Good day Void Friends! Here is your review. I hope you are having a lovely Monday morning! Soon, we will be getting back to our regularly scheduled many reviews. However, for now, still only a few per day, as we move on forward. Let’s dive in!
The following is my reread review for His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman. I did not read this series for the first time. This is my reread thoughts for a series I remembered, but not as vividly as I probably could have. That’s why I reread it. I also reread it, for the TV show that is out. OH and because I just remembered really loving this series.
Thoughts Before:
So, I read this series back when I was in HS. Freshman year of HS. My largest recollection of the books is as follows. The movie sucked. There are daemons, which are physical manifestations of the soul but outside the body. Dust. And the girl that sat next to me in 9th grade english that realized that I was reading/read the series, and told me that it was a horrible book series. Because of daemons (demons), angels, and killing god. To which I responded “so?” I remember Lyra and Will. I remember how Will only shows up in the second book. I remember how much their friendship meant to me, and how the ending with them being separated hurt me. I remember not too much, otherwise, in terms of exact plot. But I do think that I will remember as I go.
So let’s dive in!
Thoughts After:
The Golden Compass; I’m an American. So my copy is The Golden Compass, rather than The Northern Lights. Which if we are being honest, The Northern Lights is 100% a better title for the book. Especially since the light are so important to the plot of the entire series. But I digress. This book had all the fun that I was expecting and all the nostalgia. I will say the timing of events did have me a bit mixed up in mind. I thought certain things happened before others. And I do remember a lot of what happened in the movie over the book. And I stand by my statement, the book is better. I fell in love with Lyra and Pan all over again. They are precious children I must protect and remind me so much of my cousins who I love dearly. This book took me a while to read, mostly because… I actually have no reasons. I started the first half so long ago, back when the TV show first started, actually. However it took me this long to finish it. Probably making it the longest time I’ve taken on a reread in a very long time. It was still good tho.
The Subtle Knife; To say I forgot a lot of the innocuous details at the beginning of the book is to be the truth. I remember Will and Lyra meeting and where that was, but I didn’t remember how Will got there. I actually also completely forgot this took place in the modern era. I had the vaguest memories of this taking place in the WWII era, however I’m going to blame that on the OG FMA anime. Rereading this book opened my eyes to a lot of things I didn’t remember. Black Matter = Dust. Angels talking through the althethiometer. I remembered Will’s dad dying, but not how. I also forgot that Lyra was taken by her mother. This book was short, but the character connections and set up from the first one allowed for the pace to move quickly without having to linger on anything for too long. I really loved it.
The Amber Spyglass; Yes so this book was probably the book I remembered least out of all the books. I did not remember the spies. I did remember Will getting his dæmon, and the killing of Authority. I remember the windows all having to be closed and Will and Lyra being separated, but I was surprised by how much I did not remember. There is so much jam packed into this book. I was expecting a lot less, but I suppose that’s because I didn’t remember it. It is a charming conclusion, but a sad one with the separation. I know know why we are getting a sequel series of sorts.
End Thoughts:
This series was just as magical and charming as I remember it being. I remember having so many warm feelings about this series when I was younger and with the reread, the feelings are renewed. This was a great refresher before I finally get around to watching the TV show. I think I might make it a point to reread often enough. Not sure, but I think I want to dive deeper into the themes of the book.
Alright, we are back to only doing two reviews a day for now. I don’t want to run out of book reviews too soon. I actually need to go and get my book club books. Either way, last week will probably be one of the few weeks that you get three reviews. I will give you three when I give you the Vampire Academy series review, too.
See you in the next one
MM
Marlena Marie 
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