An adventure that will keep readers engaged until the cliffhanger ending and leave them waiting for the next book.
Take a precious relic, add a secret organization and an ancient brotherhood, throw in some action, place it all in the Eternal City, and what do you get? A grand adventure!
Cassie Arroyo is bored at her new school in Rome, but all that changes when her normally calm dad collects her from school and reveals there are secrets he should have told her. Now they are out of time, because someone is determined to kill her. When a bullet meant for Cassie wounds her father instead, Cassie must leave him at a hospital and seek Brother Gregorio, the only person who can help. And so starts this adventure that will involve the secret organization of the Hastati; the Holy Lance of Longinus, a holy relic that can shape the future; a birthmark that distinguishes the true descendants of St. Longinus—which Cassie bears; and the ancient brotherhood of the Knights of Malta. With the help of her best friend, Simone, and Brother Gregorio’s nephew Asher, the spunky heroine must decipher riddles, follow clues, and make life-or-death decisions. Gonzalez focuses on plot and action in this series opener. Some readers might long for more historical background and better fleshed-out secondary characters, but this is nevertheless an exciting and entertaining adventure.
An adventure that will keep readers engaged until the cliffhanger ending and leave them waiting for the next book. (Adventure. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-545-77318-8
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
A strong, gutsy chapter in what is already a noteworthy series.
Juggling a multitude of characters against a world at war, Neff’s latest chapter in The Tapestry series proves his books are more than just a sum of their fantastical parts.
Max McDaniels has returned to Rowan Academy after time spent on the road, and his arrival could not be better timed. The demon Prusias has Rowan in his sights and a secret weapon that he is certain will crush his enemies underfoot. Max and the brilliant David Menlo must determine what this weapon is and find a way to defeat it, all the while keeping their eyes peeled for a group of assassins that have marked Max for death. As with his previous books, the author wastes no words with back story, expecting readers to have read the previous novels or to catch up quickly. What started out as an American Harry Potter has instead, over the years, morphed into something that looks more like an American Lord of the Rings. Within its fantasy world, Neff makes this book a kind of in-depth consideration of war itself. Covering espionage, disinformation, false diplomacy and even cryptography (demonic cryptography, but still), he gives readers an education in the clandestine tools of war. Despite heavy themes, he continues to balance seriousness with a lighthearted humor that keeps the pages turning.
A strong, gutsy chapter in what is already a noteworthy series. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: Oct. 23, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-375-85707-2
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 21, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2012
An airy school story beneath a veneer of fantasy, low both on violence and actual villainy.
Master Dreadthorn's School for Wayward Villains again (Good Curses Evil, 2011) lives up to the "Wayward" as some of its more challenged students keep rescuing captives and saving the day.
Never the brightest of bulbs, headmaster's son Rune Drexler fails to notice a series of broad clues—from leading questions to a glimpse of red undies over bright blue tights—that his new roommate, "Dodge VonDoe," is really a spy from Doctor Do-Good's School for Superior Superheroes. Until, that is, his father and a certain crystal ball disappear and the school is taken over by the genuinely villainous Mistress Morgana. As it turns out, VonDoe (or to use his real name Deven Do-Good) is both working for Morgana and plotting to boot out his own superhero father. Deven is also a thoroughgoing bully on his own turf, which leads to his ultimate downfall. Sanders throws family revelations, secret passages, reconciliations, villain humor ("Ugh, monologues. It was hard to believe Morgana had become such a powerful villainess when she was always blabbing her plans to everyone") and even a horrifying (to some) prophecy about villains becoming heroes into the mix, and dishes out just deserts to all.
An airy school story beneath a veneer of fantasy, low both on violence and actual villainy. (Light fantasy. 10-12)Pub Date: Oct. 2, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-59990-907-3
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: July 17, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2012
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