The Sunbird, the Lion Hunter, and The Empty Kingdom by Elizabeth Wein

Star Rating: 8 stars
"Movie" Rating: PG-13

I'm pretty sure I first read these since starting this blog, but it was at the beginning of a new semester so I didn't have time to sit down and write a review. I really wish I had, though, because I know my reading experience this time through was very different from how it was the first time, and I wish I had more of a record of what I thought of the books beyond vague memories.

The Sunbird

This is the book which caused not laughter, but piteous moans (as if I were "being impaled by a spear") to issue from my reading corner, disturbing my poor Annilynski. Knowing what was coming, I was better able to brace myself for what happens to Telemakos, but it was still very painful. Telemakos is kind of awesome, and while I wouldn't call him a Gary Stu, I would say that I consider him to be Larger Than Life, little kid though he may be.

The Lion Hunter and The Empty Kingdom (The Mark of Solomon

I was going to put comments under each title individually, but since these are supposed to be the same book anyway, and I read them back to back (literally closed the first and immidiately opened the second) I'm finding that I can't really separate them in my mind. I do remember that the first time I read them I didn't have both of them checked out from the library, and I was EXTREMELY FRUSTRATED by the place where the Lion Hunter ends. They just cut the book in half and published it in two parts, for some undoubtably stupid reason.

Anyway, this time around I knew what was going on, what Telemakos doesn't know until the end, and I had a really, really, REALLY hard time forgiving... a certain character. The first time I read it and found out all that was going on, it was like, "Oh, wow, sneaky you! I didn't realize that you were doing that! That was pretty mean, actually. But Telemakos seems to have mostly forgiven you and I will too!"

This time, however, knowing the ending, I was SO. ANGRY. at this character. THE WHOLE TIME. Almost. I said I had a hard time forgiving this character... I actually haven't forgiven this character. Maybe that will require a third reading.

This is where Telemakos's resemblance to Gen (the mentioning of which got me to read this series in the first place) becomes even more obvious than it was before, but he's younger and loses even more than Gen (literally). But Telemakos isn't funny, which is probably why these books get 8 stars from instead of nine.