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The Curse Box
Tony works in a magic shop. Not the kind that sells jokes and toys. The real thing. Tony is used to some odd customers, but when a stranger steals a box from the shop, he's dragged into a war between some of the towns odder citizens. In a battle between two vampire tribes, who will win? And will Tony make it out... er... not undead?
- GenresFantasy
62 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2012
1 person is currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
E.E. Richardson
14 books36 followersE.E Richardson is a twenty-two year old cybernetics graduate who now lives as a recluse.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 28, 2013
I decided to read this book as I was randomly looking through the new books in the library and this book stood out from the rest and when I read the blurb at the back it made the book more mysterious making me want to read it.
The category this book fits into is "A Book Written In 2012 Or 2013. This category was interesting because I can read new stories that I may not relate to other books that I have read and if this a good book I could recommend it to my friends.
My favourite quote from this book is "From now on, our two clans are one. You will all take orders form me and Malik." This quote from the book is my favourite because it a moment when two enemies unite and this shows how much integrity Sophie needed to speak for what she thought was right.
Something New I learnt from this book is that working together is always better than being an individual.
A character or setting in this book that was interesting was Tony. He was interesting because he saved the two vampire tribes from a battle and found out who stole the Curse Box from the shop and solved the mystery.
The category this book fits into is "A Book Written In 2012 Or 2013. This category was interesting because I can read new stories that I may not relate to other books that I have read and if this a good book I could recommend it to my friends.
My favourite quote from this book is "From now on, our two clans are one. You will all take orders form me and Malik." This quote from the book is my favourite because it a moment when two enemies unite and this shows how much integrity Sophie needed to speak for what she thought was right.
Something New I learnt from this book is that working together is always better than being an individual.
A character or setting in this book that was interesting was Tony. He was interesting because he saved the two vampire tribes from a battle and found out who stole the Curse Box from the shop and solved the mystery.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2016
Neljä miinus tälle helppo- ja nopealukuiselle, lyhyelle nuortenromaanille. Tony jää tuuraamaan isänsä taikaliikkeeseen isän työmatkan ajaksi. Saman tien liikkeessä sattuu pieni härdelli ja sen aikana varastetaan eräs laatikko. Kun Tony huomaa tämän, ei hän pysty tunnustamaan isälleen sitä, vaan päättää saada laatikon takaisin ennen isän paluuta. Tällä seikkailulla saadaankin tietää, mitä laatikko sisältää, tavataan verenhimoisia vampyyreitä ja joudutaan varsin kiperiin tilanteisiin. Vauhtia ja vaarallisia tilanteita huumoria unohtamatta, todella kiva helppolukuinen kirja nuorille, englanniksi tosin.
June 2, 2016
A young boy named Tony is in charge of his father's magic shop while he is away. When a deadly curse box is stolen out of the shop by a vampire, Tony must find out who did it before the Vampire gangs in the area start a gang war. Will he succeed? Read on and find out for yourself.
This was a pretty good short story about vampires and magic. Definitely look for this book at your local library and wherever books are sold.
This was a pretty good short story about vampires and magic. Definitely look for this book at your local library and wherever books are sold.
December 9, 2014
Taas kerran sanon, jotta tämmöisiä niiden pitäisi olla. Nuorten selkokirjojen.
Isä reissussa, poika vastuussa magiakaupasta, "kirouslaatikko" varastetaan ja seuraavaksi kaksi vampyyriheimoa on toistensa kimpussa myrkyllisen aavekäärmeen jahdatessa molempia. Pussataankin. Jestas. Kaikki kuudessakymmenessäkahdessa sivussa.
Isä reissussa, poika vastuussa magiakaupasta, "kirouslaatikko" varastetaan ja seuraavaksi kaksi vampyyriheimoa on toistensa kimpussa myrkyllisen aavekäärmeen jahdatessa molempia. Pussataankin. Jestas. Kaikki kuudessakymmenessäkahdessa sivussa.
December 25, 2024
Vampires. Snakes. Spells. And a magic shop. A fun fantasy storyline with a twist ending.
April 2, 2013
Tony has been left in charge of the Magic Shop that his father owns. The only thing is that the shop sells real magic! When one of Tony's experiments goes wrong, he is distracted from a strange man in the store. Once the mess is cleaned up he finds that a box has been stolen. He learns that the box is a powerful curse box, and it was stolen by a vampire. Tony wants to recover the box before his father learns that it was stolen.
The Curse Box is written for people with lower reading skills. It is rated for about Grade Three. The idea is that it is an action story that will hold the attention of an older reader while not overwhelming them with difficult vocabulary and complex sentence structure. I found that it read very quickly and for me the action was almost frenetic. I'm sure that for someone who reads somewhat slower than I, the story will have the right level of action. The plot was simple, but not childish.
Unfortunately the reading level was a little higher than my son could manage, but his friend thought the opening paragraphs sounded awesome. I think Richardson has hit a good balance between vocabulary and interest. I'd love to see a book for the next level down, but that would be even more of a challenge to write.
