Hey everyone! I started reading again! Why you ask? Well, in English, we have to read a book at the start of class. I, however, am a picky reader. I like fantasy books the most and rarely like any other genre, but I usually will like those genres if put in graphic novel format. I, however, REALLY hate books that
- Have horror as their genre (as in serial killers in realistic fiction and all)
- Start out as an action-adventure but then become a slice-of-life book (all of those missed opportunities!!!)
- Books (usually manga) that have a main protagonist who is REALLY OVERPOWERED and pretty much can get everything done perfectly (because what’s the point of going on adventures if you won’t grow from them?)
- Books that don’t put good use in a character’s potential (again, those missed opportunities!!!)
- Books that end on a cliffhanger/downer ending! Especially if they are standalone stories (why ruin the satisfaction of finishing a book anyway?)
So saying, I looked for any fantasy book that I could find and read it.
But choosing a fantasy book is usually a double-edged sword in selective reading choices: yes, I do read the books, but once I start reading, I can’t stop. So I finished reading the book “Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes” by Jonathan Auxier in only a matter of days! And this is what I have to say about it:
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The story of Peter Nimble starts off with him as a baby. When Peter was a little baby, he was found in a basket floating at sea, where he was found by sailors.
A raven came along with him, heavily implied to be the creature that picked out his eyes and ate them. After killing the raven with disgust, the sailors took the young boy back to their town, where they made him wander around the streets, as they had no desire to care for a now-blind baby (wooooww, they’re such geniuses. sending a kid out in the streets, give them a round of applause).
Despite him having no parents of his own, the baby was given the name Peter Nimble, after a nursery song remembered wrong (a mix of Peter Piper and Jack be Nimble). Now alone, little Peter then had to steal and navigate the world to survive without his sight.
One day, he is taken by an abusive man named Mr. Seamus. Despite his harsh demeanor and treatment to poor Peter, he teaches the boy of master thievery, such as picking locks with his bare hands, smell his surroundings to locate around them and expert lying. He also was trained to be very agile. Poor Peter was usually not fed much, however, and the poor boy was always unhappy around that darned Seamus.
Until one day, he receives a box from a mysterious haberdasher, which contain a set of eyes, one gold, one onyx, and the last one, emerald. He puts the gold pair of eyes on and gets teleported away to a new world!
After a bunch of shenanigans, he now has to save a group of people trapped in a place called the Vanished Kingdom. He’s not alone, of course! He still has the eyes on his side and also has a sidekick: a knight named Sir Tode cursed by a hag long ago to become a cat-horse hybrid, and possibly the last trace of magical wonder besides the eyes in this strange new world…
Will Peter meet his destiny in this swashbuckling adventure? Or will the people of the Vanished Kingdom… well, vanish? Find out in Jonathan Auxier’s “Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes”!
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The book itself is addictive. It’s written in a way where you will remember everything it tells you. I really like it how they show Peter’s flaws and character development through the story, and I really liked Sir Tode as a character. He was fun to imagine!
I will say that The Reveal is a bit confusing, along with the climax. I won’t spoil it, but it really makes me wonder if the good guys are even good guys at one point?
Overall, the book is a charming, addictive tale for middle schoolers and up, despite its confusing story points. There is also a sequel, which I haven’t read yet.
Overall: 8/10.
Happy reading!
– Nova S