I read the first book in the series, May Bird and the Ever After, a few months ago, and found it decent and entertaining, but not particularly noteworthy. (Thus far, apparently the most controversial opinion on AV!) I definitely liked it enough that when Jessica realized book two was available in paperback, I picked it up the next time I went shopping. And I was pleasantly surprised; this installment reads much smoother than the first.I think a lot of that is due to two things: first, having a clearly-defined cast; and second, having an actual plan of action through much of it. In this book, we have more time for May’s companions to develop on their own, so they feel less like conveniences to help her escape from tricky situations and more like actual people. Bea, a ghost searching for her dead mother, is particularly more developed in this book. May’s character was a great strength for the first book; Anderson seems to do well with characters in general, and this book gives her more a chance to show that off.Having a plan is also very useful. The first book settled into one eventually, but wandered and felt like a lot of things were happening just for the sake of being weird or creepy, not because they advanced the plot. In this one, May has a goal—to get to North Farm, and then get home—and so every thing she does is actually a step towards accomplishing something, instead of a flounder in that general direction.And of course, May’s development continues and is very well-handled. Now she has the feeling she’s capable of being the warrior she always imagined herself as, but here it’s given some depth. We see it as her greatest wish, but also as her greatest fear, which I thought was an interesting touch. I also thought the brief scene of her classmates’ guilt when the narrative flashed back to Earth for a time was a nice touch. May herself is still charming, and I love her knobby knees and starry-night swim suit, as well as the story of why she has her hair bobbed.With all that sad, the book still has a tendency to build up and build up storylines…which turn out to be complete non-events. First we’re introduced to the terrifying villains, the Wild Hunters. Bogey is certain they’ll find and do away with May, and we spend maybe the first third of the book seeing her nearly miss getting caught by them. But when they finally meet, she defeats them via the time-tested method of giving them noogies. So not so tough and scary, then? And then there’s Commander Berzerko, who’s even tougher and scarier! Even the Bogeyman is nervous around her! But the confrontation is similarly brief and one-sided. And the subplot with May’s mom back on Earth, which spends most of the book building up to what should be her following May into the Ever After, ends similarly non-dramatically. While the actual climax of the book is fine, the constant building to nothing is frustrating and annoying. If the villains are actually villainous, they need to do something eventually, but instead tend to be easily defeated. Their scariness is something we’re told, not shown, and that’s just sloppy.I have a couple other quibbles; an event in the beginning of the second book makes all the travails of the first book pretty much unnecessary, but we’re told that’s okay because “it’s the way it has to be” but not why, when it seems like the whole question could have been easily avoided. The series also still seems caught up in how clever and hilarious it is: the ghosts shop at Crawl-Mart instead of Wal-Mart! Wacky! But that aspect is toned way down since the first, so it’s a mild annoyance instead of eye-roll inducing.Full review: http://www.active-voice.net/2007/08/1...
To me May Bird develops from this child of the forest into being the amazon princess she dreamed of. I like that she begins to develop self confidence and believes that she is capable of being a protector. The author has clever colorful descriptions for the Ever After and even creates these humorous names for the cities. "Carnival at the Edge of the World" is one in particular that comes to mind. With tomb numbers and death shrouds it makes for an entertaining read. I found the end both satisfying but also disappointing. It seemed odd that she should return to Earth without any of her friends and the book seemed to end with May Bird sad and her "heart slowly beginning to forget." Made me wonder where the third book is going to pick up. Somber Kitty is still my absolute favorite character in this series.
What do You think about May Bird Among The Stars (2007)?
Okay, I gave the first book a 5 star review because I loved it! But I enjoyed this book even more. So let's pretend I give this one a 6 star review. This book starts where the 1st book left off. May Bird and her companions on are the train headed towards the north. It leads to such an exciting journey from there. May Bird meets a lot of new friends and enemies. I loved the relationship between Somber Kitty and Pumpkin. Besides May, I would have to say that they are my favorite characters. I usually don't laugh out loud when I read a book (even if it is very funny) but I found myself doing so many times in this one. I don't want to say too much to give the book away but if you liked the first book, you'll definitely love the second.
—Melissa Bennett
Like the first, it cannot stand on its own. Of course, as the second book of a trilogy, that's to be expected. It does make use of the overdone prophesied hero trope, but I do like that this hero's expected reluctance is actually carried through. At least for now, presumably. Again, giving a twist on the common theme. It would be possible to just believe that the story could end here, as, for a normal person who didn't feel compelled to get involved, it would.I didn't get any real Beetlejuice vibe this time, but perhaps I've just gotten accustomed to this world she's created. I think the writer in me occasionally saw some missed opportunities, but that's not really factoring into my rating.My rating may change, depending on the next book, since it really is necessary to take these as a whole.
—pietastic
Tone is a hard thing to create in a novel. The cover sets a wonderful tone-May, clad in a tattered cloak, staring down into an abyss of stars, with Somber Kitty as her companion. The prologue too, with her mother wondering where she is, also sets the stage nicely. Starting on a train of the dead, was a good touch, too.But then the author starts to get cute, and jokey. While tone is very subjective for the reader, I can't help but wish the book I saw on the cover matched the book inside. I could do without cutesy death-inspired puns and poems to gross things. At times they can be needed for comic and tension relief, but they were just too present for me to establish mood. More than other reviews, this one is subjective, as some people wont mind the goofy, spooky-ish fun. But I can't help but wonder what it would have been like if she let go, and used comic relief much more sparingly.
—D.M. Dutcher
