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sara_m_martins's Reviews (334)
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this trilogy reads as one single story, and i'm glad i got the compendium of it, even if originally it was more of a cover buy (it is a very beautiful one).
PS: there's much MUCH else to take away from this story, but i already wrote too much for GR, so i urge to at least try the golden compass, and see for yourself pullman's world & writing & ideas.
what a wonderful journey, and you could not ask for better company. all characters were wonderful partners, even when they made you despise them, even if you're weren't sure they were reliable narrators. you will ache for the large majority of them.
in the end, His Dark Materials is a story about stories. There's much else, but stories seem embedded into all of it - although how much of that is personal bias, we'll never know.
(This being an anti-thesis to Narnia is well-established, and his criticism of organized religion is clear. as is his warning about scientific responsibility - caution of the consequences of when meddling with things we don't yet really understand in the scientific process of trying to understand them...)
the first book is a classic hero's journey (NOT the Polygon Unraveled kind), where you learn truth by seeing the layers and folds of a golden instrument;
the second one rips you from the safety of the our-world-but-not-quite of the 1st, to then carry you to our world, forcing you to grapple with our issues, to then introduce you to universes created in mid-air, creating a hero's journey for Lyra's new companion, Will;
and finally, making you wonder what exactly the thing is that makes us be Human, what makes us conscious beings is the third installment . Pullman answers that question with stories as the trigger point.
Pullman's stories are our (conscious beings, that is) way of connection, of knowledge, of liberation - are those not the things that the apple of Eden symbolized? Stories must be intermingled with reality though ["I remembered that the real world was wide, and that a varied field of hopes and fears, of sensations and excitements, awaited those who had the courage to go forth into its expanse, to seek real knowledge of life amidst its perils" (Jane Eyre)]. you must Live to find stories, but stories also lead you to Life. After all, the best stories borrow a little from life. But what would life be without stories? what would our communication be like? how would our relationships be? by what is our knowledge transmitted, if not stories?
PS: there's much MUCH else to take away from this story, but i already wrote too much for GR, so i urge to at least try the golden compass, and see for yourself pullman's world & writing & ideas.
what a wonderful journey, and you could not ask for better company. all characters were wonderful partners, even when they made you despise them, even if you're weren't sure they were reliable narrators. you will ache for the large majority of them.
in the end, His Dark Materials is a story about stories. There's much else, but stories seem embedded into all of it - although how much of that is personal bias, we'll never know.
(This being an anti-thesis to Narnia is well-established, and his criticism of organized religion is clear. as is his warning about scientific responsibility - caution of the consequences of when meddling with things we don't yet really understand in the scientific process of trying to understand them...)
the first book is a classic hero's journey (NOT the Polygon Unraveled kind), where you learn truth by seeing the layers and folds of a golden instrument;
the second one rips you from the safety of the our-world-but-not-quite of the 1st, to then carry you to our world, forcing you to grapple with our issues, to then introduce you to universes created in mid-air, creating a hero's journey for Lyra's new companion, Will;
and finally, making you wonder what exactly the thing is that makes us be Human, what makes us conscious beings is the third installment . Pullman answers that question with stories as the trigger point.
Pullman's stories are our (conscious beings, that is) way of connection, of knowledge, of liberation - are those not the things that the apple of Eden symbolized? Stories must be intermingled with reality though ["I remembered that the real world was wide, and that a varied field of hopes and fears, of sensations and excitements, awaited those who had the courage to go forth into its expanse, to seek real knowledge of life amidst its perils" (Jane Eyre)]. you must Live to find stories, but stories also lead you to Life. After all, the best stories borrow a little from life. But what would life be without stories? what would our communication be like? how would our relationships be? by what is our knowledge transmitted, if not stories?
it took me forever to finish this because i just didn't want to say goodbye to this series - i just love everything about it.
i am very sad that i have finished The Memories of Eagle & Jaguar series. But i know it's only a see you soon. And anyways, the fabric of space and time unites everything, so in a way maybe i'm always reading these books, always living in this world.
Isabel Allende, as always, writes beautifully, reuniting me with my old favourite pals, and instantly bringing me on board with the new characters. The wit, humor, love, friendship, tension, anger, fear, adolescence - she does it all effortlessly, and i cannot help but to live in these books. the storyline grips you and guides you along with nadia&alex. The way Allende talks, discusses and illustrates her points on humanism, ecology and spiritualism are always excellent, and the end of the saga is no exception.
i am very sad that i have finished The Memories of Eagle & Jaguar series. But i know it's only a see you soon. And anyways, the fabric of space and time unites everything, so in a way maybe i'm always reading these books, always living in this world.
