O Vale dos Espinhos

The Land of Elyon #2

by Patrick Carman

É outra vez Verão e como todos os anos Alexa desloca-se a Bridewell com o pai. Depois das aventuras do ano anterior, que podes ler no primeiro livro desta série, As Montanhas Misteriosas, Alexa pensa que estas vão ser umas férias tranquilas… Mas então uma inesperada ameaça surge do exterior. Yipes entrega-lhe uma carta que Warlord tinha guardado para ela antes de morrer, onde lhe revela que só ela pode pôr fim a um perigo assombroso que tudo ameaça destruir.

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

172 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2005

About the author

I have been a lifelong writer and storyteller. Salem, Oregon is where I spent my formative years and I graduated from Willamette University. After college, I spent a decade living in Portland, Oregon where I worked in advertising, game design, and technology.

I've written young adult and children's books for Scholastic, Little Brown Books For Young Readers and Katherine Tegen Books/ HarperCollins Publishers.

I've been fortunate enough to have had some bestselling series work: The Land of Elyon, Atherton, Elliot’s Park, 39 Clues, and Skeleton Creek. Here's a fun note...the books have been translated into approximately two dozen languages. Currently I'm developing a few new-media projects. Check out DARK EDEN to experience this type of cross-platform project.

When I'm not writing or creating a story, I spend my free time supporting literacy campaigns and community organizations, fly fishing, playing basketball and tennis, doing crosswords, watching movies, dabbling in video games, reading (lots), and (more than anything else) spending time with my wife and two daughters.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

RTC

[Kogiopsis · Rating 1 out of 5]

So, I'm on a mission to reread a bunch of old series I never finished, and then actually finish them, and The Land of Elyon is the one I'm currently working on... and boy, did tiny!me not have very discerning taste. I mean, I always knew that I was completely and improbably oblivious to religious symbolism in books (I had to be told that Narnia was religious - that clueless), but even ignoring that, this book is just... egregiously weak.

Once again, the plot rests on people having made plans loooong in advance for Alexa to Do Things, and once again I'm left wondering how in the world they knew she would be capable or even willing to embark on these adventures. (Granted, some of the plans were only made about a year before this book takes place, but still - trusting a girl just entering her teens as the sole savior of multiple societies?) This time, she's literally been upgraded to God's Elyon's chosen one, facing down minions of the Devil Abaddon, who are literally complete and pure Evil. (You can tell, because they're insane and sick. Ha. Hahaha. Hahahahahaha.)

The thing about this is that not only is this not a subtle book, it's also not got a very reassuring religious message.

"Elyon is among us, close by, waiting in the shadows, until the cruelty runs its course and he returns to claim us."

So essentially: the omnipotent being is watching you suffer, but it's still your own damn problem and you'll get no help from him. Mmm. Right. I know this works for some people, and I don't want to disrespect the power of faith, but - I'm struggling here with what comfort there is in a downtrodden, abused people being told "just wait it out". It's cool, you're being killed, but just wait it out.

Anyhow: technical stuff? Plot is weak and kind of dull, victory over the antagonists is achieved easily and with minimal cost (one character death, with an amount of mourning completely disproportionate to his actual significance or development), and it all just feels... hollow. At least the first book's antagonist was (on first reading) a surprise, and somewhat nuanced; this one is cardboard at best.

I've got three more books left before I'm fully caught up, and then... I may just go ahead and sell these, honestly. The personal relevance they hold for me is kind of being outweighed by how shoddy they turned out to be.

[Shantelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, after loving the first book in THE LAND OF ELYON series, I was really excited to read Beyond the Valley of Thorns.

In the second installment, it's been about a year since Alexa Daley discovered the secret stone, animals, and sinister plots. She's back where she was before ... awaiting another adventure. And one comes indeed. But this new escapade is far more darker and dangerous than the last.

