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Advent Trilogy #3
Arcadia
It’s a year and a half after the events of Anarchy—a novel hailed as “bewitchingly perplexing and supernaturally entertaining” (Kirkus Reviews)—and the world is alive with magic in this third astonishingly imaginative novel in the fantasy trilogy that began with Advent.
On a tiny archipelago out of sight of the rest of the world lives Rory, a ten-year-old boy. He and his mother and a handful of survivors live an exhausting and precarious existence, entirely isolated. The sea is alive, and angry. Every man Rory can remember has been drowned. Everyone knows he’ll be next.
One night, for the first time since the world changed and the curse descended, strangers appear on the island. They’re on their way to England, seeking a powerful magic ring. And one of them seems to know Rory by sight…
Caught up in their quest, Rory enters an England of terrors and marvels, at the heart of which lies a place where journeys unimaginably longer and older than his will reach their end: Pendurra.
On a tiny archipelago out of sight of the rest of the world lives Rory, a ten-year-old boy. He and his mother and a handful of survivors live an exhausting and precarious existence, entirely isolated. The sea is alive, and angry. Every man Rory can remember has been drowned. Everyone knows he’ll be next.
One night, for the first time since the world changed and the curse descended, strangers appear on the island. They’re on their way to England, seeking a powerful magic ring. And one of them seems to know Rory by sight…
Caught up in their quest, Rory enters an England of terrors and marvels, at the heart of which lies a place where journeys unimaginably longer and older than his will reach their end: Pendurra.
496 pages, Paperback
First published November 25, 2014
8 people are currently reading
297 people want to read
About the author
James Treadwell
25 books51 followersJames Treadwell was born in West London and is still living there more than forty years on. Formerly an academic specialising in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century British literature, he is now, and hopes always to be, a writer of fantasy novels.
His current vocation can probably be blamed on reading Roger Lancelyn Green’s Myths of the Norsemen and Barbara Leonie Picard’s retellings of the Iliad and Odyssey at a formative age. Once exposed to such lethal doses of the faraway and the solemn and the strange, he inevitably found his way to Narnia and Middle Earth and Gormenghast and Earthsea and Pern and Britain (but it was Susan Cooper’s Britain). He played a lot of Dungeons & Dragons at school and read a lot of serious fantasy at university; despite that, he still managed to make a start on a scholarly career before the chance to become a full-time writer presented itself.
He has lived in London, Oxford and Montréal, but really always in London, where he’s now settled with his wife and two children.
His current vocation can probably be blamed on reading Roger Lancelyn Green’s Myths of the Norsemen and Barbara Leonie Picard’s retellings of the Iliad and Odyssey at a formative age. Once exposed to such lethal doses of the faraway and the solemn and the strange, he inevitably found his way to Narnia and Middle Earth and Gormenghast and Earthsea and Pern and Britain (but it was Susan Cooper’s Britain). He played a lot of Dungeons & Dragons at school and read a lot of serious fantasy at university; despite that, he still managed to make a start on a scholarly career before the chance to become a full-time writer presented itself.
He has lived in London, Oxford and Montréal, but really always in London, where he’s now settled with his wife and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
December 29, 2015
I feel like I just fell down the rabbit hole!
I liked this book well enough, but let me say there is a whole lot of crazy going on up in this book.
I don't usually read book three of a trilogy before reading the first two books, but I read this book was fine as a stand alone. And this is true, although I do want to go back and read the first two books just to see where it all started.
I only gave this three stars because there were things I loved and at times it dragged for me. If I was just rating it for other worldly, crazy stuff, then I would give it a 5 because it has all of that in a nutshell. I think I will read this again after the first two and see how it works for me a second time around. I hate rating books on partial things.
In this particular book you have Rory and he's ten years old. He lives on an island with his mum and other women. There is one other boy but things don't work out so well for him. They all have to ration not only food, but just random things like clothes etc because once these things are gone, they are just gone....unless you can make your way to one of the other islands or the mainland. This isn't done too much because you either don't come back or you are taken by THEM. Rory's sister and father tried to make it to the mainland, but they never came back.
Let me see if I can do this without spoilers. Rory ends up getting off the island by accident. He ends up with a crew of three people that have different magical abilities. They all make it to the mainland and then more crazy stuff happens and Rory ends up with another group of people. Wow, this is really confusing isn't it. You really just have to read it because it's got a really good and bizarre plot.
