Category: Action/Thriller
“The Kane Chronicles: The Serpent’s Shadow” by Rick Riordan
I have finally managed to get my hands on the third and final book of The Kane Chronicles and I must say that Rick Riordan did not let me down with how he finished the trilogy when the time came. I was nervous that I would feel a little let down at the end of the series for some reason, but that was something I really shouldn’t have been worried about.
Carter and Sadie Kane have spent the past six months or so since the last book honing their skills as magicians, recruiting more members to the Brooklyn House, and trying to figure out how to stop Apophis from destroying everything they know. It’s a daunting task to say the least and they encounter several obstacles along the way, some of which were a little unexpected if you ask me.
There were several things that stuck out to me in The Serpent’s Shadow. First was how impressed I was with where the characters of Carter, Sadie, Zia, Walt, and Anubis wind up when the story is said and done. In the first two books there were moments when I wondered how Riordan was going to believably bring all of his cast together in the end to vanquish evil (and beyond of course). However, there is a very impressive twist at the end involving Walt and Anubis, and as a consequence Sadie as well. There is even a fun surprise when it comes to resolving Zia’s storyline that had me smiling. Carter, my favorite character from the series wound up exactly where I hoped he would as the reluctant, but capable leader who learned some very valuable lessons along the way.
It’s always interesting to read books like these that feature characters who are placed in their younger teen years because it’s strange to think of 13, 14, and 15-year-olds saving the world, but Riordan made it work. Props to him for pulling that off if you ask me. I’ve never read any of his other work (strange, I know), but I’ll be diving into the Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus books as soon as I can find the time. There is even a blatant hint at the end of this book that Riordan is eventually going to try and write some crossover books between his three successful series. That will be epic if he does it right.
All in all, The Serpent’s Shadow was a great conclusion to a story full of excitement, action, interesting Egyptian mythology, and a healthy dose of heart and grit. It brought all the characters and plot points together into just the right place and managed to do it in a book that was shorter than the first two without feeling rushed.
Grade: B
Length: 401 pages
Now You See Them, Now You Don’t by Gordon Korman
(Cover picture courtesy of ACK children and young adults.)
One man holds the key to freeing Aiden and Meg Falconer’s parents from prison: a mysterious figure named Frank Lindenauer. Aiden and Meg must cross the country to try to catch them…even as the FBI tries to catch them first.
In California, Aiden and Meg fall in with a crowd that already has its share of trouble. They want to believe they’ve found friends who will help them out. But if they’re not careful, these “friends” will sell them out instead.
More impossible escapes, more danger and more excitement. One would not think Gordon Korman’s On the Run series would be all that different, but unlike a lot of action/thriller series, it’s not just the numbers on the spines that distinguish one book from another. Each book moves the plot forward while providing all the action and humour you can expect from Gordon Korman.
What distinguishes Now You See Them, Now You Don’t from the first two books is that we discover more about the mysterious Frank Lindenauer and we see the darker side of the inner city. Meg and Aiden finally make mistakes and it’s only luck that saves them at times, not their own ingenuity. This would be annoying except for the fact it shows they have flaws; they’re not the perfect fugitives. They are still clever enough to hold readers’ attention, but their flaws give them a lot more depth than they had before.
The premise of On the Run certainly isn’t unique (going on the run to prove someone’s innocence), but for the target age group it certainly will be. Even if you’ve read something like this before, Gordon Korman’s humour and action-packed writing will win you over. They’re quite short books, only around 100 pages, but I still re-read them once a year.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
The Fugitive Factor by Gordon Korman
(Cover picture courtesy of Better World Books.)
Aiden and Meg Falconer are out to find the evidence that will free their parents from a life sentence in prison. But in order to do that, they have to live undercover. Ever since they broke out of a juvenile detention facility, they’ve been chased by the FBI..and by a strange killer they’ve nicknamed Hairless Joe. Now their story has hit the airwaves, and suddenly everyone is looking for them. They think they can hide with an old family friend…but when Meg is thrown in jail, the danger and adventure only increase.
Unexpected betrayal, action, danger and the struggle to prove their parents’ innocence in a country that hates them…Meg and Aiden Falconer have it pretty tough. However, situations like this make for great fiction and as this is targeted at younger tweens and kids, they’ll love it. It’s not really cliché if you’ve never encountered it before and most kids haven’t encountered Gordon Korman’s not-so-unique premise by the time they read his On The Run series.
Whereas Chasing the Falconers (the first book) focused mainly on Meg and Aiden running from the authorities after escaping the farm, The Fugitive Factor focuses on their search for Uncle Frank. Uncle Frank is the only one who may be able to prove their parents’ innocence, but the problem is that he’s missing. No one’s seen him in years and they don’t have any leads other than the name of one of his numerous girlfriends.
