SUMMARY

Gwendolyn Gray lives in The City where there are no stories. There are books that no one reads. But imagination is highly discouraged. The only problem is that Gwendolyn is highly imaginative. So much so that her peers (and even adults) look down on her in disdain–especially at her bright, curly red hair. For all intents and purposes, The City is black and white. Cityzens have black hair or platinum blonde hair. But Gwendolyn is special.

One day, after an incident in school, Gwendolyn finds herself at The City’s limits. She has never even imagined the possibility of there being an outside to The City. But as she is being attacked by two Faceless Gentlemen in bowler hats, she is rescued by two mysterious travelers.

Thus begins her adventures with her two new companions. Now Gwendolyn needs to figure out a way to stop the mysterious men, who seem in part responsible for why The City is the way it is.

CHARACTERS

The three main characters, Gwendolyn; Sparrow; and Starling, are all fairly well-rounded. Sparrow and Starling’s sibling relationship is done very well. They are brother and sister, and they act like it. While they bicker a lot, you can still tell they care about each other immensely. Sparrow is a very active child, getting into lots of trouble. However, he has a heart of gold. Starling is usually the one getting them out of trouble and is very clever when it comes to technology. Gwendolyn as well is a clever child. Her imagination allows her to think outside of the box.

Personally, though, my main concerns with the characters were the minor characters. Perhaps the best one was Kolonius Thrash, a swashbuckling teen captain. He was fun and had a bit of depth to him. The rest of them were, unfortunately, largely forgettable. The Cityzens and the ship crew felt very one-sided to me. Not only that, but the antagonists had a moustache-twirling quality that I’m not a fan of personally. I did like the Faceless Gentlemen a bit, though. They had a mysterious quality to them that really worked well for the story. They were eerie and unsettling without being over the top.

OVERALL

The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray is a book that makes imagination real. And that is where I think its strong suit lies. It encourages a message of positivity in the face of negativity. Furthermore, it does not shy away from some very real consequences. Regardless of ones actions, sometimes things just happen. I could imagine reading this book together with a child around the age of 10-12. There are a few references some adults might find amusing.

For me, personally, the weakest area was with the writing. When it was good, it was good. The ending was especially well written. However, there are many parts that felt like the narrator (who adds fun little quips every now and again) was talking down to the reader. Telling them things that I think would’ve been better incorporated through the use of context clues. I also felt that the romantic relationships were unnecessary and brought up some unneeded stereotyping, such as mentioning that all/most teenage boys act like such-and-such. With the narrator being outside the story (i.e., as far as I’m aware, the narrator was not Gwendolyn Gray), I wasn’t a big fan of the stereotyping.

Regardless, I would still recommend this book. It’s fun and has emotional depth. It doesn’t exactly answer every question, but it still has a great ending that could possibly lead to more adventures.

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[I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

There’s a reason that middle grade books are such a big part of my reading life in my 30’s, and books like this are exactly it. This was such an engaging story that kept me captivated from beginning to end. The style of writing was witty, conversational, and perfectly descriptive.

I loved the adventure, the characters, and especially the overall message of finding your own path and letting your imagination guide you. While his message is important for middle grade readers, it may be even more so for adult readers. Too many adults are quick to dismiss imagination and creativity (and would probably be happy to live in the full world Gwendolyn began in!)

The world built in this story was so entrancing that I honestly didn’t want to leave. I hope that all of the loose ends and “stories for another time” might be clues that more will come from this world. For now, I will have to settle for buying a copy for all my friends with middle grade readers. (and a read aloud copy for my not-quite-middle grade readers)

Thank you to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for allowing me to read and review The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray. I loved this book! It's fabulous, and I can't wait to pick up more Gwendolyn Gray stories to read with my daughters :)

A charming read that sticks to your ribs afterwards. The narrator was everything I love in a narrator, and Gwendolyn is amazing! (Comparisons to Merida are warranted)

Thank you Netgalley for this wonderful book!

I thoroughly enjoyed Gwendolyn Gray! A wonderfully imaginative story that seems a cross between Pirates of the Caribbean and The Neverending Story. Loved the characters, loved the story, loved the nonstop action and adventure. Sure to be a hit with the upper elementary at my library!

Gwendolyn Gray is no ordinary child. She faces something everyday which is a bit difficult for a child her age living in a grey and dull city to do: control her imagination. However, when her imagination finally comes alive, she catches the attention of two men who will do everything to restore order in The City by erasing those who threatens it.

themarvelousadventuresofgwendolyngrayI wanted to love this book. The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray is one where the main character is a child who has an incredibly vivid imagination which she used to save her world from being consumed by mediocrity and gray-ness (if that is even a word).

