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The Faerie Door
Long ago the Faerie Queen created portals between our world and hers, so that children could summon help from faeries whenever the need arose. But a wicked entity called the Shadow Knight is endeavoring to control the doors between the two worlds, and only evil can get through. It falls to two imaginative eleven-year-olds—Victoria Deveny, from 1890 Britain, and Elliot Good, from 1966 America—to thwart his plan. The Faerie Queen dispatches the youths on separate quests to retrieve orbs of power that will ultimately defeat the Shadow Knight. Their bravery and friendship are tested as the children travel to fantastic realms and face life-threatening dangers—from dragons to flying pirate ships to a wicked sorceress queen—before they're reunited to confront the dreaded Shadow Knight.
471 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
November 17, 2015
I belabored my choice of star rating on this book. I found the world-building to be quite good and I really did enjoy the story. The fairies and the portals between different worlds, the really evil baddies, and the innocence of the kids--it was truly the stuff of classic fairy tale!
But I found it tedious to read. I never felt "sucked in" and the language was somewhat laborious. Oddly, though, it was that old-fashioned, laborious language that gave the book such charm...and the reason I considered giving it four stars.
All in all, though, because it took me forever to trudge through it, and because there were too many places where the voice and language were a hindrance, I rounded down to three stars.
I also agree that the vocabulary level was pushing limits for a middle grade novel. I'm a college graduate with a pretty hefty vocabulary, and had no problem with any of the words. But the sheer quantity of them, combined with the unusual cadence of the author's voice and the characters' dialog, pushes it over the edge.
That said, I think it would make a great read-aloud for parents who enjoy reading longer books to their kids.
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book 1
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But I found it tedious to read. I never felt "sucked in" and the language was somewhat laborious. Oddly, though, it was that old-fashioned, laborious language that gave the book such charm...and the reason I considered giving it four stars.
All in all, though, because it took me forever to trudge through it, and because there were too many places where the voice and language were a hindrance, I rounded down to three stars.
I also agree that the vocabulary level was pushing limits for a middle grade novel. I'm a college graduate with a pretty hefty vocabulary, and had no problem with any of the words. But the sheer quantity of them, combined with the unusual cadence of the author's voice and the characters' dialog, pushes it over the edge.
That said, I think it would make a great read-aloud for parents who enjoy reading longer books to their kids.
My Website
Find me on Facebook
My YA fantasy series:
book 1
book 2
January 5, 2009
I picked this book up in the children's section on BN while looking for selections for my neice for Christmas. I was pleasantly shocked at how easily it was to get into the storyline, how imaginative the twists were (at most times unpredictable) and how well written the entire book was. A remarkably detailed epic adventure, I'd recommend it for anyone who's enjoyed writers such as Tolkien.
January 2, 2011
3 1/2 stars
Victoria is from 1890s England, Elliot is from 1966 New Hampshire. Both are about 11 years old, and both - in their own place and time - find magical rings that are filled with power and the ability to access doors to different worlds, and different times.
Once Victoria shows up in Elliot's time, they quickly become fast friends and just as quickly are thrown into a menacing situations, complete with an evil knight who's shield bares what appears to be a black hole for an emblem. After Elliot's mother's apparent death, both children are transported to the Faerie world, where they learn that dangerous quests await them. Both children are sent on individual (but related) quests to different (but connected) worlds.
So, my thoughts:
The premise of this books is quite intriguing: that worlds and times are interwoven.
I loved some of the concepts in this book and the various levels to the plots and characters. Most of the book is fairly predictable, but I found myself surprised at certain twists along the way and guessing as to the true good/evil nature of some of the characters. However, this was peppered with some over explanation that I didn't feel was quite necessary (however, if a reader is more literal or doesn't want to be left questioning, then this could be a good thing).
