The Jinx on the Divide

The Divide #3

by Elizabeth Kay

Felix is back at school, but things aren't back to normal! Rhino, the class bully, snatches the mysterious Brandee lamp he had kept from his last adventure in BACK TO THE DIVIDE, and next thing you know, a djinn has taken Rhino hostage and is demanding that Felix return him home to the mystical, back-to-front world. But no sooner is the djinn's wish granted than Rhino escapes into the villanous protection of Skullcap, new chief nasty of the Japegrins. It's up to Felix and Bettony to once again use their wits to save both worlds from the ultimate explosive threat of mixed-up science and magic.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Magic, Adventure, Childrens, Middle Grade

Hardcover

First published August 1, 2005

About the author

Elizabeth Kay is the daughter of a Polish father and an English mother. She originally went to art school, and she is also an illustrator. She has an MA in Creative Writing, and does some teaching and editing. During a varied writing career - from radio plays and short stories to poetry and novels for both adults and children - she has won a number of prizes, including the Cardiff International Poetry Competition and the Canongate Prize for short stories. Elizabeth lists as her hobbies travelling to obscure destinations and trying not to get eaten by the local wildlife.

Reviews

[E. Jamieson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read this book in a while and I can't get over how great it is. It is full of complex characters and deep, strange magic and a box that is a lot like the one ring from Lord of the Rings, only it's worse: it can talk. It will try to get you to do horrible things, and it often succeeds.

This book also has a lot of history of the world across the divide packed into it. I loved that. Even Snakeweed comes around and works for the common good when he sees those paintings.

However, I thought the ending was a little sad. Or maybe wistful. I liked it, though. Don't get me wrong.

[Alba · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terribly boring, feels like one of those extra books just written for the sake of money, because the story was completely fine with just the first two books. Also, there's some unnecessary lowkey sexist 'jokes' in this book about gender roles that weren't funny at all.

[Julia Zuklie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I abbannodonned it

[Marsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel takes off lickety-split with trouble brewing from the very first page. With problems involving everything from a mischievous bully to a knife-wielding brandee (what we call genies) to a chatty box with chameleon qualities, Felix Sanders has his hands full.

This novel brims with action, excitement and danger—so much of it, that it’s sometimes difficult to remember where the main characters are or what they are doing. They split off, meet new friends or old enemies and then reconverge so often that it’s rather dizzying. But Ms. Kay keeps her many plates spinning with vim and vigor and the action comes to a decided, if divided (heh, couldn’t resist), satisfying conclusion.

[Haylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, the book was pretty good, but I was really unsatisfied with the ending. Poor Betony in Felix's world! I think they should have had the divide open up again, and have Felix and his mom and dad and of course, Betony move back to Betony's world. It would have been a better ending in my opinion. Oh yeah, and have Felix, Betony, and Nimby be merged back into single people.

[Laurel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was clearly written because Kay was making money selling her books. The story had nothing to do with the other two books and I was mostly bored the whole time. What a crappy way to end a triolgy.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best of the series. The storyline seemed a little weaker than the first two and the character development left something to be desired. However, this book had a lot of life lessons taught through out, which I have really enjoyed in this series.

[Meera · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is boook is sooo awesome. its like i couldnt stop reading it. it was so intriguing, including many twists and turns. also, ppl liked the cover cuz its split in half.

[Brittney Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Rating: 4stars

Note: This is the 3rd and final book in the Divide trilogy so this will not be an in-depth review.

In order to break up the more complex fantasy books that I’ve been reading, I decided to read some childhood favorites, and the one I was most recently got to was Jinx on the Divide, the last book in the Divide trilogy, a series I started last year. This book is a portal fantasy starring Felix, a young boy who for reasons I won’t spoil gets sucked into an upside-down dimension where mythical beasts are real and humans are imaginary. The friendships he finds there, the adventures he goes on, and the magic he discovers may just be the thing he has been missing from his life, the thing he needs most of all.

