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* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *
3.5 stars.
This is a good middle grade adventure story with nice historical elements and a good set of messages. The writing is comfortable and the story is fast paced, with a lot of action sequences and harrowing moments.
The characters were a mixed bag, with Lina, Bogdan, and Katya being well-developed for their particular roles. The Sorceress (Svetlana) and The Commandant (Zima) were problematic for me.
Lina was a wonderful protagonist and showed bravery, thought, and perseverance in difficult situations, lending her to be a good example for young readers. Her relationship with Katya is well-written and I loved the mother-daughter bond that was developed, regardless of how briefly they were used together in the plot. I could have done with more Bogdan in the plot. I felt he was underused and I would have like to have seen more of his friendship with Lina. This component seemed to be more of a tell vs. show element in the novel, which was a little disappointing.
Both Svetlana and Zima seemed to uncomfortably straddle the line of good and evil. They were inconsistent characters and their actions and choices did not always feel believable. Svetlana in particular seemed overly mercurial and I couldn't align myself with the arc of her character development.
World building was also a bit lacking for my tastes. Though this is a middle grade novel and these pieces are often less involved in that level of work, I would have liked to see more exploration. The development of Svetlana's world was a little lacking and the explanation of the mist world was very brief. These topics seemed to be peppered in to the plot in a rather awkward way and I would have liked to see them be a bit more seamless.
Regardless of its faults, this is still a good middle grade read and should read well for its intended audiences. I enjoyed my read, found it to be very quick, and liked the messages it explored. The setting was used very well in the development of the plot and the Lina was an ideal protagonist for this particular story.
3.5 stars.
This is a good middle grade adventure story with nice historical elements and a good set of messages. The writing is comfortable and the story is fast paced, with a lot of action sequences and harrowing moments.
The characters were a mixed bag, with Lina, Bogdan, and Katya being well-developed for their particular roles. The Sorceress (Svetlana) and The Commandant (Zima) were problematic for me.
Lina was a wonderful protagonist and showed bravery, thought, and perseverance in difficult situations, lending her to be a good example for young readers. Her relationship with Katya is well-written and I loved the mother-daughter bond that was developed, regardless of how briefly they were used together in the plot. I could have done with more Bogdan in the plot. I felt he was underused and I would have like to have seen more of his friendship with Lina. This component seemed to be more of a tell vs. show element in the novel, which was a little disappointing.
Both Svetlana and Zima seemed to uncomfortably straddle the line of good and evil. They were inconsistent characters and their actions and choices did not always feel believable. Svetlana in particular seemed overly mercurial and I couldn't align myself with the arc of her character development.
World building was also a bit lacking for my tastes. Though this is a middle grade novel and these pieces are often less involved in that level of work, I would have liked to see more exploration. The development of Svetlana's world was a little lacking and the explanation of the mist world was very brief. These topics seemed to be peppered in to the plot in a rather awkward way and I would have liked to see them be a bit more seamless.
Regardless of its faults, this is still a good middle grade read and should read well for its intended audiences. I enjoyed my read, found it to be very quick, and liked the messages it explored. The setting was used very well in the development of the plot and the Lina was an ideal protagonist for this particular story.