to control herself. Though having worked with kids that age for years, and knowing the behavior described is not particularly uncommon, the obviously sexual edge to the two comments just felt out of place with the rest of the tone of the book. Another reason I’ll have to wait Quite a while to read this to my daughter, or have her read it.
• Red-headed witch. Towards the end of the book the narrator tells us someone could not hold Gwendolyn’s gaze and the narrator refers to Gwendolyn, presumably speaking for the other character, as a red-headed witch. Nothing else in the entire book implied Gwendolyn is a witch, but because it was the narrator—not the character—saying it, it felt tonally off.
• Gwendolyn is not just rebellious. This was (and is) a PRO. However, near the end of the book she appropriately rebels, but knocks over someone’s desk for good measure. It felt out of place. A step beyond the need, and it affected how I saw Gwendolyn.
• Puppy-love romance. I liked it, because I was the 12 year old who was already a romantic at heart, but some may not appreciate the leaning toward romance at that age.
• This point will be a PRO to many reading my review. This appears to be the first in a series (I wish the title had said “Book One”, I might have passed this one over). I am in the odd camp of people who love stand-alone books. I like my stories complete and wrapped up in a nice little bow. Because I don’t have copious amounts of time to spend reading, series tend to frustrate me. However… When the next book comes out, I will very likely get it as well.
• Questions posed in the last two chapters. Foreign elements added very near the end only to whet your appetite for the next book. That always annoys me, and can actually make me not pick up the next book.
• Ah… and one last bullet: Sparrow and Starling. I saw it coming, and I wish it were different. Fix it for book two—please. I can think of several ways you could (and I’m sure you can too).
So, to wrap this up. B.A. Williamson has written a thoroughly enjoyable book that I could hardly put down. It is inventive, adventurous, silly, sweet, and captivating in all the best ways. It also has dark moments that drive it into a higher age category than I had hoped for (frankly, some scenes could give my wife—not just my daughter—nightmares). This odd juxtaposition makes it hard to rate. If I could give a 3.5, I might. But at the same time without some of the darkness there, this book would be a 5+
(I actually began telling my daughter a toned-down version of the story at bedtime last night). So, depending on your sensibilities this either is or isn’t a read for you or your child. And I hate to say it, but… Mr. Williamson, I am looking forward to the next book. Best regards.
May 11, 2018
Imagine a city where the sun never breaks through the clouds, where everything is meant to be done with the least amount of fuss. The most terrible thing is the way the schools are run. Teachers are actually only babysitters who sit and supervise the children. The actual teaching is done by stones called Lambents which the students stare into and receive any knowledge they need. And anyone who disturbs the smooth operation of the city and the school is persona non grata, bullied by the other children, scolded and punished by the adults. That child is Gwendolyn.
Try as she might, Gwendolyn cannot rein in her imagination. When she tries to stare into the Lambent like everyone else in class, it gives her headaches and hurts her eyes. Unlike everyone in town, she enjoys reading and even reads old documents from the hall of records - a place no one else even visits. But when she finds a storybook in an empty apartment, Gwendolyn winds up on an adventure that rivals any novel. Rather than gloom and grayness, there is a colorful world, incredible inventions, and larger than life heroes and villains. Can she save this new and exciting place as well as her own home?
For those who are familiar with "The Matrix," the men from the city who pursue Gwendolyn in an attempt to control her imagination and its effects will bear a remarkable resemblance to Agent Smith and his cohorts. But they also mix in with the men in hats from "The Adjustment Bureau" since they wear bowler hats that have peculiar properties.
If you enjoy stories that pit spunky heroines against seemingly overwhelming odds and adults with vast powers, then you should give this book a try. Highly recommended for middle grades and up.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
Try as she might, Gwendolyn cannot rein in her imagination. When she tries to stare into the Lambent like everyone else in class, it gives her headaches and hurts her eyes. Unlike everyone in town, she enjoys reading and even reads old documents from the hall of records - a place no one else even visits. But when she finds a storybook in an empty apartment, Gwendolyn winds up on an adventure that rivals any novel. Rather than gloom and grayness, there is a colorful world, incredible inventions, and larger than life heroes and villains. Can she save this new and exciting place as well as her own home?