I thought author Maxwell did a great job of cutting back and forth between Victoria's and Elliot's stories. For most of the book, one chapter is about Victoria, the next is about Elliot, then back to Victoria, then Elliot, and so forth. I felt the flow and breaks worked well, and I always felt I slipped easily back into each character's tale. (However, I did feel that Elliot's story was far more developed and detailed).
The story feels a lot like a novelized fairy tale. It certainly seemed like Maxwell was paying homage to classic fairy tale elements, and I did enjoy this, as will (I think) fans of folklore and fairy tales. Because of this, some of the events in the book are a little creepy, and may disturb young readers, but overall everything stayed just shy of too creepy. There was, I believe, only one passage that I felt was a little too much, but it wasn't dwelt on (if I'm recalling correctly, I think it dealt with heads on stakes, but I could be wrong, and was just in passing).
This is part of what I loved most about this book — 1) that I never really felt Maxwell talked down to the audience, and 2) that Maxwell has a fantastic way with words and vocabulary, and uses both! So, if you have, or are, a young reader that loves words and learning new ones (or old ones that have gone out of style) but still want stories that are age appropriate, then this is a fantastic book! I found myself wanting to look up some of the words a few time, haha! :)
Sometimes Maxwell inserts 'information' about the real world - like, little tidbits of learning. Some of this fit well into the story and didn't bother me, but sometimes it did break up the flow a little.
Overall, I really liked the characters, but most of this stemmed from the first part/half of the book, and after that the character introspection seemed to go away. Yes, the characters face ever-increasing dangers, so we can derive their character from their actions, but I wanted to know more of what drove them.
I also found myself questioning the way Victoria went about completing her quest. Not anything immoral or the like, but more that she didn't seem to do that much. It seemed she waited to be told what to do - more of a, 'don't worry, Victoria, you're at the right place at the right time, and it will make sense later on.' I don't mind some of this, but I felt it was a little too much compared to the decisions she made on her own, and her challenges just never really felt comparable to Elliot's (until the end, perhaps). However, I was glad that ballet played such a strong role in the book, and young dancers will appreciate this as well.
All this, combined with the rather vague climax, was unfortunate, because all the elements were there to make the story so much more.
Something else of note, this book is very heavy on description. If you like description, then you'll probably enjoy Maxwell's. But, for me it overpowered the actual story and I found myself loosing interest in the events because things got slowed down. Also, there were so many descriptions it was hard to sort out what was important and what wasn't.
Overall, this is a solid book and a I'd probably look up other of Maxwell's works. But, for me, this tale was lacking in places, but I did still enjoyed the book.
***
Made it! I finished it with only 1 hour and ten minutes left in 2010!!! :)
Victoria is from 1890s England, Elliot is from 1966 New Hampshire. Both are about 11 years old, and both - in their own place and time - find magical rings that are filled with power and the ability to access doors to different worlds, and different times.
Once Victoria shows up in Elliot's time, they quickly become fast friends and just as quickly are thrown into a menacing situations, complete with an evil knight who's shield bares what appears to be a black hole for an emblem. After Elliot's mother's apparent death, both children are transported to the Faerie world, where they learn that dangerous quests await them. Both children are sent on individual (but related) quests to different (but connected) worlds.
So, my thoughts:
The premise of this books is quite intriguing: that worlds and times are interwoven.
I loved some of the concepts in this book and the various levels to the plots and characters. Most of the book is fairly predictable, but I found myself surprised at certain twists along the way and guessing as to the true good/evil nature of some of the characters. However, this was peppered with some over explanation that I didn't feel was quite necessary (however, if a reader is more literal or doesn't want to be left questioning, then this could be a good thing).
I thought author Maxwell did a great job of cutting back and forth between Victoria's and Elliot's stories. For most of the book, one chapter is about Victoria, the next is about Elliot, then back to Victoria, then Elliot, and so forth. I felt the flow and breaks worked well, and I always felt I slipped easily back into each character's tale. (However, I did feel that Elliot's story was far more developed and detailed).
