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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
Brandon Mull mentioned this book at his recent book signing and then I saw it in the Lonestar books section of the library. (Basically a section for the top rated YA books that are usually on the summer required reading lists around here). Anyway, I saw the audiobook was narrated by Jim Dale, so that's what really sold me and I picked up the audiobook from the library.
As I listened, I couldn't decide how I felt. The story was good. Time travel was involved, which leads to all sorts of paradoxes, and everything was fixed by magic. But...there didn't seem to be much explanation to the magic, it just existed. The children that saved the world were incredibly irritating and they seemed to spend the entire book reacting rather than acting.
The villain made my skin crawl and ears bleed. I can't decide if that means it was a good villain or not. But I generally tend to prefer villains that have just a touch of humanity and civility left.
But it's still a good read and I think I'll finish the series. I really think it will appeal to its target audience, though. Pretty sure my 12 year old will love it. I've noticed that some YA books are universal and appeal to even adults who enjoy YA, while others appeal more to the younger tweens/teens and I think this is the latter.
As I listened, I couldn't decide how I felt. The story was good. Time travel was involved, which leads to all sorts of paradoxes, and everything was fixed by magic. But...there didn't seem to be much explanation to the magic, it just existed. The children that saved the world were incredibly irritating and they seemed to spend the entire book reacting rather than acting.
The villain made my skin crawl and ears bleed. I can't decide if that means it was a good villain or not. But I generally tend to prefer villains that have just a touch of humanity and civility left.
But it's still a good read and I think I'll finish the series. I really think it will appeal to its target audience, though. Pretty sure my 12 year old will love it. I've noticed that some YA books are universal and appeal to even adults who enjoy YA, while others appeal more to the younger tweens/teens and I think this is the latter.
Review originally posted at Heise Reads & Recommends
Things I loved about THE EMERALD ATLAS:
1. The classic fantasy structure to the story and a plot that sets up the beginning of the series nicely. The story is centered around kids who have never known or felt wanted, and can't remember what happened to their parents, but still hold out hope that they will find them again someday. It starts with a shadowy night time extraction of these children to protect them from a terrible power, and then leads into time-traveling secrets, an entertaining villain, a savior, and a hidden treasure (the lost book of time) that needs to be found, all leading to an ancient prophesy that will determine the fate of the world and these children. Along the way they discover more of their history and the history of the magical world.
2. The characters! I loved meeting orphans Kate, Michael, and Emma and discovering more about their sibling relationships. They were so true-to-life as siblings who loved and hated each other based on what was happening at the moment, but when it came down to it would do anything they could to find and help each other out of any jam and save each other. Each had their own distinct personalities and quirks, but they fit together so nicely and ended up really supporting each other through their ordeal. I also loved their (for lack of a better word) sidekick who at first seemed scary, but ultimately was able to help them through his people's ancient ways and beliefs. And who could forget the dwarfs?! I think they may have been my favorite aspect of the book.
3. The heart-warming story. The basis for the story in this first book is about saving a town that has been ruined by a magic sorceress who was using the townspeople to dig for the book she is determined to find. In the process, the children of the town were drowned. As our main characters go back in time to before this happened, they not only try to find the book, but also are trying to save the children of this town.
4. The humor integrated into the interactions between the siblings, the others, the fantasy characters, and even the villian. There were definitely chuckle to yourself parts and lines in this story.
5. The audience appropriateness and appeal! I'm thrilled that this is a middle grades book as I think that it is easily accessible for those readers who are not quite at the level of reading the Lord of the Rings series or have loved The Chronicles of Narnia, and still want to enjoy a great fantasy read. It also will strongly appeal to boys and will be perfect for my eighth graders (and I think all ages)!
6. And finally, the background of the author, John Stephens. He was a producer and writer for some of my favorite TV shows (The O.C. and Gilmore Girls) and was an executive producer for Gossip Girl as well. This is his first book.
The only thing that bothered me was that the beginning of the story felt a little slow, but once they really got into it and things started moving, I was hooked and couldn't put the book down. I highly recommend this great fantasy read (and have now had an eighth grade boy back me up on this). I will definitely be reading the rest of the series though!
Things I loved about THE EMERALD ATLAS:
1. The classic fantasy structure to the story and a plot that sets up the beginning of the series nicely. The story is centered around kids who have never known or felt wanted, and can't remember what happened to their parents, but still hold out hope that they will find them again someday. It starts with a shadowy night time extraction of these children to protect them from a terrible power, and then leads into time-traveling secrets, an entertaining villain, a savior, and a hidden treasure (the lost book of time) that needs to be found, all leading to an ancient prophesy that will determine the fate of the world and these children. Along the way they discover more of their history and the history of the magical world.