For those who are familiar with "The Matrix," the men from the city who pursue Gwendolyn in an attempt to control her imagination and its effects will bear a remarkable resemblance to Agent Smith and his cohorts. But they also mix in with the men in hats from "The Adjustment Bureau" since they wear bowler hats that have peculiar properties.
If you enjoy stories that pit spunky heroines against seemingly overwhelming odds and adults with vast powers, then you should give this book a try. Highly recommended for middle grades and up.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
June 3, 2018
In a world that is all black, white, and gray, things can become extremely boring! No one knows how that feels better than Gwendolyn Gray! She faces a very serious problem… she doesn’t think in black and white. She is the only person her age that doesn’t think the way everyone else does, and that leaves her as an outcast. As her parents and classmates continue to fall under the influence of the gray, dull society, Gwendolyn’s vivid imagination runs wild and naturally gets her in trouble. There are two faceless men who will stop at nothing to stop Gwendolyn from changing the world as they know it, including completely wiping cities off the map. Can Gwendolyn, with the help of two friends, stop the two faceless men and save everyone from a dull, gray existence?
This was the kind of book I read as a child! It is so awesome to read about a child having such a vivid imagination! There is something about a child using their imagination to save the world that is absolutely amazing. There are so many great things about this book: a narrator who acknowledges the readers and makes you feel as though you are a part of the story, Gwendolyn realizing she isn’t just some silly girl. There is a real power in your imagination. Stirling and Sparrow are great characters! The addition of siblings Stirling and Sparrow helped create the steampunk feel this book had. The story was great and I loved the small moments when the narrator would say, “I’ll spare you the boring details…”, “Sparrow said a few words that wouldn’t be polite to repeat…”. This might be a turn off for most, but I enjoyed it. The pacing was quite quick with world-building along the way, which was spectacularly done.
What was amazing about this story was the way it challenged the way stories/fairy tales are usually told. Normally it would start with “Once upon a time…”, but instead, it challenged you with “What if…?” Here’s to Gwendolyn Gray, for showing us it’s okay to stand out in a world where you were meant to blend it, for showing us it’s okay to use your imagination, and going against the norms… because being normal is overrated.
This was the kind of book I read as a child! It is so awesome to read about a child having such a vivid imagination! There is something about a child using their imagination to save the world that is absolutely amazing. There are so many great things about this book: a narrator who acknowledges the readers and makes you feel as though you are a part of the story, Gwendolyn realizing she isn’t just some silly girl. There is a real power in your imagination. Stirling and Sparrow are great characters! The addition of siblings Stirling and Sparrow helped create the steampunk feel this book had. The story was great and I loved the small moments when the narrator would say, “I’ll spare you the boring details…”, “Sparrow said a few words that wouldn’t be polite to repeat…”. This might be a turn off for most, but I enjoyed it. The pacing was quite quick with world-building along the way, which was spectacularly done.
What was amazing about this story was the way it challenged the way stories/fairy tales are usually told. Normally it would start with “Once upon a time…”, but instead, it challenged you with “What if…?” Here’s to Gwendolyn Gray, for showing us it’s okay to stand out in a world where you were meant to blend it, for showing us it’s okay to use your imagination, and going against the norms… because being normal is overrated.
December 30, 2017
The Man, or rather the faceless gentlemen dubbed Mister Men, are trying to keep Gwendolyn Gray down. She possesses a colorful spark of imagination in a drab, gray, dystopian world that is void of freethinking, originality or creativity. Her imagination sends her on an other-worldly steam punk adventure with flying pirate ships, crystal-eating beasts, and a man-snatching abscess among other things.
