Book Review: The Akhenaten Adventure by P.B. Kerr

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

When twins John and Phillipa get their wisdom teeth taken out, strange things start to happen. Zits clear up, weather feels colder, and they get an overnight growth spurt. Turns out they are djinn, and they visit their uncle Nimrod in London to learn about it. This leads all the way to Egypt, where the leader of an evil djinn tribe, Iblis, may be up to no good.

OUR CAST OF CHARACTERS

John is laid back, but rather blunt. He may come off as uncaring, but he is very protective of his sister.

Phillipa is the more book smart of the two. And although she may seem flippant with her brother some time, it's obvious she really cares for him.

Nimrod is rather eccentric, wearing all red, refusing to own a television, and disliking children to name a few things. He can go on rambling about the oddest things, not at all realizing how strange he sounds to normal people.

Groanin, Nimrod's butler, is always complaining and rather dramatic. But he actually likes Nimrod and learns to love the twins. He is a good contrast to Nimrod with his grimness, and often made me smile as I read his lines.

NIMROD'S ROLE

Nimrod is basically a mentor character, as well as the source of all exposition in the story. We get all of our information about the djinn world. It didn't take me out of the story. All of the information is important and Nimrod has a unique way of telling things.

THE WORLD OF THE DJINN

Kerr paints a detailed and original world, and it's one of my favorite aspects of the book. The homeostasis, the three beings, the use of focus worlds, the tribes of djinn, ect. And he manages to make the world seem believable for the most part. He adds enough science to make it feel logical, but not enough where you feel he is trying too hard and just doesn't make sense. And it isn't given all at once, but sprinkled throughout the book. So you are left wondering about what else you don't know.

PACING-SPOILERS

The pacing is decent. It's not action packed off the bat, and although it takes one chapter before we get to where the plot starts (meeting Nimrod) the first chapter is an introduction to the main characters and their family. From there we note some odd things that have occurred. And it's not until chapter six that they travel to London. In seven we meet Nimrod for real and in chapter nine we learn about the children being djinn.

Even though it takes nine chapters before this important secret is out (which the real plot cannot start without) it didn't feel slow or unnecessary. Kerr puts little hints throughout about Phillipa and John being djinn and the characters are more established as well as the relationships they have with each other.

JOHN & PHILLIPA

Oddly enough, although I didn't dislike the main characters, it was the world that made me want to to read the story. They were likable enough, but I didn't feel drawn to them. And it was Nimrod that I found the most charming, while Groanin was quite entertaining as well.

CLIMAX-SPOILERS

The story is set up where Phillipa and John are left without Nimrod and have to save him. But throughout the story, they are not presented as being overly powerful. This is a mistake that would be easy to make being that djinn can create whatever they want. But they even have to be rescued by Nimrod once (although in fairness, they save him once before that).

CONCLUSION

Kerr has created an original story and a unique plot with some likable & distinct characters. The world is detailed and complex and will surely grow. The pacing is good, and the amount of places we visit is vast. I give “The Akhenatan Adventure” four stars.

Book Review: "Thirteenth Child" by Patricia C. Wrede

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Eff is the thirteenth child of her family. But while her twin has incredible magic, the thirteenth child is believed to be unlucky. Eff grows up with an interest in magic but a fear that she is unlucky and the cause of many problems. While she tries to find her way, her family goes through many changes.

OUR CAST OF CHARACTERS

Eff often believes she is the cause of most problems. She mostly just tries to stay out of trouble, but as her magical ability grows, she fears she won't be able to control it. Because of the bullying of her relatives, she fears rejection. This has caused her to be reserved. Throughout the story she gradually becomes more confident.

William is Eff's closest friend. They both take magic lessons from Miss Ochiba as well as eventually volunteer at the menagerie. He is also close with Lan.

Lan was Eff's only protector growing up. Although when they move, eventually they grow apart. He makes his own friends and moves up a year ahead of her in school. Eventually he goes to another school entirely, in another part of the country.

Miss Ochiba teaches Eff and William for years. She becomes a mentor to both of them, and gives them extra lessons about Aphrikan magic.

Wash is a friend of Miss Ochiba, he travels to the new settlements and sends letters to the menagerie. He eventually becomes a mentor to Eff.

PACING

The pacing is slower, because there really aren't many action scenes. But that doesn't mean that the story is dull. The problems are many for Eff, and she goes through an illness, her uncle picking on her, her fear of her own magic, and a cult that doesn't believe in the use of magic, to name a few.

STRUCTURE

I would say the structure is similar to “Ella Enchanted” and “The Two Princesses of Bamarre” by Gail Carson Levine. We go through different phases of the main characters life, passing through years in chapters. It starts when Eff is merely a six year old and ends when she is in her late teens.

But everything feels essential to the story. With each age, we learn important things about Eff and her life. I felt no need to skim through and get to the good stuff. It was all interesting. It is very much a character driven story.

AN ALTERNATIVE HISTORY

It doesn't take long for the reader to learn this is an alternative history of the world where magic is real. America is called Columbia and the Civil War is the War of Sucession that ended decades before ours even started. There are also alternative spellings and names for other countries. I found it interesting to learn more about the differences and the similarities between our world and theirs.

THE SCIENCE OF MAGIC

Wrede goes into detail explaining the types of magic and how they work. And yet it never comes across as awkward, as if someone has come in and paused the story for some blatant exposition. I found it so unique that I actually would read it and reread it, to make sure I was understanding it correctly. Wrede somehow manages to make magic feel quite real.