I guess I should mention all of this is like after a type of apocalypse. There used to be days like the here and now, our world. Now it's all kinds of crazy. This book has magic, shapeshifters, God, Sirens, prophets, evil people, and some other stuff that is right on out there. There are still buildings that the people live in that was from before, you know like regular houses, churches, etc. I thought it was funny when Rory mentioned there was one working toilet on their island and you could use it and flush it as long as you filled the thingy up with water. I don't know why but I thought that was funny, I guess because of all the surroundings that it just seemed funny to mention taking a poo in a working toilet! Lol
Anyway it was a good book and I look forward to reading the first two and this one again and see how they all add up.
**I would like to thank NETGALLEY and ATRIA BOOKS for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange of my honest review.**
November 11, 2015
This is one of those rare books that took me a long time to read. Not because it was boring or long-winded; just the opposite! I wanted to linger in this world, with these characters, for as long as possible.
I picked up "Advent" (the first book in the series) from my book club on a whim, based on the gorgeous cover art and the promo blurb about it, and was instantly hooked!
I then devoured "Anarchy", and haven been eagerly awaiting "Arcadia" ever since. And so I give many thnak to NetGalley, for allowing me the change to read this before the publication date in exchange for an honest review.
This entire series is quite simple in it's overall premise, ("What if magic was lost long ago, and were to return suddenly to the modern world?), but every deft in it's execution, thanks to Mr. Treadwell's bold and vibrant prose and characters. And the author was also very bold in introducing a new character this late in the game, but we are quickly able to take him into our hearts as we have the rest of the characters due to Mr. Treadwell's writing talents. (In some regards, it even gives us a fresh new perspective on the world after the events of the second book.
This series seems to have flown largely under-the-radar, but I hope word of mouth and publicity will encourage people to pick up this wonderfully charming and fulfilling series. 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4) for this climactic volume.
I picked up "Advent" (the first book in the series) from my book club on a whim, based on the gorgeous cover art and the promo blurb about it, and was instantly hooked!
I then devoured "Anarchy", and haven been eagerly awaiting "Arcadia" ever since. And so I give many thnak to NetGalley, for allowing me the change to read this before the publication date in exchange for an honest review.
This entire series is quite simple in it's overall premise, ("What if magic was lost long ago, and were to return suddenly to the modern world?), but every deft in it's execution, thanks to Mr. Treadwell's bold and vibrant prose and characters. And the author was also very bold in introducing a new character this late in the game, but we are quickly able to take him into our hearts as we have the rest of the characters due to Mr. Treadwell's writing talents. (In some regards, it even gives us a fresh new perspective on the world after the events of the second book.
This series seems to have flown largely under-the-radar, but I hope word of mouth and publicity will encourage people to pick up this wonderfully charming and fulfilling series. 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4) for this climactic volume.
December 30, 2015
Originally posted on bluchickenninja.com.
The first thing I liked about this book is that it is the third part of a series and you would never know it. As far as I can tell it doesn’t make any references back to the previous books. In fact if it wasn’t for the giant ‘3’ on the spine you would think this was a standalone novel
I also liked the fact that there was mermaids in it. Now these are not the mermaids you would find in a Disney movie. These are proper lure men to their death mermaids. Or to be technical sirens as they are called in the book. It was nice reading about something you don’t normally come across in fantasy novels. Or at least this is the first time I’ve read a fantasy book with mermaids in it.
The only thing that annoyed me with this book was the magic. I read on Wikipedia that this series was the author imagining what would happen if we had magic in a modern day setting. And I really wasn’t keen on it. Now this can work brilliantly, for example in Harry Potter, but the magical world and non-magical parts were kept very separate. In this everything was mashed together, you have angels and mermaids and wizards but you also have electricity and superheroes and Top Gear. It felt weird all that being together.
Not to mention the characters looking for a magical ring who kept making references to Tolkien and talking about hobbits. It was all very strange.
The first thing I liked about this book is that it is the third part of a series and you would never know it. As far as I can tell it doesn’t make any references back to the previous books. In fact if it wasn’t for the giant ‘3’ on the spine you would think this was a standalone novel
I also liked the fact that there was mermaids in it. Now these are not the mermaids you would find in a Disney movie. These are proper lure men to their death mermaids. Or to be technical sirens as they are called in the book. It was nice reading about something you don’t normally come across in fantasy novels. Or at least this is the first time I’ve read a fantasy book with mermaids in it.