The author did a great job pulling the reader into Gwendolyn's world. I felt the pain of her days as a misfit, not quite fitting in her city, being tormented by her conformist classmates. I could vividly imagine the scenes described. I adored the way the author talked directly to the reader at times. I thought it was wonderful that of the two main female characters, one was a STEM whiz and the other had a crazy beautiful imagination. However, I could have done without all the negative self talk (i.e. repeatedly using the phrase "stupid girl" whenever the heroine felt she made a mistake). I get it, self doubt hits most kids hard around the middle grade years, but it personally drove me a little nuts.
Side question - anyone know - is the city of Tohk, pronounced like "talk?" As in, ideas flow freely when we Tohk? Or, when we Tohk, we create a beautiful marketplace of invention?
Thank you to #NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for my honest review.
The author did a great job pulling the reader into Gwendolyn's world. I felt the pain of her days as a misfit, not quite fitting in her city, being tormented by her conformist classmates. I could vividly imagine the scenes described. I adored the way the author talked directly to the reader at times. I thought it was wonderful that of the two main female characters, one was a STEM whiz and the other had a crazy beautiful imagination. However, I could have done without all the negative self talk (i.e. repeatedly using the phrase "stupid girl" whenever the heroine felt she made a mistake). I get it, self doubt hits most kids hard around the middle grade years, but it personally drove me a little nuts.
Side question - anyone know - is the city of Tohk, pronounced like "talk?" As in, ideas flow freely when we Tohk? Or, when we Tohk, we create a beautiful marketplace of invention?
Thank you to #NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for my honest review.
April 18, 2018
Recently I received an Advanced Readers Copy of
The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray
by
B.A. Williamson
from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, so let's go!
The story starts out with Young Gwendolyn Gray who is 12, who does not want to grow up because adult life is oh so boring and Gray. Yes, she lives in a world of sameness and no color. Everyone has hair that is black or washed out blonde and dresses in the same drab dull gray. Her whole world is in shades of black and white and gives off a very dystopian vibe. At school Gwendolyn is bullied because shes different. The red-headed girl was special in her own way and everyone could plainly see how different she was, although they felt like she was a freak. She has no real friends and mainly talks to inanimate objects and her drawings. In class she let's her imagination run away with itself and refuses to use the soul sucking lambents.
One day everything changed when her imagination made things real, so real that Gwendolyn gave her classmate, Missy bunny ears. Not only that but something else weird started to happen, I don't want to spoil it for you, but this is when things start getting real good. She finds herself in a sticky situation as she realizes there is a lot more to her city. There is something secretly going on and she finds herself running from faceless bowler hat wearing guys. She finds some adventure companions along the way, Starling and Sparrow and all their steam punk glory. They’re brother and sister that came from a whole new world. Kaden was delighted when these two arrived out of the blue...or should I say gray. :)
I'm not going to share much more, but I will tell you my opinion. This book was a great read and would be so cool as a movie. The way the Author describes this adventure and all the details is magical. I will be honest and say that there are some bully scenes that made me a little uncomfortable. Maybe it was too close to home with having a special needs child, I don't know. But, I will say I am happy we read it out loud so I could improvise that part. I didn't like the use of words like freak, but, I understand it was used to describe the depth of the situation Gwendolyn was dealing with. I also didn’t like the unnecessary romance! Gwendolyn wasn’t even in her teens yet. It seemed a little forced and unnatural, especially for her character. But all that aside, it ended really well and Kaden and I look forward to more from this Author.
The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray
by
B.A. Williamson
from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, so let's go!
The story starts out with Young Gwendolyn Gray who is 12, who does not want to grow up because adult life is oh so boring and Gray. Yes, she lives in a world of sameness and no color. Everyone has hair that is black or washed out blonde and dresses in the same drab dull gray. Her whole world is in shades of black and white and gives off a very dystopian vibe. At school Gwendolyn is bullied because shes different. The red-headed girl was special in her own way and everyone could plainly see how different she was, although they felt like she was a freak. She has no real friends and mainly talks to inanimate objects and her drawings. In class she let's her imagination run away with itself and refuses to use the soul sucking lambents.
