What do you think?
Rate this book
Ring of Solomon #2
Nightmares in Paradise
Zach Darlington saved the world from total apocalypse and all he got was grounded. He’s not even allowed to watch his favorite horror movies anymore, and now his parents want to ship him off to boarding school!
But before Zach can talk some sense into his parents, his little sister, Naomi, lands in an unexplainable coma. Zach’s friend Ash (yep, Zach and the King of Demons are friends now) knows this was the work of Ash’s eternal nemesis, the Archangel Uriel. And the only way to revive Naomi is with the fruit from the Tree of Life. Yeah, that tree. Like, from the actual Garden of Eden .
Zach and his friends will have to face terrifying angels, monsters, and a serpent to get to the tree and save Naomi’s life. He just hopes he won’t be grounded till the end of time if they ever make it back.
But before Zach can talk some sense into his parents, his little sister, Naomi, lands in an unexplainable coma. Zach’s friend Ash (yep, Zach and the King of Demons are friends now) knows this was the work of Ash’s eternal nemesis, the Archangel Uriel. And the only way to revive Naomi is with the fruit from the Tree of Life. Yeah, that tree. Like, from the actual Garden of Eden .
Zach and his friends will have to face terrifying angels, monsters, and a serpent to get to the tree and save Naomi’s life. He just hopes he won’t be grounded till the end of time if they ever make it back.
191 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 2, 2024
2 people are currently reading
156 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 31, 2024
This suffered from being a second book (I didn’t read the first), and the balance between establishing the characters but not dragging in back story didn’t work for me. I didn’t get a sense of the relationships and I found the references to what the did in the first book either distracting or pointless. It also suffered from the problem with many junior high books really aimed at elementary schools kids in that the characters seemed rather immature for their age.
So, not a bad book; there was some fun adventure, I’m always glad to see Jewish characters just being Jewish as they have adventures, the biblical mythology was fresh, and the monster movie love was a nice touch. But the family dynamics were barely sketched in and changed to suit the plot (Naomi’s jerkiness, the parents sudden transformation into strict disciplinarians, etc.
So, not a bad book; there was some fun adventure, I’m always glad to see Jewish characters just being Jewish as they have adventures, the biblical mythology was fresh, and the monster movie love was a nice touch. But the family dynamics were barely sketched in and changed to suit the plot (Naomi’s jerkiness, the parents sudden transformation into strict disciplinarians, etc.
Read
April 1, 2024Young Adult Action & Adventure, LGBTQ+, Young Adult Monsters, Young Adult Religious
Miniseries
Ring of Solomon (Book #2)
Miniseries
Ring of Solomon (Book #2)
October 15, 2025
3.5* cuz cute
March 21, 2024
What worked:
The book presents a familiar, middle-grade format as Zach must battle huge malevolent monsters to rescue his sister and save the world. He travels through the original Garden of Eden which has gone downhill through centuries of change. Dangers lurk around every turn and it seems that every threat is worse than the previous ones. Zach, Sandra, and Ash must reach the Tree of Life and an old “friend” of Ash decides to make it into a contest. There aren’t many unexpected twists so the plot is easy to follow. The author includes references to the Jewish religion which provides a different slant to some biblical details incorporated into the story.
Zach is forced to hide his true self from others and it’s taking a mental toll on him. He can’t tell anyone about the powerful demons and Knights of the Apocalypse he defeated last summer and his parents are concerned that he’s putting disturbing thoughts in his younger sister’s head. Her talk of battling monsters and Zach’s flaming sword convince them that he’s the reason Naomi runs away. Zach’s also hiding the secret that he’s gay and he feels more stress when his father tells Zach that he wishes he’d be a normal boy. How does Zach share his feelings with his parents after his father says that?
The demon king called Ash may be the most interesting character. He usually appears when Zach calls although Ash compares the requests to an annoying noise that he can ignore. He steps up to defend Zach against other creatures and provides advice and guidance when they enter Eden. However, Ash is a demon and he can be a terrifying beast when he chooses to morph. He warns Zach and Sandra to look away when he battles Uriel because his appearance will permanently harm them too. The school bullies who’ve been harassing Zach for years learn that the hard way. Ash is a valuable ally and friend to Zach but he can quickly change into a devastating, horrifying demon who unleashes his wrath onto formidable foes. Ash’s wide range of changes leaves readers wondering which character will appear throughout the plot.
