log(book)
I'm currently behind on reviews, so don't be surprised if the recent reviews are a bit sparse.

The Golden Compass

author: Philip Pullman (1995)
series: His Dark Materials #1
date added: 2015-04-08
date read: 2008-11-01
pages: 399
lists: german, fantasy, ya
rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Cover of The Golden Compass.

Widely liked, but didn’t do it for me. Though that’s not quite right: I adored the setup: Oxford, the river, the journey. But soon, it became preachy the same way the Narnia books did (only, of course, for an opposed cause). I can’t stand preachy books for children.

Cover of The Water Mirror.

The Water Mirror

by Kai Meyer · published 2001 · last read 2009-07-01
★★★★☆
Another magical realism book with a similar vibe. Less good, but also less preachy.
Cover of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

by C.S. Lewis · published 1950 · read 2002-06-01
★☆☆☆☆
If you like preachy books, but are cheering for the opposite position.
Cover of Lycidas.

Lycidas

by Christoph Marzi · published 2004 · read 2011-07-01
★★★☆☆
Some of the same semi-but-not Victorian vibe.
Cover of Sabriel.

Sabriel

by Garth Nix · published 1995 · read 2017-01-01
★★★★☆
Young girl sets out on her own with only her talking animal sidekick to combat forces of evil.