review 1: I received this book free through Goodreads First reads.When this book arrived, my son saw it and then kept nagging me to read it quickly so he could have it! The picture on the front really appealed to him and his love of fantasy/adventure books. It didn't take long to read the book as it is quite short, it is a lovely little story, which I am sure is aimed at children, but is perfectly readable by adults. I really liked that the story wasn't too scary or sad, so I felt happy giving it to my 9 year old son. I am now off to read part two. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to enjoy these books. review 2: Very cute for a younger audience. I liked the idea and the fantasy elements, but there were some inconsistencies and the writing was a little choppy. ... more He kept alternating between telling the story, telling a joke, and addressing the reader, which in and of itself is not a problem but it didn't always flow. I encountered a couple instances where I was a little confused, like why did Mattie have to go rescue Meris when what ended up happening when she got there was Meris helped Mattie get out? So wouldn't it follow that Meris could get out by himself? Also, why was Meris a gopher/squirrel creature? I don't take issue with talking animals per se, but there were no other talking animals in either world, so I wasn't sure why that detail was included. And the way Del and Mattie's friendship was described was not really natural, the whole enemies become friends thing but there isn't enough evidence to see why they were enemies in the first place or why they became friends. And what Mattie did at the end was rather gruesome, but everyone just shrugged and went along their merry way without any psychological turmoil. So despite the long list, the instances were fairly minor to the plot, and overall I was interested in the story. I hope that in the following books he tightens up his writing; it could be a great series. less
