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The Faerie Wars Chronicles #1
El portal de los elfos
Las vacaciones de verano de Henry empiezan con un sorprendente descubrimiento: en el jardín del señor Fogarty aparece Pyrgus Malvae, el Príncipe Heredero del Reino de los Elfos, que ha huido de su tierra para escapar de un serio peligro. Con la ayuda del viejo y excéntrico señor Fogarty, los dos muchachos se enfrentarán a un difícil reto: crear un portal que permita a Pyrgus volver a su reino, amenazado por los terribles elfos de la noche y los demonios del príncipe Beleth.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2003
233 people are currently reading
13893 people want to read
About the author
Herbie Brennan
173 books403 followersWhat you should know
Name: Herbie Brennan
Occupation: Author
Favourite book: The Crimson Petal and the White, by Michel Faber.
Favourite subjects: Esoteric matters, psychical research, anomalies, Mac computers, other people and cats.
Favourite journals: Journal of the Society for Psychical Research.
Favourite holiday spot: Kenmare, County Kerry, Ireland.
Number of books published: 116.
Total copies sold worldwide: 10 million +.
Herbie Brennan recently (written 2019) celebrated publication of his 116th book, Nectanebo. Traveller From An Antique Land.
Name: Herbie Brennan
Occupation: Author
Favourite book: The Crimson Petal and the White, by Michel Faber.
Favourite subjects: Esoteric matters, psychical research, anomalies, Mac computers, other people and cats.
Favourite journals: Journal of the Society for Psychical Research.
Favourite holiday spot: Kenmare, County Kerry, Ireland.
Number of books published: 116.
Total copies sold worldwide: 10 million +.
Herbie Brennan recently (written 2019) celebrated publication of his 116th book, Nectanebo. Traveller From An Antique Land.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 602 reviews
February 25, 2012
Where to begin...
Ah! I have a question! IS THIS REALLY SUPPOSED TO BE A YOUNG ADULT STORY? It was more like something I would have read when I was 10. This book is classified as YA and the reviews hype it as, "The next Harry Potter!" I had high hopes for this book and they fell short; oh so short. I will not say it was poorly written grammatically or structurally. I would give it somewhere between a 3 and a 4 out of 5 in that respect. However, the story-line is a 2 out of 5 without a doubt—in some parts it was a 1 out of 5.
Lets talk about the storyline. I tried telling my parents about it and almost couldn't because I was laughing so hard. Why? Because there are things like "stun grenades" and "rocket launchers" and "evil conjuring books that have helpful indexes" in this story. Also royal titles like, "The Purple Emperor." This is why I'm always suspicious about faery stories. They are so easy to ruin because faeries walk that fine line between fascinating/ethereal/magical and childish/ridiculous/unbelievable. Brennan crossed that line and ruined this faery story for me. I think, for me, what was the straw that broke the camel's back is the fact Brennan TRIED to add "scary" and "adult" issues into a child's world. An evil conjuring book that was *ew* made out of baby skin and glue made out of kittens? Plot lines like that don't add intrigue to the story but take away from it. I would not recommend it to "Young adults"...do yourself a favor and read Redwall.
Totally Relevant Song Accompaniment: Oompa Loompa Song
Ah! I have a question! IS THIS REALLY SUPPOSED TO BE A YOUNG ADULT STORY? It was more like something I would have read when I was 10. This book is classified as YA and the reviews hype it as, "The next Harry Potter!" I had high hopes for this book and they fell short; oh so short. I will not say it was poorly written grammatically or structurally. I would give it somewhere between a 3 and a 4 out of 5 in that respect. However, the story-line is a 2 out of 5 without a doubt—in some parts it was a 1 out of 5.
Lets talk about the storyline. I tried telling my parents about it and almost couldn't because I was laughing so hard. Why? Because there are things like "stun grenades" and "rocket launchers" and "evil conjuring books that have helpful indexes" in this story. Also royal titles like, "The Purple Emperor." This is why I'm always suspicious about faery stories. They are so easy to ruin because faeries walk that fine line between fascinating/ethereal/magical and childish/ridiculous/unbelievable. Brennan crossed that line and ruined this faery story for me. I think, for me, what was the straw that broke the camel's back is the fact Brennan TRIED to add "scary" and "adult" issues into a child's world. An evil conjuring book that was *ew* made out of baby skin and glue made out of kittens? Plot lines like that don't add intrigue to the story but take away from it. I would not recommend it to "Young adults"...do yourself a favor and read Redwall.
Totally Relevant Song Accompaniment: Oompa Loompa Song
July 11, 2025
While reviewing this I had a hard time between choosing a one star or a two star. It wasn't the worst thing I read but that still doesn't mean it was good. To clarify, let me go into more detail on what I'm talking about.
Instead of an interesting plot with good characters and a threatening villain, we get a few subplots and noninteresting characters with an okayish setting trying to combine fantasy with science and also having a villain who is more of a joke than actually terrifying and threatening.
Look, I tried to enjoy it. I really did. But there is so much filler and a lot of nonimportant elements in the book that I found the middle just incredibly boring. Which is a shame because the story sounded interesting.
On the outside, the plot is pretty simple.
Apparently the Crown Prince of the Faerie Realm named Pyrgus is a target for the Faeries of the Night who want to overthrow the kingdom. So to go into hiding, he enters a portal in order to stay out of harms way. The only problem is that the portal sent him somewhere else and he enters the human world by accident. He befriends a human named Henry and Henry attempts to help Pyrgus return to his world. And the rest of the story is the characters try to figure out who the villain is before the kingdom is attacked. You got faeries, demons, magic, science, different realms, all the stuff you’d expect from a fantasy book. So, what’s the problem?
Oh I’ll tell you what the problems with the book are.
One is the plot, or lack thereof. Instead of one solid flowing story, we get a few subplots trying to cram in all this drama with all these different characters. One example is the drama with Henry and his family. In the beginning of the story, Henry finds out that his mother is having an affair with his father’s secretary Anaïs
Let’s pause right here for a second. There are some signs in the beginning of the book that his parents are having some problems and Henry is catching on slower than the audience is.
Hint # 1) His parents have slept in separate bedrooms last night. His mother in their bedroom and his father in the guest room. We know this due to the fact that they both woke up from different rooms.
Hint # 2) When his father enters the kitchen and his parents have a bit of small talk tension builds up in the room and there is no pleasant feeling at all.
Hint # 3) When Henry and his father leave the house, his parents don’t exchange a goodbye kiss. Again, we know this due to the fact that the main character makes a note that a kiss is what his parents normally do in the mornings.
When one sees these signs, one might think that the parents aren’t getting along and there is a possibility that one spouse is having an affair. So when Henry notices it and doesn’t brush it off, the first thing that pops into his head is the thing that most people think of when they see these signs. The father is having an affair, probably with his secretary, and his mother is upset and wouldn’t let him in the room.
But, as it turns out, that isn’t the case. In fact, the mother is the one having the affair with his father’s secretary. Henry’s mother is “experimenting” and having an affair with another woman. Of course, Henry has problems with it (which is to be expected). While no one else sees the big deal about it.
I’m boggled and outraged at the way it’s handled. The dad moves out of the house (technically speaking, he got kicked out) even though the mom had the affair. Not only that, but the friend he talks to sees it as no big deal.
