Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
The writing isn't great, but the story has potential. I can see many middle readers getting frustrated with the pacing and some of the references to older (sometimes obscure) movies. I hope that the author spent more time building characters in the subsequent installments.
Ive said it before and I'll say it again, I am a huge fan of action fantasy books with little to no romance. Kind of like, the PJO series, befor Mr. Riordan bacame a hopeless romantic in all of his new books >.>
Teehee.
*Edited: Full Review found here Three Blank Pages ;D
ELike some people here, Im a HUGE fan of PJO. I devoured them like crazy back in the days and still read it once a year up until now. Fo years, Ive been searching for something that is kind of like PJO. You know, that fast paced, adventure-filled and fun setting that would make you smile, think and be excited all at the same time. Something that is not too heavy but still contains a strong conflict, something that focuses more on friendship, its importance and its greatness more than anything else (ahem, romance). Elements that I think Mr. Riordan sadly los after the PJO series. Finally though, I found it with this book.
And also, Ive always been fascinated with Atlantis so it was a major plus point for me. I certainly have no problem with the pacing of the book since ive read quit a lot of books with the same first few chapters, which is, a confused lead character who doesn’t get his answers right away. For me, it was not stretched out too much to the point that it annoyed me, unlike some other books (insert Maze Runners here. Teehee. But I still loved the book.) This was pretty fast paced too with a lot of new adventures to offer. Then there’s the humour that’s been placed all at the right places. It wasn’t forced and it seemed pretty natural to me. And I swear I found myself chuckling from time to time.
The later part of the story, which I think was supposed to be the highlight was not that great though but the author certainly made up to it with the ending. The ending, I just couldn't. LOL. Who would have thought that he’ll end it that way?? It’s a good thing that the 2nd book is due on Fall of 2013. Cant wait to read it!
For the characters, I couldn't find any major faults except that, after reading the book, I couldn't really tell if I could relate to the characters. I thinks its because everything was so focused on the build up of the story that the character development was left out. Its not such a biggie though, so its not something to fret about. I just hope that the author will look into it and hopefully try to “liven” up his characters.
I’m also a fan of Brandon Mull who loves to make you doubt people surrounding their characters. Its like, aside from the main problem, they are giving you mind games to identify which characters are to be trusted or not. So thank you my dear authors! Thanks to you, I am now having some major trust issues. Teehee ;)
My Final Verdict
Some may find this boring at first, considering that Im practically shoving this book right at you. Saying how great it is and all. I think I loved it because my expectations were pretty low. So if you want to enjoy it as much as I did, try not to expect too much. All in all, I enjoyed reading the book so much that Im giving it a 5/5 stars. Sweet~!
Teehee.
*Edited: Full Review found here Three Blank Pages ;D
ELike some people here, Im a HUGE fan of PJO. I devoured them like crazy back in the days and still read it once a year up until now. Fo years, Ive been searching for something that is kind of like PJO. You know, that fast paced, adventure-filled and fun setting that would make you smile, think and be excited all at the same time. Something that is not too heavy but still contains a strong conflict, something that focuses more on friendship, its importance and its greatness more than anything else (ahem, romance). Elements that I think Mr. Riordan sadly los after the PJO series. Finally though, I found it with this book.
And also, Ive always been fascinated with Atlantis so it was a major plus point for me. I certainly have no problem with the pacing of the book since ive read quit a lot of books with the same first few chapters, which is, a confused lead character who doesn’t get his answers right away. For me, it was not stretched out too much to the point that it annoyed me, unlike some other books (insert Maze Runners here. Teehee. But I still loved the book.) This was pretty fast paced too with a lot of new adventures to offer. Then there’s the humour that’s been placed all at the right places. It wasn’t forced and it seemed pretty natural to me. And I swear I found myself chuckling from time to time.
The later part of the story, which I think was supposed to be the highlight was not that great though but the author certainly made up to it with the ending. The ending, I just couldn't. LOL. Who would have thought that he’ll end it that way?? It’s a good thing that the 2nd book is due on Fall of 2013. Cant wait to read it!
For the characters, I couldn't find any major faults except that, after reading the book, I couldn't really tell if I could relate to the characters. I thinks its because everything was so focused on the build up of the story that the character development was left out. Its not such a biggie though, so its not something to fret about. I just hope that the author will look into it and hopefully try to “liven” up his characters.
I’m also a fan of Brandon Mull who loves to make you doubt people surrounding their characters. Its like, aside from the main problem, they are giving you mind games to identify which characters are to be trusted or not. So thank you my dear authors! Thanks to you, I am now having some major trust issues. Teehee ;)
My Final Verdict
Some may find this boring at first, considering that Im practically shoving this book right at you. Saying how great it is and all. I think I loved it because my expectations were pretty low. So if you want to enjoy it as much as I did, try not to expect too much. All in all, I enjoyed reading the book so much that Im giving it a 5/5 stars. Sweet~!
