By: Brandon Mull
Format: Hardcover, 464 Pages
Published: March 15, 2011; Aladdin Books
Source: ARC from Publisher
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Synopsis (from Goodreads): Jason Walker has often wished his life could be a bit less predictable--until a routine day at the zoo ends with Jason suddenly transporting from the hippo tank to a place unlike anything he's ever seen. In the past, the people of Lyrian welcomed visitors from the Beyond, but attitudes have changed since the wizard emperor Maldor rose to power. The brave resistors who opposed the emperor have been bought off or broken, leaving a realm where fear and suspicion prevail.
In his search for a way home, Jason meets Rachel, who was also mysteriously drawn to Lyrian from our world. With the help of a few scattered rebels, Jason and Rachel become entangled in a quest to piece together the word of power that can destroy the emperor, and learn that their best hope to find a way home will be to save this world without heroes.
My Review:
First of all, if you haven't read my post about the launch party for this book, check it out. It was awesomely wild. (link)
My brother read Fablehaven and loved them. I read the first one and felt really lukewarm about it. But, I love fantasy, and after reading the synopsis of this book, felt like it would probably be a better fit for me than the Fablehaven series was. And I was correct.
The message in this book was clear: heroes can come from anywhere. In Lyrian, heroes are mocked, laughed and, and treated like they are crazy. Those that would try to oppose the Emperor are bought out and sent to a place where they are treated like royalty and don't have to worry about hard things like honor, glory, or doing what's right. Jason and Rachel end up in Lyrian and in a situation where the only way to go home is to stand up to the emperor.
The creativity in this book is astounding. At first I found it a little jarring. Near the beginning of the book, Jason accesses the secret portal to Lyrian through a hippo's gullet. I have to admit, that was really strange for me. I kept thinking, "How did he [Brandon Mull] come up with this stuff?" But, for a book that is written for younger readers, that's exactly what you want to do, and that's why the Fablehaven books are so successful. Once I got a little further into the book, the hippos and people falling off cliffs incidents were fewer, and I felt a little more comfortable, and intrigued.
I definitely feel like there is a great story here. Even though the creatures that Mull has created for this world are imaginative, they are not unreasonably weird. Rachel got on my nerves a little bit at times with her constant need to assert herself and make sure that she was equal in EVERYTHING. Thankfully she toned down a bit by the end of the book.
This is a book that I know boys 9-13 will love. Give your reluctant readers a copy of this book. They will eat it up.
My Rating:
