As mentioned in my
first post about the Lewis Barnavelt series by John Bellairs, I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in the series but afterward they became progressively less pleasurable to read.
The Figure in the Shadows &
The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring are the second and third books by John Bellairs in this series and supposedly they were meant to end there. However, another author continued on from where he left off with some of the notes Bellairs left behind. (I'll be reading exactly one more of these before I call it quits, ya'll.) So keeping all of that in mind let's get on with the reviews!
I gobbled up
The Figure in the Shadows in one sitting. This could lead you to believe that I thoroughly enjoyed it but really it was super short coming in at 160 pages with quite a few of Mercer Mayer's illustrations sprinkled throughout adding to that number. The plot of this installment revolves around an amulet which Lewis acquires and which seems to hold a 'spirit' of some kind which he has awakened and which turns out to be rather malevolent. (If you think this sounds similar to the first book you're not alone.) Once again, he keeps this a secret from his uncle and the witchy neighbor, Mrs. Zimmerman, next door. Instead he shares his discovery with his new friend, Rose Rita, who is virtually Lewis's opposite in every conceivable way. I will say that Lewis is a unique character in that he's not brave, overly intelligent (although a voracious reader), good looking, talented (described as quite fat), or particularly good-natured (in fact he's rather whiny and prone to childish fits of anger). He doesn't fit the prescribed parameters of a typical protagonist. He's bullied and anxious about the possibility of even
being bullied or 'bawled out' by adults. (I was nervous about the latter through my adolescence as well so in that regard I can relate.) Magic + mystery + misadventure = the plot 5/10
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| Source: Amazon |
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| Mercer Mayer's work. (Edited as original post credited Edward Gorey.) [Source: Pinterest] |
And then there was
The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring which focused almost entirely on Rose Rita and Mrs. Zimmerman's adventures over the summer while Lewis was at Boy Scout Camp. (So why then is this often referred to as
The Lewis Barnavelt Series?) Rose Rita is a full-fledged tomboy and is dissatisfied with being a girl. She wants a chance to prove herself and she gets the perfect opportunity when Mrs. Zimmerman becomes afflicted by dark magic and then mysteriously vanishes. [A/N: Richard Egielski is the illustrator of this volume and has a much different style.] If you haven't picked up on this by now it seems as if Bellairs sticks to the same narrative with only slight variations which is the main reason why this series got so stale by the second book. I don't have a lot of hope for the fourth but maybe with a different author at the helm (books up until 2008 and they began in the early 70s) there will be an uptick in excitement and narrative diversity. 3/10
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| Compare the illustrative styles from the first two books. While all are enjoyable they evoke quite different feelings.[Source: Tumblr] |
What's Up Next:
One Step at a Time by Sara Y. Aharon
What I'm Currently Reading:
Founding Mothers: The Women who Raised our Nation by Cokie Roberts
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