Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell review! · 9:43pm Jun 22nd, 2014
Well, my Beta’s apparently away from his computer, so no new chapter for a bit. Sorry.
Okay, book review time!
I wondered about reading these for a while, because kids books, especially licensed ones, usually don’t have the periphery demographic a kids television show does. But I met Berrow at BABSCon, and she seemed nice enough. She signed me a copy of this book, so I decided to review the series. After all, the best kids stuff has things adults too. I over-analyze things anyway, so let’s get started.
Chapter One
We start with a summary of where Twilight is at this point in the series. I really don’t get why. Kids don’t have bad memories, even at the age this book was meant for... or at least I wasn’t. Maybe most kids are different.
Anyway, Twilight’s worried that she won’t make a good princess. This is a worry she had in the show proper, but hey, this came first. Spike suggest going and talking to ponies in charge to get advice.
Chapter Two
Instead of using her exclusive line to Princess Celestia to ask for advice, she goes to ask Mayor Mare. Unfortunately, she’s in a meeting. Nitpick time, this line:
“But you don’t have to call me, um, Princess.”
That “um” seems a bit awkward.
Anyway, she runs into Mr. cake selling treats out of a cart and reminding me of Rugrats with how negligent he is of his kids. Derpy shows up, but isn’t referred to by name once more. Mr. Cake is either a good salespony for selling everything already, or a bad salespony for not bringing enough.
Twilight has to go to the bakery to get her cupcake, and Mrs. Cake suggests visiting Cadance to get advice from her. That could have easily come from Spike in the beginning, making this whole chapter completely pointless. We also throw in a stereotypical “guys never listen” joke, but it insults Shining Armor, so yay.
Chapter Three
Twilight arrives in the Crystal Empire and we get more recapping. Twilight meets Shiny and Cadance, and explains her problems. Cadance takes her to see something...
Wow, less happens in this chapter than in my updates...
Chapter Four
As they walk along the streets, Cadance explains she knows the names of everypony in the Empire.
...No. Okay, that just stretches suspension of disbelief. And don’t say “kid’s book”, because I noticed this even at that age. Kids aren’t stupid, they sense BS.
Then they infodump Cadance’s backstory, one I have to shake my head at. Cadance was once a baby Pegasus found and adopted by a tribe of Earth Ponies. An evil witch named Prismia cast a spell that leeched the ponies’s love away, being jealous that she was never loved. Cadance went to see Prismia, and because this is MLP, her love made Prismia good. She was then transported to the same dimension Twilight was in Magical Mystery Cure. Celestia saw this and took her away to be her niece (between her and Twilight, Celestia needs to stop taking other’s foals) and she apparently forced two ponies to become best friends.
Okay, first off, as I said, Cadance being Celestia’s niece cheapens Celestia’s relationship with twilight. Second, if defeating a villain through love was all it took, why didn’t Twilight ascend the minute she brought forth the Elements to defeat Nightmare Moon? Having her ascend so easily when Twilight had to work for it just cheapens her accomplishment. And finally, is it implying cadance used her love spell on Prismia and the feuding families? She saved the day through mind rape?
Also, I grant that this was just the show writers ignoring this book, but how did Tirek know about Cadance and not Twilight if she was this recent?
Apparently, if something like casting a spell works for true love, then one can work for making Twilight a leader. But it’s a bit tricky, since the condition is Twilight must learn what the biggest challenge in friendship is. And then Cadance proves she was raised by Celestia by being cryptic and saying she must look at the elements that make up a great kingdom.
...Then casts doubt by answering it for her. She tried asking her friends, but they were of no help. She realized that was the problem, and the answer came: it’s True Love and Tolerance.
Chapter 5
Cadance leads Twilight into an elaborate bedroom that’s apparently for Twilight, with Spike waiting. Then Cadance gives her a necklace in the shape of a heart. Cadance says that as long as there is love in her heart, the necklace will wrap her in love and compassion, but the opposite brings pain.
...And she thinks giving this to a pony who has doubts about herself is a good idea?
Anyway, they muse that the necklace might have been Prismia’s. The next morning, Twilight, despite being the smart one, forgets the whole point of Cadance’s story and decides to ask her friends for help.
Chapter 6
We get five pages of Spike inviting everypony. The only important thing is when he invites Rainbow Dash: Gilda is in Ponyville for some reason and overhears.
We then get six pages of twilight asking for help, though Pinkie’s pretty funny.
Chapter 7
The results of the meeting are exactly the same as when Cadance tried asking her friends for help: ideas that are of no help. Twilight ends up snapping at her friends and, realizing they’ve been here too long, dismisses them.
Chapter 8
Gilda waits outside Twilight’s... cottage? She has a cottage now? Anyway, as soon as she can, Gilda confronts Twilight, and tells her she should be making it all about her. Twilight, to her credit, brushes her off, but starts to consider after she leaves.