Charlie shrugs it off and says that she loves her stepfather because her father is a bad person. But that doesn't apply to Henry's dad so that was a bad example. Then his sister, who being dead or alive wouldn’t make a difference in the book, says that women like to experiment but he’s a boy so he wouldn’t understand.
What? Are you telling me that guys don’t like to experiment with their sexuality? And when he asks her if their father will forgive her you know what she says?
“What’s he got to forgive? It’s not like it’s another man.”
Are you kidding me? An affair’s an affair. Doesn’t matter who it’s with! I’ll bet you anything that if it was the dad having an affair with someone of the same sex, they wouldn’t throw that “he’s just experimenting” deal. Why? Cuz he’s a man. Or scratch that. If their father was having an affair period. With a man, woman, doesn’t matter. He would get a lot of heat for it and the poor mother would just be pitied on and everyone would be heartbroken for her.
As you can see, most of the book follows Henry around and we see a bunch of useless drama that just makes everyone seems like nothing but jerks in Henry’s eyes.
By the way, why is there a lot of focus on Henry? Shouldn’t it more logically focus on Mr. Fogarty? He’s the one who helps build the portal for Pyrgus. Why isn’t the story more about him? He’s way more interesting than Henry is. He has a history that seems worth looking at. He was a BANK ROBBER for Pete’s sake! That sounds awesome!
But enough of that, it's time for me to move on dammit!
The plot is all over the place. It’s really just subplots. Each character is trying to tell their story with the space that they have. We get Henry’s drama at home, Pyrgus trying to return to his world, Brimstone trying to make a deal with the demon prince Beleth, the Purple Emperor looking for answers to his son’s disappearance, and other side characters trying to play their role into it.
I already mentioned this but the middle of the book is incredibly boring. We have Henry and his family drama that doesn’t even matter. We also have the Purple Emperor and Princess Holly Blue is trying to figure out where Pyrgus is. We have the characters trying to figure out what the villain are up to but that's just a waste of time because we already have chapters about the villains that tell us what they're doing.
The villains are really terrible and just disappear for about two thirds of the book until the ending. Then they are either killed or thrown in prison. Towards the ending one of the main characters turns out to be the bad guy and then the villain, for some reason, decides to reveal everything to Pyrgus while he’s a hostage. And, of course, Pyrgus escapes with Holly Blue and Henry’s help which kills the demons and sends the bad guys to prison. As you can tell these villains are just stupid.
The other characters are not really all that interesting. The only ones I liked are the immediate royal family and Mr. Fogarty. Pyrgus is an animal lover and likes to live humbly instead of the comfort he could have as a Faerie Prince. The Purple Emperor is really likable as well. He understands the concerns that his son has about the Faeries of the Night but he also looks at the situations in a political sense, which is what a ruler should do.
But my favorite character of the book is Holly Blue. Holly Blue is badass princess. She doesn’t sit around and act like a stereotypical princess. She has a position of power, some responsibilities in the palace and actually uses her resources to get things done. The stepson Prince Comma is really boring, he shows up once, disappears for the rest of the book until the Purple Emperor’s death and when he comes back the book keeps mentioning that he looks guilty and uneasy. The book just couldn't be a bit more subtle.
I don’t remember the other characters and the middle is dull. It wouldn't be boring if we were told the story from only the perspective of the heroes and none from the villains. If the book had no perspective of the villain than I wouldn’t be impatient with the main characters trying to figure out what I already know. Or keep unnecessary parts out and just focused on the buildup of the climax. That would have been better.
So I liked a couple of characters but that was just about it. Sadly, they aren’t enough to save the book as a whole. This was just one giant mess that gave me a headache.
Instead of an interesting plot with good characters and a threatening villain, we get a few subplots and noninteresting characters with an okayish setting trying to combine fantasy with science and also having a villain who is more of a joke than actually terrifying and threatening.
Look, I tried to enjoy it. I really did. But there is so much filler and a lot of nonimportant elements in the book that I found the middle just incredibly boring. Which is a shame because the story sounded interesting.
On the outside, the plot is pretty simple.
Apparently the Crown Prince of the Faerie Realm named Pyrgus is a target for the Faeries of the Night who want to overthrow the kingdom. So to go into hiding, he enters a portal in order to stay out of harms way. The only problem is that the portal sent him somewhere else and he enters the human world by accident. He befriends a human named Henry and Henry attempts to help Pyrgus return to his world. And the rest of the story is the characters try to figure out who the villain is before the kingdom is attacked. You got faeries, demons, magic, science, different realms, all the stuff you’d expect from a fantasy book. So, what’s the problem?
Oh I’ll tell you what the problems with the book are.
One is the plot, or lack thereof. Instead of one solid flowing story, we get a few subplots trying to cram in all this drama with all these different characters. One example is the drama with Henry and his family. In the beginning of the story, Henry finds out that his mother is having an affair with his father’s secretary Anaïs
Let’s pause right here for a second. There are some signs in the beginning of the book that his parents are having some problems and Henry is catching on slower than the audience is.
Hint # 1) His parents have slept in separate bedrooms last night. His mother in their bedroom and his father in the guest room. We know this due to the fact that they both woke up from different rooms.
Hint # 2) When his father enters the kitchen and his parents have a bit of small talk tension builds up in the room and there is no pleasant feeling at all.
Hint # 3) When Henry and his father leave the house, his parents don’t exchange a goodbye kiss. Again, we know this due to the fact that the main character makes a note that a kiss is what his parents normally do in the mornings.
When one sees these signs, one might think that the parents aren’t getting along and there is a possibility that one spouse is having an affair. So when Henry notices it and doesn’t brush it off, the first thing that pops into his head is the thing that most people think of when they see these signs. The father is having an affair, probably with his secretary, and his mother is upset and wouldn’t let him in the room.
But, as it turns out, that isn’t the case. In fact, the mother is the one having the affair with his father’s secretary. Henry’s mother is “experimenting” and having an affair with another woman. Of course, Henry has problems with it (which is to be expected). While no one else sees the big deal about it.
I’m boggled and outraged at the way it’s handled. The dad moves out of the house (technically speaking, he got kicked out) even though the mom had the affair. Not only that, but the friend he talks to sees it as no big deal.
Charlie shrugs it off and says that she loves her stepfather because her father is a bad person. But that doesn't apply to Henry's dad so that was a bad example. Then his sister, who being dead or alive wouldn’t make a difference in the book, says that women like to experiment but he’s a boy so he wouldn’t understand.
What? Are you telling me that guys don’t like to experiment with their sexuality? And when he asks her if their father will forgive her you know what she says?
“What’s he got to forgive? It’s not like it’s another man.”
Are you kidding me? An affair’s an affair. Doesn’t matter who it’s with! I’ll bet you anything that if it was the dad having an affair with someone of the same sex, they wouldn’t throw that “he’s just experimenting” deal. Why? Cuz he’s a man. Or scratch that. If their father was having an affair period. With a man, woman, doesn’t matter. He would get a lot of heat for it and the poor mother would just be pitied on and everyone would be heartbroken for her.
As you can see, most of the book follows Henry around and we see a bunch of useless drama that just makes everyone seems like nothing but jerks in Henry’s eyes.