The story feels a lot like a novelized fairy tale. It certainly seemed like Maxwell was paying homage to classic fairy tale elements, and I did enjoy this, as will (I think) fans of folklore and fairy tales. Because of this, some of the events in the book are a little creepy, and may disturb young readers, but overall everything stayed just shy of too creepy. There was, I believe, only one passage that I felt was a little too much, but it wasn't dwelt on (if I'm recalling correctly, I think it dealt with heads on stakes, but I could be wrong, and was just in passing).
This is part of what I loved most about this book — 1) that I never really felt Maxwell talked down to the audience, and 2) that Maxwell has a fantastic way with words and vocabulary, and uses both! So, if you have, or are, a young reader that loves words and learning new ones (or old ones that have gone out of style) but still want stories that are age appropriate, then this is a fantastic book! I found myself wanting to look up some of the words a few time, haha! :)
Sometimes Maxwell inserts 'information' about the real world - like, little tidbits of learning. Some of this fit well into the story and didn't bother me, but sometimes it did break up the flow a little.
Overall, I really liked the characters, but most of this stemmed from the first part/half of the book, and after that the character introspection seemed to go away. Yes, the characters face ever-increasing dangers, so we can derive their character from their actions, but I wanted to know more of what drove them.
I also found myself questioning the way Victoria went about completing her quest. Not anything immoral or the like, but more that she didn't seem to do that much. It seemed she waited to be told what to do - more of a, 'don't worry, Victoria, you're at the right place at the right time, and it will make sense later on.' I don't mind some of this, but I felt it was a little too much compared to the decisions she made on her own, and her challenges just never really felt comparable to Elliot's (until the end, perhaps). However, I was glad that ballet played such a strong role in the book, and young dancers will appreciate this as well.
All this, combined with the rather vague climax, was unfortunate, because all the elements were there to make the story so much more.
Something else of note, this book is very heavy on description. If you like description, then you'll probably enjoy Maxwell's. But, for me it overpowered the actual story and I found myself loosing interest in the events because things got slowed down. Also, there were so many descriptions it was hard to sort out what was important and what wasn't.
Overall, this is a solid book and a I'd probably look up other of Maxwell's works. But, for me, this tale was lacking in places, but I did still enjoyed the book.
***
Made it! I finished it with only 1 hour and ten minutes left in 2010!!! :)
February 10, 2009
I read and thoroughly enjoyed this book. I even heard that a sequel is in the works. If you enjoy fun quests, filled with excitement and intriguing characters, this is your book. Also, it seems that a sequel is in the works, which I will eagerly delve into when it becomes available.
January 4, 2009
The settings in this book are described beautifully. There is such care to the details that it's not overwhelming but just right. Victoria and Elliot, characters who wouldn't normally meet, but under the circumstances do, go well together. They have fun, and you have fun reading about them. I thought the story might be loosely based on a ballet which is mentioned in it, but after researching that, I believe this is the author's own creation, which leaves me liking it all the more.
I find the story original even while, yes, it starts as a quest with rings. It is unlike the Lord of the rings trilogy and stands on it's own. Only thing I didn't like was there were times when I had to put the book down. For a children's book, I thought it got a little dark, but that could be me mirroring my own dark times in it. I was frustrated in a good way, because the reason I put it down was that the book would get so dark and end a chapter where I did not know how it was going to end. I worried whether I would get a nice ending or a sad ending. Overall, I would say that makes it a great book, and I think kids will love it.
I find the story original even while, yes, it starts as a quest with rings. It is unlike the Lord of the rings trilogy and stands on it's own. Only thing I didn't like was there were times when I had to put the book down. For a children's book, I thought it got a little dark, but that could be me mirroring my own dark times in it. I was frustrated in a good way, because the reason I put it down was that the book would get so dark and end a chapter where I did not know how it was going to end. I worried whether I would get a nice ending or a sad ending. Overall, I would say that makes it a great book, and I think kids will love it.
