SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY
Jack, Ben and Emily travel to Mexico, where they plan to banish Camazotz back to Hell and retrieve the last piece of the amulet, the crescent moon. But they are surprised to be greeted by the brotherhood of Chac and their leader, a man thought dead. Along the way, they discover betrayal, a newly converted vampire camp, a secret tunnel in Camazotz' temple, and a possible way to defeat the demon once and for all.
OUR RETURNING CHARACTERS
Jack, Ben, and Emily pretty much play the same roles. Emily the translator, Ben, much more hesitant and afraid of coming back, and Jack, still reckless and bold.
If I had one complaint, it may their lack of character development. There is a scene where Emily thinks back on their first meeting Jack, and how their lives have changed. As well as a scene where she and Ben see a grave. But there isn't much discussion about how this affects them. There is also a short scene in the beginning, where Jack wonders what life would have been life if he had never met Ben, and how he is glad he did.
The third in the series, the only things that needs resolving relationship-wise, if Jack wants to continue living with them. And that isn't resolved until the last page, and it's not discussed before then.
NEW CHARACTERS
Lorena is one of the member of the brotherhood of Chac. She has been the one translating the hieroglyphs on the temple of Camazotz. Together, Emily and her work to translate the parchments that Emily got from Paris.
Roberto is another member of the brotherhood of Chac and ends up with Jack and Emily when trouble breaks loose. Although we don't get to learn much about him, I still found him likable. He considers it his job to protect the children and is rather harsh on himself when he fails. Rook manages to make the story so it's up to Emily and Jack, not Roberto, to save the day. But he does so without presenting a dumb or ignorant adult. And Roberto still comes through and helps in the end.
Someone returns from Ben's past. This character is very important and although, it is ultimately Ben who discovers the last piece of the amulet, he is still assisted by this character. Earlier on, the rescue of Emily and Jack couldn't have been done without him. Once again, we get another adult character, who has an important role in the story, without stealing the focus away from our heroes.
STORY LENGTH
The first two books in the series are at least 200 pages long, while this one is slightly under that, so it is the shortest story of the three. But every page is used well, and the story doesn't dawdle. At the end of the first chapter we are presented with a shock that sucks us in right away.
FORESHADOWING
There is one use of foreshadowing, similar to it's use in the first book. It's not difficult to spot, as whenever we learn of something new, and relating to vampires or Mexico, it often comes into play. Remember when we first met the blood rose?
EXPOSITION
This story is all about Camazotz, so there is a fair amount of exposition. We learn all about the brotherhood of Chac, as well as the four pieces of the amulet and their meaning in the first part of the book. But really, only the first book in the series throws you into the story in the middle of it, and flashbacks to the beginning with a proper introduction. So if you were satisfied with the pacing of the last two books (such as I was), this should be no problem.
PACING
After Emily discovers something important in chapter 8, it's all action.
The characters are eventually separated into two groups: Emily, Jack and Roberto in one, and Ben and our surprise character in the other. The switching between these groups starts halfway the story and ends with only a few chapters to go. Instead of switching back between the characters in every other chapter (which some may expect), we get three chapters of each group. This may make the story feel slower paced, but Rook does a good job of weaving both stories together so they can meet at their natural point.
GRAPHIC CONTENT-SPOILERS
Similar to the first book, a large group of people are killed, but are not witnessed directly. Some characters get a small amount of blood drained from them. A ritual where a heart is cut out is discussed.
CONCLUSION
The third book in the series neatly sums up Camazotz, and is full of new and unique dangers that our heroes have never faced before. Mexico is another world than Paris and London, and quite a bit more dangerous. I give it four stars our of five.
What do you think? Did you read this book? Agree or disagree with me on any points? Please let me know!
No comments:
Post a Comment