I think this book does what it sets out to do. It is offering a fun story to a specialized but not insignificant audience.
The Curse Box is written for people with lower reading skills. It is rated for about Grade Three. The idea is that it is an action story that will hold the attention of an older reader while not overwhelming them with difficult vocabulary and complex sentence structure. I found that it read very quickly and for me the action was almost frenetic. I'm sure that for someone who reads somewhat slower than I, the story will have the right level of action. The plot was simple, but not childish.
Unfortunately the reading level was a little higher than my son could manage, but his friend thought the opening paragraphs sounded awesome. I think Richardson has hit a good balance between vocabulary and interest. I'd love to see a book for the next level down, but that would be even more of a challenge to write.
I think this book does what it sets out to do. It is offering a fun story to a specialized but not insignificant audience.
March 27, 2013
It took me a little while to decide how I felt about this book. First of all I must preface this review by saying that I am impressed that this book was specifically designed for kids aged 13+ that have dyslexia. I knew going in that this is going to be a relatively short read, so that fact will not have bearing on my review.
What made me unsure about this book was that there was very little character development in the main character. I wasn't sure of the age or what the character looked like, and that made visualizing and relating to the character a little bit more difficult.
Otherwise, this book is well-written and entertaining. The monsters in the book seem age-appropriate for the younger end of the YA audience. There are a few swear words in this story that caught me off guard, it isn't that it's anything terrible, just unexpected in a book intended for this age group.
I was impressed by how much action the author managed to squeeze into such a short book. I could see how kids would find this interesting and captivating. I probably would have enjoyed this when I was 13 as well.
I would recommend this book to kids age 13 to 16. It may be a bit less fulfilling for age groups older then that.
This review is based on a digital ARC from the publisher.
What made me unsure about this book was that there was very little character development in the main character. I wasn't sure of the age or what the character looked like, and that made visualizing and relating to the character a little bit more difficult.
Otherwise, this book is well-written and entertaining. The monsters in the book seem age-appropriate for the younger end of the YA audience. There are a few swear words in this story that caught me off guard, it isn't that it's anything terrible, just unexpected in a book intended for this age group.
I was impressed by how much action the author managed to squeeze into such a short book. I could see how kids would find this interesting and captivating. I probably would have enjoyed this when I was 13 as well.
I would recommend this book to kids age 13 to 16. It may be a bit less fulfilling for age groups older then that.
This review is based on a digital ARC from the publisher.
March 16, 2016
As a simple story, The Curse Box was, overall, efficient. The plot was easy to follow, the characters mostly likeable, and never really stagnated.
However, as a children's book, I'm not sure what it was trying to accomplish. The writing style - with its simple words, and short chapters - seems geared towards a late-elementary school reader, but the plot would probably appeal to more middle school children, as it features a 17 year old protagonist, who nearly dies three times, a pending gang war between two vampire clans, and a sub romance plot.
Despite the opening being in a magic shop, the mid- and later-chapters don't feel magical at all, but rather just an everyday Nancy-Drew mystery that happens to contain vampires. Not a bad thing; I enjoy a good mystery plot. Just not expected. There's also a fair amount of mild cussing, which surprised me. Basically, I'm not sure who the book's intended audience is.
Other than that, the story is fun. I particularly enjoyed the first chapter, and the slight spin on what vampires might look like. The story was well paced too, with a nice ending. It features very little character development, and is instead action-heavy, and everything gets sorted out in the end. Overall, a nice, efficient story.
However, as a children's book, I'm not sure what it was trying to accomplish. The writing style - with its simple words, and short chapters - seems geared towards a late-elementary school reader, but the plot would probably appeal to more middle school children, as it features a 17 year old protagonist, who nearly dies three times, a pending gang war between two vampire clans, and a sub romance plot.
Despite the opening being in a magic shop, the mid- and later-chapters don't feel magical at all, but rather just an everyday Nancy-Drew mystery that happens to contain vampires. Not a bad thing; I enjoy a good mystery plot. Just not expected. There's also a fair amount of mild cussing, which surprised me. Basically, I'm not sure who the book's intended audience is.
Other than that, the story is fun. I particularly enjoyed the first chapter, and the slight spin on what vampires might look like. The story was well paced too, with a nice ending. It features very little character development, and is instead action-heavy, and everything gets sorted out in the end. Overall, a nice, efficient story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2013
A light and fun read. Letting a thief steal a valuable box under his nose Tony Kim must solve the mystery in less than 48 hours to keep from getting in trouble with two rival vampire gangs. Delightful misadventure.
April 27, 2013
A quick, fun, and awesome read. It reminded me of Halloweentown a bit and that made me enjoy it ten times more. - :)
December 13, 2013
I hate short stories most of the time, cause well they're short, but I loved this one! Quick read, but a great one!!!
April 2, 2017
I really enjoyed this book and would like to read more like it
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November 24, 2018An amazing book.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews