Post by Donald Duck on Sept 24, 2011 23:57:27 GMT -8
Kingdom Keepers IV: Power Play Review
Not the bad kind of power playing, like in awful RPG forums!
Not the bad kind of power playing, like in awful RPG forums!
Okay, guys, this review is going to suck. I made the big mistake of postponing my review for too long. You see, I finished this book last June, and it's now late September. The book isn't fresh in my mind anymore, and I likely forgot a lot of details. But, that's okay. This is the fourth book in an ongoing series, and sources indicate that the Kingdom Keepers will last until Book Seven.
Because this is the fourth book, I'm not going to waste time feeding you too much information you already know. Suffice it to say that the Kingdom Keepers are a bunch of teenage kids who have the ability to cross over into Walt Disney World as they sleep, becoming DHI's (Disney Host Interactive, basically a kind of elaborate hologram). In night, when the parks are empty, Disney characters come alive and roam, a la Night at the Museum. But the villains roam, too, and their army is known as the Overtakers. Chernabog and Maleficent are the primary antagonists of this book series, and the books are filled with mysteries, chase sequences, and even blossoming teenage romance.
I read the first two books when I was recovering from appendicitis. My appendix ruptured and it hurt like a bitch, but the books provided much needed distraction. The first book was cute enough, but it was really little more than glorified fan fiction. The characters were stock and mostly nondescript, and the book just didn't stand out to me as anything special. The second book, I thought, had a less interesting plot but was nonetheless superior because of improved characterization. The third book, which I actually did really like, had the best plot and the best characterization up to that point.
We are four books in, and in my opinion, this series has reached stride. That said, if the first three Kingdom Keepers failed to hook you at all, this book won't win you over. In fact, I personally feel kinda silly for classifying myself as a 'fan' of this series, because, yes, the books are pretty silly and at times hokey. But, just like classic Scooby-Doo, that cheesiness is damn enjoyable and endearing.
This is the darkest installment, and I like that. Now, more than ever before, it's not just about the Kingdom Keepers and the Overtakers anymore. Parents are getting mixed in. Students from the Keepers' schools are getting brainwashed and recruited by the bad guys. There's an awesome "reversed Sleeping Beauty" curse. And, for the first time, and something I've been begging from the start, Disney good guys are getting bit parts. That's right, it's not just the Overtakers hogging the Disney character focus anymore. Now we have Ariel, and it's awesome!
... In theory. I've discussed this problem with Susan, and she and I have reached a consensus: it seems like author Ridley Pearson, God bless him, sometimes studies Disney characters in every way except by watching the movies. Judge Claude Frollo is on the cover, as you can see, and his appearance, unfortunately, isn't as awesome as it could be, because his character is distractingly off. He acts more like Governor Ratcliffe (again, Susan agrees), and he speaks with a very strong French accent. While Frollo technically should speak French in The Hunchback of Notre Dame because that movie takes place in France, everyone and their kid sister knows that Frollo does not have a French accent in the movie.
More distracting than Frollo, though, is Ariel. While Ariel's inclusion got me stupidly excited, her manner of speech really irked me. She talks like a very stock, royal, "Dost thou hear a nightingale sing on yonder bark?" personality. Okay, maybe not that extreme, but she does say stuff like the following, and these are straight from the book verbatim: "My dear girl, everyone knows about you. You are our saviors" (135); "I'm afraid no one would believe such nonsense" (135); and, "We know who you are. We are most grateful for what you are doing" (136). If you don't know Ariel too well, this won't seem like a problem. To anyone who has spent a lot of time with the mermaid, though, you're likely asking, "Who the hell are you, and what have you done with the real Ariel?" This is not Ariel. She speaks way, way, way too formally. Remember Ariel? She spoke like a normal teenage girl. Sure, she had a fin, but she was still fluent in casual talk! In her big song, she refuses to pronounce the G's in her "ing's," for crying out loud, but here she's talking like Cate Blanchett. Unfortunately, Ariel is not alone. That's one of my biggest gripes of this whole series.
But, annoyances aside, I really am enjoying these installments. My favorite chapter is a big spoiler, but let's just say it's awesome to see a son physically defend his mother.
As I said, this review sucks, but it's over. We're four books in, and I'm liking the series so far.
9 out of 10.
Oh, screw it, the scores really don't matter anymore. I'll just say, Recommended to fans of the books.
