Fantasy

I was a big fan of the Artemis Fowl series growing up and was interested to see how Eoin Colfer’s adult novels would fare in comparison. At a first glance Highfire reads unlike any of his childrens/YA novels with it’s namesake booze-drinking, adulterating dragon (with as the book would describe, very large balls which can be retracted… yes you read that right), Southern bayou slang, and a host of questionably gray characters. Not only that but the teenage human protag Everett “Squib” could be see as the polar opposite of Artemis Fowl being a school-averse, bayou exploring swamp kid with a history of getting into adolescent trouble. For anyone who has read Colfer’s other works, the colorful language and crude humor can be jarring (I personally found it highly entertaining, you can just imagine Colfer letting loose with giddy excitement with how much crass language and surpassingly violent descriptions are featured). However once the characters are introduced, I could see some of Colfer’s signature strengths and expected elements coming through. While having completely different personalities, Artemis Fowl and Squib share the same element of growing up without a fatherly learning figure and finding it within a older sassy or prickly…

Note: The following review for this book is old and does not meet current review standards. A fully rewritten review is planned. I feel like there’s two common themes left by many negative reviews for this one, so before I say anything else: 1) This book is a work of fiction and despite it involving themes of depression and suicide, this is by no means a self-help guide for people feeling depressed. Neither should one assume the protag’s feelings or thoughts on the matter are representative for everyone who has ever felt depressed as depression is such a personal and varied thing for people. 2) It’s called The Midnight Library and the library serves as a plot element as well as a metaphor for one’s internal state of mind. Majority of the story does NOT take place in a library and the books are also a metaphor for “what if” scenarios in her life. This is a novel more akin to a drama-based, non-thriller take on the Butterfly Effect, NOT a novel about reading or literature (did they even read the synposis?). Points aside, I found the concept interesting and the progression of the plot and internal thoughts of the protag…

Note: My original review for this book is old and does not meet current review standards. A fully rewritten review is planned.