My favorite part about this book was the characters that we meet as all of them don’t fit the average mold you would expect them to. We have characters who love math, history, and science, and as a young child who loved reading and learning new things, I really saw myself in these characters. They made me realize that I wasn’t as “weird” as I thought I was, and that wanting to learn, to understand the world around me, might make me a “hero” one day. In this final book, specifically, however, we get introduced to a new character, Rhino, and his storyline is a classic example of why portal fantasy works so well and why children may want to read them (Although, Felix’s storyline does this as well in the first book, but again, no spoilers.).

This book isn’t just a fun romp through another world; however, it does tackle some really important topics such as free will, what makes something alive, bullying, and discrimination. These topics are handled with finesse so if you are worried about your children getting introduced to topics that they may not be ready for, and then don’t be, although they will get your children more used to these topics so that you can have useful discussions when you are ready to do so.

Although, this trilogy is a great one to introduce kids too, it’s not perfect. After rereading, I really feel like the 3rd book is kind of unnecessary. It does discuss some good topics, but in my opinion, the story arc was wrapped up really well in book 2, so book 3 felt a little forced. I think the series would have worked better as a dualogy, with books 1 and 2 expanded or tweaked to include the topics she was discussing in book 3, especially since our main villain was taken care of in book 2 and only shows up briefly in book 3 and is completely different. With that being said, books 1 and 2 are solid, and I recommend for children, especially children that may be into things like math, science, or history, because I think they’ll get even more out of the work.

All in all, this remains a childhood favorite and one I will be exploring with my future children. If you’re looking for recommendations for your little ones or for books to introduce to your classroom, this is a great pick. 4 stars!!!!!

[Athena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is stunning, I don’t have the words to describe this book. At first it seems boring and dragged on but it completely changed. The suspense throughout it and the thrilling chases are incredible. Old and new characters converging. Science and magic clashing together for an epic ending to the series. This series’ characters got true happily ever after. Felix got his wish of staying with Betony and will experience both worlds, even if he doesn’t fully know the going-ons of each world. The threat of magic and science ruining each world is gone. The jinx-box is destroyed and finally both worlds can have peace. This has to be my favourite book ever. It truly is the perfect ending.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everyone who is "bad" turns out to be "good." But it's not developed super well, just lines like "I have changed. I am not the same as I was." And in the end, everything is magically solved because when the divide closes forever, there are 2 Betonys and 2 Felixes...one on each side. So they both get to live with their families in both worlds, but also get to be together forever, in both worlds, Snakeweed is good, our world is polluted and unhappy and bad, happily ever after, the end.

[Danielle Mila · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like it’s always hard to end a series in a completely satisfying way. I enjoyed this one more than the second book and loved the various historical elements it brought into play. Additionally, while the ending leaves me feeling a bit divided about seeing this world come to a pretty definitive close, I think the ending allowed the reader to get the best of both worlds.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

My middle-school self is rating this (now I'd give it 3 stars). Even still, I appreciate the ending - it's not entirely happy or complete, which is different from many of the other fantasy books I'd been reading at that age.

[Reading For Funs · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all-time favorite books, mostly due to how the cover of the book was made. I was so fascinated with the covers of the Divide series as a child, the way they split down the middle like an old fashioned journal instead of opening on the right like a normal novel.

[TheOdd1sOut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book & series

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading all three books

[Elmari Kruger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a beautiful conclusion to the trilogy.
Absolutely loved it

[Angelika Belko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely worth the read. Such a nice conclusion to a trilogy. I hope my next read will be as good ;-D

[Matthew Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weak follow-up

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because it had a mix of fantasy and real life. the main character, named Felix, had a disease that when he got too much excitement, he would pass out. unlike narcolepsy, however, eventually, fall asleep and not wake up. one day he and his parents go to the great divide and he wants to straddle the divide. while his parents are not looking, he straddles the divide and suddenly, he passes out he finds himself in a new world where all the myths like elves and pixies and griffins and magic are and his world is a myth. he finds new friends, new enemies, and saves the worlds, or does he?

[Dakota Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book because it had action.

[Trent Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantasy, non-fiction. I chose this book because i read the last one and it was amazing so I'm continuing a very good series.