By the way, why is there a lot of focus on Henry? Shouldn’t it more logically focus on Mr. Fogarty? He’s the one who helps build the portal for Pyrgus. Why isn’t the story more about him? He’s way more interesting than Henry is. He has a history that seems worth looking at. He was a BANK ROBBER for Pete’s sake! That sounds awesome!
But enough of that, it's time for me to move on dammit!
The plot is all over the place. It’s really just subplots. Each character is trying to tell their story with the space that they have. We get Henry’s drama at home, Pyrgus trying to return to his world, Brimstone trying to make a deal with the demon prince Beleth, the Purple Emperor looking for answers to his son’s disappearance, and other side characters trying to play their role into it.
I already mentioned this but the middle of the book is incredibly boring. We have Henry and his family drama that doesn’t even matter. We also have the Purple Emperor and Princess Holly Blue is trying to figure out where Pyrgus is. We have the characters trying to figure out what the villain are up to but that's just a waste of time because we already have chapters about the villains that tell us what they're doing.
The villains are really terrible and just disappear for about two thirds of the book until the ending. Then they are either killed or thrown in prison. Towards the ending one of the main characters turns out to be the bad guy and then the villain, for some reason, decides to reveal everything to Pyrgus while he’s a hostage. And, of course, Pyrgus escapes with Holly Blue and Henry’s help which kills the demons and sends the bad guys to prison. As you can tell these villains are just stupid.
The other characters are not really all that interesting. The only ones I liked are the immediate royal family and Mr. Fogarty. Pyrgus is an animal lover and likes to live humbly instead of the comfort he could have as a Faerie Prince. The Purple Emperor is really likable as well. He understands the concerns that his son has about the Faeries of the Night but he also looks at the situations in a political sense, which is what a ruler should do.
But my favorite character of the book is Holly Blue. Holly Blue is badass princess. She doesn’t sit around and act like a stereotypical princess. She has a position of power, some responsibilities in the palace and actually uses her resources to get things done. The stepson Prince Comma is really boring, he shows up once, disappears for the rest of the book until the Purple Emperor’s death and when he comes back the book keeps mentioning that he looks guilty and uneasy. The book just couldn't be a bit more subtle.
I don’t remember the other characters and the middle is dull. It wouldn't be boring if we were told the story from only the perspective of the heroes and none from the villains. If the book had no perspective of the villain than I wouldn’t be impatient with the main characters trying to figure out what I already know. Or keep unnecessary parts out and just focused on the buildup of the climax. That would have been better.
So I liked a couple of characters but that was just about it. Sadly, they aren’t enough to save the book as a whole. This was just one giant mess that gave me a headache.
September 23, 2011
I think I would have liked this much better if I were under the age of 15, appreciated British humor, and was more interested in action & adventure instead of just science fiction/urban fantasy. It's a pretty good story, with a bit of silly humor and a bit of potty humor (boils on the bottom). The villains were laughable in their ridiculousness and the younger characters really took charge and made the important and adult decisions. Some scenes may be unsuitable for particularly sensitive children, or children who scare easily, though it's all written in good fun and tongue-in-cheek. Not the best, but certainly entertaining. Also, I really liked that the characters were very respectful of women.
*SPOILER ALERT for PARENTS wondering if this book is OK for their child*
Topics for parental discussion:
*The main character's mom is having an affair with a woman. If homosexuality is a tricky subject, this might not be good for your child.
*Animal cruelty. It is supposed to be funny that kittens are the secret ingredient in a business run by the "bad guys", but more sensitive children/some parents may not appreciate joking about such as an appropriate gateway for humor.
*Animal cruelty/perversity 2. In order to conjure up a demon, there is a scene where a "bad guy" character makes an animal sacrifice. This scene, in this reader's opinion, goes a bit over board on description, but really is run-of-the-mill and again, said with tongue-in-cheek (the reader later finds out this is entirely optional).
*Torture. Toward the end, a demon is delighting in a silly way on how he intends to kill one of the characters. He explains himself in detail. I believe the detail is supposed to be funny because it's excessive, but again, more sensitive readers may not find this appropriate as a humor device.
*General Violence. This is obvious, given the title.
*SPOILER ALERT for PARENTS wondering if this book is OK for their child*
Topics for parental discussion:
*The main character's mom is having an affair with a woman. If homosexuality is a tricky subject, this might not be good for your child.
*Animal cruelty. It is supposed to be funny that kittens are the secret ingredient in a business run by the "bad guys", but more sensitive children/some parents may not appreciate joking about such as an appropriate gateway for humor.
*Animal cruelty/perversity 2. In order to conjure up a demon, there is a scene where a "bad guy" character makes an animal sacrifice. This scene, in this reader's opinion, goes a bit over board on description, but really is run-of-the-mill and again, said with tongue-in-cheek (the reader later finds out this is entirely optional).
*Torture. Toward the end, a demon is delighting in a silly way on how he intends to kill one of the characters. He explains himself in detail. I believe the detail is supposed to be funny because it's excessive, but again, more sensitive readers may not find this appropriate as a humor device.
*General Violence. This is obvious, given the title.
July 25, 2019
I don't want to say much about this, since it wasn't very good.
What I will say about it is that it was rife with profanity, not to mention occult and sexual references.
So, I can't recommend this one.
What I will say about it is that it was rife with profanity, not to mention occult and sexual references.
So, I can't recommend this one.
May 10, 2016
God, it's been so long since I last read this but I adored the trilogy - and now I find it's not a trilogy! So it's time for another re-read...
June 8, 2012
I have to be honest... This book got off to a s-l-o-o-o-w start for me. I had probably read about a third of the book or more before things picked up. I can't say that Henry's backstory about his family situation added much to the book, either--it didn't seem very relevant to the plot, but rather a chance to introduce the idea of the possibility of having a parent who turns out to be a homosexual. And no, I am not suggesting there is something wrong with that, and I assume that Brennan gives us so much insight into Henry in the "real world" for characterization purposes. I just didn't feel that it fit in with the point of the story or Henry's role in it--helping Pyrgus to get back to the Faerie Realm. (So in all fairness, parents should know the topic of homosexuality is addressed in this book, as it is a young adult title, and should be prepared to discuss this with their children.)
I'd say the characters and plot were generally above average, though there were some typical flaws. As for characters, there are a few in this novel that are pretty enjoyable. My favorite is probably Pyrgus' sister, Holly Blue (aka Serenity)--she's full of spunk and very likeable. Mr. Fogarty is an interesting old man, too. I was surprised to find out his former "occupation," and I'll leave it at that. Brennan leaves you with no doubt who the good guys and bad guys are in this book--those "bad guys" are downright evil! The plot is pretty good, with enough twists and turns (once the story got going) to keep it moving, though it is unfortunately not without a few cliched and conveniently-timed events. While the general story is actually rather dark, there is humor interspersed to lighten the mood at appropriate times. All-in-all I liked this book well enough that I plan to read the sequel, The Purple Emperor.
