Scan barcode
A review by merlinscove
Luke Stevens and the Blood of St George by Ben Peyton
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
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
4.5
*PRPRODUCT*
Well now, despite being WELL passed middle grade - and even my 20’s and 30’s (she says silently weeping and rocking) - I’m here today with a review of Luke Stevens and the Blood of St George by Ben Peyton, a middle grade urban/contemporary fantasy.
Now, onto the review…
I thoroughly enjoyed this fun romp about an orphaned 13 year old discovering he has a pretty important family secret that involves the battle between good vs evil, and uncovering not only superpowers, but also unknown depths of strength and character. Now, if the above sounds a little familiar don’t worry about it too much. Yes there are some pretty big similarities between this and books like Harry Potter - far be it from me to point out how much She Who Must Not Be Named (certainly not on my profile/blog/GR anyway as I’m not…of her belief system shall we just say) borrowed liberally from other people’s work…mostly because others have already said it, and much better than I could hope to manage. The ‘hero’s quest’ storyline underpins many such stories, for example Star Wars: A New Hope. A young hero emerges from his terrible upbringing/orphaning/other tragedy etc to begin a quest to learn about their history/new powers/find the magical items to help them to fight the evil that lurks in the background etc. Pretty standard stuff right? Where authors shine or fail dismally is the execution - are the characters likeable? Is it a good quest? Is it fun or boring? Do you really care about the outcome by the end? Luckily, Ben Peyton did a great job and crafted some characters I’d love to get to know more, with a storyline that is perfectly poised for expansion with numerous sequels, and maybe even spin offs. I can also visualise the story so well that I can see this being a great film or TV show for teens (and adults!) to enjoy! The only reason I haven’t given the full 5 stars is that I wish there was a bit more to the story than running and escaping before the end showdown. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still executed well and heroic quests tend to be like that and it keeps the pace fast, but I was just left wanting a tiny bit more - typical woman, never satisfied, right? Hmmm didn’t think a sex joke would end up in a middle grade book review - I even surprise myself sometimes. Anyyywaaay…I really enjoyed the characters and world building and really look forward to more in the sequel, which I would most definitely buy and read myself - in fact I’m going to lend this one to my dad as he has similar books tastes to me when it comes to fantasy. We both love history and mythology too, which is also another plus in this book’s favour, some nice concise history knowledge and the fun of mythology. I’m most definitely not Christian and don’t like organised religion at all, nor am I a fan of rampant nationalism, but to my relief there wasn’t too much of either despite the basis of the story being St George.
I most definitely would have read this as a kid, I was a voracious reader (still would be if life and illness didn’t stop me!) and had read Wuthering Heights by about aged 10, so would have read this way too young and not been phased at all. However, it is aged aptly as there are mature themes that may upset younger readers. Would make a great family buddy read, and could lead to some useful teachable moments aroused by a child’s own curiosity. I’m going to give this a well deserved ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5!
Thanks to Ben Peyton and @instabooktours for sending me a copy of this book for review. As always, my opinions are my own.
Well now, despite being WELL passed middle grade - and even my 20’s and 30’s (she says silently weeping and rocking) - I’m here today with a review of Luke Stevens and the Blood of St George by Ben Peyton, a middle grade urban/contemporary fantasy.
Now, onto the review…
I thoroughly enjoyed this fun romp about an orphaned 13 year old discovering he has a pretty important family secret that involves the battle between good vs evil, and uncovering not only superpowers, but also unknown depths of strength and character. Now, if the above sounds a little familiar don’t worry about it too much. Yes there are some pretty big similarities between this and books like Harry Potter - far be it from me to point out how much She Who Must Not Be Named (certainly not on my profile/blog/GR anyway as I’m not…of her belief system shall we just say) borrowed liberally from other people’s work…mostly because others have already said it, and much better than I could hope to manage. The ‘hero’s quest’ storyline underpins many such stories, for example Star Wars: A New Hope. A young hero emerges from his terrible upbringing/orphaning/other tragedy etc to begin a quest to learn about their history/new powers/find the magical items to help them to fight the evil that lurks in the background etc. Pretty standard stuff right? Where authors shine or fail dismally is the execution - are the characters likeable? Is it a good quest? Is it fun or boring? Do you really care about the outcome by the end? Luckily, Ben Peyton did a great job and crafted some characters I’d love to get to know more, with a storyline that is perfectly poised for expansion with numerous sequels, and maybe even spin offs. I can also visualise the story so well that I can see this being a great film or TV show for teens (and adults!) to enjoy! The only reason I haven’t given the full 5 stars is that I wish there was a bit more to the story than running and escaping before the end showdown. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still executed well and heroic quests tend to be like that and it keeps the pace fast, but I was just left wanting a tiny bit more - typical woman, never satisfied, right? Hmmm didn’t think a sex joke would end up in a middle grade book review - I even surprise myself sometimes. Anyyywaaay…I really enjoyed the characters and world building and really look forward to more in the sequel, which I would most definitely buy and read myself - in fact I’m going to lend this one to my dad as he has similar books tastes to me when it comes to fantasy. We both love history and mythology too, which is also another plus in this book’s favour, some nice concise history knowledge and the fun of mythology. I’m most definitely not Christian and don’t like organised religion at all, nor am I a fan of rampant nationalism, but to my relief there wasn’t too much of either despite the basis of the story being St George.
I most definitely would have read this as a kid, I was a voracious reader (still would be if life and illness didn’t stop me!) and had read Wuthering Heights by about aged 10, so would have read this way too young and not been phased at all. However, it is aged aptly as there are mature themes that may upset younger readers. Would make a great family buddy read, and could lead to some useful teachable moments aroused by a child’s own curiosity. I’m going to give this a well deserved ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5!
Thanks to Ben Peyton and @instabooktours for sending me a copy of this book for review. As always, my opinions are my own.