... And you're probably wondering about my three-star rating. Well, it means I liked this book. I enjoyed it. I'm excited to continue this series! But it just wasn't everything that the first book was. Some parts dragged a little for me, personally. It was missing the charm, intricate-ness, and thrilling nature of The Dark Hills Divide. I don't know. It wasn't horrible; I still liked it!! But it was just different. Maybe it needed a bigger ending, which means I just need to go read the next (last) two books! :D

We see the Christian allegory coming to surface in this book. Which is exciting! ^_^ Some parts I wasn't exactly sure where the author was going ... but overall, it's good. I love hearing the voice of Elyon as He speaks to Alexa!! <3

Ooh, and some really cool things happened at the end. More mysteries being unraveled! Intrigue. Wonder. Things falling into place! I'm excited to see what the next book brings forth! :D

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I always feel so betrayed when a children's fantasy series turns out to be Christian fiction. The allegory was mild in the first one, but gets stronger here. I don't know if I'll finish the series or not. Just like Narnia, I don't know how much of it I can stand.

[Dimitra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was more action packed than the first one. But it was harder for me to concentrate on the story... But I don't blame the writing. It was as good as the first.
There were more characters and creatures introduced, more information about the history of the world in the series and some questions you may had, while reading the first one, were answered.
The plot thickens... I will immediately start reading the third book to see what's going to happen!
I enjoy the series very much, so far!

[Kiri · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure why I read this book - I thought its predecessor was only so-so. But it was lying around and the cover art is gorgeous so... I picked it up. I really want to like these books, as they feature adventure with a nose-in-the-books heroine. But the writing is just... clunky. This book has less of a moral center than the first one, and less cohesion all together. The continuity/logic gaps were distracting (Alexa complains about her unprotected shins getting scratched by bushes (even picking scabs), then later describes the ragged hem of her tunic reaching to her ankles (and what kind of tunic reaches to one's ankles?); the Valley of Thorns has a bunch of sharpened stakes sticking up out of the ground... with poison on top... seems designed to prevent something arriving from above? but what? why??; they set a fire which rages across a rock-strewn dirt scape.... burning what?). The battle with the giants/ogres is not only implausible but... well... gruesome. Overall, there's some noise and some suspense, but very little heart.

[Jessi · Rating 3 out of 5]

From School Library Journal:
Grade 4-6–Mystery and adventure entwine in this second book in the series. Alexa and her odd companions (two men, one of whom is two feet tall; a squirrel; a wolf; a hawk; and a giant) share suspenseful and horrific experiences, such as escaping the Black Swarm (hundreds of deadly bats) and running from zombielike ogres on flame-covered hills with only jagged rocks and the Lonely Sea below. Dangerous scenes such as these lend excitement and fear as the group attempts to defeat Abaddon, an evil ogre who asserts his murderous will through lesser ogres and bats while chained in a great pit at the edge of the Tenth City. Carman provides enough background information for those who have not read the first installment. The text is poetic, full of childlike wonder, and well written, but the occasional lapse in action may make this novel unsuitable for some reluctant readers. These adventures seem daunting at times to mischievous Alexa, but fantasy fans will eagerly join in her quest.–Jessi Platt

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75
Another reread so that I can finish this series soon. The last two books are the ones I haven't read and they've been on my shelf for about 3 or 4 years. I'm hoping that they will be more interesting since I haven't read them.
So this book was slightly less boring than the last one. I guess I like some of the characters introduced in this book even though they all feel very paper. I don't know if that made sense.
I could definitely feel the religious vibes pretty strongly in this one, especially with Elyon's voice "speaking" to Alexa or whatever. It didn't really add or detract from my enjoyment of the book, I just noticed the parallels between some biblical stories.
I plan to read the other two fairly soon, honestly to get this series done with.

[Andreth Saelind]

DNF at p.165 of the French translation

Wow was young me not aware of Christian elements and religious agenda in MG books! The first one sent some flags up, but it was subtle, which I appreciated, so the story was still enjoyable and Alexa's adventures were interesting to follow.

But oh dear did this second one take an obvious turn! So we have Elyon as God/Christ. If the name didn't give it away, the character left the Country a long time ago, only to return at precisely the right time to save everyone from the misery he's been happy to ignore for all this time. We have Alexa as the chosen one, who hears the voice of Elyon and has unmovable faith that he has a plan to help them.We have characters such as Mary, Margaret and Balmoral (again with the names) who are portrayed as praying and being happy in their misery, very clearly indicating that this is what we should aspire to be. We have Abaddon and the Seraphs: Abaddon was Elyon's best friend, the most powerful of the Seraphs, but he was jealous and wanted more power. Fallen angels anyone?