Both Meg and Aiden develop as characters and even if they didn’t, readers would still be able to relate to them. As for the scenarios they escape, it’s obvious Gordon Korman has done his research. In theory, many of these escapes could work, so if you’re ever on the run, you should probably read this books. (I’m kidding…sort of.)
I give this book 4/5 stars.
Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer
(Cover picture courtesy of the Reader Store.)
When Artemis Fowl’s mother contracts a life-threatening illness, his world is turned upside down. The only hope for a cure lies in the brain fluid of the silky sifaka lemur. Unfortunately, the animal is extinct, thanks to the money-hungry deeds of a younger Artemis.
Though the odds are stacked against him, Artemis is not willing to give up. With the help of his fairy friends, the young genius travels back in time to save the lemur and bring it to the present. But to do so, Artemis will have to defeat a maniacal poacher, who has set his sights on new prey: Holly Short.
The rules of time travel are far from simple, but to save his mother, Artemis will have to break them all…and outsmart his most cunning adversary yet: Artemis Fowl, age ten.
Ah, time travel. It’s definitely a complicated subject in fiction and very few writers can truly pull it off, but for the most part, Eoin Colfer is one of them. What’s interesting is that when Artemis and Holly travel back in time, they age differently. As a result, Artemis is suddenly older and Holly is suddenly younger, as in the human equivalent of a teenager.
If you haven’t guessed what’s going to happen already, I’m disappointed in you because it’s so typical of YA: romantic tension. When I first read The Time Paradox, I was pretty angry about Eoin Colfer forcing the tension between Holly and Artemis, but now I’m just slightly disappointed. It felt like he caved in to the demand that romance has to be part of every YA book, although thankfully things were sorted out in the end.
We learn a lot more about Artemis’ ‘childhood’ and why he was quite the sociopath when we met him in the first book. With a childhood like he had, assuming the role of man of the house at the age of ten, wouldn’t you be a sociopath too? Having the older, more human Artemis meet his ruthless younger self was one of the highlights of the whole novel. In addition to Artemis’ expanded backstory, we also get to learn more about Holly and how her mother died.
There were a few rough spots (see the aforementioned ‘romance’), but overall I enjoyed The Time Paradox. It had an excellent plot that sets up the next two books, helped expand on the backstories of main characters and showed just how far Artemis has really come since the beginning of the series.
I give this book 3.5/5 stars.
The End of Infinity by Matt Myklusch
(Cover picture courtesy of Barnes and Noble.)
All his life, people have told Jack Blank what his future holds. He hasn’t always liked what they’ve had to say, but at times he’s wondered if they were right.
As the Imagine Nation’s final battle with the Rüstov draws near, Jack and his friends will each need their unique powers and abilities to help win the war. But are they prepared to use those powers against the most terrifying and dangerous enemy of all—the one inside Jack?
The time has come for Jack to choose his path and discover for himself whether he will become the hero that the Imagine Nation—and the world—needs him to be, or the cause of its total destruction.
Matt Myklusch brings the action-packed Jack Blank adventure trilogy to a heart-pounding, surprising, and wholly satisfying conclusion.
[Full disclosure: Matt Myklusch sent me a copy of The End of Infinity to review as I saw fit after he saw I loved The Accidental Hero. There was an understanding between us that sending me the next two books in his trilogy would not guarantee him a good review.]
Whoa.
I haven’t been speechless like this since I finished Mira Grant’s Blackout. And for those of you who know how much I loved the Newsflesh trilogy, you know that’s really saying something. Here’s why I’m lost for words:
There were so many times in the story that Matt Myklusch painted himself into such a tight corner I seriously had my doubts about his ability to pull things off. Obviously, he plotted out his trilogy very carefully or he would never have been able to pull off such unexpected twists. He did something that few authors have done to me: he made me very skeptical there could ever be a happy ending. Truly, he spares his characters no pain and The End of Infinity is a much better book for it.
Jack is an amazing character. He goes through so much in his short life and it’s amazing that he is still a functional human being. Is he three dimensional? Absolutely! Jack is a character everyone (even girls) can relate to, yet he’s very flawed as he tries to do everything himself. But when you look at what happened to him in the last two books, it’s not at all surprising he has trust issues, especially when he learns who his father is. Hint: it’s not who you think.
Very few series endings are satisfying for me, but Matt Myklusch managed to wrap things up nicely while still leaving potential for a sequel or even a spin-off series. This is probably one of the only series that I actually wouldn’t mind the author continuing. In fact, I’m all for it! The world of the Imagine Nation still has so much potential, especially for prequels.
I give this book 5/5 stars.