January 15, 2009
It is more like a 3.5, since it was pretty well done in terms of prose and plotting, if very predictable and simplistic, and I did enjoy it. I like that there is more to come.
I liked how the childrens' characters were handled and that Victoria, who was especially nasty, gets to change over the course of the book and that she is not a perfect child.
Very nice, classic fairytale story, complete with magic rings, faeries, an evil sorceress, dragons, magic portals, a dark knight and two children from across the centuries who must work together to defeat a great evil. While getting some excellent life lessons and character formation.
I liked how the childrens' characters were handled and that Victoria, who was especially nasty, gets to change over the course of the book and that she is not a perfect child.
Very nice, classic fairytale story, complete with magic rings, faeries, an evil sorceress, dragons, magic portals, a dark knight and two children from across the centuries who must work together to defeat a great evil. While getting some excellent life lessons and character formation.
July 25, 2009
We just completed this. My throat is hoarse from reading three chapters to my children tonight. We had to get to the end. What a WONDERFUL book. We all enjoyed it and are sad it is over. I hear there is a sequel in the works. We read the prequel and cannot wait.
BE Maxwell took us to such high levels of emotion, excitement and imagination throughout this book. We were regularly catching our breath between each chapter. This is a wonderful book for anyone 8 and older. Under 10 may need help with some of the words and concepts. Adults can enjoy this.
There was enough gore and action for both men/boys and women/girls.
BE Maxwell took us to such high levels of emotion, excitement and imagination throughout this book. We were regularly catching our breath between each chapter. This is a wonderful book for anyone 8 and older. Under 10 may need help with some of the words and concepts. Adults can enjoy this.
There was enough gore and action for both men/boys and women/girls.
August 28, 2009
Oh, where to begin.
I really hate to be overly critical of a book, but this one was painful at best. The story is about two eleven year old kids, Elliot and Victoria, who travel into the Faerie Realm for the purpose of.. well, possibly to save Elliot's mother, who was attacked and captured by a Shadow Knight, or possibly to escape from the Shadow Knight themselves, or possibly because they are destined to save the world. There, the Faerie Queen instructs them that they must embark on two separate quests, alone, each to retreive an orb that will protect evil things like Shadow Knights from escaping into their realm. Why alone? Unclear. The book then follows each child in alternating chapters, through to its conclusion on page 471, which is about 400 pages too many. The book is extremely descriptive, and it felt as if the author was trying to tell five different stories, while succeeding at none of them. The quests were odd, and felt haphazard; Victoria's completes her quest in the most ridiculous, unbelievable manner, and the completion of her quest makes Elliot's quest infinitely easier, which again makes the you wonder why they had to embark separately in the first place.
Setting aside the convoluted and remarkably contrived story, it is completely unclear to me who the author is targeting with this book. The back cover says "Ages 10 and Up," which might be reasonable given the story and characters, but the language is at a much higher level; I am about to finish my masters degree, and I had to look up two words. The average ten year old (or twelve or fifteen year old) does not know words like 'fastidious,' 'crenellated,' 'sibilant,' and 'indefatigable,' the latter of which, by the way, was spoken by one of the eleven year old characters. The story is unlikely to appeal to an older audience, though; aside from being incredibly drawn out, the characters are quite childish, and even I found myself losing patience with Victoria's obnoxious attitude in the first half of the book.
The only potential audience I can imagine for this book would be an adult reading it to a child. The language is generally very pretty, and I can see it succeeding as a read-aloud, but again, with the advanced language, it would likely take quite a bit of explaining.