As twilight goes through her day, a little voice in the back of her head starts telling her to forget about others and do things her way. It culminates with Twilight snapping at Pinkie and insulting her.
Chapter 9
Twilight finds Rainbow Dash and asks her where Gilda is, being curt while doing so. She says she’s at the farm, and she’s been spending a lot of time with Trixie lately...
Okay, I’m starting to wonder how much Berrow knew about the show when she wrote this. It seems to imply that Gilda and Trixie live in/near Ponyville. Eh...
Chapter 10
Apparently, Trixie back to being a villain. This I will chalk up to Berrow only getting the notes on what happens in the finale, not the rest of season three. But couldn’t an editor look at this? Eh...
They’re busy emptying cider barrels and filling them with slime to poison ponies, Trixie to play hero, and Gilda because she’s a jerk. Twilight doesn’t care... why? Okay, there’s an explanation, but we’ll get to that in a bit.
Gilda tells Twilight to do whatever, and she decides to go to the Crystal Empire library. She goes, with Gilda and trixie accompanying her because they want to see the Empire. They run into Fluttershy and Rarity, whom Twilight ignores. Gilda calls that Twilight doesn’t have time for them, and Rarity, noticing that Twilight’s necklace is losing its luster, decides to get Spike.
Chapter 11
They arrive at the library to find Spike depressed that Twilight abandoned her again. Rarity, showing better foresight then characters in fiction usually have, thinks the necklace is to blame. They decide to save Twilight.
Chapter 12
At the Empire, Shining runs into Twilight. He’s apparently learned his lesson from the Wedding, because when he notices her weird behavior he suspects something’s up and goes to get his wife.
Cadance finds her in the library and brings the necklace to her attention. Once her head is cleared, she goes to apologize to her friends.
Chapter 13
At the Empire, the other ponies arrive to see Gilda selling tickets to Trixie’s show. The others try to stop this, because... Trixie’s lying again. Well, considering how bad things turned out in Ponyville.
Twilight comes to stand up to her friends. This causes the necklace to glow, and the spell comes true... it’s exactly what Cadance said it was! ...Yay?
And so the story ends with Twilight trying her friend’s suggestions... which cadance told her not to do.
This book has problems. I think a lot at the beginning could have been cut and it could have gone into detail more of Twilight’s descending into self-doubt. I also think making that descent magical and shoehorning in Gilda and trixie was unnecessary.
Not the best start... but it’s only the first book. Let’s keep going.
Friends Forever #6 is next.
Wow, dude . . . just, wow.
This book contradicts canon since it ignores Trixie's reformation after "Magic Duel". Trust me when I say the next book is MUCH better.
Oh, sometimes your blog posts really hit me in the right place, and I feel like I want to respond.
This book was god-awful, I read it when it first came out, but you and I seem to disagree on a few things...
Eh, I'm actually willing to accept it. It seems a little unbelievable, but think about it in the context of the show itself. Do you think Pinkie Pie doesn't know the names of everypony in Ponyville? And probably a lot of ponies beyond that she's befriended? It's not that big a stretch in the context of the show. Ponies apparently have this sort of capacity.
She's not even technically her niece. Adopted niece. I don't think it cheapen's Twilight's relationship with Celestia at all, though I do think people tend to strengthen Celestia and Twilight's relationship quite a bit. Perhaps it is due to the assumption that the two of them were a lot closer than they really were (Not saying they weren't close, just perhaps it was a lot more of a teacher-student relationship than the fandom likes to play with. We just don't know.)
Wouldn't all six ascend if that was the case? No, I doubt wielding the elements would do the trick. In MMC, Twilight "did something that no pony had every been able to do before." What was this thing that she did? Supposedly, invent a new kind of magic, but maybe that was only the sign that she was ready. It seems to me that Celestia triggered the transformation in Twilight. In the book, if I remember correctly (It's been a long time since I read it.), Cadence becamse an alicorn all on her own, Celestia didn't initiate anything. To me, it makes sense. She was a pegasus that used magic. Further, it may have been a new kind of magic, sort of like Twilight did in MMC. That seems likely if this is going to be a factor in ascension.
There are definitely some problems with this background story, at least the way it was told, but I am totally willing to buy the overall premise. Cadence was a pegasus? I love it. It means it's not just unicorns that can achieve ascension. Cadence was young when she ascended? Again, I love it. The idea of an almost accidental ascension, a natural prodigy at something, really hits me in the right spots. I love that sort of thing. I'll admit freely that it's heavily due to that sort of bias that I really hope if her background is talked about in the show, that its at least similar to this. I love the idea of her being a pegasus.
