Tag Archives: book review

Keys to the Demon Prison by Brandon Mull (2010) – BR00185 (2020) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪

The PolyBlog
March 14 2020

Plot or Premise

Almost three separate stories together — an opening reset of who is on which team, separate adventures for Kendra and Seth, and then a merged final battle.

What I Liked

Seth’s story is almost readable now, although I still feel most of the time it could have simply been one kid’s story, not separate ones for Kendra and Seth. I like his adventure to retrieve a magical sword, and the final magical battle is decent.

What I Didn’t Like

The final battle seems less intense than the previous one at Fablehaven with the dark plague. Almost “battle-lite” rather than the final battle. The final “solution” is a bit simplistic, more trick than strategic, and a bit of a let-down. And some of the threads of the story, particularly with Seth, are left unresolved.

The Bottom Line

The final battle isn’t as big as expected.

The Wives by Tarryn Fisher (2019) – BR00184 (2020) – 🐸⚪⚪⚪⚪

The PolyBlog
January 27 2020

Plot or Premise

A wife of a polygamist starts to wonder about his other two wives and seeks them out, only to find a potentially dark secret.

What I Liked

The original premise was unusual and intriguing, and the writer’s use of an unreliable narrator is creative.

What I Didn’t Like

The original premise is interesting enough for you to want to find out about a three-wife relationship, where all three wives are kept separate. For most people, the immediate reaction would be, “Why would any woman agree to this ridiculously unbalanced relationship?”, and for the story to work, you have to see it “working”. Except it never does. For example, you don’t see why the protagonist would agree, nor given the fact she is neurotic and alone for four days of the week, she never tries to find out info about the other two. Really? Add in some obvious and not-so-obvious gaslighting themes that go nowhere, plus a ridiculous fantasy ending, and it’s hard to finish. More importantly, she’s a nurse who learns medical info from a lawyer; she is comforting a potential abuse victim and when she starts looking for the door, the narrator puts her hand on her arm to comfort her / encourage her to stay; and she describes herself in one scene as plain Jane and then later as reasonably attractive. I felt ripped off with the ending, not rewarded for making it through. Thank heavens I get a “badge” for this in my reading challenge hehehe.

The Bottom Line

Unreliable narrator, inconsistent story, ridiculous ending.

Down The River Unto The Sea by Walter Mosley (2018) – BR00183 (2020) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪

The PolyBlog
January 27 2020

Plot or Premise

A detective was framed for rape, temporarily jailed, kicked off the police force and is working as a private investigator looking at a potential case of corrupt cops who tried to commit murder.

What I Liked

Mosley always creates compelling characters (like Easy Rawlins) and Joe King Oliver is no exception. Much of what you see is part of a long history … the story could have been told as a Western, or as pulp noir with Sam Spade, or as Spenser for Hire (or any of Robert B. Parker’s characters really). It is a “man’s story” taking care of “his business”, in a dark world that is full of violence which he would prefer to avoid but willing to endure when necessary. The main case (Oliver’s own) is compelling, but a little light in places. Where it falters, the case of his client steps in to keep the story moving. It was an Edgar Award nominee, and it was well-deserved.

What I Didn’t Like

His family (daughter and ex-wife) are a bit too much in the background (i.e., Oliver keeps the women-folk safe, so to speak), his relationship with an ex-prostitute is beyond confusing, and the relationship with his mentor is obvious long before a revelation.

The Bottom Line

Great character, great story, a few weak spots

Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary by Brandon Mull (2006) – BR00182 (2020) – 🐸🐸⚪⚪⚪

The PolyBlog
January 27 2020

Plot or Premise

Two stories converge, one of faux Kendra and one of a Dragon sanctuary.

What I Liked

The story of Kendra and a duplicate is interesting, but a bit slow for most of it. But once the Dragon sanctuary is involved, it takes off again.

What I Didn’t Like

Seth is being stupid again and it is really starting to take away from the story. If it was just him in the story, I would have stopped reading long ago. Plus the faux Kendra story is pretty one-sided for most of it. Finally, the teams are separated in the sanctuary, and everyone relatively carries on as if it is “business as usual”, despite thinking the others have died. Really?

The Bottom Line

Great dragons, bad story.

Grip of the Shadow Plague by Brandon Mull (2009) – BR00181 (2020) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪

The PolyBlog
January 27 2020

Plot or Premise

Darkness has come to Fablehaven, with many creatures being turned from light to dark.

What I Liked

There are almost three stories working at once, which adds to the complexity – Seth running around being annoying and self-centred in the Preserve; Kendra going to another Preserve on a quest; and a giant battle at the end that seems almost Lord-of-the-Rings-like.

What I Didn’t Like

The three stories are not well-integrated, and could really stand alone. Seth is still being annoyingly self-centred to drive plot devices along, and I don’t know if the author wants us to see him as brave or just stupid. Things tend to work out, but they would have been better if he did nothing. There are also a LOT of characters to keep track of in each segment.

The Bottom Line

Lots of things happening, almost too much.