Isabel Allende, as always, writes beautifully, reuniting me with my old favourite pals, and instantly bringing me on board with the new characters. The wit, humor, love, friendship, tension, anger, fear, adolescence - she does it all effortlessly, and i cannot help but to live in these books. the storyline grips you and guides you along with nadia&alex. The way Allende talks, discusses and illustrates her points on humanism, ecology and spiritualism are always excellent, and the end of the saga is no exception.
i felt quite convoluted reading the 1st half of this book, but the ending (the twists that happen towards the end) really solified the book for me. there was great character development and (what i really loved) great development of the dinamic of the relationships in this story.
there's some biphobia right at the beggining that never gets called out, but i guess i can understand why that is, and that growth is shown in other ways. but still quite uncomfortable. not that the book has very comfortable themes.
i know this a bit odd to write in a review, but a big reason for me not to enjoy the book very much in the beginning, was probably because my brother died on novemther 13th, which is a pretty big date in the book. I think i felt just as much out of it as griffin did. Which allowed me to go on this journey with him in a totally different way.
there's some biphobia right at the beggining that never gets called out, but i guess i can understand why that is, and that growth is shown in other ways. but still quite uncomfortable. not that the book has very comfortable themes.
"Tons of foot traffic keeps splitting us up, but we always make our way back to each other, not letting strollers or group selfies keep us apart. When I get his hand next, I keep him close and I don’t want to let go.Not tonight.Not ever."
Realistically its more of a 4.5 but it was SO cute i am rounding it up to a 5.
listen, I'm not about instalove, but this, although technically is that, it didn't feel like it. I think Ben&Arthur chase the possibility of it, the chance the universe gave them; things don't feel rushed in a bad way at any point.
I really liked the writing style, it resembled what i knew from both authors. There were definitely some more cringy moments, that were very YA but like... tone it down slightly, guys. However the characters were pretty great, and the over the topness becomes just part of the characters personality, and you stop caring. Even Dylan's.
The thing everyone references are, well, the references. i do enjoy pretty much everything that was referenced heavily, but even so they did get too much on points - not necessarily this-page-features-5-references but more of a there's - been-a-constant-#-of-references-for-the-last-10pages-we,get,it. It anything it removes the impact of the referencing in some other bits that use it really well.
The ending was so bittersweet i would have loved to see them ending together, no matter how unrealistic that is, but i have this weird respectable feeling towards the characters for the maturity of the decision. Also open ended endings fucking kill me. I already have their old life planned in my head, no one can convince me otherwise, and thats half the reason that quote is up there.
Realistically its more of a 4.5 but it was SO cute i am rounding it up to a 5.
listen, I'm not about instalove, but this, although technically is that, it didn't feel like it. I think Ben&Arthur chase the possibility of it, the chance the universe gave them; things don't feel rushed in a bad way at any point.
I really liked the writing style, it resembled what i knew from both authors. There were definitely some more cringy moments, that were very YA but like... tone it down slightly, guys. However the characters were pretty great, and the over the topness becomes just part of the characters personality, and you stop caring. Even Dylan's.
The thing everyone references are, well, the references. i do enjoy pretty much everything that was referenced heavily, but even so they did get too much on points - not necessarily this-page-features-5-references but more of a there's - been-a-constant-#-of-references-for-the-last-10pages-we,get,it. It anything it removes the impact of the referencing in some other bits that use it really well.
The ending
More enjoyable than the last, i think both cause and effect of getting to know the characters better, and their relationships with one another.
I am now in love with the characters, i feel their motivations and am rooting for them all! Can't wait for the next installment
pretty sure I'll just rate anything nick&charlie 5 stars. they're just... Nick&Charlie, yknow?
- great references to both the solitaire works and heartstopper. Or spoilers for those works, depends how you want to view it
- great references to both the solitaire works and heartstopper. Or spoilers for those works, depends how you want to view it
it took me a while to get into it. i still prefer her work in the heartstopper comics, but alice's development as a writer (between Radio Silence and Solitaire) is quite apparent. Hopefully will pick up the more recent I was Born for This soon, i am excited to see her writing develop further.
This story falls in the same universe of Solitaire, some years after. It follows Frances, a sixth former with high grades and a secret fangirl love with a podcast. Mixing present and past plotlines, we follow her through friendships as she figures out what she truly wants of her life and her future.
You love some LGBTQ+ rep? You got it! What a better way to celebrate pride month?! It was really cool to read a book where every person was LGBT and you don't notice it (i noticed this roght now, writing the review). The main character is a WOC and several other secondary characters are POC.
I still very much enjoyed her writing style, and the story was pretty cool.
The future-life-decision theme was very well approached and at some point i got invested enough to think "yeah maybe i won't go to uni! “ -... i am currently finishing my masters.
Finally, i hope Carol has a horrible life
This story falls in the same universe of Solitaire, some years after. It follows Frances, a sixth former with high grades and a secret fangirl love with a podcast. Mixing present and past plotlines, we follow her through friendships as she figures out what she truly wants of her life and her future.
You love some LGBTQ+ rep? You got it! What a better way to celebrate pride month?! It was really cool to read a book where every person was LGBT and you don't notice it (i noticed this roght now, writing the review). The main character is a WOC and several other secondary characters are POC.
I still very much enjoyed her writing style, and the story was pretty cool.
The future-life-decision theme was very well approached and at some point i got invested enough to think "yeah maybe i won't go to uni! “ -... i am currently finishing my masters.
Finally, i hope Carol has a horrible life
3.5 very empowering words; mad props to amanda to putting sp much of herself really out there in the pages of this book. Really fast read. Would recommend if you like the likes of milk&honey // poetry with feminist and other social justice themes