The only thing that annoyed me with this book was the magic. I read on Wikipedia that this series was the author imagining what would happen if we had magic in a modern day setting. And I really wasn’t keen on it. Now this can work brilliantly, for example in Harry Potter, but the magical world and non-magical parts were kept very separate. In this everything was mashed together, you have angels and mermaids and wizards but you also have electricity and superheroes and Top Gear. It felt weird all that being together.
Not to mention the characters looking for a magical ring who kept making references to Tolkien and talking about hobbits. It was all very strange.
September 28, 2024
I have been desperately waiting for this third and final instalment of James Treadwell's groundbreaking and heart wrenching magic-returns trilogy, and it did not disappoint. Interestingly, the narrative does not begin where Anarchy left us, but introduces a new character, Rory, living on the Isles of Scilly, eighteen months after magic has returned to Britain. And while this could have been disconcerting, Treadwell knows just what he is doing and launches us into this new perspective beautifully: Rory is a fine character and his situation compelling. The last time I remember feeling this way about a sequel is after discovering that Diana Wynne Jones had written two sequels to Howl's Moving Castle, both set in the same world but expanding the vision to include new characters: the first unavoidable sense of disappointment and disorientedness at a sequel-that-is-not-a-sequel, swiftly evolving into unalloyed delight at the realisation that the new characters are every bit as richly drawn and sympathetic as those that have gone before. A tour-de-force.
May 28, 2015
Absolutely wonderful final book to an amazing trilogy. The depth and atmosphere Treadwell conjures up is stunning in its scale... Truly, one of those trilogies that rarely comes along to utterly enchant the reader and one that I fell in love with more as each book was read. The downside? That it's finished...
January 1, 2016
I read the first two titles in the series, and liked Arcadia best. A wonderful fairy tale/quest story, and I was sorry to see it end. As others have mentioned, you certainly can read this as a stand-alone title. Highly recommended.
March 13, 2016
I guess you either love or hate this trilogy. I loved it. Beautiful prose. engaging characters. intriguing story. I hated to finish Arcadia.
August 26, 2019
Easily the best of the three books.
The first section, on the island of Home, moves at the accustomed leisurely pace of the earlier books, but once our young protagonist embarks fully on his quest, things move along more quickly, and indeed there were spots toward the end I wouldn't have minded a little more lyricism.
It's an unusual fantasy novel, set in a modern world closer to Neverwhere than J.R.R. Tolkien, despite an homage to the latter. At times, with a ten-year-old protagonist following yet enabling his more forceful companions, it felt like a re-imagining of The Return of the King through the eyes of Samwise Gamgee.
My only frustration is that the first two titles were such slogs that I had to set the series down after each one -- I knew if I tried to read them back-to-back I would eventually quite in disgust / boredom -- so I didn't have any connection to the characters from those books as their stories eventually reappeared / returned toward the end of this one. As a result, I was essentially reading this as a standalone and can recommend it as such ... maybe moreso than the entire trilogy.
4.5-5 stars
The first section, on the island of Home, moves at the accustomed leisurely pace of the earlier books, but once our young protagonist embarks fully on his quest, things move along more quickly, and indeed there were spots toward the end I wouldn't have minded a little more lyricism.
It's an unusual fantasy novel, set in a modern world closer to Neverwhere than J.R.R. Tolkien, despite an homage to the latter. At times, with a ten-year-old protagonist following yet enabling his more forceful companions, it felt like a re-imagining of The Return of the King through the eyes of Samwise Gamgee.
My only frustration is that the first two titles were such slogs that I had to set the series down after each one -- I knew if I tried to read them back-to-back I would eventually quite in disgust / boredom -- so I didn't have any connection to the characters from those books as their stories eventually reappeared / returned toward the end of this one. As a result, I was essentially reading this as a standalone and can recommend it as such ... maybe moreso than the entire trilogy.
4.5-5 stars
September 26, 2021
Happy it’s over
As the third and final book in this trilogy, Arcadia needed to tie up and flesh out a raft of vaguely explained ideas and themes from the first two books. Unfortunately in my opinion, it fails in that task.
Much of the book (and the series) feels so tangential as to be almost random…and long chapters get bogged down in slow moving details and never-ending journeying. I wasn’t prepared to believe that what felt dangerously like ‘filler’ chapters were not actually part of a clever story arc that would end up fully realised in time.
Sure, big plot lines conclude but unexpectedly and too neatly. Like the beast became too much and had to be reigned in fast….or maybe there was meant to be a 4th book which got canned?
Either way, the problem is not in the writing per se..Treadwell’s writing style is addictive and seductive. You can’t stop reading …but in the end I was reading mostly because I was desperate for understanding or resolution.
