3 out of 5 stars for the story, 10 out of 5 stars for the art.
There's something sort of frustrating about this book. It's got the most gorgeous cover imaginable and jaw-dropping interior art, and yet the story itself just feels sort of meh.
It's decently well written, with interesting characters and great emotional beats, but... idk. There's something off about it.
For one thing, the message is too simplistic. War is evil, this book tells us. It is so much better to build up than to destroy.
Yes, this is true, but it needs qualifiers. This series is entirely based around an ambiguous war. By avoiding talking about what the war is about, the author is able to paint in black and white and say all war is evil because "look at all these bad consequences".
But the truth is, war is often very, very necessary. If no one stepped in and opposed Hitler, we'd have much worse consequences than we did through the war to stop him. What the author here is missing is how war can often be an act of love and not just destruction---defending the weak and innocent from powerful evils. Not all conflicts can be resolved by talking. True heroes know when to pick up arms and go to war.
Overall, I enjoyed this read, but it was a bit slow. As with book one, the chapters from Pax's POV were slow and not super interesting, and I found myself always looking forward to the chapters from Peter's POV. Overall, I think I enjoyed book 1 more, though I like the art in book 2 better.
The best thing about these books is Jon Klassen's art. Seriously, that man is gifted. If I owned this book, I would put it on display in my room even though I don't totally love the story because the cover is just that good.
-----Currently Reading:--------
AAAAHHHH THaT COVER!!!!
This is seriously the most gorgeous book cover I have ever seen (and the back cover is gorgeous too)!!!! And the interior illustrations!!! *screams*
I absolutely LOVE Jon Klassen's art... it's to die for. And this book showcases some of his loveliest art.
I loved Book 1, but not so much that I wanted to rush out and read the sequel instantly... in fact, it was properly my least favorite Jon Klassen-accompanied novel so far, but that's not saying a lot because they've all been amazing (including Pax).
Really, I'm mainly reading this because of how much I love Jon Klassen's art, which, come to think of it is why I read the first book as well (and every thing I've read that Klassen illustrated pretty much...)
So far, I've read approximately 8 novels and a dozen picture books solely because they were illustrated by Klassen (pretty much)... and I've loved every single one. Which makes me wonder, is it Jon Klassen's artwork that makes the stories he's featured alongside so good, OR is it that he has good tastes when it comes to stories and won't be featured alongside stories that aren't less than amazing?
Either way, I'm pretty much guaranteed to love this book. Also, even if I don't end up loving this book, I want me a copy just so I can put it up on display in my room (like I did with Book 1 for months) because that cover is sooo pretty. =)
[Jon Klassen rant complete.]
I'm quite enjoying the story so far! I love the older Peter and the older Pax and seeing how they've both grown and changed since book 1... and there's some new interesting situations that are arising. I'm super excited to see how this all plays out!!!