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This is what made WINDBLOWNE so appealing to me. Here we have the promise of a soaring (excuse the pun) adventure, without the somewhat burden of future installments. A fully-realized fantasy world that can be devoured in one sitting!
Oliver loves kites. In the tree-hugging community of Windblowne, this is a good thing. Each year a midsummer kite flying festival is held and Oliver dreams of winning it. The only problem is he can't get a kite to stay in the air for more than a brief moment. When he discovers that his Great-uncle Gilbert is a former festival champion, he seeks him out for advice and help. What he uncovers instead is a Windblowne conspiracy, involving alternate universes, a timid red flying kite, bladed fighting kites, and an evil Lord Uncle trying to destroy everything Oliver loves.
WINDBLOWNE left me wanting more, and not necessarily in a good way. I know I opened with the problem of fantasy series books, but here's a case where I feel like more explanation was needed. The initial mystery is great! In fact, when Oliver was swept away to the alternate universe the first time, I liked where I thought the book was going. Were the two moons of Oliver's Windblowne going to come into play somehow? Two moons, two universes? No. Instead, we discover (SPOILERS - Gasp!) that there are many alternate universes, all being affected by evil Lord Gilbert's antics! I thought the alternate universes would've benefited from further explanation but then probably would've caused the plot to drag along worse than it already was!
I like the eco-friendly message (think Avatar meets Fringe, in a very naturalistic way) and I like how Oliver learns to adjust his hopes and dreams along the way, discovering his true potential. In the end, I feel like the concept was good, just not realized as effectively as it could have been.
Final Grade: B-
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