Observant, beautiful and often thrilling writing is let down by a bad structure and sometimes poorly explored themes and characters which seem critical to understanding what’s going on.
As the third and final book in this trilogy, Arcadia needed to tie up and flesh out a raft of vaguely explained ideas and themes from the first two books. Unfortunately in my opinion, it fails in that task.
Much of the book (and the series) feels so tangential as to be almost random…and long chapters get bogged down in slow moving details and never-ending journeying. I wasn’t prepared to believe that what felt dangerously like ‘filler’ chapters were not actually part of a clever story arc that would end up fully realised in time.
Sure, big plot lines conclude but unexpectedly and too neatly. Like the beast became too much and had to be reigned in fast….or maybe there was meant to be a 4th book which got canned?
Either way, the problem is not in the writing per se..Treadwell’s writing style is addictive and seductive. You can’t stop reading …but in the end I was reading mostly because I was desperate for understanding or resolution.
Observant, beautiful and often thrilling writing is let down by a bad structure and sometimes poorly explored themes and characters which seem critical to understanding what’s going on.
January 18, 2022
Usually I end a review with recommendations, but in this case, since this is an older pub date, I am going to start with the if/then -
If you liked any of these:
~ A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher
~ The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey
~ The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox
...then you might appreciate this trilogy.
I liked the first one best. This one brought it to a decent ending.
While all the characters were interesting, my biggest complaint was that the books jumped around between too many people - it would have been nice to have some consistency.
Still, this was a unique, interesting take on the common theme of magic coming back to the world.
If you liked any of these:
~ A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher
~ The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey
~ The Absolute Book by Elizabeth Knox
...then you might appreciate this trilogy.
I liked the first one best. This one brought it to a decent ending.
While all the characters were interesting, my biggest complaint was that the books jumped around between too many people - it would have been nice to have some consistency.
Still, this was a unique, interesting take on the common theme of magic coming back to the world.
June 26, 2017
Well. That was just pointless. If you are looking for a fantasy trilogy that ties up in anything resembling a fairly neat packet, this isn't it.
I like Treadwell's writing, for the most part, but even the quality and imaginative nature of his writing wasn't enough for me to be hooked into this book.
Stuff happens, but nothing really happens. I have the answer to approximately zero of my questions. (Which might have been the whole point of the book, but I don't even care any more.)
I like Treadwell's writing, for the most part, but even the quality and imaginative nature of his writing wasn't enough for me to be hooked into this book.
Stuff happens, but nothing really happens. I have the answer to approximately zero of my questions. (Which might have been the whole point of the book, but I don't even care any more.)
February 11, 2019
I would happily give the second half of this book 5 stars but sadly the first half only gets one or two stars. To be completely fair to Treadwell this could have just been an unfortunate coincidence that I hit a reading slump, left the book half way and returned to it when the reading bug was with me again!
March 22, 2017
Volume 1 of the trilogy (Advent) was interestingly and delightfully weird. Volume 2 (Anarchy) was opaquely weird, and slow. This one, volume 3, was just annoying and slow. Moments of writing brilliance trapped in slow mud. I finally put it down 3/4 of the way through. The saddest part is, I'm not even sad to have abandoned it.
January 17, 2020
It started well, but after leaving the island, things sort of fell apart. The barrage of atmospheric but seemingly random elements left little foothold for a reader. It was a serious push just to reach the end.
July 18, 2017
Outstanding finish to this great trilogy.
October 8, 2019
Loved this trilogy!! Strange, very strange and always threatening. Very different and gooooood
March 30, 2020
Excellent finish to this series with more new characters and a surprising, yet satisfying tie up in the end. I recommend the entire trilogy.
January 28, 2016
Review based on an ARC (Advanced Reader's Copy received for free in exchange for an honest review).
I re-read the first two books in the trilogy in order to "prepare" for the third and final installation. I again enjoyed Advent and continued to be impressed with Treadwell's creation of the world we know so well, as affected by magic in a way that we could not predict. I love some of the people and non-peoples he created, and the depth he gave some of his characters.
I again particularly enjoyed Anarchy. I thought Treadwell did an excellent job of showing the chaos experienced by the reintroduction of magic in our world. I loved the new stories and new characters he introduced, and I liked how it all tied together in some way or another.
