| $@%&! level: Low “Bedroom” level: Low Violence level: High (mostly for the polar bear fight. There is other violence, but that's the worst.) Back Cover: “Lyra Belaqua is content to run wild among the scholars of Jordan College, with her daemon familiar Pantalaimon always by her side. But the arrival of her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, draws her to the heart of a terrible struggle—a struggle born of Gobblers and stolen children, witch clans and armored bears. And as she hurtles toward danger in the cold, far North, young Lyra never suspects the shocking truth: She alone is destined to win, or to lose, this more-than-mortal battle.” |
It actually has a lot of good points, I'll admit. The shape-shifter Daemons are pretty cool, of course, and it's kind of a neat premise that everyone has this part of themselves that is a separate being but still connected, and the animal shape reflects their personality. The armored bears are another part I like, especially the way Lyra figures out to trick their king (although the fight that happens right after that is kind of gruesome). And I enjoyed the golden compass itself, and Lyra learning to use it.
I think what bothers me is that I knew from the beginning who was untrustworthy, so I got frustrated with Lyra for being so slow. I mean, she's a clever girl, and not normally given to blind faith in adults or she wouldn't be in trouble so often. So why does she choose the two least trustworthy people to trust? Well, one at a time, anyway. And if there was supposed to be a mystery about it, they shouldn't have been written as such obviously obsessive, narcissistic, psychotic personalities. Reading this book is like watching a car crash. You know bad things are going to happen, and there's nothing you can do to stop it.