I'd say the characters and plot were generally above average, though there were some typical flaws. As for characters, there are a few in this novel that are pretty enjoyable. My favorite is probably Pyrgus' sister, Holly Blue (aka Serenity)--she's full of spunk and very likeable. Mr. Fogarty is an interesting old man, too. I was surprised to find out his former "occupation," and I'll leave it at that. Brennan leaves you with no doubt who the good guys and bad guys are in this book--those "bad guys" are downright evil! The plot is pretty good, with enough twists and turns (once the story got going) to keep it moving, though it is unfortunately not without a few cliched and conveniently-timed events. While the general story is actually rather dark, there is humor interspersed to lighten the mood at appropriate times. All-in-all I liked this book well enough that I plan to read the sequel, The Purple Emperor.
January 11, 2015
Where do I EVEN begin?
MISOGYNY, AWFUL WRITING STYLE, TERRIBLE DEVELOPMENT, SEXUALIZATION OF A LITTLE GIRL, AWFUL PACING, BORING PLOT
This is hard to write without spoilers, but I will try.
There are a whopping total of 5 female characters in the whole book. FIVE WOMEN TOTAL. The only female given any real "screen time" is Holly Blue, and although she starts off as a formidable character in the beginning, she is later treated as a joke and then as a sex object. Did I mention this girl is supposed to be somewhere between TEN AND TWELVE?
The ending, which I will not give away, is an utter let down. The "climax" was a cop-out I was warned not to use when I was in fifth grade. The author's treatment of homosexuality is crass and borders VERY close on extremely offensive, and his writing style, in general, is simpler than that in "Charlie Bone", which was marketed to fourth graders.
The fairies in this books have ridiculous names. There is no development of their culture, but we are expected to believe that they are an ancient culture that has been visiting our world for centuries. All these "hairpin turns" that were in the review never came up, as everything in this book could be seen coming a mile off. The main characters are both terribly boring, and I can't pin down an age for either of them. 17? 14? 10? Brennan needs to make up his mind and, in the meantime, learn how to involve female characters.
And finally: Brennan sees fit to dumb down this book so much I would have been bored with it in second grade, but only at some points. At others he describes torture, death, and dead bodies in graphic detail. It's like he couldn't make up his mind on which age bracket he wanted to write for, and so just failed them all. And I was embarrassed to see Eoin Colfer's name on a review. "Seamless blend of magic and science" is a stretch for this pile of slop. One second we have "blasting wands" and the next we have "laser grenades" and yet the next we have someone summoning demons with a book bound in baby skin. It worked well in the Artemis Fowl, but just came across as slapdash and poorly thought-out in Faerie Wars.
Please do not ever compare this book to Harry Potter again. This is the Twilight of Fae-related books, and I mean that in the worst possible way. Shame on The New York Times, the ALA, and Mr. Colfer for promoting this piece of garbage.
MISOGYNY, AWFUL WRITING STYLE, TERRIBLE DEVELOPMENT, SEXUALIZATION OF A LITTLE GIRL, AWFUL PACING, BORING PLOT
This is hard to write without spoilers, but I will try.
There are a whopping total of 5 female characters in the whole book. FIVE WOMEN TOTAL. The only female given any real "screen time" is Holly Blue, and although she starts off as a formidable character in the beginning, she is later treated as a joke and then as a sex object. Did I mention this girl is supposed to be somewhere between TEN AND TWELVE?
The ending, which I will not give away, is an utter let down. The "climax" was a cop-out I was warned not to use when I was in fifth grade. The author's treatment of homosexuality is crass and borders VERY close on extremely offensive, and his writing style, in general, is simpler than that in "Charlie Bone", which was marketed to fourth graders.
The fairies in this books have ridiculous names. There is no development of their culture, but we are expected to believe that they are an ancient culture that has been visiting our world for centuries. All these "hairpin turns" that were in the review never came up, as everything in this book could be seen coming a mile off. The main characters are both terribly boring, and I can't pin down an age for either of them. 17? 14? 10? Brennan needs to make up his mind and, in the meantime, learn how to involve female characters.
And finally: Brennan sees fit to dumb down this book so much I would have been bored with it in second grade, but only at some points. At others he describes torture, death, and dead bodies in graphic detail. It's like he couldn't make up his mind on which age bracket he wanted to write for, and so just failed them all. And I was embarrassed to see Eoin Colfer's name on a review. "Seamless blend of magic and science" is a stretch for this pile of slop. One second we have "blasting wands" and the next we have "laser grenades" and yet the next we have someone summoning demons with a book bound in baby skin. It worked well in the Artemis Fowl, but just came across as slapdash and poorly thought-out in Faerie Wars.
Please do not ever compare this book to Harry Potter again. This is the Twilight of Fae-related books, and I mean that in the worst possible way. Shame on The New York Times, the ALA, and Mr. Colfer for promoting this piece of garbage.
April 21, 2009
After someone tries to kill Pyrgus, the Crown Prince of the faerie world, his father, the Purple Emperor, sends him off into the Analogue World (aka the world we humans live in) for safety from their political enemies, the Faeries of the Night. However, the translator they used to send Pyrgus into the other world has been sabotaged, sending Pyrgus drastically off course, landing him in the middle of present-day England, in the backyard of a paranoid old Mr. Fogarty. Mr. Fogarty enlists the help of Henry, his helping boy with family troubles, to construct a translator to send Pyrgus back to his own world.
The Purple Emperor and his subjects frantically search for Pyrgus to save him from his death, knowing that the Faeries of the Night are concocting something terrible. However, Pyrgus is sabotaged once again… this time by the demons, allies of the Faeries of the Night and creatures whom we know as aliens. The demons intend to kill Pyrgus and his father, throwing the Faeries of the Light into chaos and thus succeeding in overthrowing the government. Now it seems like the only two who can stop the demons are Henry and Pyrgus’ fearless little sister, Blue, an accomplished spy with intelligence and beauty.
FAERIE WARS, the first in this captivating series by Herbie Brennan, engaged me in the first paragraph and didn’t let go. Brennan does a fantastic job of keeping up the suspense all the way through the novel, purposely alternating points of view to keep readers on their toes. With his vivid writing, I felt like I was actually there alongside the main characters as they struggled against terrifying enemies. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves fantasy, science fiction, action, and Harry Potter (that should cover about everyone, shouldn’t it?).
The Purple Emperor and his subjects frantically search for Pyrgus to save him from his death, knowing that the Faeries of the Night are concocting something terrible. However, Pyrgus is sabotaged once again… this time by the demons, allies of the Faeries of the Night and creatures whom we know as aliens. The demons intend to kill Pyrgus and his father, throwing the Faeries of the Light into chaos and thus succeeding in overthrowing the government. Now it seems like the only two who can stop the demons are Henry and Pyrgus’ fearless little sister, Blue, an accomplished spy with intelligence and beauty.
FAERIE WARS, the first in this captivating series by Herbie Brennan, engaged me in the first paragraph and didn’t let go. Brennan does a fantastic job of keeping up the suspense all the way through the novel, purposely alternating points of view to keep readers on their toes. With his vivid writing, I felt like I was actually there alongside the main characters as they struggled against terrifying enemies. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves fantasy, science fiction, action, and Harry Potter (that should cover about everyone, shouldn’t it?).
