Review: Slow in a few parts, but had me hooked until the very end.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 30, 2012
Did I enjoy this book: I did enjoy this book. Although I found a few parts kind of slow, The Faustian Host kept me interested and hooked until the very end. In fact, the last quarter of the book had me glued to my Kindle until I finished the last sentence!The cast of characters was great. Tony, Jubie, Erika, Jenna, Katie, and Dan were unlikely friends, very different from one another, but they all worked together in this book. Tony was a great lead character. Considering his background and the loss of his family, you wanted him to be happy and succeed at Kalos. But his first few days/weeks at Kalos did not go well for the new kid in town. I felt bad for him but I was glad when he met Jubie and Erika. They were good matches for Tony.The teachers were also different from one another yet also worked well together. You could tell that Carver was protecting - or hiding - something. And Hammon was a great friend of Tony...always behind him, even when everything seemed stacked against him. All of them - students and teachers - seemed to fit together at Kalos. And, man, would I have liked a school like Kalos...so different and challenging.One major event in this book - when Tony was taken in by his guardians - seemed very quick and unquestioned to me. These two people just showed up out of nowhere at his grandmother's funeral, told him they were his guardians, and off he goes with them...no questions, no explanation, nothing. I expected the guardians to be part of the Legion or something equally bad. Thankfully, it all worked out but it was just so strange how the situation was brought up and resolved so fast. That was a bit unbelievable to me.Another thing that struck me during the ending of this book was that I kept thinking of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. It wasn't like Harry Potter, it didn't resemble or rip off Harry Potter, but there was something that brought that book to my mind. I can't explain it, it didn't upset me, it was a good thing.Would I recommend it: I would recommend this book. I would recommend it to adults who enjoy middle grade fiction and to younger young adults. This will be another book that I give to my sons to read when they are older.Will I read it again: I don't think I will...but I may when it is time for my boys to read it. I will be interested in reading book 2 in the Apocalypse Signs series.[...]