2020: First off, in my opinion, this book contains pretty major spoilers for The Golden Compass, so if you’re just joining the universe of His Dark Materials, definitely start with GC, and read this book fourth in your journey (well, fifth if you count Lyra’s Oxford).

I love Pullman and he was such an influence in my childhood, especially with The Amber Spyglass. I had very high expectations going into this novel, so it’s not surprising that the book did not quite live up to them.

One thing that I totally loved was how many new words I was learning - I absolutely did not expect that from a children’s (YA?) book. I also found myself appreciating more and more when Pullman would narrate from the adult perspectives in the book, probably way more than I did reading HDM the first time around (shout-out to Mary Malone!!)

I didn’t love the spontaneous introduction of new creatures in the world that we already know and love (were there fairies or water spirits in HDM? Did I just miss that somehow?) but I guess in a world with talking polar bears and witches, I shouldn’t be surprised.

The actual climax of the story doesn’t hit until the final four pages of the book, but that makes sense because we already know what happens after. It suggests that there is plenty more to come in the next chapter of La Belle Sauvage, and I cannot wait!