March 15, 2009
Despite the excellent narration on the audiobook, I was disappointed by this. The book is listed for ages "10 and up", but this just isn't altogether appropriate for children. Now that's something I don't say every day. I am not usually the type of person to talk about politically correct, nor am I one of those insane types who think Disney is too violent. But this book starts off with the boy finding out his mom is having an affair with another woman--I mean, who wants to read about that? YA, as far as I'm concerned, needn't be so frickin' serious. Eewww. And I'm not making saying anything about the lesbian angle--I don't think discussing your parents' having an affair of any kind is really appropriate. It's odd. Then the book goes into kittens being the secret ingredient in a glue, and one of the characters is going to be tortured and killed (in detail) by a demon. Give me faeries and creatures and interesting twists, and leave the rest out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 19, 2016
Boring. I read the first few chapters, and was subjected to a load of uninteresting set up culminating in some cat having caught a little fairy. Then it switched to some guy, human sized, but in a magic city, but then he's in a mine field. It just didn't keep my interest. Seriously, we finally see a fairy after all that time, and then switch back to boring? No war yet either. Definitely not a book that grabs your attention. Like so many others, it is merely a set up book for a series... Well, I wasn't hooked.
December 24, 2017
DNF - 70 pages in and not much is happening. The book had a strong start with interesting characters, but when it barely shifts focus to introduce the fantasy aspect, it, instead, switches scenes entirely to a different set of new characters with no hint that they're ever going to intersect with the first story being told. Baffling is the best description. The plot isn't bad; it isn't good; it's MIA.
June 7, 2010
I disliked this book to the point I did not finish it. It didn't take long to get to the part where they were throwing live kittens in the vat to make glue, a character took a goat dead for four days, skinned and gutted it and nailed the hide and then the guts to the wall in a particular pattern for a ritual.... Just not my thing. Maybe it got better but I had had enough.
June 14, 2014
I gave this novel about 30 pages and found myself not engaged whatsoever. SPOILERS: The whole mother having an affair with the secretary was an interesting change as to why a child's parents break up but that wasn't enough to keep me going. Overall, I found it too slow for my tastes.
MY GRADE: C minus; WHEN READ: January 2012.
MY GRADE: C minus; WHEN READ: January 2012.
January 6, 2018
I really couldn’t get into this book. Maybe I’ll try again later. I get that it’s supposed to be YA/Middle grades, but it doesn’t match. Parts of the book are extremely juvenile and other parts are quite mature.
February 20, 2020
This was a very annoying read. I didn't care much for the characters.
May 24, 2023
Es war schon recht interessant wieder in die Welt von Blue, Pyrgus und Henry abzutauchen. Allerdings ist es schon sehr lange her, dass ich die anderen Bücher der Reihe gelesen habe. Ich habe den ersten Teil vorher noch nie gelesen, da ich damals unwissentlich mit dem zweiten Teil angefangen habe (und das tatsächlich nicht gemerkt habe...). Ich wollte aber immer wissen, wie die Hauptpersonen sich eigentlich kennengelernt haben. Aus diesem Grund habe ich mir dann Das Elfenportal gebraucht gekauft und bin jetzt endlich dazu gekommen, das Buch zu lesen.
Das Buch hat mir ganz gut gefallen, hat mich aber nicht gänzlich überzeugen können. Henrys Familiengeschichte schien für mich sehr überflüssig, was den Plot des Buches anging. Für mich hat dieser Konflikt in seiner Familie nur dazu beigetragen, dass Henry etwas mehr Profil bekommt, das ich allerdings nicht für die eigentliche Geschichte gebraucht hätte. Pyrgus und Blues Familie ist relevanter, da sich aber auch der Hauptteil der Geschichte im Elfen-Land abspielt. Henry war mich im Allgemeinen ein eher flacher Charakter - Blue war für mich nach wie vor der interessanteste Charakter und ich habe jeden Abschnitt aus ihrer Sicht sehr genossen.
Das Buch hat mir ganz gut gefallen, hat mich aber nicht gänzlich überzeugen können. Henrys Familiengeschichte schien für mich sehr überflüssig, was den Plot des Buches anging. Für mich hat dieser Konflikt in seiner Familie nur dazu beigetragen, dass Henry etwas mehr Profil bekommt, das ich allerdings nicht für die eigentliche Geschichte gebraucht hätte. Pyrgus und Blues Familie ist relevanter, da sich aber auch der Hauptteil der Geschichte im Elfen-Land abspielt. Henry war mich im Allgemeinen ein eher flacher Charakter - Blue war für mich nach wie vor der interessanteste Charakter und ich habe jeden Abschnitt aus ihrer Sicht sehr genossen.
October 2, 2017
gayet keyifli ve heyecanlı bir roman. çocukların rahatlıkla okuyabileceği bir kitap.
May 21, 2020
This book was ok. I really thought that I would be more into it but I could barely get interested today. It wasn't bad but I just wasn't interested in it. I doubt that I will read more by this author.
March 16, 2009
*** SERIOUS SPOILER ALERT - DON'T READ UNLESS YOU HAVE FINISHED THE BOOK***
Faerie Wars - Somewhere between Artemis Fowl.. Potter.. and ????
Henry, the main character in the book, is the typical teen-with-problems character. Just when the book seems to be a candidate for a daytime family-tell-all show, Henry starts seeing faeries.
Henry is also somewhat of a dolt, who seems to fall into bad to worse situations, only to have his fat pulled out of the fire by the other characters in the book. I guess this shouldn't put me off - since I compained about Harry Potter for the same reason. Face it, where would Harry be without Dumbledore, Heromine, and Ron... probably dead about 50 times over!
The funny thing is that his counterpart in the Faerie world, Pyrgus the crown prince of faeries, seems to be a mirror inage of Henry. Not quite bright enough to get out of trouble without the intervention of his sister Blue, or Fogarty, or accidentally saved by Henry.
Fogarty is the best character in the whole book, in my opinion.
Kind of a combination of the 'Crankshaft' character from the comics, and Mel Gibson's character in 'Conspiracy Theory'. Fogarty's blend of sarcastic humor, borderline paranoid-scitzophrenia, and technical know how balance the fantasy aspect of the story, somehow without compromizing it. Brennan mixes the 'magic' of the faerie world with the 'magic' (science), of the 'Analouge' world, so that both are vitally important to the success of the heroes and the story.
Brennan introduces a host of enemies, maybe too many at once.
Some are somewhat cartoonish (like Brimstone), but others extremely malevolent, like Beleth the Prince of Demons. I had to laugh (sometimes out loud - which got very strange looks from friends and family) everytime I hear the name 'Lord Hairstreak'. I am hoping that he is described more in future volumes.
One of the curious 'loose ends' in the book is the character of 'Comma', Pyrgus and Blue's brother. Noone in a murder mystery,(other than the butler), could be more guilty than him, and yet Brennan hardly mentions him, and lets him off with little comment when the Gatekeeper is found to be a traitor. One hopes that this little snot will get what is obviously coming to him as he betrayed his father and brother in order to gain the throne of the Purple Emperor.
Over all - I did like the book, and I am currently reading the second book in the series "The Purple Emperor" and hope the story finds a bit more direction.
It is hard to exactly say what it is about this book that made me the most uneasy. Perhaps the fact that within the first 50 pages you find out that the protagonist's mother is a practising lesbian, or maybe it is somewhat too accurate description of Brimstone's conjuring of a demon.
