Review “Jungledrop”

Posted 30-10-2020 by Marion in Allgemein, Review Archive (Sortable), Reviews / 4 Comments

Some books, they just click. I have said that before but obviously I have to say it again, I love Abi Elphinstone’s books because when I read them, something just slips into place.

Eleven-year-old twins, Fox and Fibber, have been rivals for as long as they can remember. Only one of them will inherit the family fortune and so a race is afoot to save the dwindling Petty-Squabble empire and win the love of their parents. But when the twins are whisked off to Jungledrop, a magical Unmapped Kingdom in charge of conjuring our world’s weather, things get wildly out of hand. An evil harpy called Morg is on the loose. And if she finds the long-lost Forever Fern before the twins, both Jungledrop and our world will crumble. Suddenly, Fox and Fibber find themselves on an incredible adventure in a glow-in-the-dark rainforest full of golden panthers, gobblequick trees and enchanted temples. But, with the fate of two worlds in their hands, will the twins be able to work together for once to defeat Morg and her dark magic?

I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for the sequel to Rumblestar to come out and let me tell you what: It was so worth the wait. After the first few pages I was already madly in love and wanting to cry from nostalgia.

The main characters, twins Fox and Fibber Petty-Squabble, are two really terrible children. Liars, unkind to everyone and raised by their ghastly parents to be fircely competitive, obnoxious and mean to everybody and each other, those two are as nasty and mean as they come which is – of course – bad for them since that’s not a great way to live and good for the reader because it promises a wonderful character arc and journey for those two.

And boy, what a character arc and journey it was.

I really liked Fox. I pitied her and her circumstances. A girl that had learned from a young age that the whole world is against you and that you need to be mean and ruthless and don’t care about other people’s feelings to be a successful and valid member of this world. A girl that never so much got a hug or could properly spend time with her family. I felt really bad for her. But I rooted for her too. Because all through the book, during Fox’ and Fibber’s journey through Jungledrop, Fox learns about kindness and friendship and trust and love and family, all while being at war with herself and the things she has been taught. It was a great thing to witness.

The worldbuilding, as always, was incredible. A whole Unmapped Kingdom full of luminiscent plants and unicycle roads and trees that beat you up if you are not polite, all sorts of animals and so much more. There was a train with a rainforest inside and a parrot that speaks out loud the things that people really think and feel. There is so much more and I could spend hours just recounting all those incredible, fantastic, imaginative things.

The story is mainly carried by the protagonist(s) but the storyline is still fastpaced and magical and imaginative with a good message behind it. I didn’t wanna put this book down, because I just had to know how it went on, what would happen next and if they would beat Morg and bring back the rain.

In conclusion, Jungledrop is an amazing sequel that also can be read on its own. It was well worth the wait. It has amazing characters and charater development, incredible world building and a great story. I was so full emotion while reading, was amazed by the imaginative world and fully gripped by the story. I wish I could enjoy every book like I enjoyed Jungledrop.