The issue I have is with the fact that I wasn't explained any of this growing up. I read this on my own, and didn't see any problems with it. In fact, I was expecting to love this, since this one was my favourite book of the series at the time. I remembered a plot full of action, mysteries and secret reveals. I remembered adventures and a good time. Now I'm having trouble seeing past the obvious religious ideology. I don't mind the book being written this way, but just like Narnia, I would have loved for it to be described as Christian fiction. Then at least young me would have had an idea of what she was in for.

I'm going to finish this one, but I'm not continuing with the series. I'm not the target demographic and that's ok. I just know there's books out there that will be more for me.

[Emily Jean Blatt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure why I expected the second book in this series to be different than the first but I guess it's the eternal optimist in me. I found the dialogue to be clunky again; it doesn't read well and I can't imagine a middle grader being able to follow it easily. It's too bad because I do enjoy Alexa and her adventures. I'm on the fence about reading the rest of the series. I want to know what happens but it doesn't feel worth the effort.

[Sophia Barsuhn · Rating 3 out of 5]

These books are very rough around the edges, with a lot of redundancy (as if the author didn't know what to say but felt like he had to say something) and some not-very-exciting battle scenes, but I still think they're pretty great. Elyon and Abaddon? He's not even trying to be subtle with the religious imagery and I genuinely love it.

[Amalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best things about fantasy books are the surprises and mysterious ways in which the history of the story can be rewritten. Unfortunately, I can't say anything more without ruining the book for you.

As always, I find second books more difficult than firsts. The beginning of a series usually has all of the fun, lighthearted magic. It draws you in and makes you feel safe yet interested and curious about the world the author has created. We often don't really meet the bad guys until book 2. This was the case in D'Lacey's The Fire Within; and, though we caught a glimpse of the evil lurking out there in The Dark Hills Divide, we were truly thrust into the midst of the battle between good and evil in Beyond the Valley of Thorns.

To be honest, I was as nervous as I was excited to read this book. Carman went easy on me, though, and I was able to thoroughly enjoy Alexa's incredible quest. Again, there was an emphasis on trust. Who can you trust? I was anxious for Alexa as she made her decisions on who to trust. Until the person (or animal) was proven a friend, I couldn't relax.

The real magic in this book was in the storytelling. By the end, I was as drained and exhausted as Alexa was. I also appreciated the break, even though, her adventure is far from over. I am happy with the conclusions achieved in this book and look forward to reading the next one, even as I enjoy my rejuvenating rest from the Land of Elyon.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

After The Dark Hills Divide, the first book in the series, I didn't think anything more could be said or made better. When I found out it was only the start of a great series, I looked with excitement for the next book. Finally, years after reading the first book, I laid my hands on Beyond the Valley of Thorns, and I was not disappointed. Although these are meant for younger readers, I loved the story and the characters. I was amazed by the amount and level of Christian themes and truths present in this novel. Patrick Carman created almost an allegorical world in the Land of Elyon, where Darkness moves in the shadows and threatens to take over all that is good. An odd assortment made up of a young girl, a tiny man, a she-wolf, a frisky squirrel, a tall convict, a hawk, and a huge giant journeys on the quest to save The land of Elyon from the darkness and evil. Alexa learns about herself, her companions, but especially Elyon in this second book, and startling events lead to Yipes's capture and the discovery of old friends. With Alexa carrying the last Jocasta and the fate of the land around her neck, Carman trails off on a tale that is to be continued. I will not be waiting so long to read the next one!

[R.J. Gilbert · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book serves as a wonderful example of “progressive” storytelling. I don’t like progressive storytelling. The trouble is that there didn’t ever seem to be any real surprises or plot twists. By the first few chapters, the reader is given a “road map” of the journey Alexa is going to take, the challenges she has to overcome, and the goals she expects to reach. And that is exactly what happens. No detours. No surprise plot twists. No sudden changes of plans or unexpected setbacks that make you want to keep reading past your bedtime. And even the action sequences lacked that kind of tense, hold-your-breath-and-keep-reading feeling that comes over a reader when they just don’t know what is going to happen next and they absolutely cannot put the book down and come to dinner just yet. I didn’t find any of that here. Sorry.