Either way, I kept asking myself why I was uneasy about this book being marketed to teens, (and most likely being read by even younger kids). And then I read a biography of Herbie Brennan.
Brennan is a noted writer in the area of 'Pagan' beliefs and practice (I put 's around pagan not to judge the pagan beliefs themselves, but Brennan's writings, as he espouses a somewhat personal version of the beliefs, rather than the more common strains).
He has obviously decided to highlight his eclectic beliefs in his book with little restraint, (unlike J.K. Rowling who muted the association between magic and pagan culture and belief in the 'Harry Potter' series). OK - this is a personal bias of mine, which is supported by a personal history of curiosity and unguided experimentation in things occultic during my teens. Some of which was harmful to myself and others. Rant over...
Faerie Wars - Somewhere between Artemis Fowl.. Potter.. and ????
Henry, the main character in the book, is the typical teen-with-problems character. Just when the book seems to be a candidate for a daytime family-tell-all show, Henry starts seeing faeries.
Henry is also somewhat of a dolt, who seems to fall into bad to worse situations, only to have his fat pulled out of the fire by the other characters in the book. I guess this shouldn't put me off - since I compained about Harry Potter for the same reason. Face it, where would Harry be without Dumbledore, Heromine, and Ron... probably dead about 50 times over!
The funny thing is that his counterpart in the Faerie world, Pyrgus the crown prince of faeries, seems to be a mirror inage of Henry. Not quite bright enough to get out of trouble without the intervention of his sister Blue, or Fogarty, or accidentally saved by Henry.
Fogarty is the best character in the whole book, in my opinion.
Kind of a combination of the 'Crankshaft' character from the comics, and Mel Gibson's character in 'Conspiracy Theory'. Fogarty's blend of sarcastic humor, borderline paranoid-scitzophrenia, and technical know how balance the fantasy aspect of the story, somehow without compromizing it. Brennan mixes the 'magic' of the faerie world with the 'magic' (science), of the 'Analouge' world, so that both are vitally important to the success of the heroes and the story.
Brennan introduces a host of enemies, maybe too many at once.
Some are somewhat cartoonish (like Brimstone), but others extremely malevolent, like Beleth the Prince of Demons. I had to laugh (sometimes out loud - which got very strange looks from friends and family) everytime I hear the name 'Lord Hairstreak'. I am hoping that he is described more in future volumes.
One of the curious 'loose ends' in the book is the character of 'Comma', Pyrgus and Blue's brother. Noone in a murder mystery,(other than the butler), could be more guilty than him, and yet Brennan hardly mentions him, and lets him off with little comment when the Gatekeeper is found to be a traitor. One hopes that this little snot will get what is obviously coming to him as he betrayed his father and brother in order to gain the throne of the Purple Emperor.
Over all - I did like the book, and I am currently reading the second book in the series "The Purple Emperor" and hope the story finds a bit more direction.
It is hard to exactly say what it is about this book that made me the most uneasy. Perhaps the fact that within the first 50 pages you find out that the protagonist's mother is a practising lesbian, or maybe it is somewhat too accurate description of Brimstone's conjuring of a demon.
Either way, I kept asking myself why I was uneasy about this book being marketed to teens, (and most likely being read by even younger kids). And then I read a biography of Herbie Brennan.
Brennan is a noted writer in the area of 'Pagan' beliefs and practice (I put 's around pagan not to judge the pagan beliefs themselves, but Brennan's writings, as he espouses a somewhat personal version of the beliefs, rather than the more common strains).
He has obviously decided to highlight his eclectic beliefs in his book with little restraint, (unlike J.K. Rowling who muted the association between magic and pagan culture and belief in the 'Harry Potter' series). OK - this is a personal bias of mine, which is supported by a personal history of curiosity and unguided experimentation in things occultic during my teens. Some of which was harmful to myself and others. Rant over...
December 19, 2008
I recently picked up several fantasy books in the young adult range, this one being the first. The book begins with our main hero, Henry, a young boy living in England. Henry is friends with a weird and highly paranoid old man, is saving up for an ipod, and just found out that his mother is having an affair with his father's secretary. A bit harsh for an opening, but there's certainly no doubt that Henry lives in the real, modern-day world.
Then there's Pyrgus, the other hero of the story. His world sounds a bit older, maybe 17th/18th century, and magic exists in this world. Pyrgus is also a prince, next in line for the emperor's throne. We like Pyrgus because he doesn't want to be emperor; he spends most of his time dressed incognito and rescuing (i.e. stealing) mistreated animals, including a basket of kittens (aww) from an evil glue factory. I know, a bit much, but the rescue part was very exciting.
How the two worlds come together is rather interesting, combining magic and science in a fairly coherent way. Pyrgus travels to Henry's world through a portal, as both worlds exist in different dimensions. But something goes wrong -- when Pyrgus gets through the gate, he's quite tiny and has grown a set of wings. Later it's discovered that this transformation is temporary, and that the denizens of Faerie (Pyrgus's world) don't normally have wings.
I have to admit that bothered me a bit. The Faerie world and it's people are not very different from the modern world, making the term Faerie a bit of a misnomer. In fact, the title Faerie Wars is pretty awful -- the book was much better than I expected by the title alone. But come on, these people aren't fairies. Faeries. Whatever, they're normal people in a fantasy world, but that's about it.
I found the book very engaging, and read it rather quickly. There are some wonderful characters and truly fabulous villains, and lots of descriptive yet succinct writing. I would have given this book 4 stars (I almost did), but I felt the book tried to do too much. In addition to the two worlds, a third comes into play about halfway through the book, the world of demons (called Hael in the book). Although fascinating, especially the Demon Prince, it just got to be too much. When the demons' 'true' forms were described as skinny gray aliens with big eyes, I thought, 'Right, this book is getting one less star for that.'
The book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, and I enjoyed the first one enough so I've picked up the second one already.
Then there's Pyrgus, the other hero of the story. His world sounds a bit older, maybe 17th/18th century, and magic exists in this world. Pyrgus is also a prince, next in line for the emperor's throne. We like Pyrgus because he doesn't want to be emperor; he spends most of his time dressed incognito and rescuing (i.e. stealing) mistreated animals, including a basket of kittens (aww) from an evil glue factory. I know, a bit much, but the rescue part was very exciting.
How the two worlds come together is rather interesting, combining magic and science in a fairly coherent way. Pyrgus travels to Henry's world through a portal, as both worlds exist in different dimensions. But something goes wrong -- when Pyrgus gets through the gate, he's quite tiny and has grown a set of wings. Later it's discovered that this transformation is temporary, and that the denizens of Faerie (Pyrgus's world) don't normally have wings.
I have to admit that bothered me a bit. The Faerie world and it's people are not very different from the modern world, making the term Faerie a bit of a misnomer. In fact, the title Faerie Wars is pretty awful -- the book was much better than I expected by the title alone. But come on, these people aren't fairies. Faeries. Whatever, they're normal people in a fantasy world, but that's about it.