It was an alright book. Not terribly impressed; The entire book seemed like a stage setting book, not really an acting book; There was more showing than telling, and the point of the book seemed to set the tone, scene, and setting for the rest of the series.
I like children's books but this one was just ok. My reaction was blah. I wanted more detail. Everything was happening way too fast and I couldn't picture what was happening. I don't think I will continue on with the series.
Giving this one a 5 stars because I loved it. There were some things I could've done without a bit, but that did not stop me from loving it. It's so nice reading a book focused on the action and plot. People argue that this book has no character development, yet I do not see this as an issue as the plot is so damn good. It's a five book series. Usually character development takes time to evolve.
This was a super quick read for me and I'm extremely excited to continue on with the next book!
This was a super quick read for me and I'm extremely excited to continue on with the next book!
Ever since I finished the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, I haven't been able to find a good alternative. There are some great middle grade series out there, don't get me wrong. But none of them had the same feel to it as PJO.
Until now.
This book had a lot of similar elements to PJO. The one stood out to me the most was its humour. Rick Riordan was able to infuse humour into his books even when things got tense. What's even better was that the humour did not come from one single "comic relief character." Peter Lerangis took a page right out of Riordan's How to Write a Fantastic Book Series and did exactly that. Every one of the characters was capable of delivering a funny punchline and that showed great versatility. I really love it when a character is more than just "The Hero", "The Clown" or "The Nerd." Because in some way, everyone has those characteristics within them. Jack, Marco, Aly and Cass all displayed those characteristics and it made the story much more believable. And the best part of all is that they all had equal opportunities to shine; although the story was told in Jack's perspective, all of them could be viewed as the main character.
Another character I thought Lerangis delivered really well was Torquin. He is a large henchman to the Karai Institute. Stereotypically, the large henchman is not the sharpest tool in the shed, and is usually used as a comic relief. Sure, Torquin had his funny moments, but he also showed that he is just like you and me. He gets frustrated when he has to come in on his day off, he hates babysitting the kids, yet, he is smart enough to monitor the entire institute's surveillance system and can notice when things feel off. At times you feel bad for him, and then you realize you really hate his stubbornness.
If you're not a fan of Rick Riordan (although that is impossible), there are other aspects of this novel that might appeal to you. Like in the 39 Clues, this book drew in historical elements and made me really interested in the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. I go gaga for anything about ancient civilization, which made my time in my time in my grade 11 history class oh so enjoyable. This book had puzzles and riddles that needed to be solved and fans of the 39 Clues series should definitely check it out.
There was also another element of this story that I enjoyed and it reminded me a bit of the Immortal Nicholas Flammel series (by Michael Scott). But I will put this under the spoiler tag just in case you find it spoilery.I like how the children don't really trust Dr. Bhegard and the Karai Institute, just like Josh and Sophie with Nicholas Flammel. I think their suspicion is justified and I am curious to read on to see if any of them would turn against the professor.
One minor thing that I disliked about this book were the titles given to each chapter. I usually LOVE chapters with their own title, but only if they added to the mystique of what was about to happen. Some of the chapter titles in this book did the opposite; some (only some) of the titles kind of gave away what was about to happen in the upcoming chapter. Nothing major was given away or anything, but it still took away some of my excitement.
P.S.: Totally adored the illustrations! They were an essential part to the puzzle solving. Excellent.
Until now.
This book had a lot of similar elements to PJO. The one stood out to me the most was its humour. Rick Riordan was able to infuse humour into his books even when things got tense. What's even better was that the humour did not come from one single "comic relief character." Peter Lerangis took a page right out of Riordan's How to Write a Fantastic Book Series and did exactly that. Every one of the characters was capable of delivering a funny punchline and that showed great versatility. I really love it when a character is more than just "The Hero", "The Clown" or "The Nerd." Because in some way, everyone has those characteristics within them. Jack, Marco, Aly and Cass all displayed those characteristics and it made the story much more believable. And the best part of all is that they all had equal opportunities to shine; although the story was told in Jack's perspective, all of them could be viewed as the main character.
Another character I thought Lerangis delivered really well was Torquin. He is a large henchman to the Karai Institute. Stereotypically, the large henchman is not the sharpest tool in the shed, and is usually used as a comic relief. Sure, Torquin had his funny moments, but he also showed that he is just like you and me. He gets frustrated when he has to come in on his day off, he hates babysitting the kids, yet, he is smart enough to monitor the entire institute's surveillance system and can notice when things feel off. At times you feel bad for him, and then you realize you really hate his stubbornness.