While I will say that I did enjoy this author’s Skeleton Creek books (and internet videos), I could not say the same thing about Elyon. Was I supposed to go somewhere online to get the immersive scoop so I could feel like I was a part of this world? Because I didn’t. Instead, I felt like it was just another someplace else—a shallow offering of escape for those who’d rather be anywhere but the warm, comfortable chair they sat down in to read this book.

[Stef Rozitis · Rating 2 out of 5]

It seems to be one of those mass produced, written in a hurry series. There's an assumption that you will read the whole series it does not stand alone particularly well. The world-building is half-hearted (more like a D and D game thrown together one weekend than a carefully crafted thing) the plot is full of holes and it has that weird "pretend not to be sexist by having a strong female character but keep slipping into patriarchal ways of being every second" thing that used to annoy me about American TV back when I could still be bothered watching TV sometimes.

I predict that there are about 20-30 of these and they get progressively less thought out. I don't blame the author of course there are hundreds of series like this and it's a way to make a living by writing. I just feel really sad that it's harder for writers to get published by writing slow, careful, beautifully crafted stories.

The metaphysics of the book (God-like figure and Devil-like figure) was a bit intrusive and OTT (like the creator of the world seems to be kept in reserve to be deus-ex-machina eventually in a book when they run out of other options). My kids might have liked this when they were little and wanted lots of series to read. I will put it in a street library (probably where I found it).

[Kayla Lamasky · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 STARS

I’m reading this book series because I read it when I was younger and was curious how it would be to read as an adult. I wouldn’t recommend it to an adult and probably not a young adult either.

This book in The Land of Elyon series was an improvement from the first book.

I felt like there were less gaps in the storyline compared to the first book. However, I didn’t love the writing, as it was hard to follow at times. I also don’t like how the woman are depicted throughout the story. The main character Alexa begins to gain courage throughout the story. However, for the most part she’s blindly following the direction of all the men. The Author does switch out the main male wolf for his wife to add in a female presence but her part in the story is so small and insignificant. The woman and daughter in Castalia become cowards at the face of the ogre, while the men stepped up to save the day. I’d like to see a stronger female presence in the next story.

[☆☆Hannah☆☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second time through this book was good but not as good as before. I'm seeing that the older I get the more I feel that way about a lot series. In this one Alexa and her friends go on adventure/mission. Warvold has left instructions and Alexa was told she is the one that has to do it. On this mission they meet a lot of interesting people and creatures. Some bad things do happen but we got some surprises too. Now everything is set up for the next part of the story.

[serena482* · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating 4.5 stars. I couldn't really decide between 4 and 5, it was really good but.......something wasn't quite as good as The Dark Hills Divide. It was full of adventure, and had a interesting battle. You didn't really see much of the battle. It ends kind of cliffhanger'ish. Good thing i own all the books. :D Well anyways I really enjoyed it. I recommend it to ages 12-up, maybe 11.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Book, was Very Adventures!!

i loved This book its about a girl that was locked in a wall of four city which makes this book Awesome!!

I think You Or anyone Should Read This because its a Really Neat book. I think you should read this if you like Animals or Adventures.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m obsessed, there’s so much I remembered but didn’t know when they happened and still so much more I can’t wait for!

Shout out to our read-a-thon for being able to finish this 🤩

Gotta start the next immediately so I can figure out what happens

[Joey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 to 3.75 stars. Good little adventure story. Not as fun as the first one but still a goodread. Everything seemed to fall into place a little too conveniently. A quick read though and worth the time if you liked The Dark Hills Divide.

[Selah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carman originally "wrote" these books as bedtime stories for his kids, and it shows. The world building and internal "life" of the story is spotty and derivative. Even my 9 year old remarked on various portions reminding her of other books! Tropes on tropes on tropes.

[Kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story, fabulous characters! Thumbs up!

[Iman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read it a long time ago and I don't remember much of it but I remember that I did not like it much but I also did not hate it so I kept reading on till the last book

[Evie Davidson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reread and still good but something in the female character department was just missing. Definitely the weakest in the series.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was fant

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alexa returns to Bridewell a year later for the summer and is told that she will have more responsibilities this year. Upon returning she goes to the library to see Grayson and to see if the hidden door is still there. When she gets to the spot she hears a loud knocking and Yipes emerges from behind the door. He tells Alexa that he has been given an order from Warvold to give her a letter after a year has gone after his passing. Once opening the letter it is revealed that she is to find the last stone of Elyon and save the land. Yipes brings her to John who was a convict that Warvold trusted. John then gives Alexa the last Jocasta and she can now talk to animals again. She is met with Odessa (Darwin’s wife and Murphy the squirrel) John then tells them that they must move quickly into the Dark Hills for they will be spotted soon if they don’t. When entering the Dark Hills John tells them of the black swarm, which are a group of bats that come out at night and hunt for food. They reach shelter right before the swarm came upon them and find out that is was Warvold old hiding spot. Alexa reads an old letter that Warvold had left behind explaining a tale about a dark evil named Abaddon who wants to rule over everything and so has put Grindall in-charge to get all the Jocasta’s so that he can control everything. Grindall has taken over the city of Castalia and the giants. However, there is one giant that remains not under the control of Abaddon and his name is Armon who has protected the Jocasta’s. One day two orphans Catherine and Laura escaped to find a new home outside of Castalia. They took shelter in the city of dogs and found Armon. They became friends and left for Mount Laythen where they would stay for several years. One day young Warvold climbed to the top and found the Jocasta and meeting Catherine. They soon fell in love and she is now known as Renny for she was scared that she would be found out. They left and built Bridewell always watching for giants. One day they came and Renny left with them hoping that if she went with them that would be good enough for them to leave the city alone. However, the power of Abaddon grows and Alexa must return the stone to the tenth city so that Elyon can destroy Abaddon once and for all. It is also rumored that Renny is still alive and kept prisoner in the Dark Tower in Castalia. After reading the letter they set out to the city of Castalia. Upon crossing the Valley of Thorns they meet Armor who helps them in their journey. They get to the city of dogs which they encounter packs of wild dogs which agree to help them if they get them some fresh meat from the city. John and Alexa set out for the city and when they arrived they are met with a women named Margaret who takes them into a house where they are introduced to Balmoral who thinks he has found a way to defeat the giants. As they are talking a giant knocks on the door looking for intruders and ends up killing John but Balmoral finds a way to kill the giant by piercing it on top of its head. Alexa and Balmoral end up making the hike back with the meat for the dogs and plan for their attack on Grindall. The plan is to lure the giants under trees and they will attack from above. The plan works and then they set to attack the Dark Towner where Grindall is waiting for them. He demands for the stone but Alexa holds it above her and Squire, Yipes bird, takes it out of her hands and flies away. This enraged Grindall and he says that Abaddon is going to destroy the Tower and take Yipes hostage and must meet them in Bridewell in three days if she wants to see him again. Then Grindall along with ten giants jump out the window into a lake where a boat is waiting for them and they begin to escape. Alexa then makes her way to the basement to see if Renny is still alive. She finds Renny along with Warvold. Once they escape the tower Warvold tells Alexa that he had to fake his own death in order to see if Renny was still alive and if he didn’t return then it was up to her to find them. Warvold then desends off the side of the cliff and into the water. Once everyone has descended they are meet with a boat which is owned by Thomas Warvold brother Roland. They are to set sail to stop Grindall and Abaddon. { the beginning of the book was soooooo slow but at the end there was a lot of action. It was crazy to see that Warvold was still alive and the steps he put in place if he should not return. The history of everything is a little confusing but it’s slowly starting to make sense.}

[Bobbi Jo]

Book #2 of 4 of (The Land of Elyon,) series I have yet to obtain the last two books but when I get them, I will make reviews on them also. I have enjoyed reading these two books there is a lot of adventure in them and some very interesting characters. I especially liked that Alexa is a strong willed and brave young lady and is determined to solve the problems laid out before her and she thinks her way through all of the problems she is faced with.

