Not too long ago I at last finished reading (and reviewing) His Dark Materials, after 10+ years of putting off completing the trilogy. For the most part, I absolutely loved it! So after doubting on whether or not I wanted to read the second trilogy, The Book of Dust, I finally just decided to go for it when the opportunity presented itself for me to get the first two books for rather cheap. So let's take a look!
In this first volume, we are taken back in time to when Lyra was a baby at the convent and a boy named Malcolm Polstead likes spending time with her. A strange man with a hyena daemon seems to be rather interested in the baby. When the Great Flood strikes, Malcolm and his later-friend Alice are forced to both look after baby Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon, trying everything in their might to keep her safe from the hyena-man and the flood while bringin her to her father.
So, yeah, unlike what I expected, this wasn't actually a sequel at all. Rather, it was a prequel to events in His Dark Materials. This didn't disappoint me, don't get me wrong, it's just not what I expected going in since I prefer to go into books blind sometimes. I'm currently at volume two, however, which actually is a sequel to His Dark Materials. Makes me wonder what book three brings.
So was it good? Why, yes, but I do have some gripes. I overall really enjoyed it, though.
Content warning for pedophilia/sexual assault for my first gripe: the whole sexual assault stuff from Bonneville (hyena daemon guy) in regards to Alice was uncalled for if you ask me. I didn't trigger me, but it still felt massively uncomfortable and I ended up largely skimming over them. I guess if you wanted to show that you villain is depraved this is one way to do it, but it really didn't have to be there if you ask me. Poor Alice, man. She wasn't even one of my favorite characters, but she didn't deserve this at all.
My second gripe is much more of a personal problem, but I don't like the depiction of Bonneville's daemon. The hyena. The whole constant self harm she's doing aside, I just really don't like the trope where hyenas are portrayed as villains without any sort of morals. They already have such a bad reputation as it is, and fictional media adding even more fuel to the fire doesn't really help. And here's the fact that she's attached to a pedophile. Fucking yikes man.
That said, the rest for the book was really good. I loved the characters, I loved the world, I liked the mysteries we got to explore. It's just a shame it has to have such dark subject matter to bog it down.
Rating: 3.5/5
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