It started off a bit slow for my liking and I was finding it hard to keep on reading. However, I powered through because I was promised marvelous adventures and a world of colour.

It is a good read for children as the difference between Gwendolyn’s everyday normal life was vividly differentiated from the burst of colour from her imagination. Imagination in children is a good thing. It has to be nurtured and allowed. As much as it confused me, I appreciate the fact that I can’t tell where Gwendolyn’s imagination took over her adventures.

If there is anything I wish there was more of in this story, Mr. Williamson, it would be the following:

What happened to The City? Why is it in the state it is in?
Who are the Mister Men, and who do they work for?
Who is the Collector?

… Because it would really be great to know.

This book was pretty good
I loved the idea behind it, the characters were so well done. Can't wait to read more by this author

I have had the best luck finding amazing titles on Net Galley and this is %100 one of them because holy cannoli this was AMAZING!

You see, this story is all about our young heart-warming main character, Gwendolyn and like most of us humans on Earth, she does not want to grow up. Her entire world revolves around the color of blah!! Gray everything! No color whatsoever. Except for Gwendolyn, who has the brightest colored hair of all, RED! Not only is her hair bright and wild but so is her imagination and the other kids do not like this so they set to bullying her. (Rude!) Well, guess what bullies, Gwendolyn then begins to make things real and that's when the plot thickens!

What's great about this book is that it's kind of set into story arcs. So 3 phases that help with the pacing of this story but to be honest, I would have flew through this story otherwise! This book is stunning. The writing is absolutely perfect. Everything is described so beautifully and the world building is fantastic. Everything about this book is beautiful and magical. I felt like I was on an adventure while I was reading. I was captivated in the imaginative, fantastical world that B. A. Williamson created and I never wanted to leave. DON'T MAKE ME LEAVE!

*thank you to Netgalley, North Star Editions/ Jolly Fish Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

4 stars.

Ohh this book was so so much fun and so so good to read! I really enjoyed it. It was also at times rather funny. I loved Gwendolyn. She reminds me of the girl from the Disney movie "Brave." She has such an amazing imagination with the ability to turn her thoughts into reality. The adventures she gets up to once she meets two other kids who she befriends. This is a middle grade novel, but even at 32 I very much enjoyed it which shows that its not limited to a particular age group. How could I not give a mention about the cover! That's what first caught my eye, it's so well done. I highly recommend this for all ages.

A creative girl goes on an adventure filled with colour and interesting characters! I loved the story and the writing style. Particularly enjoyed the colour descriptions and the creative side of an obviously lonely little girl.

Gwendolyn Gray is a girl stuck in a terrible world. Everything is gray, colorless, and drab, but Gwendolyn is anything but. She is a bright, vibrant girl, and seems to be the only girl in the world with any imagination. When she uses that imagination too much, though, she comes on the radar of the Faceless Gentlemen, who start trying to erase her to keep the status quo. Her adventure will take her to other worlds, eventually meeting up with friends to help her on the way as well as other characters like pirates in a steampunk world. Will she be able to save the day or will all of the worlds end up as dismal as hers?

This book was extremely enjoyable, especially once it got going. The first fourth of it seemed a bit slow, but once everything started it was constant adventure. My one complaint was the narrator often addressed the reader directly, but it seemed to be an overused tactic at the beginning of the book and then almost never occurred again. It could have been left out and it would have made the book a little better in my opinion. Still, this was a minor complaint, and it did not detract much from the overall experience. Go on an adventure with Gwendolyn Gray. You won't regret it.

Let me preface this by saying that I do not read a lot of YA these days, but if more were as eloquently written, engaging, and surprisingly relatable as The Marvelous Adventures of Gwendolyn Gray I would definitely read them more frequently. I was hooked with the opening and continued reading with fervor.

The story follows Gwendolyn, a twelve year old girl with a wild imagination - one that is in contract to the drab, dystopian City she lives in: gray sky, gray skyscrapers. School in her City brings the Foucaultian notion of education serving only to prepare children for adulthood and to train them in the rules of society. Her imagination gets her into trouble with her vivid daydreaming... Not to mention that she sticks out like a sore thumb with her fire red hair... she doesn't want to conform. She accidentally rides the metro beyond what is known and uncovers a world beyond her imagine, stumbling into a battle beyond reason. Rescued by two kids that appeared seemingly out of nowhere, she embarks on an adventure to save the world.

