Reviewed by clementine on
This book simply wasn't as gripping as the His Dark Materials trilogy, partially because it clearly felt like the setup for something bigger and partially because I just missed Lyra's insolence. Malcolm was a strong character, and I liked the development of background characters from the original series (Hannah especially!). I'm not absolutely sure HDM needed an origin story, and I'm very wary of the trend of rebooting beloved series, but I think this was pretty good as these things go. Philip Pullman's writing is always stunning, and the illustrations in the collector's edition were gorgeous too. The focus on earthiness (and wateriness...) was interesting as compared to the more high-minded feeling of the original trilogy. An enjoyable read, but I think it's pretty clear that this is for fans of His Dark Materials. I have to say I am pretty excited for book two coming out in the fall, because it's about Lyra as a young adult and that is something I want to know about so badly (while also being nervous about how it'll go).
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 12 May, 2019: Finished reading
- 12 May, 2019: Reviewed