I found the book very engaging, and read it rather quickly. There are some wonderful characters and truly fabulous villains, and lots of descriptive yet succinct writing. I would have given this book 4 stars (I almost did), but I felt the book tried to do too much. In addition to the two worlds, a third comes into play about halfway through the book, the world of demons (called Hael in the book). Although fascinating, especially the Demon Prince, it just got to be too much. When the demons' 'true' forms were described as skinny gray aliens with big eyes, I thought, 'Right, this book is getting one less star for that.'
The book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, and I enjoyed the first one enough so I've picked up the second one already.
March 9, 2009
This was a pretty decent book, though not something that gripped me from start to finish, even though I had hoped it would. It's difficult for me to write anything less than a stellar review, but in all fairness, I'll be honest. "Fairie Wars" was not written for me and mine. This book would fit very nicely on the shelf of a young guy - maybe a Tolkien fan who's looking to upgrade his geek standing (not that there's anything wrong with Tolkien, I'm just borrowing the stereotype here...).
It's an odd mix of fantasy and science fiction. Without giving away plot details it's hard to elaborate, but I will say this: We call them aliens, they identify them as demons. We have engineers, they have wizards.
Story-wise, it has a fairly solid mis-placed fairy prince idea, with a few subplots that more or less get tied in by the end. There is a bit with the MC henry (well, one of them) and his parents that seemed quite forced. Rather like Henry lacked depth, so an additional subplot, and a sister, was added. The other subplots seemed to take up a lot of space in the writing itself, and often came across as confusing. I found myself wondering "Why does this matter?" even as they technically came together toward the end. This problem was no doubt complicated by the many point-of-view changes throughout the story. The POV changed quite frequently, and there was no consistent MC to fall back on. Technically, I suppose Henry got more "screen time" than the others, but with the other characters each having a turn on the POV wheel, it was still dodgy, and often confused the story's timeline.
I do have to give the author props for his characterization of Henry - he is very much a young adolescent boy, and the glimpses into his mind are well-done (I wish there were more of them).
Again, this book, given to the right audience, will likely be very much enjoyed. It's success and continuing success (and sequels!) are proof enough of that. It would be very much at home in the library of a middle school, even high school - and it's probably well past time guys got to play around with this Fairy-fad. But keep in mind, although it LOOKS like it should fit in with "City of Bones" or "Tithe," it's a much different, oddly traditional take on science fiction and fantasy- heavy on the science, but not quite steampunk, either.
I think I'll give it to my brother.
PS: It's British - which is kind of fun, after you get over the weird punctuation... ;-)
It's an odd mix of fantasy and science fiction. Without giving away plot details it's hard to elaborate, but I will say this: We call them aliens, they identify them as demons. We have engineers, they have wizards.
Story-wise, it has a fairly solid mis-placed fairy prince idea, with a few subplots that more or less get tied in by the end. There is a bit with the MC henry (well, one of them) and his parents that seemed quite forced. Rather like Henry lacked depth, so an additional subplot, and a sister, was added. The other subplots seemed to take up a lot of space in the writing itself, and often came across as confusing. I found myself wondering "Why does this matter?" even as they technically came together toward the end. This problem was no doubt complicated by the many point-of-view changes throughout the story. The POV changed quite frequently, and there was no consistent MC to fall back on. Technically, I suppose Henry got more "screen time" than the others, but with the other characters each having a turn on the POV wheel, it was still dodgy, and often confused the story's timeline.
I do have to give the author props for his characterization of Henry - he is very much a young adolescent boy, and the glimpses into his mind are well-done (I wish there were more of them).
Again, this book, given to the right audience, will likely be very much enjoyed. It's success and continuing success (and sequels!) are proof enough of that. It would be very much at home in the library of a middle school, even high school - and it's probably well past time guys got to play around with this Fairy-fad. But keep in mind, although it LOOKS like it should fit in with "City of Bones" or "Tithe," it's a much different, oddly traditional take on science fiction and fantasy- heavy on the science, but not quite steampunk, either.
I think I'll give it to my brother.
PS: It's British - which is kind of fun, after you get over the weird punctuation... ;-)
October 29, 2021
LONDRA,PRIMI ANNI 2000'
Il ragazzo-prescelto Harry un bel mattino scopre di essere un mago,raggiunge la gotica fortezza di Hogwarts e il vecchio saggio Albus Silente e insieme a lui e ai suoi numerosi amici dai capelli rossi lotterà per salvare il mondo dal terribile Lord Voldemort.
LONDRA,PRIMI ANNI 2000'
Il ragazzo-sfigato Henry un bel mattino scopre che la madre è diventata lesbica,esce di casa sconvolto e raggiunge l'angusta topaia del suo amico Alan Fogarty,vecchio scienziato pazzo nonché ex rapinatore di banche e fermo sostenitore dei più assurdi deliri complottisti in salsa Voyager.Insieme troveranno uno strano ragazzo dai capelli rossi e dalle lunghe ali,che afferma di essere il principe degli Elfi mandato momentaneamente in esilio nel mondo degli umani per aver creato un incidente diplomatico durante un sit-in animalista.I tre lotteranno quindi per tornare nel Regno degli Elfi,realtà parallela al nostro mondo,e salvarlo dalle mire di conquista del terribile demone Beleth,più terribile che intelligente dato che finirà per farsi scoppiare in faccia una bomba atomica appena costruita.
Se non l'avete ancora capito,"La guerra degli elfi" sta al fantasy come Shrek sta al cinema d'animazione,Kick ass al mondo dei supereroi e Men in black alla fantascienza.E' forse uno dei rari casi di commedia applicata al genere,ne prende in giro gli schemi triti e ritriti facendone il verso attraverso una galleria di personaggi e situazioni al limite dell'assurdo.Oltre a ciò è una saga alla quale sono particolarmente legato,avendomi al tempo avvicinato al mondo della lettura.Ma,anche a distanza di 10 anni dalla prima volta,farsi un giretto nel pazzo mondo ideato da Brennan è sempre un grande piacere e una boccata d'aria fresca.
Il ragazzo-prescelto Harry un bel mattino scopre di essere un mago,raggiunge la gotica fortezza di Hogwarts e il vecchio saggio Albus Silente e insieme a lui e ai suoi numerosi amici dai capelli rossi lotterà per salvare il mondo dal terribile Lord Voldemort.
LONDRA,PRIMI ANNI 2000'
Il ragazzo-sfigato Henry un bel mattino scopre che la madre è diventata lesbica,esce di casa sconvolto e raggiunge l'angusta topaia del suo amico Alan Fogarty,vecchio scienziato pazzo nonché ex rapinatore di banche e fermo sostenitore dei più assurdi deliri complottisti in salsa Voyager.Insieme troveranno uno strano ragazzo dai capelli rossi e dalle lunghe ali,che afferma di essere il principe degli Elfi mandato momentaneamente in esilio nel mondo degli umani per aver creato un incidente diplomatico durante un sit-in animalista.I tre lotteranno quindi per tornare nel Regno degli Elfi,realtà parallela al nostro mondo,e salvarlo dalle mire di conquista del terribile demone Beleth,più terribile che intelligente dato che finirà per farsi scoppiare in faccia una bomba atomica appena costruita.