EFF & WILLIAM-SPOILERS

William is Eff's closest friend, as she becomes more distanced from Lan. He is also the only one besides Lan who goes out of his way encourage Eff and get her to realize the curse of the thirteenth child isn't real. I thought it was hinted that he cared for her romantically, so when it's noted in a paragraph he likes some other girl, I was kind of confused. I had been rooting for them the whole book, and was disappointed by that.

WHO IS LAN?

We learn from the get go that Lan has a temper when he missuses his magic. When he stands up for William and Eff and it's implied that he lied about the fire he made. It wasn't an illusion, it was real. When he defends her from her uncle, she actually fears what he may do, so she steps in. I felt that I didn't get to see him enough to learn about him, and if there is a sequel, I hope to learn more.

RENNIE & EFF

I thought it was crucial to Eff's character development to see her sister again. After Rennie leaves on a less than happy note, Eff doesn't realize how much of a grudge she holds against her until much later. But when the two have a long discussion we see her grow up, remembering she is no longer the child she was when Rennie left. I love how Wrede realizes how important character arcs are.

MISS OCHIBA, WASH & EFF

The mentoring relationships between these two and Eff were crucial to the story. Through them Eff learns more about magic, and how to control her own. They reveal that the story is one of relationships.

THE CLIMAX

The climax is probably the most exciting part of the book, although there aren't what you would call traditional action scenes. Eff's arc comes to a satisfying end as she is the one who realizes how to fix a problem.

ADULT CONTENT-SPOILERS

Rennie, Eff's older sister runs off and gets married. Eff points out how many months later their baby was born, revealing why they may have rushed to get married.

CONCLUSION

Wrede creates a complex, detailed world, making enough references to remind us this is an alternative world, but not enough to be overbearing. Eff is likable, and manages to not let the victimhood mentality that overtakes so many heroines in YA fiction, overtake her. She never dwells on her problems, but is always trying to overcome them. I give “Thirteenth Child” four stars.

Book Review: "Castaways of the Flying Dutchman" by Brian Jacques

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

After Ben runs away and joins the Flying Dutchman, he accidentally ends up with immortality, and only his best friend, his dog, to keep him company in his travels. Eventually he arrives in a small British village, where he makes friends with some of the residents, and learns that the village is set to be destroyed.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Ben starts off as a victim, bullied and rather weak, but grows into a hero. Because of his age, he has almost a fatherly way with people, especially Amy and Alex. And although he seems all smiles and jokes with Neb, he often flashes back to his time on the Flying Dutchman, getting lost in his past.

Neb is black Labrador that Ben rescues from starvation. Granted the ability to communicate, the two work together in unraveling the mystery of the village. Neb also teaches Ben to have a sense of humor about life.

Alex and Amy are a pair of siblings who befriend Ben and try to help him save the village. Alex is lacking in confidence, and admires Ben when he stands up to a local gang. Amy is rather smart always supports her brother.

Mrs. Winn is the woman who lets Ben and Neb stay at her home. She also informs them of the man, Obadiah Smithers, who plans to destroy the town. She says she owns most of the village but has no proof, setting Ben off on a quest to save it.

Wilf is the leader of the Grange gang, where he bullies other children. He is also the son of Obadiah Smithers. He was more of a nuisance than a threat, but he does serve to cause Alex to develop.

STRUCTURE

The story is set up into three parts, the Ship, the Shepherd, and the Village. The Ship being the prologue, or origin story of how Ben ended up on the Flying Dutchman and how he ended up with immortality. The Shepherd is essentially how Ben deals with his new life, being taken in by an old shepherd and healing from the tragedy of the ship.

PACING

From the title and the cover, you might think this is an action/adventure story. But it's really more of a mystery story, full of clues that are gradually exposed. And since the actual main story doesn't start until the third part: the Village, chapter 11, page 81, pacing is not it's strength. Although oddly enough, I didn't feel the story slow down until I was much further in. I fully enjoyed learning about how Ben ended up on the ship and meeting Neb. As well as his time with the shepherd. But halfway through the main plot, the Village, I got restless. I understand it's a mystery story, not an action story, but I felt some action would have greatly improved the story.

BEN & NEB

Ben and his dog have the ability to communicate. This was one of my favorite aspects of the story, as most of my childhood stories involved talking animals. Neb the dog always has a witty observation and I loved how they met and became friends under sober circumstances (Ned being starved and Ben being trapped on the ship). And it was usually their communication that ended up making me smile or laugh as I read. Jacques sense of humor really shines through this relationship.

THE VILLAINS

Obadiah Smithers actually had his own chapters, where he saw his perspective. And later when he sends his thugs to take care of problems. But I found them more comical then threatening.

There is also the Grange gang, a group of kids that regularly bully Alex and Amy, and don't hesitate to bully Ben. Besides the pacing in the latter part of the story, it's really my only other critique. I found myself speed reading through the parts with the thugs, and even the chapters from Obadiah's perspective. He didn't have any depth, so I didn't get why I needed to see his point of view.

CONCLUSION

Jacques has created an original story with a likable main character as well as a unique sense of humor. And although I don't mind the pacing in the first part of the book, it weighed me down halfway through. And I never really felt he was in danger from the Grange Gang, or the thugs. I would recommend reading it mainly for the main character, and the relationship between him and Neb. I give “Castaways of the Flying Dutchman” three stars.