Perhaps her magic doesn't force love, it just helps the recipient of the magic to consider it when they normally wouldn't. If I recall correctly, the magic she used it like her magic in the show. We saw it work in A Canterlot Wedding. The arguing couple she cast it on made up. I don't think the spell forced them to, I think it made them see that what they were arguing about wasn't as important as their love. It was a little over the top as it was done, but it got the point across in a way that kids can understand.
Did Tirek know about Cadence prior to entering the chamber where all three of the princesses were sitting? I had thought of this before, actually, and I just want to point it out. I am pretty sure he didn't know about her.
Also, we already knew Cadence was recent, look at her age when she was babysitting Twilight in the flashbacks from A Canterlot Wedding. She's not ancient like Celestia.
Yep, this book ignores a ton of canon, and this is what bugged me the most. This is post season 3 supposedly, but Trixie isn't reformed a bit. Furthermore, why would Gilda be working with her, anyway? In fact, why is Gilda even there? It makes no sense.
Huge problems. I reviewed it myself, way back when, and I think I ended up giving it like... 2/5 stars. Maybe. My review is on Amazon, I think.
You have more stamina than I. I dared not continue. I'm also shocked at how much pushback I got from bronies when I came out and said that this book was a steaming pile with almost no redeeming qualities.
Yes, it's a kids' book, but MLP is also a kids' show. You don't hold this book and that show up to some imaginary, made up, arbitrary standard called "kids' entertainment" that you thought up on your own. You hold it to its own standard that it has set. This book doesn't even come close to the show's quality. It's poorly written in almost every way. The only thing I like in here is Cadence's background story.
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Relax, it was a joke.
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1. Ponyville's a lot smaller.
2. I'll concede to that one.
3. Twilight specifically discovered friendship and brought the others together. I think that puts her ahead. I'll concede the rest.
4. The fact that her magic is so vague is the problem. It needs to be addressed.
5. Yeah, good point.
6. I addressed that in the review.
7. I'll check that review.
8. I give things more than one chance.
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Eh, I probably should...
How exactly? For starters, it's a different kind of relationship; familiar, not mentor. For second, and I'm gonna just outright say it, Twilight and Celestia don't apparently have all that great a relationship anyway. Yes, Twilight idolizes and, generally, trusts her, but she doesn't really KNOW her at all.
Lesson Zero is about the biggest pieces of evidence for this, in that if Twilight really knew Celestia at all, she wouldn't have blown everything out of proportion thinking she'd be disowned as a student or something over one late report...that wasn't even actually late anyway. This is even a recurring theme throughout season 1, as seen on occasions such as her near-Lesson Zero crack during Swarm of the Century, or her freak out over Phillomena and Fluttershy in A Bird in the Hoof.
Heck, it could even be argued that it's even worse the opposite way around too, and that, at heart, Celestia doesn't completely trust Twilight. Hide it behind excuses of 'a test' all you want, but there was no good reason for her to send her to the Crystal Empire with so little helpful information (AKA, she didn't mention the Crystal Heart at all, even though she would logically have known about it and that it should have been the number one thing she SHOULD have mentioned Twilight would need to find when she got there). Also, and granted this was pretty much EVERYPONY'S failure, but she didn't think twice about dismissing Twilight's concerns about Cadance's behavior (AND it calls into question just how good a relationship those two have as well, since Celestia was unable to see through the mare she supposedly raised acting completely out of character, wedding jitters or no). It makes me wonder how much Sunset Shimmer's actions may have shadowed Celestia's relationship with Twilight, since it seems a lot of problems could have been avoided if Tia and Twi had something closer to the Surrogate Mother/Daughter relationship that you see in some fics.
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1. You're basing you first assumption off of a stated character flaw. Twilight freaks out about everything.
2. You're trying to claim Celestia doesn't trust Twilight, even though she sent her on literally every mission on her own? Saying that's why she withheld information she needed to save the Empire? That makes even less sense than the test explanation. And that she didn't believe her when she was acting like a child? Neither did her friends.
Anyway, I just feel after building up that Twi and Celly were so close, shoehorning in Cadance and saying she was adopted is just... no.
Except Cadance herself taught Twily how to control those freakouts... at least to her, Twilight probably seems pretty level-headed. Dunno!
Why didn't Twilight ascend when they conquered NMM with love?
The Element of Love was already taken, you silly filly!
The book for me had a lot of good puns, even though Berrow not knowing the canon or watching the show shone quite clearly through. Rainbow Dash lives in Cloudsdale, which is above Ponyville? Whut? Gilda and Trixie hang around? Whut?
It might be that she didn't get all the notes or have access to someone who could fact-check for her. These things are usually outsourced and only edited for grammar and typos and such, not for actual content. She's no Enid Blyton, but who'd wanna read 20 pages about eating canned meat anyways.