I finished reading this yesterday, here is my review:
I'm torn on whether this is a three- or four-star book, mostly because I haven't read the fourth book yet, so I don't know how or if some of the lose ends are going to be tied up. This book connected the characters and events from both The Giver and Gathering Blue and started to put together some of the pieces, and the undertones of allegory and community are much more similar to The Giver, which was nice, but ultimately so many new elements were added and didn't seem to have any purpose that it's hard to review it as a cohesive, whole book. As a book unto itself, it was good, although not stellar, like the Giver. But if it's the next stepping stone for the final piece and it all gets put together in the end, it might be much better. For now, on it's own merit, three stars.
Oh, and it's very bittersweet, but that's Lowry for you.
I'm torn on whether this is a three- or four-star book, mostly because I haven't read the fourth book yet, so I don't know how or if some of the lose ends are going to be tied up. This book connected the characters and events from both The Giver and Gathering Blue and started to put together some of the pieces, and the undertones of allegory and community are much more similar to The Giver, which was nice, but ultimately so many new elements were added and didn't seem to have any purpose that it's hard to review it as a cohesive, whole book. As a book unto itself, it was good, although not stellar, like the Giver. But if it's the next stepping stone for the final piece and it all gets put together in the end, it might be much better. For now, on it's own merit, three stars.
Oh, and it's very bittersweet, but that's Lowry for you.