So I was a bit disappointed with Arcadia. Arcadia begins about a year and a half after Anarchy ends, so magic has been well-incorporated into our world, and we have well screwed ourselves almost completely trying to deal with it. It's a sort of post-apocalyptic story in that sense, which is definitely my speed. But then Treadwell focuses our attentions on a single small island off the coast of England and we don't really experience the chaos of the world. Not that that is a bad story, it's just not what I was expecting. After the development in Anarchy, I was expecting Arcadia to be a bit more... exciting.
Instead, we follow a ten-year-old boy who knows that he is likely to be the next (and last) "man" to die in his universe (the island), as a result of Them. Treadwell's gifted writing is still rather evident, but it was just a bit of a (long) lull.
That being said, the magic (heh heh) of Treadwell's writing is fully exposed. I *loved*
Ultimately, I felt that the end was a bit of anti-climax as well, but I also felt that Treadwell did a very good job of wrapping up... much. (but not all) All in all, I still definitely recommend the book as part of the trilogy. It is worth completing the trilogy and, overall, the trilogy is a great one. I like that it is involved and hearty and satisfying.
So, overall, 3 1/2 stars (four on sites without halves) of five. Thanks to NetGalley for the copy!
I re-read the first two books in the trilogy in order to "prepare" for the third and final installation. I again enjoyed Advent and continued to be impressed with Treadwell's creation of the world we know so well, as affected by magic in a way that we could not predict. I love some of the people and non-peoples he created, and the depth he gave some of his characters.
I again particularly enjoyed Anarchy. I thought Treadwell did an excellent job of showing the chaos experienced by the reintroduction of magic in our world. I loved the new stories and new characters he introduced, and I liked how it all tied together in some way or another.
So I was a bit disappointed with Arcadia. Arcadia begins about a year and a half after Anarchy ends, so magic has been well-incorporated into our world, and we have well screwed ourselves almost completely trying to deal with it. It's a sort of post-apocalyptic story in that sense, which is definitely my speed. But then Treadwell focuses our attentions on a single small island off the coast of England and we don't really experience the chaos of the world. Not that that is a bad story, it's just not what I was expecting. After the development in Anarchy, I was expecting Arcadia to be a bit more... exciting.
Instead, we follow a ten-year-old boy who knows that he is likely to be the next (and last) "man" to die in his universe (the island), as a result of Them. Treadwell's gifted writing is still rather evident, but it was just a bit of a (long) lull.
That being said, the magic (heh heh) of Treadwell's writing is fully exposed. I *loved*
Ultimately, I felt that the end was a bit of anti-climax as well, but I also felt that Treadwell did a very good job of wrapping up... much. (but not all) All in all, I still definitely recommend the book as part of the trilogy. It is worth completing the trilogy and, overall, the trilogy is a great one. I like that it is involved and hearty and satisfying.
So, overall, 3 1/2 stars (four on sites without halves) of five. Thanks to NetGalley for the copy!
March 21, 2015
I've been really looking forward to seeing how James Treadwell's fantasy series will be concluded. This is a trilogy which I feel has somewhat flown under the radar with very little pre-publicity buzz. It is however one which has captivated me, without me being able to put my finger on exactly what it is about the story that has appealed to me so much.
The author, James Treadwell, has stated that his concept for the series was to imagine what would happen in the modern world if magic was to suddenly return. How would it affect or change society and what would it mean for certain individuals? I think the overall sense of the magical and the fantastical is carried along throughout the book, at the same time as there being a gritty realism and an atmosphere of dark danger to the story.
'Arcadia' centres around a young boy called Rory who lives on a tiny island with his mother and a community of other women. As the only boy there, he is cossetted by the women but at ten years of age he can be rebellious and finds himself becoming entangled with a group of mysterious strangers who are set to change his life forever. I loved the character of Rory and I enjoyed seeing events unfold around him.
Although I didn't always understand the subtext to some of the things that happened in the book, I honestly didn't feel that this mattered at all. I just loved the wild, elemental feel of the story and the sense that something epic was unfolding on the page.
This is the third and final book in the series but I almost think that you could read it as a standalone novel. It's not until the last few chapters that all the threads start to come together and previous characters return for the conclusion. Although I've read the whole series, it's been quite a while since I finished the first two books and I was a little hazy on some of the events that had taken place. Gradually I began to recollect things that had happened but don't let it put you off if this is the first book by James Treadwell that you're picking up. I'm sure you will enjoy it anyway!
I highly recommend this to fantasy fans who are looking for that next great read.
The author, James Treadwell, has stated that his concept for the series was to imagine what would happen in the modern world if magic was to suddenly return. How would it affect or change society and what would it mean for certain individuals? I think the overall sense of the magical and the fantastical is carried along throughout the book, at the same time as there being a gritty realism and an atmosphere of dark danger to the story.