I really hate to be overly critical of a book, but this one was painful at best. The story is about two eleven year old kids, Elliot and Victoria, who travel into the Faerie Realm for the purpose of.. well, possibly to save Elliot's mother, who was attacked and captured by a Shadow Knight, or possibly to escape from the Shadow Knight themselves, or possibly because they are destined to save the world. There, the Faerie Queen instructs them that they must embark on two separate quests, alone, each to retreive an orb that will protect evil things like Shadow Knights from escaping into their realm. Why alone? Unclear. The book then follows each child in alternating chapters, through to its conclusion on page 471, which is about 400 pages too many. The book is extremely descriptive, and it felt as if the author was trying to tell five different stories, while succeeding at none of them. The quests were odd, and felt haphazard; Victoria's completes her quest in the most ridiculous, unbelievable manner, and the completion of her quest makes Elliot's quest infinitely easier, which again makes the you wonder why they had to embark separately in the first place.
Setting aside the convoluted and remarkably contrived story, it is completely unclear to me who the author is targeting with this book. The back cover says "Ages 10 and Up," which might be reasonable given the story and characters, but the language is at a much higher level; I am about to finish my masters degree, and I had to look up two words. The average ten year old (or twelve or fifteen year old) does not know words like 'fastidious,' 'crenellated,' 'sibilant,' and 'indefatigable,' the latter of which, by the way, was spoken by one of the eleven year old characters. The story is unlikely to appeal to an older audience, though; aside from being incredibly drawn out, the characters are quite childish, and even I found myself losing patience with Victoria's obnoxious attitude in the first half of the book.
The only potential audience I can imagine for this book would be an adult reading it to a child. The language is generally very pretty, and I can see it succeeding as a read-aloud, but again, with the advanced language, it would likely take quite a bit of explaining.
July 24, 2014
I usually love middle grade fantasy.
I saw the cover and read in insert and thought it would be a perfect fit for my aesthetics. However, I was very disappointed with this book.
I am truly amazed this book managed to slide off of an editors desk.
It is in serious need of editing. Not small edits. BIG edits.
The most unpleasant thing about this book is it's narration. It is all tell and no show. Chapters go by with the author telling you what happens and very little interaction or dialogue is present, making it very difficult to connect with the characters or the stories. Then we have the overwhealming amoung of long, descriptive sentences that slow down the pacing. Additionally, the main two characters have little character growth. The book was far too long and needed to be shortened. The author could have said the same thing in much less words and it would have made for a stronger book.
Reading this book was so tedious, that I was unable to finish it. It didn't hold my attention and didn't move. My eyes continued to glaze over the endless blocks of narration. It became too much. It just wasn't enjoyable. So only a few chapters shy of the ending, I set it aside and said farewell.
I cannot reccomend this book. There are a wealth of other similar titles out there that are carried by a stronger voice.
I saw the cover and read in insert and thought it would be a perfect fit for my aesthetics. However, I was very disappointed with this book.
I am truly amazed this book managed to slide off of an editors desk.
It is in serious need of editing. Not small edits. BIG edits.
The most unpleasant thing about this book is it's narration. It is all tell and no show. Chapters go by with the author telling you what happens and very little interaction or dialogue is present, making it very difficult to connect with the characters or the stories. Then we have the overwhealming amoung of long, descriptive sentences that slow down the pacing. Additionally, the main two characters have little character growth. The book was far too long and needed to be shortened. The author could have said the same thing in much less words and it would have made for a stronger book.
Reading this book was so tedious, that I was unable to finish it. It didn't hold my attention and didn't move. My eyes continued to glaze over the endless blocks of narration. It became too much. It just wasn't enjoyable. So only a few chapters shy of the ending, I set it aside and said farewell.
I cannot reccomend this book. There are a wealth of other similar titles out there that are carried by a stronger voice.
January 5, 2010
This book started off wonderfully. The chemistry between Victoria and Elliot was definately the main strength of the story. The premise of sending a stuffy 11 year old from 1890 to live with a kid from 1966 worked out beautifully. Unfortunately that's about the only thing about this book that truly works. Because soon afterwards Maxwell shoots himself in the foot and splits up the two so they can go off to have their own adventures thru the "Faerie Door," on some ridiculously dangerous mission, that only two eleven year olds can accomplish with a pair of rings on both their fingers. WTF?! Everything really kind of falls apart after that. Victoria and Elliot literally have no idea what they're doing. They're simply thrust thru two seperate gates by the Faeri Queen and told they must retrieve something while fending off mortal danger in order to save all the interwoven worlds. That's about it. They're not given any other information other than that. Could there possibly be a lamer and more deficient plot than this? This book had alot of potential but it took a horrible turn for the worse.