Now that Felix is back from the divide his family seemed back to normal, until Snakeweed the evil japegrin showed up again. this time freezing Felix's parents to stone and taking the spell that sends things back and forth through the divide and running off with it.Now Felix has to go back into the divide and find his friends, find a cure for the spell on his parents, and stop Snakeweed from wreaking the human and magical world. The setting is in Felix's home town, Several little spots on the way back to the divide, Geddon, Tarritattle, Andria. The characters that play a role in this book are Felix, Ironclaw, Betony, Magic Carpet, Archrix, Snakeweed.

The central conflict expressed in this book man vs. man, man vs. supernatural, and man vs. society. i think the main theme is to do anything for your family even if it means putting yourself first. the symbols that popped in my head is chain links, showing unity, and a shield for guarding those you love. the writing styles expressed in this book is definitely at a personal level, taking the mind set of Felix and being sad when his family was turned to stone, and when he found his friends the author was able to make emotions happen there and make the readers really immersed in the story being told.

I strongly recommend this book because of its amazing story, relatable characters, and excellent vocabulary.

[Jasper · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fact that I still remember the ending of this series says something at least. I don’t know what it is saying but it is sure saying something.

[Francesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

--POSSIBLE SPOILERS--

Not quite as good as the first two, but I still love it. I found the frequent switching of view points a little frustrating although Kay timed them perfectly; switching to a character I was just beginning to get curious about and neatly linking their different paths together. Scenes such as the cabins in the mountains where, fortunately, everyone was right where Felix needed them to be, are a common occurence in this trilogy which can be a little annoying at times but I have to remind myself that they are in fact written for children and that these scenarios are perfect for that age group.
The humour was spot on, as usual, and the familiar faces were delightful as always. I didn't think much of Rhino as a character; I think Kay tried a bit too hard to make him fit but the Brandee was a breath of fresh air and the twists brought on by the jinx box were perfectly frustrating.
Even though I've read this book several times before, I still silently beg the characters not to make their inevitable mistakes and cheer on their successes. The last few chapters had me on edge and Kay found a neat conclusion to a beautiful trilogy that comfortably pushes the boundaries of children's fiction.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book felt more mature than the first two (which makes sense, as Felix and Betony have both grown), with more exploration of character and an interesting twist to the tale at the end. Felix is growing up and realising the world isn't all as he would like it. The 'bully' Rhino, who is swept up into Felix's story, steals the show in this book, as we come to understand his history and see his character shape and develop. Felix's boyish jealousy makes him seem more childish, which is a shame, as it would be nice to see his character continue to grow. Fuzzy and Grimspite provide great light relief and Betony shows herself to be the more rounded and likeable character of the youngsters.
The ending was clever but a bit dissatisfying (although I couldn't imagine a different ending) and I think this book is worth reading if only for the way it explores bullies and how we need to understand their personal history and circumstances before we judge them.

[Dayna Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The final book in The Divide trilogy. Felix is back in his own dimension and waiting for his friend Betony to come for a visit so he can show her his world. Then Rhino, the class bully, finds Felix's lamp and the brandee within and makes his way across the Divide into the magical dimension where he begins to cause complete havoc. Felix and Betony must find him, stop him, and get him back home, but as usual things don't turn out as planned. An interesting finale to this series, the ending is not what you would expect.

[Jessie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why did I do that? Why? I didn't like the first book, I liked the second even less and yet I still thought I'd finish the trilogy. I'm so glad I didn't waste more of my time and stopped myself from finishing it.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started out slow but it was a nice finish to this fun series. I liked the ending...didn't expect it to be like that and was pleasantly surprised. I'd highly recommend this series for 4th graders and up who like fantasy books.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hey!

Better than the middle one but on the same key as the first one.

Not to be one of the most memorable series of books I've ever read but worth a read if you've got the time and got nothing else.

~WR~

[Grant · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this more than I did. The first two were very simple stories, but fairly entertaining. This one felt like it dragged on. And then it presented the most most wishy-washy have-it-all ending I have ever seen.