Title: Flood and Fang
Author: Marcus Sedgwick
Rating: ☆☆(☆☆☆)
2/5 Stars
Marcus Sedwick is, by far, my favorite undiscovered author. Alright, perhaps he's just undiscovered here in the U.S. I've never been able to find his books in stores; I always have to order them online or get my dad to pick them up in Heathrow Airport. So when he brought home this new title, I was excited, to say the least.
Unfortunately, Flood and Fang did not live up to Sedgwick's other titles. The Raven Mysteries (the series from which Flood and Fang is book 1) are intended for a younger audience than Sedgwick's other books. In my opinion, he is at his best when the material is a little darker. The nemesis of Flood and Fang, a slimy crocodile of sorts, is not nearly as believable as Sedgwick's vampires or witches from other titles. In attempts to make the book more kid-friendly, Sedgwick has lost his flair for horror.
Maybe I would find Flood and Fang scary if I was younger, but I just don't think this book cuts it. As entertaining as the narration was (done by an ancient raven, Edgar), I just couldn't get hooked.
ISBN: 978-1842556924
Price: $12.99, hardcover
Pages: 256
I would have read this book based on the cover alone (the cartoons are cute :P), but after reading your review I'm not so sure... I must check out The Raven Mysteries though.
ReplyDeleteThe cartoons are definitely cute and they're sprinkled throughout the entire book. I think I didn't like it because it's a children's book, so the story is a little more simple. It was definitely fun to read, but I wasn't blown away. Check Marcus Sedgwick out if you haven't already. He's an amazing author!
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