March 26, 2013
I am taking the time to even write a review ONLY so that I may dissuade anyone from letting young children read this.
This book is just a piece of poorly written filth that is trying to be like Stephen King (which is also poorly written filth).
There is NO beautiful magic within this book with which to benefit and enrich children's imaginations, no matter what the title is.
This book is only filled with deplorable ugliness and evil, and it glorifies the suffering of children. It is merely descriptions of children suffering and being subjected to evil for no justifiable reason.
DO NOT let your children read this book.
It is a complete waste of time, and only a story about evil, not goodness.
There are by far better books out there. I recommend the Mary Poppins books by P.L. Travers, which include BEAUTIFUL fantasy sequences which include faeries and not ugly evil.
I completely regret reading this book. It is completely deceitful and misleading in both its title and premise.
Do not be fooled.
This book is just a piece of poorly written filth that is trying to be like Stephen King (which is also poorly written filth).
There is NO beautiful magic within this book with which to benefit and enrich children's imaginations, no matter what the title is.
This book is only filled with deplorable ugliness and evil, and it glorifies the suffering of children. It is merely descriptions of children suffering and being subjected to evil for no justifiable reason.
DO NOT let your children read this book.
It is a complete waste of time, and only a story about evil, not goodness.
There are by far better books out there. I recommend the Mary Poppins books by P.L. Travers, which include BEAUTIFUL fantasy sequences which include faeries and not ugly evil.
I completely regret reading this book. It is completely deceitful and misleading in both its title and premise.
Do not be fooled.
November 15, 2009
I read this book aloud to my two children, ages 10 (son) and 12 (daughter). It took a couple of chapters to really draw them, as it does with most books, but draw them in it did. The language is very victorian, resulting in me having to explain what several words meant. Those words I didn't know, I just made up a definition...which I'm sure will mean the kids will pay dearly for that when they misuse them in college lit one day years later.
This book had a wonderful cadence that could only be detected when reading aloud.
Great characters, rich and contrasting. A couple of the villians and their evil ways had the kids talking inbetween reading sessions, which were usually at bedtime.
This book has been compared to many children's classics. I would say it is similar to C.S. Lewis (without the religious undertones), but with the descriptive narratives and expansive vocabulary of Tolkien.
This book had a wonderful cadence that could only be detected when reading aloud.
Great characters, rich and contrasting. A couple of the villians and their evil ways had the kids talking inbetween reading sessions, which were usually at bedtime.
This book has been compared to many children's classics. I would say it is similar to C.S. Lewis (without the religious undertones), but with the descriptive narratives and expansive vocabulary of Tolkien.
May 26, 2010
When an evil being called the Shadow Knight threatens the boundaries between our world and the faerie world with its powers, two children,Victoria Deveny, from 1890 Britain, and Elliot Good, from 1966 America, are summoned by the Faerie Queen to stop it. They are each sent on a seperate quest to retrieve magic orbs and together defeat the shadow knight. Both children face many challenges during their quests.
One thing that I like about this book is that the setting is very well described. Some other things, however, were not so great. The characters did not change much throughout the story, and they were not very interesting. For a children's book, there were many words children would not know, such as 'fastidious' and 'crenellated'. The story was well written, and I enjoyed this book, though not that much.
One thing that I like about this book is that the setting is very well described. Some other things, however, were not so great. The characters did not change much throughout the story, and they were not very interesting. For a children's book, there were many words children would not know, such as 'fastidious' and 'crenellated'. The story was well written, and I enjoyed this book, though not that much.