Alexa Daley has come back with her father from their winter in their home city of Lunenburg. Alexa's Father has to spend his time in Bridewell, for his job and Alexa while her father gave her orders she was to stay inside the walls of city and not go searching for a way to get outside into the dangers of the forests like she did the year before. What she had done the last year made a lot of trouble for her father and the other workers in his group. She promised to not get into her usual mischief, so she would not cause any trouble for him or make him worry. Alexa promised she would just spend her days reading in the library or her own room and playing chess with her caregiver which she loved to do. Especially now that many of the protective walls except for those around the cities proper had been removed to allow the animals from the outside to be able to cross to the other side of the lands where many of their families had been when they became cut off from ever since the walls had been constructed, but now they could be reunited after such a long separation.

But needless to say, an unexpected threat presents itself from outside the city and has suddenly drawn Alexa back into the mystery in which it has been foretold that she has been destined to play a key role in bringing light back into the lands of Elyon. So, it is up to Alexa to gather all she will need to take with her and leave a note for her father because she wouldn't be able to come back until the battle was won. Then Alexa once again must disappear with her friends from the forest. They would have to venture way farther and for far longer than she had been away before, Alexa would have many scary places to go to and many confrontations with people who she thought she knew and meet complete strangers and new scary creatures on her way. Sadly, she would lose some friends on this search to the answer of how to stop the evil trying to take over Alexa's beloved land. Alexa will need to trust some strangers and unknown creatures and come to grips with this evil. Defeating it in order to bring back peace to all the lands and its people.

[Sierra &#x1f338; · Rating 3 out of 5]

July 31, 2024
Honestly, I just don’t have many thoughts about this. I’m rereading this series this year, because it used to be one of my all-time favorite series when I was younger. But I have to admit, I was pretty bored by this. Also, I do not super love the religious tone to this book. I definitely don’t remember that being a thing from when I was younger, but it very much is. I feel like there is a very questionable amount of casual violence against animals in these books considering that this is a children’s book series. Like, could we maybe just not do that? Because everyone else that “dies” in this series ends up not actually being dead, I can't help but be skeptical about John’s death. What on earth was in the letter that Warvold wrote for Alexa’s father? Very bold of her to just trust in Warvold’s letter-writing skills and go off to travel the world for days right after her father told her not to cause trouble. Just saying. Somehow, though, despite not enjoying the plot of these books much anymore, I still love this world so much. There is still so much nostalgia tied to this series for me. I loved getting to see more of the world than we did in the last book and learning more about Warvold’s history. Meeting Roland filled me with excitement for Into the Mist. The last line of this book was pretty epic. These books are just no longer for me, which is fair because I'm old now, but I'm still kind of bummed about it. I wish that once you loved a book, you loved it forever. I hate that you can reread something later on and change your mind about it.

[Patrick Seiter · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my review of The Dark Hills Divide, one of my ostensibly favorite childhood books (mainly because of an Age of Empires II scenario I made of the map), I pointed out my disappointment in this being a medieval low fantasy universe instead of a high fantasy universe. Magic is weaker and receding in this universe, with the jocastas' ability to speak to animals one of the last left.

This is even more apparent in Beyond the Valley of Thorns, where the protagonists are not heroes in the traditional sense but rather ordinary people: a girl, an imp, an ex-convict, a giant, and a collection of animals. The plot is reminiscent of the Bible or The Lord of the Rings, with references to seraphs or a Dark Tower. Elyon is obviously Jesus Christ and His second coming is foretold in this world. I wish I had read this book as a child so that I could give a child's opinion, but I believe the book is simple and straightforward enough to be a good read. There were no glaring issues in the plot and it wrapped up with a good cliffhanger leading into the third book.

Having pondered over The Land of Elyon map for so long and so many times as a child, I was hoping for more world-building. The first book did a great job of describing the four cities, but having traveled over the entire expanse of The Land of Elyon, this book was much more sparse and there's nothing original that I can ascribe to the series.