Prospero's Children

Prospero's Children by Jan Siegel
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Sum it up in a sentence (or two): Fern and Will, two precocious teens, make some otherworldly discoveries while living at an inherited country home one summer. Mermaids/sea witches/Atlantis discoveries.

First thoughts: (spoilers) I realized pretty early that Fern was one of Prospero's Children, aka she has The Gift, but the story still dragged out each and every new idea and discovery. I was drawn to the world initially, but my brain would get lost and start to wander as I read because of all the (unnecessary) details.

Favorite characters: (spoilers) I liked Will more than Fern, which is maybe why I had all but quit reading by the time we actually get to Atlantis. Both of them are way more likable than any teenager should be.

Favorite quotes:
"Nothing in life is sure." Ragginbone, p152

"Wine is not for thirst." p295 (not sure of character...had started skimming/not paying full attention by this point and dialogue tags were not helpful)

Final thoughts: I don't recommend this book unless you have a super fascination with Atlantis (I don't). This was one of those books that started out with promise, but didn't really hook me. A more invested reader might have let the page-long paragraphs slide, but they just annoyed me and took me out of the story even more. I couldn't stay focused and found myself skimming ahead to find action or dialogue. Overall, a bummer of a read.


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