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Falcon Quinn And The Black Mirror (2010)

by Jennifer Finney Boylan(Favorite Author)

3.93 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0061728322 (ISBN13: 9780061728327)

languge

English

genre

Paranormal Fantasy

publisher

Katherine Tegen Books

series

Falcon Quinn

review 1: If there’s one type of story that’s popular right now, it’s the one where special children go somewhere special to learn how to do special things. Two of the biggest franchises in the world share this common theme. Harry Potter sends children to a magical school to become witches and wizards. Percy Jackson sends demigod children to a special summer camp to learn how to control their powers. And now Jennifer Finley Boylan attempts to capitalize on this popular subject with Falcon Quinn and the Black Mirror. Does she succeed? Well… no. Read on to find out why.So, what is Falcon Quinn about? It takes place in our world, where monsters have been driven into hiding by pitchfork wielding mobs. Whenever a monster child comes of age, they are brought to Castle Gri... moresleigh- the Academy for Monsters (such an imaginative name, right?). Titular character Falcon Quinn and his two friends, Max and Megan, are taken there against their will to be taught how to control their monstrous natures.Let me get my main complaint with this book out of the way: I HATE THESE CHARACTERS! They are completely one dimensional, and very, very annoying. Falcon is your typical brooding main character, having such a mild personality that it’s almost nonexistent. Max is the six foot tall seventh grader with severe hyperactivity problems. Megan is the emo girl who hates everybody for being happier than she is. Their entire character is laid out in front of you the moment you meet them, leaving nothing to the imagination. Falcon sulks about how they have to go to school in the snow. Max hoots and hollers like he’s on a roller coaster. Megan pouts and wishes all three of them were dead. Characters you meet later on are no better. Pearl calls herself the chupacabra, but a more accurate term would be “loud mouthed Tinkerbell with a stinger.” She is overconfident, and never at a loss for words. Maybe it’s just me, but I tend not to like characters who plant their fists on their hips whenever they speak. There’s also Lincoln the nerdy werebear, who predictably tries to find the logical explanation for all the freaky crap going on around him. This story has an interesting concept, but it is absolutely ruined by these horrible characters.The next thing I need to address is the school itself. While “The Academy for Monsters” is quite likely the most unoriginal name Boylan could have come up with, the name is the least of your problems. First of all, the school is a castle. Wow, Hogwarts much? Again, not that big a deal. The thing that really turned me off was the attitude of the school. The teachers are all portrayed as unsympathetic idiots. “Oh, you just got taken away from your parents and you have no idea where you are? That’s nice, get back in line.” They claim that they only want to teach the children how to control their monster instincts, which, according to Boylan, is a bad thing. Naturally, the children cry foul about this, claiming that the teachers are making them be who they don’t want to be. Conformity is bad, I am not who you want me to be, I want to live my own life, yadda yadda yadda. While I’m not one to oppose being who you want to be in life, the teacher’s make it clear that they only want to teach the students NOT TO EAT PEOPLE! Hardly a malicious goal, don’t you think? But according to the author, if a child wants to eat someone, they should have the right to eat someone.Now, there is one thing I liked about this book, and that’s how Boylan makes fun of vampires. With our culture’s current obsession with the undead bloodsuckers, it would only be natural for them to be on top of the monster school’s popularity pyramid. The two we meet early on are total divas. I enjoyed the author poking fun at them like this, especially when one is identified, instead, as being a giant enchanted slug. Unfortunately, two humorous characters cannot save an otherwise horrible book.I’ll be completely honest here: I only got a few chapters into the story. Why, might you ask, am I writing a review on it then? Perhaps it gets better later on. Maybe the characters get more depth further into the story. Maybe there’s a plot twist that would really grab my interest. While these are all entirely possible, I just don’t care enough to wait for them to happen. The beginning of the book is painful to read, and it failed to capture my imagination in the slightest. I shouldn’t have to endure lengthy sections of terrible writing just to get to the good parts- if there are any good parts at all. A more dedicated reader than me might be able to keep going, and may possibly be rewarded for it, but I just don’t care enough for the characters, the setting, or the story in general to continue wading through amateurish prose, and expecting me to do so is a bad move on the writer’s part. The entire book should be exciting and engaging, not just the later parts (and that’s assuming, again, that there are any good parts at all).In the end, Falcon Quinn and the Black Mirror had a decent idea. Children going to school to learn how to repress their violent natures instead of embracing them could have turned into a pretty cool story. Unfortunately, Boylan failed this attempt by filling the story with annoying characters with idiotic ideals. I really wanted to like it, but there’s nothing in it for me to like. If you’re able to look past these flaws better than I could, then perhaps you’ll find something to enjoy, but I wouldn’t recommend buying this book unless you find it for $5 or less in a bargain bin.
review 2: Fun, fun, fun, fun book! :) Silly, inventive fantasy novel where some ordinary kids find out they are monsters when they arrive at a monster academy. Great characters and friendships, and a good message about being true to yourself. Definitely recommended for readers who like fantasy and mild/silly humor - very middle grade friendly. Also, if you're a parent who wants a book that is fun and funny but has a good moral about being true to yourself, this is good for you. Jennifer Finney Boylan wrote it for her kids, and I think it fills a niche nicely. less

Download links for: Falcon Quinn and the Black Mirror

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