If you're not a fan of Rick Riordan (although that is impossible), there are other aspects of this novel that might appeal to you. Like in the 39 Clues, this book drew in historical elements and made me really interested in the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. I go gaga for anything about ancient civilization, which made my time in my time in my grade 11 history class oh so enjoyable. This book had puzzles and riddles that needed to be solved and fans of the 39 Clues series should definitely check it out.
There was also another element of this story that I enjoyed and it reminded me a bit of the Immortal Nicholas Flammel series (by Michael Scott). But I will put this under the spoiler tag just in case you find it spoilery.
One minor thing that I disliked about this book were the titles given to each chapter. I usually LOVE chapters with their own title, but only if they added to the mystique of what was about to happen. Some of the chapter titles in this book did the opposite; some (only some) of the titles kind of gave away what was about to happen in the upcoming chapter. Nothing major was given away or anything, but it still took away some of my excitement.
P.S.: Totally adored the illustrations! They were an essential part to the puzzle solving. Excellent.
Cover: 3/5 (I like it)
Story: 2/5 (It was okay/meh)
Oh boy. I picked this series up (yes, the entire series unfortunately) for my daughter. She had just read the Heroes of Olympus series and the Percy Jackson series several times through and was (still is) obsessed with mythology. From the synopsis, I thought this would be similar... even without the blurbs saying it was similar to Percy Jackson. It was unfair to compare it to a series like that because then you go in with expectations that this book just didn't meet.
I thought it would be an interesting and fun adventure where you learn some cool stuff about the Seven Wonders of the world. That's what it tried to be, but it just fell flat. The plot was boring. The characters were so flat. There are puzzles to solve and the characters just solve them. There's no buildup or even an explanation as to how they come up with some of the answers. They just do. The four Select feel like stereotypical middle grade characters that aren't really relatable. The book does that thing where they tell you a character has a certain strength, but you don't see it. I feel like there's a name for it, but I don't know. For example, Aly is a master codebreaker/hacker girl. But all you see her do is tell you what divisions of 7 are. The other kid, Cass, seems pointless. I mean he can remember maps and stuff, but they could also just use a map. His big thing is that he talks backwards. That's what is supposed to make him interesting. The last guy is strong. I think he's also supposed to be the comic relief...you know in that Disney Channel kind of way, but I didn't find him funny.
The writing itself is easy to read. I flew through about 200 pages, But I lost interest and didn't really care what happened to the characters at that point. I managed to finish the book (mainly because I've been DNFing alot lately), but it was just blah. I would like to say that this might be an example of me being too old to enjoy a middle grade book, but I don't accept that. I enjoyed Percy Jackson. I enjoyed Harry Potter. My 10 year old daughter read 20 pages and was like "nope." I should have followed her lead on this one.
Reread? No. In fact, I'll be getting rid of the entire series.
Challenges:
2018 Goodreads Challenge
2018 Mount TBR Challenge
Story: 2/5 (It was okay/meh)
Oh boy. I picked this series up (yes, the entire series unfortunately) for my daughter. She had just read the Heroes of Olympus series and the Percy Jackson series several times through and was (still is) obsessed with mythology. From the synopsis, I thought this would be similar... even without the blurbs saying it was similar to Percy Jackson. It was unfair to compare it to a series like that because then you go in with expectations that this book just didn't meet.
I thought it would be an interesting and fun adventure where you learn some cool stuff about the Seven Wonders of the world. That's what it tried to be, but it just fell flat. The plot was boring. The characters were so flat. There are puzzles to solve and the characters just solve them. There's no buildup or even an explanation as to how they come up with some of the answers. They just do. The four Select feel like stereotypical middle grade characters that aren't really relatable. The book does that thing where they tell you a character has a certain strength, but you don't see it. I feel like there's a name for it, but I don't know. For example, Aly is a master codebreaker/hacker girl. But all you see her do is tell you what divisions of 7 are. The other kid, Cass, seems pointless. I mean he can remember maps and stuff, but they could also just use a map. His big thing is that he talks backwards. That's what is supposed to make him interesting. The last guy is strong. I think he's also supposed to be the comic relief...you know in that Disney Channel kind of way, but I didn't find him funny.
The writing itself is easy to read. I flew through about 200 pages, But I lost interest and didn't really care what happened to the characters at that point. I managed to finish the book (mainly because I've been DNFing alot lately), but it was just blah. I would like to say that this might be an example of me being too old to enjoy a middle grade book, but I don't accept that. I enjoyed Percy Jackson. I enjoyed Harry Potter. My 10 year old daughter read 20 pages and was like "nope." I should have followed her lead on this one.
