Wednesday, September 21, 2011

The Monster in the Hollows
The Wingfeather Saga - Book Three by Andrew Peterson

Blog Tour - Day 3
(The Final day)

Sometime Life Throws a Curve, Just When You think You Have Things Figured Out.

(click image for Amazon link or click link below) The Monster in the Hollows - available from:

Book link - https://store.rabbitroom.com/books/the-monster-in-the-hollows
Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Hollows-Wingfeather-Saga/dp/0982621434/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316311564&sr=1-1
Series Web site
- http://www.WingfeatherSaga.com/
Author’s Web site - http://www.andrew-peterson.com/



I received a review copy from Rabbit Room Store of The Monster in the Hollows
in conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour

The Monster in the Hollows opens in a ship's hold with Janner recovering from Kalmar's attack.
I remember thinking that the book had barely started and here Janner was withe aches and pains. The Wingfeather family just has one thing after another thrown at them. The family's tragic journey keeps going from bad to worse. It makes for good story, and suspense, but how much should a person have to take? Then I remembered the story of Job. The Wingfeather crew shares some similarities with the Old testament man of God. Job never wavered in his faith even when life went from bad to worse. The Wingfeather family lost their house overlooking the ocean after a Fang attack. Terrible foes attack and mistreat them. Yet, through it all the Wingfeathers hold on to their faith in The Maker and see him as their ultimate deliverer from harm.
Plans seem confounded at every turn, and expectations disappointed. But, it's not The Maker who brings the trouble but others acting on personal grudges or for personal gain. After winning their way across The Dark Sea of Darkness , I still like that title, Janner and his family are attacked by those they expected aid from. People change and people who survived hardship change even more. The Green Hollows were still green, but the Holish people had withdrawn from outsiders more than before in order to survive. Then, the unexpected treatment of Kalmar and by extension his mother, made me wonder why the Wingfeathers even bothered going to the Hollows.
After reading about their arrival is when I wondered if a part of the story is things happen to us or because of us for a reason. Did Leeli need to learn Hound speak? Did janner and Kalmar need to learn how to spy and protect each other? And did the people of the Green hollows need to learn that their choice to cut themselves off might eventually cause them more harm than good? A bad choice by Kalmar could still bring something good out of it later because The Maker sees what is to come, and not only what has already passed. AS i mentioned in an earlier post this week, I thought book three in the series was a little darker than the previous books. But sometimes we need to go through the valley before we strengthen enough to move up the mountain side and into the sunlight.
Once again Andrew Peterson wove a great tale. This book developed the characters and their story, and treated readers to the background story of how Podo Helmer, the children's grandfather, literally fought for his wife. It was a fun read. Hats off to Mr. Peterson's engaging tale. Sadly only one book remains in the Wingfeather Saga.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011



The Monster in the Hollows


The Wingfeather Saga - Book Three by Andrew Peterson



Blog Tour - Day 2

Guilding, What's Your Gift?

(click image for Amazon link or click link below) The Monster in the Hollows - available from:

Book link - https://store.rabbitroom.com/books/the-monster-in-the-hollows
Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Hollows-Wingfeather-Saga/dp/0982621434/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316311564&sr=1-1
Series Web site
- http://www.WingfeatherSaga.com/
Author’s Web site - http://www.andrew-peterson.com/





I received a review copy from Rabbit Room Store of The Monster in the Hollows
in conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour

What's Guilding? It's the Holish equivalent of specialized training. Peterson's regular education followed by your speciality makes sense. Students are allowed to study their area of interest. The three Wingfeather children meet an interesting character named Head Guildmadam Groundwich. Tall and powerful, the Head Guildmadam is described as a "ten-whiskered woman." When I read her description, the image that came to mind was someone like a female Hagrid from the Harry potter series. I wasn't sure if this was a possible antagonist, or a potential ally. It turned out Olumphia Groundwich hadn't fit in when she first attended the guild hall. The other students had picked on her and Nia had been her only friend. The idea of sticking by your friends and being considerate of other's feelings seems a reoccurring theme. The Wingfeather family are frequently saved by the kindness of friends.