June 30, 2012
This is a really very charming book for "kids" of all ages. I found it in the children's room at my library, which is understandable since the main characters are eleven or so, but while reading it, I forgot the ages of the characters and enjoyed it as a book for someone of any age. The plot was very different from anything I have read before, and I really really enjoyed it. It sounds like there may be more to follow, and I plan on reading it if this is so!
September 21, 2009
What a lovely tale! You always think of children being read fairy tales before bed? Here is a new fairy tale to enchant the evening with. If you like fairy tales, then I highly recommend it!
November 11, 2008
Posted to my Livejournal in October 2008:
Sometimes I feel like I read too much juvenile and young adult fantasy, and books that feel clichéd or generic to me are ones others (and I'm always trying to think of the target audience) will enjoy. This is one of those books. Parts of it were decent. Parts of it were vague. And parts of it didn't make sense once you thought about it too much (which is another part of my job as a reviewer, to think about it too much). Victoria, in 1890s England, and Elliott, in 1966 America, both find magic rings made by faeries to open portals between the worlds in times of need. Obviously it's one of those times, and the two kids escape danger to Faerieland (no, really), where they are sent on a long quest to find magic orbs in order to defeat the Shadow Knight (no, really). And they do, and somehow the evil Shadow Knight is erased in, like, two pages at the very end. I liked Victoria a lot (she has attitude), and Elliott as well (he's very sensible and a little timid), and some of the stuff they encounter on their journeys is imaginative, but the rest of it just wasn't put together well.
Sometimes I feel like I read too much juvenile and young adult fantasy, and books that feel clichéd or generic to me are ones others (and I'm always trying to think of the target audience) will enjoy. This is one of those books. Parts of it were decent. Parts of it were vague. And parts of it didn't make sense once you thought about it too much (which is another part of my job as a reviewer, to think about it too much). Victoria, in 1890s England, and Elliott, in 1966 America, both find magic rings made by faeries to open portals between the worlds in times of need. Obviously it's one of those times, and the two kids escape danger to Faerieland (no, really), where they are sent on a long quest to find magic orbs in order to defeat the Shadow Knight (no, really). And they do, and somehow the evil Shadow Knight is erased in, like, two pages at the very end. I liked Victoria a lot (she has attitude), and Elliott as well (he's very sensible and a little timid), and some of the stuff they encounter on their journeys is imaginative, but the rest of it just wasn't put together well.
June 2, 2011
This was the hardest book to get through! It had such promise and should have been great, but it wasn't. The pacing was really odd. I don't think I've ever read a book before that both moved too slowly, yet had so much crammed into it. There was no time to really connect with the characters, so by the epic battle at the end, I really didn't care what the outcome was. I only finished reading it because I had invested so much time already, I felt obligated to see it through, and I was hoping it would get better. It didn't. Do not waste your time.
November 3, 2009
Tries too hard to be too many things--Narnia, Lord of the Rings, Peter Pan, Victorian novel of manners. Gotta get through it to review it. Mishmash of flying pirate ships, magic rings, fairies, werewolves, fairy tales, you name it, in stilted language, convoluted plot, shallow undeveloped characters, in "unutterably" amazing bejeweled palaces with "unspeakably" terrifying creatures. Skip it.
March 9, 2012
This is a really great book. This book is unlike any other books I read so far because in the book everything seems to be going really well and all of a sudden some sort of evil magic brings the characters to a unknown place. This book is also familiar to one of my favorite book, The Red Pyramid. In this book, there are two main characters and each chapter tells about a different character.
April 13, 2013
This is a very imaginative story told in a style somewhat reminiscent of Victorian style writing. Although the author gets a bit wordy at times, the two main characters, a boy and a girl from different times, are presented believably, and enjoyably. The Shadow Knight can be a bit grim and scary for younger readers, but the journey the two take to the end is quite rewarding and worth the read.
