The Wrath of Mulgarath (2004)

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Enjoyed; easy read, but fun, with great pictures. ( )

Writing: 4.5; great writing in the concluding volume of the series.
Theme: 4.5; Jared, Simon, and Mallory join forces with all the friends they can find as they seek out a way to defeat Mulgarath once and for all -- and free their mother from his dangerous grasp.
Content: 4.5; things take a bit darker of a turn in the conclusion, with several characters dying from various means, but nothing too troublesome.
Language: 5.0; nothing objectionable.

The conclusion to The Spiderwick Chronicles, The Wrath of Mulgarath wraps up the tale of the Grace family as they battle the dark forces in league with the evil ogre Mulgarath. The Grace kids -- Jared, Simon, and Mallory -- have learned that their mother has been captured by Mulgarath and his goblins, and she has been taken to Mulgarath's palace of junk. Calling on all favors they can -- including Thimbletack and Hogsqueal -- the kids begin the final step of their journey as they enter Mulgarath's domain to end his reign and free their mother. The book is a solid wrap-up to the series; often the final chapter fails to completely wrap everything up in a nice fashion. This one does, although it does feel a tad rushed; I would've liked a bit more time to say farewell to the characters we met and got to know over the past five novels. Still, the book is a great ending and we get to see many of the characters we met throughout the series, although I do wish a few more of the creatures we met came to the Graces' aid in the final battle, such as the phooka, or maybe even the troll. But things are handled well in this ending, and it was quite different from the film version (I believe; it's been quite a few years since I watched the movie). In summary of The Spiderwick Chronicles as a whole, I think the pair of Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black told a convincing story over five serials that wrapped up into one cohesive, fleshed-out tale with a great world built around it. Do I wish all five volumes were joined as one large novel? Yes, but it may not have had the same easy readability as five short chapter books. In all, the books were a great success by this writing pair. Highly recommended, just read it after the others of course. ***Finished February 14, 2020*** ( )

4.5/5
Confessions of a Book Freak
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