 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Dreamdark Series
- By Laini Taylor
- Genre: Fantasy
Common Sense Media says
Exciting faerie series with a fantastic tomboy heroine.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this faerie series has fantasy violence that includes battles between faeries and creatures called devils, but, refreshingly, the faeries try to capture the devils, not kill them. In the first book a rather menacing devil called a Blackbringer sucks victims into an abyss. In Silksinger, a character is mutilated but later restored to his former self. There are some sad deaths, but because the main character can visit the Moonlit Gardens (faerie heaven), the characters are never really gone. Girls rule here, and young Magpie at the center of the series is a fierce, brave warrior who is also a great friend to her band of crows. Crows smoke frequently, and there's some swearing in faerie dialect that sounds quaint rather than crass.
What's the story?
This series centers on the world of faeries at an age when "mannies" are plentiful and faerie civilization is on the decline. All seven Djinn who created the world (all but the mannies), in a deep sleep hidden throughout the world, are allowing the decline to continue. That is until a faerie sprout named Magpie Windwitch, who for years had been on devil-capturing quests with a gaggle of crows, decides to wake the Djinn King in order to stop a powerful devil named the Blackbringer from taking over her native Dreamdark. She must convince him that faeries are worth saving before she can conquer the devil and find the other Djinn.
Is it any good?
Dreamdark: Blackbringer
This intro to the series bogs down ocassionally with detail in this
richly envisioned faerie world (complete with art from the author), but
the writing is so engaging readers will hardly notice. Magpie is a
fantastic heroine -- the ultimate scrappy tomboy, resourceful, brave,
and kind of quirky. Once the action ramps up and the true nature of the
hiddeous Blackbringer is established, readers will be racing to finish
and start the next one.
Dreamdark: Silksinger
Whisper, a faerie who can weave silk with her voice, is escaping devils
with a Djinn asleep in a lowly tea kettle. She tries to find passage
across the mountains to safety and meets the champion Hirik, a brave
but secret-laden faerie also after the Djinn, and redemption for his
clan. This installment is even more action-packed, with more devils to
fight and more characters to root for. Also, heroism and strength come
from unexpected places.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about great knee-high-to-a-grasshopper heroes and heroines. Like Magpie here, and Frodo in The Lord of the Rings. What makes someone heroic?
Families can also talk about how these faeries are different from the pink, tutu-frilly fairies. Why do you think there is so much variation to the myth? Which faeries do you prefer?
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AGE
Read the book and it is a good book for kids 12 and up for thous how love action and fanctey, it is good for both boys and girls.
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AGE
An enchanting read, Magpie, the crows, and Talon will have readers speeding through the pages. A book which starts with action and ends hanging it will have readers dying to read the sequel.
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| Author: | Laini Taylor |
| Illustrator: | Laini Taylor |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Fantasy |
| Publisher: | Firebird |
| Publication date: | June 21, 2007 |
| Number of pages: | 437 |
| Hardcover price: | $17.99 |
| Paperback price: | $9.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 10 - 14 |
| Read aloud: | 11 |
| Read alone: | 11 |
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