One day everything changed when her imagination made things real, so real that Gwendolyn gave her classmate, Missy bunny ears. Not only that but something else weird started to happen, I don't want to spoil it for you, but this is when things start getting real good. She finds herself in a sticky situation as she realizes there is a lot more to her city. There is something secretly going on and she finds herself running from faceless bowler hat wearing guys. She finds some adventure companions along the way, Starling and Sparrow and all their steam punk glory. They’re brother and sister that came from a whole new world. Kaden was delighted when these two arrived out of the blue...or should I say gray. :)
I'm not going to share much more, but I will tell you my opinion. This book was a great read and would be so cool as a movie. The way the Author describes this adventure and all the details is magical. I will be honest and say that there are some bully scenes that made me a little uncomfortable. Maybe it was too close to home with having a special needs child, I don't know. But, I will say I am happy we read it out loud so I could improvise that part. I didn't like the use of words like freak, but, I understand it was used to describe the depth of the situation Gwendolyn was dealing with. I also didn’t like the unnecessary romance! Gwendolyn wasn’t even in her teens yet. It seemed a little forced and unnatural, especially for her character. But all that aside, it ended really well and Kaden and I look forward to more from this Author.
November 26, 2017
The marvellous adventures of Gwendolyn Gray, is a middle grade read, filled with a large variety of fantasy elements, actions, friendship and pirates! Romance is also a part in this book but, it’s not so heavily focused.
And so, the whole story starts in a dull, rainy, black and white city, where people’s imagination is pulled out of their mind and they live their life to pay bills and go to work. Every citizen has a lambent, that is an obligation to use and everyone has either, jet black hair or washed out, blond hair. The children go to a school, which every child of three special section can attend. While the riches and the average have a time span of 5 to 10minute walk to school, the poorer students had to travel hours to get to their destination.
However, there is always one person in the crowd that stand out from the rest, and in this story it is our main character, Gwendolyn Gray, a young 12-year-old girl, who’s head is always stuck in the cloud. She refuses to use her lambent, meaning it is a great understanding that she still has a very active imagination. It doesn’t seem like she has a lot of friends, so she often spends her free time reading a book, draw / sketch, or talk to in animated objects. Not only that, but as if constantly being told, what to do and how to do it and who she should be, isn’t adding more stress for her to manage, try to imagine constantly living every day being teased and taunted for who she is. And judging by that fact, it’s easy and sad to tell, that she easily becomes a new victim of bullying among the popular students. However, one day, things is about to change for Gwendolyn and the world, for better or for worse.
--
The world building of this book is quite large. We have, the city of no stories (where Gwendolyn is from) and another city, I am still not so sure is real or based of on Gwen’s imagination. But, assuming from one particular scene and the new character’s introductions, there’s plenty of other worlds in this story that, currently only Gwen knows.
A part, of my many reasons for why I like this book so much, is because of the book’s writing style. It’s told from a third person point of view but it has that fairy-tale element story telling as well. What I mean is, it was interesting to see a fantasy book, where there is an element of storytelling whit-in the story itself, that really made me feel like, I was IN the world Gwendolyn was in and experiences her adventure alongside with her. Having said that, despite how beautiful this child’s imagination can be, it can also have risky consequences once it's brought to life. And like Professor Zangetsky said, "I always say, ideas are wild things, and if you're not careful, they take on a life of their own. Best to capture them in a cage of words, or they can quite run away from you." Literally.
The further I read into the story, the more I actually and surprisingly, found myself enjoying the plot, despite myself being an adult. I would recommend this book for a younger audience, from the age of 10 to 15, or maybe even adults who finds joy, in reading a middle-grade read with a clear message. Just because beeing different makes you special, dosen't mean that everyone will acept it, which really shows the struggles Gewn had to face, day by day. However, facing these troubles with confidence and strenght, you can do anything you set your mind to, as long as you have the will to do it.