This YA tale is written in third person, Williamson crafts a compelling a fast-paced read that is suitable for the middle grade reader as well as those interested in dystopian adventures with strong female leads. The central themes of the book - imagination and creativity - are woven into an allegory for growing up and having that childlike wonder crushed by society.

I loved the start of the book, with Gwendolyn's energetic take on her life and the way she stayed true to herself while everyone else were just grey. But as the story continue I felt that it kind of slowed and went into a bit of a tangle. The ending also left me with some question which I'm guessing is because this is going to be a series but I wish there more answer. The story does have its good points of ; magic, Pirates, time travel , and mysterious ending.

This was a cute YA/middle grade story about a girl who wants her world to be bigger and more exciting than it is (at least, at first blush). The concept isn't a new one, per se, but the execution and details were fun and novel enough and quite entertaining. Gwendolyn's quest to discover who she is and what she wants from life is an engaging one. There are creepy bad guys, helpful compatriots, and loads and loads of imaginative creativity. There is personal growth, self-realization, and more than a few madcap hijinks, all of which belong (to my mind) in the best YA/MG stories.

It read a little slower than I anticipated; I can't tell you why, but it did. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it - it was a pleasant read. But already after only a few days, I am finding the details slipping from my mind. Perhaps I have fallen subject to the Greying of the world - Gwendolyn's issues in that regard are certainly relatable! - or perhaps it ties into my one bit of dissatisfaction with the book as a whole.

The one constructive criticism I have is not about the story itself, but about the presentation. The book felt, to me, like it wanted illustrations - I don't usually say that about books for this age group, but I think they would have helped bring the story a bit more alive. The cover was marvelous - it's what initially drew me to the book - and a few, selective, full-page and contrasting black-and-white and full-color illustrations would really make this spectacular I think...

All in all this was a okay book. I feel I would of liked it more if I was younger, so it may do great with the younger audience, but for the adults who still read middle grade, I do not think it is going to be as successful. I did like the aspect of different worlds, and the different adventures the characters got into. I felt the characters were very flat throughout the story, and only really began to become something near the end. The beginning is a bit confusing because you are not sure what is going within this world, and you wonder why people act the way they do, but you get some answers at the end. There were some things still unanswered, so I am assuming there will be another book, as to if I will be reading it or not, we shall see when the time comes.

Gwendolyn Gray is a twelve year old girl who lives in a boring City, everything is gray (gray buildings, gray clothes, gray everything). Gwendolyn doesn't want to grow up because adult life is boring. Gwendolyn is bullied because she is different, for example she has red hair instead of gray. She has no friends, so she lives with her imagination and talks to objects. She is just living her life until one day her imagination becomes real. And in this book we follow her adventures after that.

First of all points for the cover :)

I quite enjoyed this book, it was a fun and easy read. I'm not sure if this was aimed for young adult or middle grade. But I would say it's more for the younger readers. But I do think quite a couple of 'older' readers would enjoy this story as well.

I loved the message of this book: being different isn't bad!

I did not really like the fact that the main character kept saying 'its all my fault', I mean one time is okay but say it to often and it becomes annoying. Also wasn't really a fan of the romance part, why couldn't the friendships stay friendships?

Wow!! What a cute and adventurous story! This book is action packed! I know it is a middle grade book, but it was AMAZING at 36. This book was also full of friendship, young love, imagination, pirates, dystopian, and also a bit steampunk-ish (which was probably my favorite part). I admit that I cried at the end!! I highly recommend!!

This book was marked in the young adult realm, however, I feel its for middle graders. With that being said. I enjoyed the book immensely, it gave true emotions and I found myself laughing out loud a lot. Gwendolyn is a unique little girl living in the dullest city possible. She is the only spark of creativity and color in a world so Gray and unoriginal. So basically shes the spark of red in a black and white/grey world. I think it was a great twist on fantasy and dystopian.

I received the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book sucked me in from the beginning. I only took so long to read it because of other daily obligations.
Gwendolyn is a unique little girl living in the dullest city possible. She is the only spark of creativity and color in a world so Gray and unoriginal. She finds herself targeted by the Mister men, so she flees through worlds so fantastic and scary and wonderful. She meets a pirate, and a lost brother and sister. She knows she must save this new world and somehow get herself back home. My favorite quote in the book was this one, "Now, what if is a particularly powerful set of magic words. It is responsible for all the best stories and inventions. Before there can be a once upon a time, there must always be a what if. It is a magic spell that children are especially good at, but only the best adults are capable of."

The book is such a fun, action filled read, it's geared towards middle grade kids but I personally loved it and am glad I got the chance to read it.