Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fantasy. Show all posts

The Naming: The First Book of Pellinor (Pellinor Series) Review

The Naming: The First Book of Pellinor (Pellinor Series)
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The Naming: The First Book of Pellinor (Pellinor Series) ReviewAlison Croggon is obviously a writer of great talent. I was sucked into her world and held riveted. Her language is lyrical and characterization is very strong. She's obviously put a lot of thought into her world.
Unfortunately for me, some of this was overshadowed by what I felt were unfortunate influences by Tolkien. Of course everyone who writes fantasy is influenced in one way or another by Tolkien. The Hulls didn't bother me as they did another reviewer--they're very obviously human and not nearly as powerful as Ringwraiths. But Ardina's forest hold did smack strongly of Lothlorien, and Cadvan, though I loved his character deeply, was more than a little reminiscent of Aragorn. There are numerous examples of times when, in my opinion, Croggon probably wrote what felt right to her without realizing how similar it was to Tolkien.
Does this mean the book isn't worth reading? By no means. I have read the Lord of the Rings so many times I can recite parts off by memory--there are doubtless many readers who aren't as obsessed with Tolkien as I am, and I am certain that those readers will be unhindered by these similarities. I enjoyed the books thoroughly, and will not hesitate to recommend them to several people I know who read fantasy.
Admittedly, I dislike fantasy stories that purport to be about this world in a long-gone age--that's a personal bias of mine, and for that reason I chose not to read the introduction. I don't think it takes away any of the pleasure of the books. I think Alison Croggon is very talented, and obviously, as a poet, she has a strong command of language. I do wish that there were fewer similarities, but I will point out that the first book bears much more similarity to Tolkien than the second book.
To me it feels as though Croggon became more comfortable with her own voice as she wrote the second book, and drew less heavily on the stories influencing her and more heavily on her own imagination. Definiately a strong addition to the Young Adult fantasy genre, and I look forward to the third book.The Naming: The First Book of Pellinor (Pellinor Series) Overview

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The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections Review

The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections
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The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections ReviewI thought this was a sweet book, and a pleasant read. Amanda Soule is a wonderful writer. I was a little disappointed that there were no new ideas presented here though. I felt like I was reading the same Waldorf family book I've read several times before. People say "everything has been done before", but I feel that authors can still incorporate new ideas or put their own twist on things. I did not see this here.
I was also disappointed with the craft projects. Aside from the fact that many were the same projects found all over the internet and in many other craft books, I found that most of them were projects geared towards adults with small touches added by children. I was expecting more projects actually for children, or where children played a much bigger role.
I think this would be a perfect book for someone who is new to Waldorf and Montessori philosophy and was looking for ways to incorporate these philosophies into their family life, or for someone who is looking for a simple, pleasant read paired with beautiful pictures. If you've been involved in simple family living for quite some time and are looking for something new, I would look elsewhere.The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections Overview

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