November 22, 2009
I picked this book up at the library while waiting for my parents to be ready to leave, what I had read then was VERY enchanting! WOW! this author really draws people in! I would like to know if there is any bad parts in it? Please leave me a comment! thanks!
December 1, 2010
It was an amazing book... The perfect read if you like adventure, magic, risks, and more. Full of life and unexpected twists and turns. Perfect for middle school readers and advanced elementary students, too.
January 10, 2012
This book was AMAZING! It was entertaining, suspenseful, and even had a little humor. At the end it kind of leaves you hanging. Adults may enjoy it to! The book is 471 pages long. It was like reading The Trumpet of the Swan all over again!!!!
March 5, 2010
I liked this book. I hope that there will be more books in this series.
July 16, 2011
What a fun adventure! I hope the author continues the adventures of Elliot and Victoria in another book.
June 21, 2012
Love love loved it!
May 7, 2013
Got this from the kids shelf and definitely a great kids' chapter book.
May 31, 2015
*4.5 stars
August 11, 2010
If you like faerie tales this one is great! I liked the feeling of the story!
June 11, 2018
Overall: Trash
I was vey generous to give it one star. This book is so bad, I really had to force myself to continue to push through this book (this book was a punishment). I gained no joy from this at all.
Positives:
1) The cover is nice-ish looking
2) This could teach a kid complex words
3) Don't read this and you'll have an hour of your life back!
Negatives:
1) The writing is awful. The writer uses a lot of unnecessary adjectives that make the book drag on. It isn't fluid; reading this felt like moving through a pool of wet cement. B. E. Maxwell can't help but describe things down to the last detail. I have a fully functional imagination, an I really don't care about the intricacies of a dress. On the other hand, it sometimes feels like there was too little description of something.
2) Did I mention the author spells every thing out for you? Instead of 'showing', the book just 'tells'.
3) Unoriginal af. There are dragons, fairies, castles, etc. This would be enjoyable if the plot was ok, but everything is so ludicrous.
4) Teaches kids that it's ok to be a snobby brat - everyone will do everything for you and everything magically falls into place without any effort!!
5) I didn't get the relationships. Why do the protagonists care about each other so much? They spent a few days together at most. Why are they crying about each other? I also didn't understand why there were two main characters going in two different quests. Felt like the author couldn't choose a concrete storyline, so they just jammed two ideas together.
6) Repetitive
7) OMG ik I already brought this up but the plot is so unbelievable and unoriginal it makes me want to drink bleach.
Don't read this bookpls
I was vey generous to give it one star. This book is so bad, I really had to force myself to continue to push through this book (this book was a punishment). I gained no joy from this at all.
Positives:
1) The cover is nice-ish looking
2) This could teach a kid complex words
3) Don't read this and you'll have an hour of your life back!
Negatives:
1) The writing is awful. The writer uses a lot of unnecessary adjectives that make the book drag on. It isn't fluid; reading this felt like moving through a pool of wet cement. B. E. Maxwell can't help but describe things down to the last detail. I have a fully functional imagination, an I really don't care about the intricacies of a dress. On the other hand, it sometimes feels like there was too little description of something.
2) Did I mention the author spells every thing out for you? Instead of 'showing', the book just 'tells'.
3) Unoriginal af. There are dragons, fairies, castles, etc. This would be enjoyable if the plot was ok, but everything is so ludicrous.
4) Teaches kids that it's ok to be a snobby brat - everyone will do everything for you and everything magically falls into place without any effort!!
5) I didn't get the relationships. Why do the protagonists care about each other so much? They spent a few days together at most. Why are they crying about each other? I also didn't understand why there were two main characters going in two different quests. Felt like the author couldn't choose a concrete storyline, so they just jammed two ideas together.
6) Repetitive
7) OMG ik I already brought this up but the plot is so unbelievable and unoriginal it makes me want to drink bleach.
Don't read this bookpls
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