Wednesday, December 31, 2014
The Wrath of Mulgarath (The Spiderwick Chronicles #5) by Holly Black and Tony Di'Terlizzi
A horde of goblins have attacked the Grace house and taken the kids' mother. Along with several of the new friends they made amongst the fae creatures they venture to the forbidden junkyard, the home of the monster Mulgarath who has also taken their prized field guide.
This book is a great conclusion to the series. There's a lot of action and danger and everything is wrapped up nicely.
My overall feeling about the series is that all five of these 'books' should just be one single book! It was a great series, well-told, aptly illustrated, but it was all one real story that should have been contained in a single book. That way there could be sequels and we could learn more about the Grace kids and the field guide. But, oh well, they split them up into this series that has a lot of potential but has suddenly ended.
Reading Level: B
Story: 4
A very good ending to this series.
Characters: 4
Some great new characters are introduced including Mulgarath, who turns out to be a right nasty villain.
Style: 4
I felt the style worked well for the story.
Cover: 4
Decent covers that fit the story.
Presentation: 5
The art work is fantastic and is a great example of story and art melding together.
Epicness: 2
It has great potential but is far too short to be epic.
Final Score: 3.83
The Ironwood Tree (The Spiderwick Chronicles #4) by Holly Black and Tony Di'Terlizzi
After a great fencing match (during which Jared gets himself into trouble), Mallory suddenly disappears from the school grounds where the match took place. Jared and Simon race off to find her and track her down to the old quarry across the street. When they get into the quarry, however, they find themselves trapped along with their sister by a large group of dwarves.
The book really picks up the adventure again. There's real danger and heroics which were lacking in the previous book.
Reading Level: B
Story: 4
I really enjoyed the adventure.
Characters: 4
Although the dwarves are quite generic in their dwarviness, I did enjoy the world that they were building underground.
Style: 4
I felt the style worked well for the story.
Cover: 4
Decent covers that fit the story.
Presentation: 5
The art work is fantastic and is a great example of story and art melding together.
Epicness: 2
It has great potential but is far too short to be epic.
Final Score: 3.83
The Seeing Stone (The Spiderwick Chronicles #2) by Holly Black and Tony Di'Terlizzi
Jared's new fairy friend Thimbletack warns him to get rid of the field guide before something terrible happens. Just then something terrible does happen when Simon is kidnapped by invisible monsters. Thimbletack helps Jared find the seeing the stone, which allows him to see all the mysterious creatures of the world, then he and Mallory set out into the woods in an attempt to rescue their brother.
I liked this book more than the first. We get to meet more of the mysterious creatures from the field guide, plus there is a lot more danger and adventure. The thing that bothers me the most though is that it just feels like a couple more chapters of the first book that I read, not a complete book on it's own.
Reading Level: B
Story: 4
I enjoyed the story a lot but I still wanted more.
Characters: 4
It was great getting to see a variety of the creatures from the field guide.
Style: 4
I felt the style worked well for the story.
Cover: 4
Decent covers that fit the story.
Presentation: 5
The art work is fantastic and is a great example of story and art melding together.
Epicness: 2
It has great potential but is far too short to be epic.
Final Score: 3.83
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