Se non l'avete ancora capito,"La guerra degli elfi" sta al fantasy come Shrek sta al cinema d'animazione,Kick ass al mondo dei supereroi e Men in black alla fantascienza.E' forse uno dei rari casi di commedia applicata al genere,ne prende in giro gli schemi triti e ritriti facendone il verso attraverso una galleria di personaggi e situazioni al limite dell'assurdo.Oltre a ciò è una saga alla quale sono particolarmente legato,avendomi al tempo avvicinato al mondo della lettura.Ma,anche a distanza di 10 anni dalla prima volta,farsi un giretto nel pazzo mondo ideato da Brennan è sempre un grande piacere e una boccata d'aria fresca.
March 31, 2023
Wow, okay, allora..
mi aspettavo di più. Molto di più.
Il che è un peccato, ho DIVORATO l'inizio del libro, quando poi è iniziato ad andare tutto a rotoli.. ho letto altre recensioni e sapere che è categorizzato come un thriller young adults HHHH ... no, solo no.
Qui torna lo stesso problema che ho con altri autori, ovvero l'oggettificazione e la sessualizzazione delle ragazze. In un passo del libro, descrive una RAGAZZINA in maniere del tutto innecessario (che importanza ha per la storia sapere che ha il seno piccolo? Insomma, è una bambina!!!) e quando Pyrgus incontra la Principessa poco prima che entrasse in vasca da bagno e poi si crea tutta una dinamica strana che ok... potrebbe starci se i protagonisti avessero avuto almeno cinque anni in più, ma qui stiamo parlando di quattordicenni.
Detto questo, è una lettura semplice e scorrevole, non fenomenale, a tratti cliché e vista e rivista, ma tutto sommato è piacevole se tralasciamo tutti gli aspetti negativi.... ad ogni modo, ho comprato il mattone che contiene tutta la saga, quindi continuerò a leggere, ma se avessi avuto solo il primo mi sarei probabilmente fermata.
mi aspettavo di più. Molto di più.
Il che è un peccato, ho DIVORATO l'inizio del libro, quando poi è iniziato ad andare tutto a rotoli.. ho letto altre recensioni e sapere che è categorizzato come un thriller young adults HHHH ... no, solo no.
Qui torna lo stesso problema che ho con altri autori, ovvero l'oggettificazione e la sessualizzazione delle ragazze. In un passo del libro, descrive una RAGAZZINA in maniere del tutto innecessario (che importanza ha per la storia sapere che ha il seno piccolo? Insomma, è una bambina!!!) e quando Pyrgus incontra la Principessa poco prima che entrasse in vasca da bagno e poi si crea tutta una dinamica strana che ok... potrebbe starci se i protagonisti avessero avuto almeno cinque anni in più, ma qui stiamo parlando di quattordicenni.
Detto questo, è una lettura semplice e scorrevole, non fenomenale, a tratti cliché e vista e rivista, ma tutto sommato è piacevole se tralasciamo tutti gli aspetti negativi.... ad ogni modo, ho comprato il mattone che contiene tutta la saga, quindi continuerò a leggere, ma se avessi avuto solo il primo mi sarei probabilmente fermata.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2009
While this book was written for young adults....there are some things in this novel that I would not like my tween or even teen reading.
The book begins with Henry finding out his mother is having an affair with his fathers secretary. I found this totally irrelevant other than to leave Henry in a horrible situation. This could have been arranged by many other means.
Further more there is graphic discriptions of demon congering with the use of animal sacrifice. While the "demons" are really just intelligent life in another realm.
The book is actually ver well written and with interesting characters and a very imaginative world. My only objection in that despite the age of the characters it really should have been marketed more towards adults.
The book begins with Henry finding out his mother is having an affair with his fathers secretary. I found this totally irrelevant other than to leave Henry in a horrible situation. This could have been arranged by many other means.
Further more there is graphic discriptions of demon congering with the use of animal sacrifice. While the "demons" are really just intelligent life in another realm.
The book is actually ver well written and with interesting characters and a very imaginative world. My only objection in that despite the age of the characters it really should have been marketed more towards adults.
May 16, 2016
Pugnali affilati, grimori polverosi e un vecchio allampanato. Se almeno uno di questi elementi ti sconfinfera, allora questo libro può fare per te.
Adatto alla lettura ad alta voce e ai lettori più giovani che non temano la comparsa di un demone millenario nel buio della loro cameretta.
Ho letto questo volume due volte, la seconda è stata a Settembre '15, la prima approssimativamente dieci anni prima e mi è piaciuto in entrambe le occasioni.
Adatto alla lettura ad alta voce e ai lettori più giovani che non temano la comparsa di un demone millenario nel buio della loro cameretta.
Ho letto questo volume due volte, la seconda è stata a Settembre '15, la prima approssimativamente dieci anni prima e mi è piaciuto in entrambe le occasioni.
July 30, 2021
Sinceramente mi ha convinto poco fin da subito. Di per sé la storia di base non è male, anzi, è piuttosto gradevole. Ci sono alcuni passaggi discretamente carini, altri invece noiosi o abbastanza infantili. Diciamo che è un young adult (molto young) che vuole passare per un libro di tutt'altra qualità, con scarsi risultati. Probabilmente leggerò anche il seguito, ma solo perché ho l'edizione completa della saga, altrimenti non penso comprerei apposta gli altri volumi per leggerli.
January 24, 2023
Not my cup of tea.
May 31, 2018
I read this for #MiddleGradeMay
My daughter read this when she was younger, but I just got around to it. Let's just say that it's been hanging out on our shelf at home for a while. This was an enjoyable read but I think if I read it around the time my daughter did, I would've enjoyed it more. Things about Henry's family really irritated me, especially the way they handled the situations that came up. I'm not sure that those things would've bothered me as much if I read this when I was a few years younger.
I listened to a majority of this on audio from my library's offering of RB Digital. The narration for me was just ok. I don't know that I would've lost any of the experience of this story if I had just stuck to a physical copy. We do have the subsequent novels on our shelf, and I will read them eventually.
My daughter read this when she was younger, but I just got around to it. Let's just say that it's been hanging out on our shelf at home for a while. This was an enjoyable read but I think if I read it around the time my daughter did, I would've enjoyed it more. Things about Henry's family really irritated me, especially the way they handled the situations that came up. I'm not sure that those things would've bothered me as much if I read this when I was a few years younger.
I listened to a majority of this on audio from my library's offering of RB Digital. The narration for me was just ok. I don't know that I would've lost any of the experience of this story if I had just stuck to a physical copy. We do have the subsequent novels on our shelf, and I will read them eventually.
November 22, 2021
Elfi e demoni in fondo al quartiere
Uno di quei libri letti nei primi dieci anni d'età. Classico fantasy che cerca di aggirare - con approccio simpatico - gli stilemi del genere. Tra caratterizzazione rapide dei personaggi e neologismi pennellati qui e là per favorire l'immedesimazione del ragazzino che legge, l'opera di Brennan garantisce un'esperienza di lettura dinamica e spensierata.
(urge rilettura)
Uno di quei libri letti nei primi dieci anni d'età. Classico fantasy che cerca di aggirare - con approccio simpatico - gli stilemi del genere. Tra caratterizzazione rapide dei personaggi e neologismi pennellati qui e là per favorire l'immedesimazione del ragazzino che legge, l'opera di Brennan garantisce un'esperienza di lettura dinamica e spensierata.
(urge rilettura)
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