Reread? No. In fact, I'll be getting rid of the entire series.
Challenges:
2018 Goodreads Challenge
2018 Mount TBR Challenge
I was expecting something more like Percy Jackson, but I just ended up being disappointed. I didn't even ended up finishing it. Ugh.... It was really disappointing for me.
Originally posted on http://bibliophilesisters.wordpress.com/
This is the first book in the new middle grade series Seven Wonders. The story centres around Jack Mckinley who is an ordinary teenage boy who has a penchant for chasing away nannies while his father is hard at work on another continent. He tries to stay out of trouble and spends endless time devising interesting ways to wake himself up in the morning.
On the day he was supposed to die he was running late for a math test after skyping with his father. On his way to class he runs into the school bully the last thing he thought would happen was that he would be hit with a car and rushed to the hospital where a strange priest would read him his last rites, but that’s exactly what happens. Soon he wakes up and realizes he isn’t in Indiana anymore.
Instead he finds himself in the Karai Institute where a strange Professor Beghad explains to him that he has inherited a special gene from the Atlanteans, but this gene is slowly killing him and his school mates. These four students are the Selects who must now find seven loculi to cure their disease otherwise they will be dead in six months. Sounds easy right? Well when each of the loculi are hidden in the seven ancient wonders not so much. At least this gene has caused them to develop superpowers which will come in very handy.
I really enjoy reading middle grade series such as 39 clues and Percy Jackson so I was really looking forward to this series. This isn’t surprising since author Peter Lerangis is an co-author of the 39 clues series and Rick Riordan also a co-author of that series and author of Percy Jackson has a blurb on the cover. That was a big pull for me to pick up this book (along with my slight obsession with the seven wonders)
This being the first book in the series I see a lot of potential for where the series will go in the future. I really liked the storyline and characters but in this first book we don’t get much character development, but since there might be seven books we have more time to get to know the Selects growth. Another thing that I enjoy is not knowing whether the adults from the Karai Institute can be trusted or are actually using the teens. They seem pretty evil to me,but we will learn more about them in future books
I think this is a great way to get kids to read and also to get interested in history. I wish that there was a little bit more of the history of the Colossus Statue in the book. I felt that this part of the story was rushed because we had so much to learn in the first part of the story.
The ending of the story leaves us wanting more. I will definitely be picking up the second book when it comes out sometime in the fall. I just wish that they didn’t cost $19.99 for a middle grade story. I got this one from the library, but had to wait a while to get it. Pick this up if you are a fan of Percy Jackson, Harry Potter or 39 clues series!
This is the first book in the new middle grade series Seven Wonders. The story centres around Jack Mckinley who is an ordinary teenage boy who has a penchant for chasing away nannies while his father is hard at work on another continent. He tries to stay out of trouble and spends endless time devising interesting ways to wake himself up in the morning.
On the day he was supposed to die he was running late for a math test after skyping with his father. On his way to class he runs into the school bully the last thing he thought would happen was that he would be hit with a car and rushed to the hospital where a strange priest would read him his last rites, but that’s exactly what happens. Soon he wakes up and realizes he isn’t in Indiana anymore.
Instead he finds himself in the Karai Institute where a strange Professor Beghad explains to him that he has inherited a special gene from the Atlanteans, but this gene is slowly killing him and his school mates. These four students are the Selects who must now find seven loculi to cure their disease otherwise they will be dead in six months. Sounds easy right? Well when each of the loculi are hidden in the seven ancient wonders not so much. At least this gene has caused them to develop superpowers which will come in very handy.
I really enjoy reading middle grade series such as 39 clues and Percy Jackson so I was really looking forward to this series. This isn’t surprising since author Peter Lerangis is an co-author of the 39 clues series and Rick Riordan also a co-author of that series and author of Percy Jackson has a blurb on the cover. That was a big pull for me to pick up this book (along with my slight obsession with the seven wonders)
This being the first book in the series I see a lot of potential for where the series will go in the future. I really liked the storyline and characters but in this first book we don’t get much character development, but since there might be seven books we have more time to get to know the Selects growth. Another thing that I enjoy is not knowing whether the adults from the Karai Institute can be trusted or are actually using the teens. They seem pretty evil to me,but we will learn more about them in future books
I think this is a great way to get kids to read and also to get interested in history. I wish that there was a little bit more of the history of the Colossus Statue in the book. I felt that this part of the story was rushed because we had so much to learn in the first part of the story.
The ending of the story leaves us wanting more. I will definitely be picking up the second book when it comes out sometime in the fall. I just wish that they didn’t cost $19.99 for a middle grade story. I got this one from the library, but had to wait a while to get it. Pick this up if you are a fan of Percy Jackson, Harry Potter or 39 clues series!