Olumphia - her name reminded me of Mount Olympus - tours the children to the various guilds. Leeli has a way with animals and is assigned to the Houndry; a place for ... hounds. Janner and Kalmar are taken to classes with interesting names like the juicery, the needlery, the bookbindery - which Janner especially liked, and the boatery. There were other guilds of course, but these all came with active sounding names that described what they did. One of the things I enjoy about Peterson's stories are his creative names for people, places, and things.

I wondered if the guilds were in the book to represent our God-given gifts or life skills. Janner wanted to take the bookbindery classes, and the houndry was a perfect fit for Leeli. Kalmar was another matter. Like I mentioned in yesterday's blog, he still felt buyer's remorse over his choices and wasn't sure he would fit in with any guild. As the family find out, The Maker always has a handle on what is happening, and things happen for a reason. Leeli's training comes in handy during a confrontation. Later, Kalmar and his Throne Warden find their guild training was needed too.

Tomorrow I'll talk about the need to keep changing your plans. Life happens.


Tomorrow: Sometime Life Throws a Curve, Just When You think You Have Things Figured Out.





*Participants’ links:
Gillian Adams
Red Bissell
Jennifer Bogart
Thomas Clayton Booher
Beckie Burnham
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
Cynthia Dyer
Amber French
Nikole Hahn
Ryan Heart
Timothy Hicks
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Shannon McDermott
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirriam Neal
* Eve Nielsen
Joan Nienhuis
Donita K. Paul
Sarah Sawyer
Chawna Schroeder
Tammy Shelnut
Kathleen Smith
Donna Swanson
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
Nicole White
Rachel Wyant

Monday, September 19, 2011





The Monster in the Hollows




The Wingfeather Saga - Book Three by Andrew Peterson





Blog Tour - Day 1



Not All Monsters Are Scary Looking



(click image for Amazon link or click link below) The Monster in the Hollows - available from:

Book link - https://store.rabbitroom.com/books/the-monster-in-the-hollows
Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Hollows-Wingfeather-Saga/dp/0982621434/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316311564&sr=1-1
Series Web site
- http://www.WingfeatherSaga.com/
Author’s Web site - http://www.andrew-peterson.com/








I received a review copy from Rabbit Room Store of The Monster in the Hollows
in conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour


Book three in the Wingfeather Saga seemed a little darker in tone than the earlier books. I guess life isn't always sunshine and brightness, especially where Gnag the Nameless is involved. Janner and his family have fought their way across the sea to make the safety of the Green Hollows. But life has changed quite a bit since Janner, Kalmar, and Leeli's mother and grandfather left the area. The story opens with Janner recovering from wounds by his now furry brother. The Green Hollows are recovering from wounds of their own by Gnag and his Fang hordes. The Holish people judge Kalmar a monster and want to lock him away for their safety after the suffering faced at the hands of bloodthirsty Fangs.

Arrangements are made and promises are made but at a terrible price for failure. As Throne Warden, Janner must face his responsibilities to protect his stronger and faster brother, the King. Janner reluctantly agrees to defend his brother from physical and verbal assaults at their new school, but soon is confronted by the school bully time and again. Peterson seemed to paint Kalmar as more sad and emotionally hurting than scary. As I read the book I questioned more and more who the monsters really were.


Do we act any better toward to outsiders or new people than the Holish people? After we've been hurt time and again, are we too quick to judge those who may be innocent because they are different from us? Kalmar choose unwisely and regretted his choice each day. In the third Wingfeather book, Peterson made me wonder if the real monsters are those who do a great evil and desire repentence, or those who needlessly provoke someone else to harm them.


Tomorrow: Guilding, What's Your Gift?


*Participants’ links:
Gillian Adams
Red Bissell
Jennifer Bogart
Thomas Clayton Booher
Beckie Burnham
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
Cynthia Dyer
Amber French
Nikole Hahn
Ryan Heart
Timothy Hicks
Jason Joyner
Julie
Carol Keen
Shannon McDermott
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirriam Neal
* Eve Nielsen
Joan Nienhuis
Donita K. Paul
Sarah Sawyer
Chawna Schroeder
Tammy Shelnut
Kathleen Smith
Donna Swanson
Rachel Starr Thomson
Robert Treskillard
Fred Warren
Phyllis Wheeler
Nicole White
Rachel Wyant