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What Members Thought
3 stars because I'm feeling generous but why King Hamish spoke with what I assume was an attempt at a Cockney accent is beyond me.
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I once tried to listen to Jim Dale read the first Harry Potter book, and stopped less than an hour in. I won't say I've been completely won over to his voice, but it did feel well-suited to this fantasy/time travel adventure, particularly the voices of the dwarves!
While the story itself didn't feel completely original, it did have a few elements that made it feel fresh. I enjoyed the combination of traditional children's fantasy (the evil Countess and her frightening creatures, the dwarves, the ...more
While the story itself didn't feel completely original, it did have a few elements that made it feel fresh. I enjoyed the combination of traditional children's fantasy (the evil Countess and her frightening creatures, the dwarves, the ...more
Maybe it's me, and I'm getting to be too critical about things, but this book didn't do anything new for me: three "orphans", a prophecy, a magic book, dwarves and other creatures, miserable orphanages, the human/non-human worlds shifting and moving apart, and a house with mysterious passages (not to mention a Misselthwaite Manor-like family of mice in the pool table). That, plus the fact that this is the start of a trilogy?
That's not to say this was all bad - there were some good things. I lik ...more
That's not to say this was all bad - there were some good things. I lik ...more
A 2.5 star review.
Really weird reading experience. I liked the book well enough while actually reading it, but when I put it down, days could go by before I felt like picking it up again. I guess I just never got to care properly about the children.
Decent enough fantasy, however, so when I finally got stubborn and sat down to finish it, I rather enjoyed it - especially once the kids started to get into the thick of things. But all in all, it required too much effort to get through, and even with ...more
Really weird reading experience. I liked the book well enough while actually reading it, but when I put it down, days could go by before I felt like picking it up again. I guess I just never got to care properly about the children.
Decent enough fantasy, however, so when I finally got stubborn and sat down to finish it, I rather enjoyed it - especially once the kids started to get into the thick of things. But all in all, it required too much effort to get through, and even with ...more
Apr 04, 2011
Erin
marked it as to-read
Apr 09, 2011
Lisa Vegan
marked it as to-read
Aug 22, 2011
Debbie Barr
marked it as to-read
Oct 25, 2012
Liz
marked it as to-read
Jan 10, 2013
Malina
marked it as to-read
