The Plague? Nobody's had the plague for centuries... King of ShadowsFirst things first, I would like to apologise that this review is so late. I would’ve posted it up weeks ago, but a catastrophe of tragic proportions happened, and I haven’t gotten to it until now. I had written it and was about to post it up, then I reloaded the page and all my work had been lost! Yeah, not quite the horrible story you were anticipating, but it was very distressing and frustrating at the time! So, on to the review.
I really enjoyed this book. It had many good qualities, characters and quirks. Definitely one of my all-time favourite children’s books, although, I would say it’s appropriate and enjoyable for all ages because it was actually my mum who recommended it to me! Susan Cooper has written other great books like Ghost Hawk and The Dark is Rising series. If you’ve never heard of her, then she is definitely worth a read and why not start with the engaging King of Shadows? So, if you read the blurb-which really doesn't do very much to recommend the book, you may be thinking, ‘Time travel? Is this just another boring not-well-put-together kids book about time travel?” Ok, you may not be thinking that, but I could understand if you were. Some books do time travel very badly, but I’m here to assure you that this book is not one of them. I think we could all agree that there are at least two key components to a good time travel book: research on the time period represented, and understandable chronology. King of Shadows has both, and more. Ms. Cooper has used the main character’s POV (Nat Field) extremely well because his 20th century mind set had left her able to explain some of the lesser known facts about the time period that also gave her the ability to effectively world build. Nat Field is the main character and the whole story is from his point of view. He is a very interesting, deep, and wonderful character. The plot of the first half of the book is mostly pulled along by him and the readers curiosity about his background. This could be seen as a negitive, but I choose to view it in a positive light because Nat is a character worthy of a lot of attention. And in fact, the whole book focuses around his emotional development and everything else is just an incredibly attracting, brilliant and engaging sideshow. So if you don't like Nat, now would be the time that you decide to leave the cinema. I really like how Ms. Cooper only slowly reveals Nat’s past and the reason he does what he does. He is a great character with skills and weaknesses who responds with real emotion based on his incredibly interesting background. There is really massive character development throughout the book for Nat and I really enjoy seeing Nat learn and grow. I guess that’s just a testimony to how much I like the character! In fact, I love all the characters and their genuine reactions! Sometimes I (and probably you), can get tired of those YA/MG protagonists who refuse to believe in whatever’s happened to them and are so stubborn that they do idiotic things! It was really refreshing to see the genuine reactions of Ms. Coopers characters. For example, when Nat realises he’s gone back in time, after the initial shock, he accepts the new reality and tries to figure out how to live in this new world. The characters all seem to suit the situation rather than the characters becoming warped to suit the author's whims. Another thing I loved about this book was the play quotes. I love drama myself and enjoy reading Shakespeare’s plays, and seeing the quotes incorporated in a novel that A Midsummer Night’s Dream has such an important part in really adds depth to her work. And finally, I love all the characters and the world. It seems real rather than a fabricated fantasy realm! The Elizabethan culture and old London seems to come to life within Ms. Cooper’s rich writing style and the plot is more what I would call a story rather than a plot. The difference, I think is that a story is a journey and a plot is like an adventure sandwich. My favourite example of a story is To Kill A Mockingbird, whereas an example of a plot would be Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief there’s a distinct beginning, middle and end. There’s nothing wrong with either and they’re more of a writing style than an actual distinction, but that’s how I would see it. I don’t really have much bad to say about this book. It is a little slow at the start and sometimes it’s a little too mysterious, especially when it comes to the whys of time travel and how it fits into the world. But all of that just adds to the charm of this wonderful little book. Possibly the one thing I could say is the romanticisation of Shakespeare. Although I love the way his character is portrayed, I do see that in reality, he most likely wouldn't be as perfect as is described. Part of that is Nat's view, he sees Shakespeare as perfect and that's how he's represented, but sometimes I think his portrayal is a bit unrealistic. This would be a good book to read in a quiet moment and through it doesn’t start off as the most exciting book ever, it builds and becomes exciting. It’s a beautiful little tale of healing and theatre and I love how Nat develops and is able to let some of his grief go. As Arby said: “…there’s no way to predict how fast a wound will heal. Or how slowly. And you have your deep cut right on top of the old scar…” I love this picture of grief and how true it holds to real life as well. It's lovely seeing Nat heal and enjoy acting and being with friends. This book is swearing free, pretty much romance free and the content, although some concepts like grief maybe easier to understand when a reader is older, is appropriate for all ages. There’s a little bit of gore; Elizabethan dog fight/bear fight (only one scene) but not enough to be inappropriate. I’d say the best age to read it would be 11+. I’m going to give this book five stars because it enchanted me and took me along for the ride, making me feel for the characters and the story. I would judge it as a must-read for everyone and I hope it appears on your shelf by Friday! Next Week, please return to StoryGirls’s Book Reviews for the children’s classic……The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster! StoryGirl
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About MeI'm a enigma who loves spending her spare time reading! I also like music and have a sweet-tooth. Archives
March 2018
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