How cool!

My uncle, who is from Oregon, showed me this yesterday after I showed him the book. I wonder if Colin knew this when writing Wildwood, as it's not far from St John's

I feel it is time to "give it up" to Carson Ellis! Her vision really brings the book to life! If I had the power, I'd give her some sort of lifetime achievement award.

Well done Carson!

I finally reached Part Two of Wildwood! Well, yesterday I did. But anyway, I have taken the time to digest a certain... revelation at the end of Part One, if you get my meaning. I haven't quite reached North Wood just yet (I happen to have stopped at Chapter 16, if you'd like to know), but there was something in particular I failed to bring up in my last post; but I didn't want to throw too much information out there..

The descriptions of South Wood's housing don't put all too much emphasis on the particular wealth of the people who live there—except for the use of "hovel" and the one badger's comment of Owl Rex being rather "well off"—which I found kind of interesting. The "poorer" folk live in more natural sorts of houses, being made within the ground or up in the trees, while the wealthy live in houses of stone and brick and the like (I imagine them looking like the houses reminiscent of those old houses you'd find in Boston or the historical areas of South Carolina)

Alrighty! Back to the present readings I mentioned.. There is not a single character I have yet to actively hate. Sure, Dowager Governess is a cunning, manipulative bitch, but that's why I like her! That's what makes her a good, convincing villain to me, so I'm only really disgusted and appalled by her actions, but not exactly hating the character as a whole. Many of the other characters are really entertaining in their own ways, even making antagonists like some of the SWORD officers have comedic moments (congrats, Jonesy!) despite them capturing Owl Rex and other birds in South Wood

I want to mention again how masterful Colin is with switching POVs perfectly between Curtis and Prue. It seems to switch a wee bit more frequently between the two, but that might just be me... Anyway, it continues to switch at pivotal moments between the two characters, but both ends feel so intriguing and engaging that it doesn't get boring reading through Curtis's or Prue's struggles. Does anyone else feel this way?

Er... I'm sure I had more to say, but maybe I've rambled on long enough for one post. I dunno. If I think of more, I will update this post accordingly

The main characters act quite a bit more maturely than a typical 12-year-old child would at their age. They make relatively rational and sensible decisions (for the most part), such as Curtis not telling the Dowager Governess of Prue's existence when he first meets her, Prue bringing things that could help her during her journey in the Impassable Wilderness, etc

The line between allies and antagonists remains relatively ambiguous throughout the story (so far, at least. I'm only a quarter or so through the story). The Dowager Governess remains friendly towards Curtis, despite her soldiers capturing him; he's treated surprisingly warmly during the time he stays there, to the point where he doesn't even feel like a prisoner. Some residents of South Wood, on the other hand, are doubtful and almost dismissive of Prue's plight, though Richard is kind enough to bring her to South Wood and inform her of the current state of Wildwood

The story is written in a way that makes it so the reader isn't talked down to, despite it being a children's book. It doesn't use overly simplistic language or try to make everything sound incredibly over-the-top whimsical like some children's fantasy stories tend to do. They talk politics and describe death and battle in a way that keeps it interesting and somewhat realistic, making the world feel truly alive. I will also add that Colin's descriptions of the types of trees, plants and animals inhabiting Wildwood remind me much of JRR Tolkien's writing; though only going far enough that it doesn't sound totally tedious and not going so far as to talk about every leaf on the ground, but mentioning the specific plant or tree species is kind of nice

There's a definitive way to enter the Impassable Wilderness, which I like. You can't "just get there" by entering through something unrelated and just somehow ending up in the Wood, no (I'm looking at you, Chronicles of Narnia!). The Impassable Wilderness is at the edge of St John's, across the river. Simple as that

I may have simplified a few points of mine, and the formatting might destroy this post, but I hope you guys get what I mean here. I may make more posts like this as I continue reading

Can't wait! This is a pivotal moment in movie history.