Review: It wasn't for me. More Middle School than YA
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 05 23, 2012
From Reading and Writing Urban Fantasy and Paranormal RomanceThe GoodI was sucked into this story from the get-go. I may not have stayed that way, but I can't deny how absorbed I was for the first 100 pages of this novel. I knew big things were going to happen and the build-up was maddening. I love when a book heightens the suspense like that.My Recap...Charlie has been having horrible dreams. Dreams he has chalked up to the loss of both his parents. But when he meets Derkein, the man from his dreams, in real life, he realizes his dreams are actually visions of the past. While trying to save Derkein from an inevitable death, Charlie falls into a land of fantasy. A place that has unimaginable creatures and monsters. But what's even scarier is that some of these creatures believe Charlie is vital to saving not only his friends, but the whole world.Cheer Up, Charlie...I really enjoyed reading about Charlie and his life in the beginning of this book. Him being an orphan, trying to fit in with his new family, friends, and schoolmates. I was genuinely shocked with the direction the plot took and couldn't wait to see how it would all endCharlie is such a good kid that I couldn't help but hope he would somehow survive his adventures and all his wishes would come true. His life hasn't been easy, but he tries to take everything in stride. His connection with his few friends, Alex and Richmond, seemed very authentic. As Charlie grew into what he was meant to become, I was excited to see what would come next for him and his friends.The Fantasy...I also really liked the vividness of the world Stone created. The fantasy elements were extremely intriguing. I think that's the best part of fantasy; there are few limits, so the author has free rein to create anything. And Stone took full advantage of that. I could actually picture the creatures, forests, buildings, pretty much everything in great detail.The BadI really wanted to like this book.  It seemed so promising at the start, but it lost me in the middle and never really caught my attention again. I actually had to force myself to read this book to the end. I was tempted not to finish it.Skip to My Lou...It frustrated me when the characters kept doing things with little explanation or reason. The description, though well done, was too long and I went on skim mode for half the book. Same with the backstory and inner thoughts, I just wanted to get back to the story so I jumped sentences and sometimes paragraphs to get to the good parts.Keeping Track of Arcadia...It was very difficult to keep track of the hierarchy and history of Arcadia (the fantasy land). I gave up trying to remember everything and found myself confused when I actually needed that information to make sense of references farther in the book.Not Up to Snuff...I found the action the most boring. I think Stone is good at story telling, but action is not her forte. Also, it mostly seemed unnecessary. Not that I wanted less action, it's just that it felt forced. Like she added action scenes here and there to fill a quota. A lot of the book felt forced; it didn't flow or make much sense when it came to plot. I didn't understand the reasoning behind some of the character's actions either.I wanted to mention that this book takes place in England and has many British type words that can be confusing.The SnugglyThere is not much romance in this book. I actually felt like Talisman of El was more Middle School than YA. It was very clean. The only controversial parts were the scenes with child abuse, which are not overly disturbing or anything.OverallI do think that some people will enjoy this book. It just wasn't for me. I wanted to put it down and keep it down, but I forced myself to finish it because I hate giving up on a book. I think this book should be marketed toward middle schoolers who like fantasy. There is nothing special enough about Talisman of El to make me like it. But I did give if two stars because it's not a badly written book at all, it just couldn't hold my attention. I will not be continuing this trilogy. Recommend for middle schoolers/young teens who like fantasy.ExcerptAn ear-piercing scream ripped through the building. Derkein froze, his eyes the only things that moved. His gaze fixed on his father, who was rummaging through his bag. He took out a black pistol and turned to Derkein, a tortured expression on his face as he placed the weapon in his son's trembling hand."Shoot anything that moves," his father instructed. He placed the talisman around Derkein's neck, tucking it inside his shirt. "Don't let it out of your sight." Cupping Derkein's face in his hands, he made him meet his gaze. "I'm sorry I got you involved in this." He grabbed another gun from the bag."What exactly have you got yourself into, Dad?"His father looked at him with a solemn expression. "If anything happens to me, you find Thomas. Tell him...tell him he was right." He headed towards the door."Dad, wait." Derkein went after him. "Dad--"The double doors burst open with a bang.