2. The characters! I loved meeting orphans Kate, Michael, and Emma and discovering more about their sibling relationships. They were so true-to-life as siblings who loved and hated each other based on what was happening at the moment, but when it came down to it would do anything they could to find and help each other out of any jam and save each other. Each had their own distinct personalities and quirks, but they fit together so nicely and ended up really supporting each other through their ordeal. I also loved their (for lack of a better word) sidekick who at first seemed scary, but ultimately was able to help them through his people's ancient ways and beliefs. And who could forget the dwarfs?! I think they may have been my favorite aspect of the book.
3. The heart-warming story. The basis for the story in this first book is about saving a town that has been ruined by a magic sorceress who was using the townspeople to dig for the book she is determined to find. In the process, the children of the town were drowned. As our main characters go back in time to before this happened, they not only try to find the book, but also are trying to save the children of this town.
4. The humor integrated into the interactions between the siblings, the others, the fantasy characters, and even the villian. There were definitely chuckle to yourself parts and lines in this story.
5. The audience appropriateness and appeal! I'm thrilled that this is a middle grades book as I think that it is easily accessible for those readers who are not quite at the level of reading the Lord of the Rings series or have loved The Chronicles of Narnia, and still want to enjoy a great fantasy read. It also will strongly appeal to boys and will be perfect for my eighth graders (and I think all ages)!
6. And finally, the background of the author, John Stephens. He was a producer and writer for some of my favorite TV shows (The O.C. and Gilmore Girls) and was an executive producer for Gossip Girl as well. This is his first book.
The only thing that bothered me was that the beginning of the story felt a little slow, but once they really got into it and things started moving, I was hooked and couldn't put the book down. I highly recommend this great fantasy read (and have now had an eighth grade boy back me up on this). I will definitely be reading the rest of the series though!
Dieses Buchbekommt von mir 3,5 Sterne.
In Emerald geht um die Geschwister Kate, Michael und Emma, die als kleine Kinder von ihren Eltern getrennt wurden. Zehn Jahre lang wurden sie von einem Waisenhaus zum nächsten weiter gereicht, immer mir der Hoffnung, dass ihre Eltern ihr Versprechen halten und sie wieder vereint würden.
Als sie nach einem gescheitertem Vermittlungsversuch zu dem mysteriösen Dr. Pym geschickt werden, nimmt ihre Lebensgeschichte eine abrupte Wendung. Denn sie finden ein magisches Buch, mit dem sie durch die Zeit reisen können.
Große Strecken des Buches waren zwar angenehm zu lesen, aber doch recht langatmig. Auch merkte man oft, dass das jüngste Kind gerade einmal 11 Jahre alt war. Die Streitereien zwischen den Geschwistern waren liebenswürdig, aber wirklich wichtig wurden sie mir im ersten Buch noch nicht. Sie haben sich nur bedingt entwickelt, allerdings gibt es noch zwei Bücher, in denen sie Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten bekommen können.
Die Idee hinter dem Buch fand ich genial und auch die Zeitreiseproblematik war immer logisch und oft auch leicht amüsant erklärt.
Bei Gelegenheit werde ich mir sicher die folgenden Bände gebraucht kaufen, um zu erfahren, welche Gefahren noch auf die Kinder warten.
In Emerald geht um die Geschwister Kate, Michael und Emma, die als kleine Kinder von ihren Eltern getrennt wurden. Zehn Jahre lang wurden sie von einem Waisenhaus zum nächsten weiter gereicht, immer mir der Hoffnung, dass ihre Eltern ihr Versprechen halten und sie wieder vereint würden.
Als sie nach einem gescheitertem Vermittlungsversuch zu dem mysteriösen Dr. Pym geschickt werden, nimmt ihre Lebensgeschichte eine abrupte Wendung. Denn sie finden ein magisches Buch, mit dem sie durch die Zeit reisen können.
Große Strecken des Buches waren zwar angenehm zu lesen, aber doch recht langatmig. Auch merkte man oft, dass das jüngste Kind gerade einmal 11 Jahre alt war. Die Streitereien zwischen den Geschwistern waren liebenswürdig, aber wirklich wichtig wurden sie mir im ersten Buch noch nicht. Sie haben sich nur bedingt entwickelt, allerdings gibt es noch zwei Bücher, in denen sie Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten bekommen können.
Die Idee hinter dem Buch fand ich genial und auch die Zeitreiseproblematik war immer logisch und oft auch leicht amüsant erklärt.
Bei Gelegenheit werde ich mir sicher die folgenden Bände gebraucht kaufen, um zu erfahren, welche Gefahren noch auf die Kinder warten.
A fun, kid friendly, time traveling romp.
