The Copernicus Legacy – Book 1: The Forbidden Stone – By Tony Abbott

Hiya Jared,

This is one of those Youth/Teen adventure series in the vein of Percy Jackson, Fablehaven, Alcatraz, and Ranger’s Apprentice. You know the type. There are kind of a dime-a-dozen, so the good ones really need to standout or they just get swamped. This one is right on the edge.

theforbiddenstone.jpgTitle: The Forbidden Stone
Series: The Copernicus; Book 1
Author: Tony Abbott
Genre: Fantasy/Science Fiction
Audience: Youth
ROTS Setting: CU, present day, astronomy
Synopsis: It all began when four friends-Wade, Lily, Darrel, and Becca-received a strange, coded email from Wade’s uncle Henry shortly before the old man’s sudden death. They set off for Germany to attend the funeral with Wade’s father, Roald, and discover that Uncle Henry left them yet another baffling message that they suspect is the key to figuring out how and why he died. The message leads to a clue, and the more clues they discover, the farther they travel down a treacherous path toward an ancient, guarded secret. Soon they are in a breathless race across the globe, running for their lives as a dangerous shadow organization chases them around every corner. Their only hope of saving themselves-and the world that they know-is to find twelve magical relics from a hidden past that will unlock the Copernicus Legacy.
Recommendation: A decent read, and good for younger readers.

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The Copernicus Legacy – Book 1: The Forbidden Stone – By Tony Abbott

Animorphs – Book 8: The Alien – By K. A. Applegate

Hi Jared,

This might be one of the most useful books to the series. Maybe not the best, but a lot happens in a very short amount of time.

thealienTitle: The Alien
Series: Animorphs; Book 8
Author: K. A. Applegate
Genre: Science Fiction
Audience: Youth
ROTS Setting: CU, Modern, Aliens
Synopsis: What would you do if you were the only alien trapped on a strange planet? Probably freak out, right? Well, that’s what Ax feels like doing. But as an Andalite warrior-cadet, he has to be pretty cool about stuff like that. He’s been hanging out with the Animorphs ever since the Dome ship was destroyed by the Yeerks and his brother, Prince Elfangor, was destroyed by Visser Three. Life on Earth is pretty different for Ax. But there is one thing he, Cassie, Marco, Jake, Rachel, and Tobias have in common. Something that one alien, four kids and a hawk know they have to do: stop the Yeerks…
Recommendation: Highly recommend this series.

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Animorphs – Book 8: The Alien – By K. A. Applegate

The Keys to the Kingdom – Book 1: Mister Monday – By Garth Nix

Hey Jared,

This book is one trippy ride. But in amongst the layers of crazy there’s an internal logic that manages to pull it altogether. It’s a feat of extreme skill and a slightly unhinged imaginative mind…..so, perfectly Garth Nix.

mistermondayTitle: Mister Monday
Series: The Keys of the Kingdom; Book 1
Author: Garth Nix
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Youth
ROTS Setting: EU, Magic (sorta)
Synopsis: Arthur Penhaligon’s first days at his new school don’t go too well, particularly when a fiendish Mister Monday appears, gives Arthur a magical clock hand, and then orders his gang of dog-faced goons to chase Arthur around and get it back. But when the confused and curious boy discovers that a mysterious virus is spreading through town, he decides to enter an otherworldly house to stop it. After meeting Suzy Blue and the first part of “the Will” (a frog-looking entity that knows everything about the House), Arthur learns that he’s been selected as Rightful Heir to the House and must get the other part of the clock hand in order to defeat Monday. That means getting past Monday’s henchmen and journeying to the Dayroom itself. Thankfully, Arthur is up to the challenge, but as he finds out, his fight seems to be only one-seventh over.
Recommendation: I would recommend this book for youth, 8-12yrs.