'Arcadia' centres around a young boy called Rory who lives on a tiny island with his mother and a community of other women. As the only boy there, he is cossetted by the women but at ten years of age he can be rebellious and finds himself becoming entangled with a group of mysterious strangers who are set to change his life forever. I loved the character of Rory and I enjoyed seeing events unfold around him.
Although I didn't always understand the subtext to some of the things that happened in the book, I honestly didn't feel that this mattered at all. I just loved the wild, elemental feel of the story and the sense that something epic was unfolding on the page.
This is the third and final book in the series but I almost think that you could read it as a standalone novel. It's not until the last few chapters that all the threads start to come together and previous characters return for the conclusion. Although I've read the whole series, it's been quite a while since I finished the first two books and I was a little hazy on some of the events that had taken place. Gradually I began to recollect things that had happened but don't let it put you off if this is the first book by James Treadwell that you're picking up. I'm sure you will enjoy it anyway!
I highly recommend this to fantasy fans who are looking for that next great read.
June 16, 2016
Had been waiting for this third book in the trilogy and was so glad to finally have it. The first section, Rory's life on Home, was not what I'd expected. Found Rory's bumbling nature a little hard to reside in as everything was experienced through his eyes. But, being a 10 year old boy means he was witnessing a lot without really being capable of effective action. After I got comfortable with that - and accepted that he at least was on a very interesting journey, I started to really enjoy the beauty of the writing and the unfolding story.
By the end of the book, I was more than happy to have taken the journey with Rory. Treadwell's prose is completely engaging, rich, and thought-provoking. Many of the features of the post-apocalyptic world he creates in the pages of the trilogy resonate with present day problems (consumerism gone wild). And he wrestles with eternal human questions such as the existence of god, the nature of life and being human (and deeply flawed - which is part of the package for all of us), and how we deal with the morally indifferent reality of nature (and life in general).
Loved this book, and the entire series. This trilogy feels capable of becoming akin to a Lord of the Rings classic in stature, over time.
By the end of the book, I was more than happy to have taken the journey with Rory. Treadwell's prose is completely engaging, rich, and thought-provoking. Many of the features of the post-apocalyptic world he creates in the pages of the trilogy resonate with present day problems (consumerism gone wild). And he wrestles with eternal human questions such as the existence of god, the nature of life and being human (and deeply flawed - which is part of the package for all of us), and how we deal with the morally indifferent reality of nature (and life in general).
Loved this book, and the entire series. This trilogy feels capable of becoming akin to a Lord of the Rings classic in stature, over time.
December 30, 2015
I wanted to like this book so much. It started well but seems to have gone off track which is why it got 3 instead of 4 stars. The story is set in a post magical apocalypse world in which adolescent to adult age males are frequently killed (drowned) by mermaids (sirens) who lure them away from safety. I found the mermaid the protagonist interacts with fascinating and wanted more time with her, but got instead a peculiar development with a menacing Italian trio. That smoothed out but I have to say that was initially annoyed by the rather stereotypical representation of Uccelino and his quixotic interaction with Rory. Some of the other magical creatures were well drawn, though. Can't go into further detail without involving spoilers. I enjoyed Treadwell's writing style, if not always the narrative direction.
Though this is part of a trilogy, it can definitely be read as a standalone. I would probably go back and read the first two books, Advent and Anarchy.
Though this is part of a trilogy, it can definitely be read as a standalone. I would probably go back and read the first two books, Advent and Anarchy.
March 6, 2016
I'd really been looking forward to this, the third book in the series, but I guess it's just been too long coming. I couldn't remember what had happened to some of the characters who reappear toward the end. And . . . what ever happened to those people in Alaska in the second book? So, my advice is this: now that all three books are out, read them one after the other. It's more like a really long book than three books.
January 17, 2016
This book was so cool! It was a page turner until the very end. It is from the perspective of a 10 year old boy which makes it very interesting. Even the title has a deeper meaning that is tied into the whole story! I recommend this book to anyone who loves adventure, risk taking and books that have the perfect amount of seriousness and humor all tied together!
May 16, 2016
Brilliant, brilliant series! I will definitely have to re-read these at some point. They are no doubt destined to be classics.
June 15, 2016
Excellent book. Perfect ending. Highly recommend ! When I got to the last hundred pages I kept stopping after a couple of pages because I didn't want it to end!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews