Fly by Night (2006)

The premise is a little more interesting than the actual book. The protagonists aren't particularly likable. The plot is a somewhat intriguing, but not terribly exciting. I suppose my expectations should be lower for a young-adult book, but I've read many that have been excellent. This was mediocre and disappointing. ( )

Although this book never grabbed me (2 & a half weeks to read a book?! Sacrilege!), I quite enjoyed what it was doing. A good read, especially for impressionable minds. ( )

I should have liked this book more than I did. I wanted to. The characters are utterly charming, the imagined world is terrific, and there's a decent plot meandering about here and there. Plus a magnificent guard goose!! I'm a big honking geek fan of Joan Aiken, Diana Wynne Jones, Lloyd Alexander - this is a contemporary novel that's right in the sweet spot of that tradition.

And yet. I kept getting bogged down and wandering off to other pursuits. Its not a good sign when I wander off in the middle of a fight scene to read a magazine. I think Hardinge is one to watch, I've really liked some of her work. I even think this one is a mostly good read. But there's something amiss with the pacing. I'm not saying its too slow, I've liked slow books, I've liked fast books. But for whatever reason, in this one I couldn't find a rhythm. ( )

The half I read was sprinkled with interesting bits, but on the whole it just moved very, very slowly and lost my interest. Best used as a year-long bedtime story to bore kids to sleep. ( )

Fly by Night, a well written Fantasy book, is geared towards Middle School students. The plot is complicated with enough characters and twist to keep readers engaged. Students who enjoy the Fatansy genre will appreciate the plot and array of characters. On the other hand, reluctant readers would struggle to understand the plot and lose track of the characters that drift in and out of the story. They would also struggle with the language of the book, which is written in Old English.
I would recommend this book to the middle school fans of the Fantasy genre who are strong readers. ( )