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The Keys to the Kingdom – Book 1: Mister Monday – By Garth Nix

Five Kingdoms – Book 5: Time Jumpers – By Brandon Mull

Hey Jared,

The end of a series. It’s a bitter sweet time but I’m happy to see this series end and not get dragged out.

time-jumpersTitle: Time Jumpers
Series: Five Kingdoms; Book 5
Author: Brandon Mull
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Youth/Teen
ROTS Setting: EU, Higher Magic
Synopsis: Trapped in a world where magic is powerful and dreams are real, Cole’s epic adventure comes to a close in book five of the New York Times bestselling “fanciful, action-packed adventure” series (Publishers Weekly, starred review), from the author of the Fablehaven and Beyonders series. Cole and his friends are pushed to the limit in this finale to the bestselling Five Kingdoms series. Will they finally be able to restore magic to the world of the Outskirts and find their way back home?
Recommendation: I recommend this series. They are an easy read, perfect for an intermediate reader/pre-teen/early teen.

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Five Kingdoms – Book 5: Time Jumpers – By Brandon Mull

Dragon Keeper – Book 1: Dragon Keeper – By Carole Wilkinson

Hey Jared

I picked this up a couple months ago because I was in the mood for something a bit lighter and liked the idea of a dragon story based in Chinese mythology. And this book didn’t disappoint.

dragonkeeperTitle: Dragon Keeper
Series: Dragon Keeper; Book 1
Author: Carole Wilkinson
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Youth
ROTS Setting: EU, Ancient China, Dragons, Magic (sorta)
Synopsis: In the time of the Han Dynasty in ancient China, the last remaining dragon is in danger of being killed by the cruel Emperor. A nameless orphan with no past and an uncertain future becomes his unlikely ally. The young orphan soon discovers that it is her destiny to protect the aging dragon and his mysterious purple stone. Chased by an evil dragon hunter and a powerful sorcerer, their adventure is not easy. Each must learn to help and understand the other if they are to survive. To succeed in her task, the young orphan must reach deep within herself to find courage she never knew existed. No longer can she be the timid, shy orphan she once was. She is now the one, true Dragon Keeper.
Recommendation: I would recommend this book for youth, 8-12yrs.

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Dragon Keeper – Book 1: Dragon Keeper – By Carole Wilkinson

Adventurers Wanted – Book 3: Albrek’s Tomb – M. L. Forman

Hey Jared,

As I mentioned previously, I skipped this book during my recent reread of the series because the library didn’t have it in any format. However, since I finally convinced Lisa to try the series she immediately purchased the entire series as eBooks so she wouldn’t need to stop or even slow down. (It only took her a week, btw.) So now the book is at my very fingertips. *insert evil cackle*

albrek'stombTitle: Albrek’s Tomb
Series: Adventurers Wanted; Book 3
Author: M. L. Forman
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Youth
ROTS Setting: EU/AU, Medieval, Higher Magic, Dragons
Synopsis: Two thousand years ago, the dwarf Albrek went looking for new mines in the land of Thraxon in the hopes of becoming rich — and vanished. Now the dwarves must find Albrek’s magical Ring of Searching before their mines run dry, a possibility which threatens the livelihood of the entire dwarf realm. Alexander Taylor joins a familiar company of adventurers on a quest to discover what happened to Albrek, find his mythical tomb, and locate the lost talisman. But finding the ring may be the least of the adventurers’ problems once they cross paths with an ancient, wandering paladin, Bane, who warns of a great evil working in all of the known lands. Following in Albrek’s footsteps, Alex and his friends travel to the haunted Isle of Bones, where a mysterious creature lurks in a deserted village, to the cursed city of Neplee, where the dwarfs are hunted by the undead hellerash, and through the shadow of an empty oracle’s tower, where a whispered legend is about to come true.
Recommendation: I recommend this series. Great for younger and older readers alike.

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Adventurers Wanted – Book 3: Albrek’s Tomb – M. L. Forman

Adventurers Wanted – Book 5: The Axe of Sundering – By M. L. Forman

Hey Jared,

It’s good to see you finally writing, both reviews and some of your own projects.

