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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
This kind of feels like it was written with a formula on How To Write Fantasy Adventure For Pre-Teens (Particularly the Male Ones). It read like a movie and I would not be surprised if it turned into one (but, sadly, the trend with these kind of books is that they get turned into really crappy movies, like The Seeker from the wonderful Dark is Rising). It moved along pretty quickly with three big battles with some cool magic. John Dee, the villain, is evil and has decent motive/characterization. The Dark Elders are appropriately dangerously powerful. Nicolas Flamel is a hero, but not completely trustworthy which is cool (I picked this up for Flamel, because I find his real life counterpart fascinating). The main characters, the twins, are about what you'd expect...feisty girl, doubtful boy who might be turned to EVIL in the future. References to different mythologies and Atlantis provides the story backdrop. It's not particularly deep or clever but it moves along quickly and it reads smoothly and sometimes that's enough. For its target audience, I'm sure it's a real corker.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
I liked this book, but I feel like it would have been better if I had read this a few years ago. It was a bit too childish. I did like the fictional world and the mythological characters. I won't think I will be finishing this series, but it was a fun and quick read.
This book definately had its faults, but I really enjoyed reading it. The story line was fun and somewhat unpredictable. My only complaint is that the least believable characters in the whole book were the ones that were supposed to be "normal." I guess Michael Scott is better at writing magical mystical characters than he is at capturing real human thoughts and emotions.
I didn’t know how I was going to feel about this book considering some of the reviews I read. However, after reading it myself, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
The book has a consistent amount of action sequences throughout which I thought weaved nicely around the world building, lore dumps and character introductions. That being said, I felt the sequence around the 3/4 mark of the book was way stronger than the final scene, which I thought after the scene before was going to be even more epic. It almost felt like they ran out of time to make the finale worth the buildup.
I will say though the ending did make me itch to start the next book as it seems it will pick up seamlessly from the first.
I read some reviews about how unbearable Josh’s character was and how his character arch was unrealistic but I found his characterization fit his only 15-year old self. He’s still young, a bit foolish and doesn’t think too hard before he speaks. I found that that fits most 15 year olds in general and didn’t make he seem annoying at all. Plus, he stays pretty consistent throughout the book. The whole book takes place over only 2 days and even though the twins get introduced to wild mythical characters and hidden magic, I found it still not enough time to create a large character arch for Josh (especially since this is only book 1 of 6).
The reason this is a 4/5 star for me was the lack of excitement at the final scene (compared to the chaotic previous action sequence) and how I really didn’t find myself caring until after I finished the first 3rd of the book.
Once more backstory, world building and lore was introduced, I was way more intrigued with the story, as I am with any fantasy genre book.
The book has a consistent amount of action sequences throughout which I thought weaved nicely around the world building, lore dumps and character introductions. That being said, I felt the sequence around the 3/4 mark of the book was way stronger than the final scene, which I thought after the scene before was going to be even more epic. It almost felt like they ran out of time to make the finale worth the buildup.
I will say though the ending did make me itch to start the next book as it seems it will pick up seamlessly from the first.
I read some reviews about how unbearable Josh’s character was and how his character arch was unrealistic but I found his characterization fit his only 15-year old self. He’s still young, a bit foolish and doesn’t think too hard before he speaks. I found that that fits most 15 year olds in general and didn’t make he seem annoying at all. Plus, he stays pretty consistent throughout the book. The whole book takes place over only 2 days and even though the twins get introduced to wild mythical characters and hidden magic, I found it still not enough time to create a large character arch for Josh (especially since this is only book 1 of 6).
The reason this is a 4/5 star for me was the lack of excitement at the final scene (compared to the chaotic previous action sequence) and how I really didn’t find myself caring until after I finished the first 3rd of the book.
Once more backstory, world building and lore was introduced, I was way more intrigued with the story, as I am with any fantasy genre book.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
For more reviews, check out my blog: Craft-Cycle
Overall, this was an entertaining start to a series featuring mythical creatures, powerful Elders, and an alchemist that's a few hundred years old.
The writing was decent. I found some of the sections trivial but I stuck around for the adventures and cool connections to mythology/legends and was not disappointed. I didn't necessarily connect with any of the characters. They feel rather two-dimensional but there is enough action to compensate for this.
The book is certainly dated with all of its references to what once was modern technology. This adds an interesting contrast to the more fantastical elements in the book.
This is an action-packed adventure with fight scenes, fantastic creatures, and characters pulled from the pages of history and legend. With so much going on, it is surprising the entire book only spans two days.
A very creative endeavor that weaves together various lore to create an interconnected world full of possibilities. Not one of my favorites, but I still enjoyed it and would like to continue the series to see what stems from this interesting introduction.
Overall, this was an entertaining start to a series featuring mythical creatures, powerful Elders, and an alchemist that's a few hundred years old.
The writing was decent. I found some of the sections trivial but I stuck around for the adventures and cool connections to mythology/legends and was not disappointed. I didn't necessarily connect with any of the characters. They feel rather two-dimensional but there is enough action to compensate for this.
The book is certainly dated with all of its references to what once was modern technology. This adds an interesting contrast to the more fantastical elements in the book.
This is an action-packed adventure with fight scenes, fantastic creatures, and characters pulled from the pages of history and legend. With so much going on, it is surprising the entire book only spans two days.
A very creative endeavor that weaves together various lore to create an interconnected world full of possibilities. Not one of my favorites, but I still enjoyed it and would like to continue the series to see what stems from this interesting introduction.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No