A review by kailey_luminouslibro
The League of Seven by Alan Gratz

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Archie's parents are part of the Septemberist Society, a secret organization that has kept evil monsters locked away for centuries. When the Swarm Queen begins to awaken out of her prison, Archie's parents are kidnapped and brainwashed to release the monster. Archie and his robot servant have to unravel the secrets of the ancient civilizations that imprisoned all the monsters in the first place. Along the way, Archie befriends two other children who are also searching for answers... and revenge.

I really loved the imaginative setting in this book! There are all these different tribes and states, and I especially appreciate the cool map of all the different nations and republics. Electricity (or as they call it "lektricity") is forbidden because the monsters feed on it and grow strong enough to break out of their prisons, so everything is run on steam power. It's like this interesting alternate history for North America that is really weird and different.

I liked the characters very much. They are all complex and diverse. Archie is especially conflicted because his parents have been taken, and he has these ideas about being a hero to save them. But he begins to realize that there are more secrets in the Septemberist society than he ever knew. Because of these secrets, he begins to question his family history and his whole identity. This throws the whole team into chaos, and they all have to deal with conflicting emotions and try to stay on track with their mission to stop the Swarm Queen.

The plot moves along quickly with many different battles and adventures. There is a lot of intrigue and secrets and mysteries that I enjoyed reading about.

The writing style is really good, and it brings you into the story. But I found myself skimming through some of the descriptions.