This review has been really difficult to write. I was generally OK with the book, but steadily became more dissatisfied as time went by. Thus the super late timing of this post. Sorry, not sorry.

axeofsunderingTitle: The Axe of Sundering
Series: Adventurers Wanted; Book 5
Author: M. L. Forman
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Youth
ROTS Setting: EU/AU, Medieval, Higher Magic, Dragons
Synopsis: Whalen Vankin is the world’s greatest wizard, and he has only ever personally trained two other wizards. One is Alexander Taylor, a young man who has earned a reputation as a brave adventurer, a warrior, and man of honor. The other is Jabez, Vankin’s nephew and a man whose choices have led him down a different, darker path. Dark magic has covered Westland, and evil is stirring. Whalen and Alex must journey together into the heart of danger, confronting a sea serpent, battling their way through a goblin army, and facing down more than one dragon. Alex must find the legendary Axe of Sundering the one weapon that offers a chance to defeat Jabez and protect the land from the dark wizard’s plans. But finding it will be an adventure of its own as the only pathway to the Axe leads through the underground tunnels and secret passages of Castle Conmar. But Jabez has one final weapon at his disposal: the powerful Orion Stone, which could spell the end to Whalen and Alex both.
Recommendation: Highly recommend this series (just not the ending). Great for younger and older readers alike.

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Adventurers Wanted – Book 5: The Axe of Sundering – By M. L. Forman

Adventurers Wanted – Book 4: Sands of Nezza – By M. L. Forman

Hiya Jared,

Due to the unfortunate deficiency of the local library system (and me being too cheap) I’ve been forced to skip the 3rd book of this series, Tomb of Albrek, in my reread of the series. The only reason I chose to do this is because I had actually already read it before, and relatively recently. (Within the last 2 and a half years.)

On the bright side, you can expect my review of book 5, Axe of Sundering, this Friday.

sandsofnezza.jpgTitle: Sands of Nezza
Series: Adventurers Wanted; Book 4
Author: M. L. Forman
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Youth
ROTS Setting: EU/AU, Medieval, Higher Magic, Dragons
Synopsis: A call for help draws wizard Alexander Taylor into an adventure that he knows nothing about. To save a friend, Alex must travel to the land of Nezza, a land where war is part of daily life, where adventurers are imprisoned, and where all magic is believed to be black. Chance brings Alex into contact with young Rallian, a prince who might just be the true king of Nezza, and Alex s desire to do good sets loose a spell that could drive the land into all-out war. Alex must find a way for Rallian to be crowned king while also bringing peace to the land, but his magic and wizardry alone cannot make peace happen. His task is made more difficult when he learns that a group called the Brotherhood is actively working to keep the people of Nezza divided. Join Alex and some familiar friends in their search to unite the land of Nezza in this new adventure that will test their courage to the very core.
Recommendation: Highly recommend this series. Great for younger and older readers alike.

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Adventurers Wanted – Book 4: Sands of Nezza – By M. L. Forman

Adventurers Wanted – Book 2: The Horn of Moran – By M. L. Forman

Hey Jared,

Wow, I can’t believe we talked for 6 hours a couple of days ago. I think we need to talk more often.

hornofmoranTitle: The Horn of Moran
Series: Adventurers Wanted; Book 2
Author: M. L. Forman
Genre: Fantasy
Audience: Youth
ROTS Setting: EU/AU, Medieval, Higher Magic, Dragons
Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old wizard-in-training Alex Taylor and his band of fellow adventurers battle a goblin army, navigate an enchanted forest, and try to solve the sphinx’s riddle in their quest to find the lost Horn of Moran and return it to Norsland before the nation erupts in war.
Recommendation: Highly recommend this series. Great for younger and older readers alike.

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Adventurers Wanted – Book 2: The Horn of Moran – By M. L. Forman