And so, the whole story starts in a dull, rainy, black and white city, where people’s imagination is pulled out of their mind and they live their life to pay bills and go to work. Every citizen has a lambent, that is an obligation to use and everyone has either, jet black hair or washed out, blond hair. The children go to a school, which every child of three special section can attend. While the riches and the average have a time span of 5 to 10minute walk to school, the poorer students had to travel hours to get to their destination.
However, there is always one person in the crowd that stand out from the rest, and in this story it is our main character, Gwendolyn Gray, a young 12-year-old girl, who’s head is always stuck in the cloud. She refuses to use her lambent, meaning it is a great understanding that she still has a very active imagination. It doesn’t seem like she has a lot of friends, so she often spends her free time reading a book, draw / sketch, or talk to in animated objects. Not only that, but as if constantly being told, what to do and how to do it and who she should be, isn’t adding more stress for her to manage, try to imagine constantly living every day being teased and taunted for who she is. And judging by that fact, it’s easy and sad to tell, that she easily becomes a new victim of bullying among the popular students. However, one day, things is about to change for Gwendolyn and the world, for better or for worse.
--
The world building of this book is quite large. We have, the city of no stories (where Gwendolyn is from) and another city, I am still not so sure is real or based of on Gwen’s imagination. But, assuming from one particular scene and the new character’s introductions, there’s plenty of other worlds in this story that, currently only Gwen knows.
A part, of my many reasons for why I like this book so much, is because of the book’s writing style. It’s told from a third person point of view but it has that fairy-tale element story telling as well. What I mean is, it was interesting to see a fantasy book, where there is an element of storytelling whit-in the story itself, that really made me feel like, I was IN the world Gwendolyn was in and experiences her adventure alongside with her. Having said that, despite how beautiful this child’s imagination can be, it can also have risky consequences once it's brought to life. And like Professor Zangetsky said, "I always say, ideas are wild things, and if you're not careful, they take on a life of their own. Best to capture them in a cage of words, or they can quite run away from you." Literally.
The further I read into the story, the more I actually and surprisingly, found myself enjoying the plot, despite myself being an adult. I would recommend this book for a younger audience, from the age of 10 to 15, or maybe even adults who finds joy, in reading a middle-grade read with a clear message. Just because beeing different makes you special, dosen't mean that everyone will acept it, which really shows the struggles Gewn had to face, day by day. However, facing these troubles with confidence and strenght, you can do anything you set your mind to, as long as you have the will to do it.
May 6, 2018
would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book
well what an adventure to be had whilst reading this book...younger readers will love this one but having an open imagination works just as well for everyone who reads this one....
it starts off dark and dismal because that is the world that gwendolyn lives in but shes a rebel and causes all sorts of mischief to happen and along the way the adventures start...
well what an adventure to be had whilst reading this book...younger readers will love this one but having an open imagination works just as well for everyone who reads this one....
it starts off dark and dismal because that is the world that gwendolyn lives in but shes a rebel and causes all sorts of mischief to happen and along the way the adventures start...
January 1, 2018
"of course you do, Gwendolyn. I'm literally the boy of your dreams." Sigh!!
Wow!! What a cute and adventurous story! This book is action packed! I know it is a middle grade book, but it was AMAZING at 36. This book was also full of friendship, young love, imagination, pirates, dystopian, and also a bit steampunk-ish. I admit that I cried at the end!! I highly recommend!! Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers for allowing me to receive this book for review!!
Wow!! What a cute and adventurous story! This book is action packed! I know it is a middle grade book, but it was AMAZING at 36. This book was also full of friendship, young love, imagination, pirates, dystopian, and also a bit steampunk-ish. I admit that I cried at the end!! I highly recommend!! Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers for allowing me to receive this book for review!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews