Seven days. Seven keys. Seven virtues. Seven sins. One mysterious house is the doorway to a very mysterious world -- where one boy is about to venture and unlock a number of fantastical secrets. This is another thrilling, triumphantly imaginative series from Garth Nix, the best-selling author of THE SEVENTH TOWER, SABRIEL, and LIRAEL.Title and author of book: Mister Monday: Keys to the Kingdom (Book 1) by Garth Nix
Fiction or non-fiction? Genre? Young Adult Fiction. Fantasy.
What led you to pick up this book? I have read Sabriel by him, but I didn't love it as much as others. Before attempting to finish that series, I thought I would detour and see if I like this one better.
Summarize the plot, but don’t give away the ending! See above...
What did you like most about the book? It's the titles of the books in this series that first really interested me. I thought a series that took after the days of the week was very creative. I found this book readable. It was an interesting storyline. I think the beginning of the book really caught my interest. I won't go into a lot of detail because then it would be a spoiler! I mainly just liked the many ways that Nix incorporated books and book related things into the book. If all the series has this in common, I think I will be in for a treat!
What did you like least? The writing was a bit too juvenile for my taste. That's what the series is marketed to, though, so it makes sense. It just didn't always work well for me.
Have you read any other books by this author? What did you think of those books? Just Sabriel, which I mentioned above. I have the sequel to this out from the library but haven't read it yet.
What did you think of the main character? I don't really have a strong response to him. I didn't love him and I didn't hate him. To be truthful, Mister Monday and his team have stuck in my mind better than the main character. I think they were very memorably written, while the main character was pretty average. I believe he is the main character to the whole series, though, so he might become more alive for me as I read.
What about the ending? It is set up for a sequel, but not in an annoying way.
Not my favourite book ever, but a fun series. If just for the book theme I will continue reading it. I am a nerd that way!
I am not sure whether I will read this or not. I enjoyed the Sabriel series but not quite enough to invest myself in this one, if you know what I mean.
ReplyDeleteThis series is really popular at my middle school library where I work. I have had Mister Monday on my own shelves for years...guess I better dust it off and read it huh? Very Fun review!!
ReplyDeleteI think I have the LIRAEL series but haven't started on it. Gotta do so soon...
ReplyDeleteWoo - got onto your blog! Looks good, by the way.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny when adults read YA or watch series like BBC's Robin Hood that is essentially a family-oriented series. When the story pulls back from adult-style edgyness, I find sometimes the adult readers/viewers forget the target audience. I like your mention of the YA aspect in your review for Keys to The Kingdom.
I love middle school fiction, so I'll give this book a try.
ReplyDeleteMeghan: Yeah, this is very much a library-only series with me. :)
ReplyDeleteStaci: I hope you enjoy it!
Alice: I read Sabriel, but that's it. I own book two, though. Should really read it!
Julia: YAY! I am so happy it is working for you. I changed some settings. :)
Vasilly: I could see you enjoying this
I liked the Sabriel series, but oddly enough, I haven't started on these books yet. Not sure why, I think I would probably like them since I really liked the Sabriel books. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the Abhorsen trilogy and recently read Across the Wall which is a collection of his short stories. I haven't tried these though. Like you I like the titles and the names of the days of the week. I will wait and see what you think of the next couple before diving in.
ReplyDelete