What didn’t work as well:
The early pages mention events from the first book so readers won’t feel totally lost. However, characters reappear later in the story and readers may want to know more about them. Naomi’s character was surely developed more in the previous book but new readers, like me, don’t get a full grasp of her relationship with Zach.
The final verdict:
This book will appeal to lovers of monsters and adventure as Zach follows a dangerous path through Eden to save his little sister. The banter between Zach and Ash offers some humor. Overall, this is a fun story for young readers and I recommend you give it a shot.
The book presents a familiar, middle-grade format as Zach must battle huge malevolent monsters to rescue his sister and save the world. He travels through the original Garden of Eden which has gone downhill through centuries of change. Dangers lurk around every turn and it seems that every threat is worse than the previous ones. Zach, Sandra, and Ash must reach the Tree of Life and an old “friend” of Ash decides to make it into a contest. There aren’t many unexpected twists so the plot is easy to follow. The author includes references to the Jewish religion which provides a different slant to some biblical details incorporated into the story.
Zach is forced to hide his true self from others and it’s taking a mental toll on him. He can’t tell anyone about the powerful demons and Knights of the Apocalypse he defeated last summer and his parents are concerned that he’s putting disturbing thoughts in his younger sister’s head. Her talk of battling monsters and Zach’s flaming sword convince them that he’s the reason Naomi runs away. Zach’s also hiding the secret that he’s gay and he feels more stress when his father tells Zach that he wishes he’d be a normal boy. How does Zach share his feelings with his parents after his father says that?
The demon king called Ash may be the most interesting character. He usually appears when Zach calls although Ash compares the requests to an annoying noise that he can ignore. He steps up to defend Zach against other creatures and provides advice and guidance when they enter Eden. However, Ash is a demon and he can be a terrifying beast when he chooses to morph. He warns Zach and Sandra to look away when he battles Uriel because his appearance will permanently harm them too. The school bullies who’ve been harassing Zach for years learn that the hard way. Ash is a valuable ally and friend to Zach but he can quickly change into a devastating, horrifying demon who unleashes his wrath onto formidable foes. Ash’s wide range of changes leaves readers wondering which character will appear throughout the plot.
What didn’t work as well:
The early pages mention events from the first book so readers won’t feel totally lost. However, characters reappear later in the story and readers may want to know more about them. Naomi’s character was surely developed more in the previous book but new readers, like me, don’t get a full grasp of her relationship with Zach.
The final verdict:
This book will appeal to lovers of monsters and adventure as Zach follows a dangerous path through Eden to save his little sister. The banter between Zach and Ash offers some humor. Overall, this is a fun story for young readers and I recommend you give it a shot.
April 20, 2024
Zach is a thirteen-year-old gay horror nerd, which gets him just as much bullying as you'd expect. Disappointingly, having a flaming sword, the ability to talk to animals, and Ashmedai the King of Demons on speed dial doesn't help. All of that falls to the wayside when Zach's little sister Naomi is kidnapped by the archangel Uriel. Ash takes Zach and his friend Sandra to Eden to get her back, but the garden isn't the paradise it used to be. The novel races between action sequences starring Old Testament horrors and oddities without stopping to let emotions breathe, or any natural consequences to play out.
March 29, 2025
This series has such interesting world building. I like the way the author infuses mythos in the story. I do wish we had a little bit more detail, but I also understand this is for middle grade readers who don’t always need or want all the backstory. Excited for the next book!
August 4, 2024
Nightmares in Paradise is the sequel to Ring of Solomon. I enjoyed it just as much as its' predecessor. And now I look forward to reading the 3rd and final book in this trilogy.
February 16, 2025
Sequel to The Ring of Solomon has Zach, Sandra, and Ash going to the ruined Garden of Eden to find little sister Naomi, who was kidnapped by the evil angel Uriel. Fun fantasy adventure.
Read
June 17, 2025DNF 14%
This is a book that had I read it when I was the target audience, I would have loved it. As it stands, I’m not the target audience and I didn’t want to force myself through the book and ultimately end up hating it because of that.
This is a book that had I read it when I was the target audience, I would have loved it. As it stands, I’m not the target audience and I didn’t want to force myself through the book and ultimately end up hating it because of that.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews