The Leninist Lemon

A book review blog focusing on young adult fiction.

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Charlie Bone and the Hidden King by Jenny Nimmo

I am skipping working on ochem right now to post, because I have the warm fuzzy feeling of just having finished a good book, and needed to write about it. Even if everything tied up a little too neatly at the end, it's still happymaking because I can pretend that that's how it really would have gone. And who knows, maybe it would have.

So, this is the last book in the series *sniff* I do wish it had a bit more after the dramatic climax, or an epilogue type thing, although I understand why it ended where it did. Man, these books are so awesome. Even if they are total harry potter ripoffs, it's a ripoff with a different setting and new characters and new plots, if that makes any sense. I should mention though: dude, a mirror that you can communicate with someone with. Did anyone else think of Sirius's mirror that he gave to Harry? Cause yeah, similarities. Handheld mirror, magical, and although harry's was for two-way communication, the charlie bone mirror could "bring you right to wherever the person you were thinking of was" and as such brought Charlie to his father. Also, in the harry potter ripoff category, we have charlie hiding underneath a table and a grand dinner party listening to the Bloors talk about (lies, as it turned out) important family history regarding Charlie, and even talk about Charlie a fair bit - since Charlie is one of the main threats to the Bloors. Dude, just like in the third book where harry is in the invisibility cloak listening to Madam Rosmerta talk about James. Same sort of thing, hiding while getting astoundingly important info about - well about their fathers in both cases. They're very similar characters too - the "average" student, but brave and attracts trouble and adventure even though he doesn't really ask for it, also somewhat impulsive and clueless and naiive. Very interesting. But this is a tiresome subject.

Olivia so kicks ass. Emma too. Why can't we see more of them? They're so awesome when we get to hear about them, only we hear about them so little. Maybe this is also a bit my gripe about the lack of girls in this series. Kind of like harry potter where it's mostly male but then you have a couple token girls. And, dude, dumping Olivia and her mother in the kitchen while the boys fought the sorcerer was so not on. I'm not quite so sure I should jump to labeling this sexist, but it sure seemed like it. I understand why they'd want to keep Olivia's mother out of the way - the enchanter put a spell on Charlie's mother and plus her mother is a slight ditz. But dude, Olivia has illusion powers! She could so help in the fight. Although, the other side of this is that maybe Charlie didn't want Olivia to give herself away, as her endowment is, so far secret. But that was not said or implied, so unless someone can come up with a decent explanation for this, a label it a bit sexist.

The incredibly background Asa storyline - very cool, all of it, but barely mentioned, and not gone into deep enough. Why? A very good storyline - dude, one of the key characters changes sides! I honestly think Nimmo should have substituted the Maisie storyline with an Asa storyline. The reason I suppose that Asa saved Emma and then joined the good guys at the end was because, as an animal halfish the time (at night) he felt the "dark chill" I suppose that all the animals felt before they ran away, and so wanted to work to eradicate it. Also, as soon as Mr. Ominous agreed to pretend to be the "person under 20 required for the spell" I knew that Asa was going to come join them at the last minute. Very predictable, but still rather a clever cool thing - that so so could have been drawn out and plotted more. I don't believe Asa says a word in this book. There could have been something - because clearly Asa wouldn't be so down with having to change sides, to change friends etc., so we should have heard more about that. Or, or! He could have even been a morally ambiguous character, which would have been awesome, you know, he joins the circle, (by the way, how awesome and pagan was that spell at the end?) helps their spell, but then goes back to not really being with them, but kind of doing his own thing. Like, I want to get rid of the dark chill but I don't want to help any farther. That would have been way interesting, and the series still could have ended on that note.

Putting the a chapter of the book in Charlie's mother's point of view - very interesting, even though it was just a small chunk, and she was under a spell the whole time. You don't get adults' points of view very much in children's books, for obvious reasons (it's got to be the young person that saves the day, after all.) Makes me sort of wonder how many times it's been done before. Like, I know harry potter would do that for some chapters, but that's not young adult the way charlie bone is young adult (more like children's, I suppose, but it's borderline.)

Ships: Emma/Asa! Fanfiction, where are you? C'mon, Asa saves Emma, and it's really rather cute, even if it's very much for only a minute and he doesn't say anything (he's in beast form). And the whole am-i-good-or-am-i-bad angst. Totally fanfic material, I am telling you. A rewrite of that scene! Where Asa had been saying a few things to Emma throughout the year, and then her questions about his loyalties culminate with that scene, and then they change shape and talk, or something. Could be cool. Charlie/Olivia as usual, and then Tancred/Lysander also as usual (c'mon they even share a chair for a sentence.)

Kids' Books Are Dirtier Than You Think: Ummm.... the only thing I can think here is that Charlie's mother being enchanted by the enchanter brought about some possibly adult themes, though more in the "so I wonder if...." variety than anything textual or subtextual. I think there was something else as well, but I always forget to post-it mark my books, so that'll have to be it.

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