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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
Second time read - 1/23/15 to 1/25/15
Third time read - 3/9/16 to 3/11/16
Third time read - 3/9/16 to 3/11/16
Very reminiscent of the Percy Jackson series in style, which probably explains why Rick Riordan has a quote on the front and back praising the series. Still, it manages to tell a story that's all its own, and the characters are very well written. Looking forward to reading the next in the series.
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.
I read this with my son, he enjoyed it and found it to be full of action and adventure. I found the plot pace to be slow at times. And since the book is based on fantasy, I am at least enjoying that he will learn about the seven ancient wonders of the world -- and I'm enjoying learning about them, too.
I thought it was just okay. Hated the audiobook narrator.
This book was okay. I found the writing really inconsistant and some of the language used wound make no sence to a child the was in middle school abd since this is a middle grade book its problematic. The plot was very linear and the charaters mostly flat, there was some development but it was sporadic and uncalled for. Overall it was an okay book and I am unsure if I wil continue on reading this series.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
Critical Review: 3 of 5 stars
Enjoyment scale: 3.5 of 5 stars
The story has an interesting plot that could be confusing for some readers. We don't even know the whole concept until quite late in the book and are only given details sparingly through the book. Jack is kidnapped by this organization that we can't trust. The only details that we receive are from this organization so we have to second guess any information we do get.That makes for a rather unreliable narrator.
The characters are forced to stay with the organization to maintain their treatment for their disease or they will die very quickly. We don't even know if the organization is the only place to get treatment or there could possibly be other places that the main characters don't know about.
In the beginning, we see Jack exhibiting his first symptoms of the disease and finding out that his father is busy with conferences outside the country. Jack's father calls him and noticing Jack wasn't sounding well and remarks that he would be coming home as soon as possible to tell him about something. This makes me think that Jack's father somehow knew about the disease and wanted to tell him before its too late. But of course Jack gets kidnapped before we get to meet the father. Jack does not get any outside contact so a potential theory is that Jack is working for the wrong side of the conflict this whole time and is being used by the organization to get all the loculi for themselves.
There are other things I thought could have been better in the book because the premise was really interesting but there were a lot of plotholes and mistakes throughout the book.
Enjoyment scale: 3.5 of 5 stars
The story has an interesting plot that could be confusing for some readers. We don't even know the whole concept until quite late in the book and are only given details sparingly through the book. Jack is kidnapped by this organization that we can't trust. The only details that we receive are from this organization so we have to second guess any information we do get.That makes for a rather unreliable narrator.
The characters are forced to stay with the organization to maintain their treatment for their disease or they will die very quickly. We don't even know if the organization is the only place to get treatment or there could possibly be other places that the main characters don't know about.
In the beginning, we see Jack exhibiting his first symptoms of the disease and finding out that his father is busy with conferences outside the country. Jack's father calls him and noticing Jack wasn't sounding well and remarks that he would be coming home as soon as possible to tell him about something. This makes me think that Jack's father somehow knew about the disease and wanted to tell him before its too late. But of course Jack gets kidnapped before we get to meet the father. Jack does not get any outside contact so a potential theory is that Jack is working for the wrong side of the conflict this whole time and is being used by the organization to get all the loculi for themselves.
There are other things I thought could have been better in the book because the premise was really interesting but there were a lot of plotholes and mistakes throughout the book.
I receieved an ARC of this via a GoodReads giveaway so I feel like I should add my two cents here.
Disclaimer - I haven't read the Percy Jackson books (I know.) BUT I do love middle grade adventure/fantasy and this series definitely hit the spot. Friendships forged, magical (and possibly deadly) magical powers discovered, secret society, ancient curses and the 7 wonders of the world. Honestly if you or your child loved the Percy Jackson books they will definitely line up for this series as well!
Disclaimer - I haven't read the Percy Jackson books (I know.) BUT I do love middle grade adventure/fantasy and this series definitely hit the spot. Friendships forged, magical (and possibly deadly) magical powers discovered, secret society, ancient curses and the 7 wonders of the world. Honestly if you or your child loved the Percy Jackson books they will definitely line up for this series as well!