This is the first book I've ever gotten without knowing anything about it. I just knew that Jim Dale was the narrator and I loved his narration of the Harry Potter books so I decided to go in blind. I'm weird and enjoy doing that every once in a while.
While it was definitely a fun book to read and the narration was top notch, as expected, it still felt a little lacking. The characters were good enough, but not great. The bad guy was good enough, but not great (although I think book to has potential to fix that). I will say that the dwarves were definitely a stand out joy for me though.
The 3 books of beginning and what they can do is a stellar concept though and I enjoyed how they introduced us to the Emerald Atlas. The time travelling through pictures taken. And the growth of the power as the book continues.
The series has a ton of potential and I'm definitely gonna read the next book. I'm just gonna wait for when I'm ready for a little more easy listening as this was very easy to get through.
This is the first book I've ever gotten without knowing anything about it. I just knew that Jim Dale was the narrator and I loved his narration of the Harry Potter books so I decided to go in blind. I'm weird and enjoy doing that every once in a while.
While it was definitely a fun book to read and the narration was top notch, as expected, it still felt a little lacking. The characters were good enough, but not great. The bad guy was good enough, but not great (although I think book to has potential to fix that). I will say that the dwarves were definitely a stand out joy for me though.
The 3 books of beginning and what they can do is a stellar concept though and I enjoyed how they introduced us to the Emerald Atlas. The time travelling through pictures taken. And the growth of the power as the book continues.
The series has a ton of potential and I'm definitely gonna read the next book. I'm just gonna wait for when I'm ready for a little more easy listening as this was very easy to get through.
Ik hou echt van dit boek! Ook al zit er zoveel fantasie in, het sleurt je toch mee en je denkt dat alles echt gebeurd. Ik hoop dat er snel een deel 3 komt want ik kan in ieder geval niet wachten!
Checked out this book from the library for Kindle, having never heard of it before. I was surprisingly enthralled with The Emerald Atlas! The entire time I was reading, I couldn't get it out of my head that it would make an awesome movie. It reads similar to Harry Potter, and I would definitely put it in the same category as Harry Potter, the Golden Compass, and possibly even the Hobbit. Just an all-around good, action-packed story with elements of magic, and three young orphaned children who play the role of heroes. And an interesting time-travel element thrown in there, too. Upon finishing the book, I eagerly looked for the next installment... only to be disappointed to discover that this one was published this year, and so the next one isn't available yet. Boo! I hate waiting for the next part of a good story! :(
I'd say this book would be an excellent read for 12 year olds and up!
I'd say this book would be an excellent read for 12 year olds and up!
I really enjoyed this book!
I loved the way Kate, Michael, and Emma treated each other like real siblings do.
The plot was exciting and I can't wait to continue on with this series!
I loved the way Kate, Michael, and Emma treated each other like real siblings do.
The plot was exciting and I can't wait to continue on with this series!
I've read so much mediocre fantasy lately, that I put this one off to the end of the summer. I thought it was going to be the same old thing -- orphans, with a horrible life, mistreated, having to fight off evil. And boy am I kicking myself over that! I loved it! There were so many great touches and details, so many seeds planted in the beginning that were important later on, it was fabulous! I am so happy that there will be two more in the series. These are characters that I want to keep in my life!
I picked this book up strictly because of the cover and also the little back blurb where it names off three things about this book like magic is real and they have to save the world but the second one listed is ‘Emma knows the word please’ and they say that is the most shocking one that hooked me (like it was supposed to)
This is a middle grade fantasy and I am learning I love middle grade fantasy a lot which is a definite surprise to me.
The relationships between the three sibling was so realistic and funny it was a big highlight to the book
I enjoyed the magic system and even though it could have easily gotten confusing it didn’t. I loved how different each of the characters were. They all felt real even, the side characters, and the story felt like there were actual stakes involved in what they were trying to do.
This book was a ton of fun and I can’t wait to read the next two in the series.
This is a middle grade fantasy and I am learning I love middle grade fantasy a lot which is a definite surprise to me.
The relationships between the three sibling was so realistic and funny it was a big highlight to the book
I enjoyed the magic system and even though it could have easily gotten confusing it didn’t. I loved how different each of the characters were. They all felt real even, the side characters, and the story felt like there were actual stakes involved in what they were trying to do.
This book was a ton of fun and I can’t wait to read the next two in the series.
The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens, is the first in a trilogy entitled The Books of Beginning. It certainly borrows from the longstanding tradition of children's fantasy, standing alongside works like The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Percy Jackson, and many others. It does a good job of carving its own niche, and I look forward to the coming books in the series.
Read my full review here: http://wp.me/pNegP-12c
Read my full review here: http://wp.me/pNegP-12c