Review: A fun and thoughtful coming-of-age story.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 21, 2012
This book is a fun coming-of-age adventure perfect for middle grade readers. I fell in love with Stanley from the first page. Maybe it's because he's a librarian like me, or maybe it's because he's had to grow up so fast (doing a man's work at the age of 10). I also loved the library that he runs. His friends are great, Sophie, who's doing a woman's work with a very feisty spirit and Will, the cheerful, reckless adventurer. It's the kind of place that I would love to spend hours, it about broke my heart when the place was burned to the ground. But it was the death of one of Stanley's best friends, Will, that really got to me. I was with Stanley all the way as he struggled with anger and confusion. Like most of us when faced with tragedy, Stanley wanted to do something about it. So he sets off on a self-imposed mission to see the Ruler of the lands, Christopher Siren, and find out what was going on with all the new ridiculous and dangerous new rules that led to Will's death. Of course, along the way, he finds more than he could have ever dreamed, including friends, enemies, and more adventure than he ever wanted. I found this to be a pleasantly page-turning read and had to keep reading until I finished it. I appreciated that while it is part of a trilogy, the book actually has a solid ending, so many series books these days don't, so I found that refreshing. I am definitely looking forward to reading more about Stanley and Sophie. I recommend this to readers who enjoy a good quest story with some depth to it.