‘A superbly plotted magical adventure, stylishly and flamboyantly written.’ The Wishing Shelf
FULL REVIEW I do enjoy a good adventure story, even if it’s for children and not me, a 49 year old English lecturer. And – WONDERFUL NEWS! – this is a GOOD adventure story. Written in imaginative prose, the plot is well-constructed and full of exciting twists and turns. Not only that, the characters doing all the twisting and turning are fully formed, interesting, and even charismatic. So, what is the story? Basically, Ranger Nader has powers – BIG POWERS! – so he attends a sort of Hogwarts school – but not Hogwarts – where he must develop his powers, battle a demigod and, of course, do all the things teenagers do. Now, it is similar to Harry Potter in a number of ways but it’s also original in a number of ways too. For example, the background of the central character and the mix of myths and legends within a futuristic plot. So, on to the nuts and bolts. Firstly, the characters spring off the page. It is a plot driven story, but the characters are the jam which holds everything together. The author knows her characters through and through and this shows in the consistent and very individual way they act. I also thought the speech between the characters was very well written. In fact, the story is a perfectly balanced mix of ‘speech’ and ‘a well-paced plot’. Well, I finished the novel three nights later and I did very much enjoy it. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep me turning the page and the characters (good and evil) were interesting – even memorable. The ending was also excellent and, closing my computer, I knew I’d be happy to open another of this author’s books. So, can I recommend this book? Yes. Who to? Well, I think younger teenagers will find this book a blast! Reluctant boy readers…THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU! Enjoy! A ‘Wishing Shelf’ Book Review www.thewsa.co.uk