City of the Beasts

Product Information

For nostalgias sake I’m keeping it at 4/5 stars because I have wonderful memories of reading this with my mum when I was about 10, but really: this doesn’t age well.

Lo que mas me gusto fue el personaje de Alex y como se desarrollo a través de la trama, todas las pruebas que tiene que superar, desde las que le presenta la vida en su hogar,las que le impone la inhóspita y salvaje selva amazónica, y la prueba que lo llevara a ser hombre y mas adelante héroe.San Francisco Chronicle Book Review for Nov. 17th 2002: one of the best Young Adult Science Fiction novels of 2002 [5] Isabel Allende seamlessly educates us while we’re in the grip of her ceaseless suspense. Ill treatment of the Indians, catastrophic decisions about the environment, and corrupt officials all get equal play in City of the Beasts. More than one moral winds its way through the jungle with the youths. Eagle and Jaguar meet again in the sequel to this book, " Kingdom of the Golden Dragon", and a third book in this series, " Forest of the Pygmies." City of the Beasts is the first young adult novel by Chilean-American writer Isabel Allende. Published in 2002.

When I was in my teens I don't believe that I had the choice of books that is now readily available for YAs or even middle grade youngsters. Ein bisschen halten mich die Figuren auf Abstand (z.B. stereotypische Bösewichte), da gibt's einen Stern Abzug von mir.

Personalized picks at your fingertips

I had always known this day would come, but never thought it’d come so soon. I take the right turn, where I have always taken the left, half expecting to hear someone ask me: “are you lost little girl”. But I am not lost. I stand at the threshold, and open a door I have never been able to close ever since. Toll, dass Alexander und Nadia sich als jugendliche Protagonisten auch tatsächlich *jung* anfühlen (keine Pseudojugendlichen, die sich stattdessen die ganze Zeit mit Erwachsenenthemen, meistens Sex, rumschlagen) Está narrada en tercera persona siguiendo un argumento lineal y bastante descriptivo (usual en la autora), pero sin resultar aburrido. Está poblado de animales, indígenas, chamanes, dioses y espíritus, en donde se entretejen a la perfección la magia, la fantasía y la realidad. Quizás su final fue un poco precipitado, pero ha sido una historia genial que se lee de forma sencilla, devorando cada palabra y cada frase; plagada de un mundo fantasioso y de personajes curiosos. To prevent this review from becoming a novel in itself, I will get to the book now. I really had a great time with it, and with the entire trilogy for that matter. I loved the setting, the writing, I loved the hint of magic, and loved the character (especially grandma).

Suspicion starts to grow around some members of the party. The stated objectives of a couple of nefarious types seem at odds with their actions. Fortunately, Alex teams up with Nadia, the guide’s daughter, and the two form a bond which unites them throughout the journey. They go into each day with open minds, allowing them to see the good in evil-appearing individuals, and the bad disguised as beauty in others. I do hope you enjoyed that piece of melodrama… Seriously though, when you are a kid, going to the adult section for the first time seems like a big deal. The first time I went there was for this book. Nowadays, this book would be appropriately shelved as YA, and my mom knew this when she recommended this to me (Don’t worry, she didn’t send her child out to fetch 50-shades of erotica or some traumatizing horror-book). However, this was the zeros and small-town libraries in the Netherlands where blissfully ignorant of the existence of such rebellious new genres. Echter, onder de expeditieleden bevinden zich ook enkele corrupte mensen, die het helemaal niet goed voorhebben met de indianen, maar ze willen uitroeien, zodat ze het land in bezit kunnen nemen en kunnen exploiteren. Materie genoeg voor een spannend verhaal!

Did we miss something on diversity?

The exciting, surprising finale will leave you hungry for more. Never fear— City of the Beasts is the first book of a planned series. Why don't you go ahead and clear out a little space in your bookshelves now? These are going to be keepers!” The beginning was boring beyond belief. I had to read this for school, and my class and I begged the teacher to let us read another one. It had no interest for us, no appeal. I hated the grandmother, didn't know what to think of the main character, and was bored out of my mind by the language. When the main character was swimming with the dolphins, the story basically went, 'I was having so much fun. It was the best day of my life.', and then boom, on to the next boring-as-crap thing. I had to wonder if something was lost in the translation... The first half of the book had a snails pace, just prolonging our torture. Isabel Allende (through talented translator Margaret Sayers Peden) regales us with a lyrical epic of nonstop adventure. Her sparkling new novel enchants a fresh generation of readers with its astounding spirituality—and keeps us tingling with anticipation throughout its mystical tale.

Con “La ciudad de las bestias” Allende comienza la trilogía “Las Memorias del Águila y el Jaguar” y su incursión en la literatura juvenil, bastante alejada de las novelas a las que estábamos habituados: su protesta sobre la dictadura que azotó por muchos años a Chile. minutes later I emerge from the labyrinth, the book from my piece of paper in hand. But I know in that moment that I will return here often. This is my new home: The Adult-section. Ein wirklich guter Auftakt zu einer Jugend-Fantasy-Trilogie, die in vielen Aspekten von so einigen Jugend-Fantasy-Geschichten aus den aktuellen Jahren abweicht.What an absolutely splendid book by Isabel Allende! I haven't read any of her young adult books before and this is the first one in the Eagle and Jaguar Series. Such a joy to read! Me encanto la historia por varias razones, es una travesía a tierras fantásticas y peligrosas al estilo de Julio Verne, que se desarrolla en las selvas de mi tierra Venezuela, tiene algo de magia y misticismo, y habla de las culturas autóctonas de mi país, si bien es algo inocente en algunos puntos con respecto a los indígenas, no deja por ello de ser un libro juvenil muy bueno, a la altura de varias de las sagas que están de moda en la actualidad. Allende knows how to insert more complex thematic issues and questions into a less sophisticated setting in comparison to some of her more adult-oriented works. It's clearly written for teenagers, but the social and cultural aspects that become a central part of the story's development are suitable for adults and more demanding readers as well. Whatever the age of the reader, Allende’s first book for young adults is sure to be a huge hit. And maybe, just maybe, Alexander Cold will venture out on another quest in the near future. I, for one, would be disappointed if he did not.”