YA Review: The Islands of Chaldea
Aileen comes from a long line of magic makers, and her Aunt Beck is the most powerful magician on Skarr. But Aileen's magic has yet to reveal itself, even though she is old enough and it should have, by now. When Aileen is sent over the sea on a mission for the King, she worries that she'll be useless and in the way. A powerful (but mostly invisible) cat changes all of that-and with every obstacle Aileen faces, she becomes stronger and more confident, until her magic blooms. This stand-alone novel, by the beloved and acclaimed author of such classic fantasy novels as Howl's Moving Castle and the Chrestomanci books, will be welcomed by fans old and new.First Sentence:
Porridge is my Aunt Beck's answer to everything.
Roughly twenty months and two reads after the release of The Islands of Chaldea, otherwise known as the final book by one of my all-time favorite authors, Diana Wynne Jones, I am ready to talk about it. I'll tell you this, I was so sad to know that this was the final new book I would ever read from her because I just adored her writing and the characters she created.
There's no point beating around the bush since I already mentioned that I read The Islands of Chaldea twice in one year. So, the obvious answer is resounding "Yes". While I may be a little biased since I am a huge fan of Diana Wynne Jones' work, but, I really, really enjoyed her final book. What I ended up liking most about it though, like her other books, was the writing and the world she created. Just diving into the world and writing made for some fun times on reading it; though mixed with a tinge of sadness.
One of the things I found myself loving most about Aileen was how she preserved through to the end even when things went majorly wrong. There was something about her stubbornness and will the finish the mission (okay, maybe they were just trying to get rid of her Aunt and a certain prince), but I really enjoyed how she kept pushing forward as things fell more apart (trust me everything pretty much crumbles at least twice).
To my "reader's eye" there were a couple themes running throughout The Islands of Chaldea- the need for communication, jealousy, and that of not giving up. You know what, I really enjoyed the way those elements combined with the world building. Yet what I liked most about the actual story was how it reminded me of my favorite books of hers while still being good enough to stand on its own right.
Guys, this book is so good from the writing and world all the way to the plot and characterizations. I just loved it to pieces and am already thinking on when I read it for the third time. Yeah, you know you enjoyed a book when you want to start it over after just finishing it; or when just thinking about it has you ready to crack it open for another go.
Final Verdict: The Islands of Chaldea- Just read it!!! Better yet- READ ALL OF HER BOOKS AND BE EPICALLY HAPPY (after all the feels that is)!!!!
The Islands of Chaldea earns
I love Diana Wynne Jones's books. Thank you for sharing this one with me. It's sad hearing this is the last of them.
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