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Seven Wonders #4
The Curse of the King
Percy Jackson meets Indiana Jones in the New York Times bestselling epic adventure Seven Wonders!
The Curse of the King is the fourth book in a five-book series by master storyteller Peter Lerangis. This sequel to The Tomb of Shadows, Lost in Babylon, and The Colossus Rises chronicles the adventures of Jack McKinley and his friends as they face their greatest challenge yet the long-lost Statue of Zeus. In their struggle to undo what's been done and unlock the secrets of this Wonder of the Ancient World, our heroes must confront gods, relive old battles, and face down their own destiny to save themselves and the world from destruction.
Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson series, praised Seven Wonders Book 1: The Colossus Rises as "a high-octane mix of modern adventure and ancient secrets. Young readers will love this story. I can't wait to see what's next in the Seven Wonders series!""
The Curse of the King is the fourth book in a five-book series by master storyteller Peter Lerangis. This sequel to The Tomb of Shadows, Lost in Babylon, and The Colossus Rises chronicles the adventures of Jack McKinley and his friends as they face their greatest challenge yet the long-lost Statue of Zeus. In their struggle to undo what's been done and unlock the secrets of this Wonder of the Ancient World, our heroes must confront gods, relive old battles, and face down their own destiny to save themselves and the world from destruction.
Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson series, praised Seven Wonders Book 1: The Colossus Rises as "a high-octane mix of modern adventure and ancient secrets. Young readers will love this story. I can't wait to see what's next in the Seven Wonders series!""
325 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 26, 2015
224 people are currently reading
2850 people want to read
About the author
Peter Lerangis
151 books794 followersLerangis's work includes The Viper's Nest and The Sword Thief, two titles in the children's-book series The 39 Clues, the historical novel Smiler's Bones, the YA dark comedy-adventure novel wtf, the Drama Club series, the Spy X series, the Watchers series, the Abracadabra series, and the Antarctica two-book adventure, as well ghostwriting for series such as the Three Investigators, the Hardy Boys Casefiles, Sweet Valley Twins, and more than forty books in the series The Baby-sitters Club and its various spin-offs.[1] He has also written novels based on film screenplays, including The Sixth Sense, Sleepy Hollow, and Beauty and the Beast, and five video game novelizations in the Worlds of Power series created by Seth Godin.[2] As a ghostwriter he has been published under the name A. L. Singer.[3]
Lerangis is the son of a retired New York Telephone Company employee and a retired public-elementary-school secretary, who raised him in Freeport, New York on Long Island. He graduated from Harvard University with a degree in biochemistry, while acting in musicals[4] and singing with and musically directing the a cappella group the Harvard Krokodiloes,[5][6] before moving to New York. He worked there as an actor[7] and freelance copy editor for eight years before becoming an author.[8]
In 2003, Lerangis was chosen by First Lady Laura Bush to accompany her to the first Russian Book Festival, hosted by Russian First Lady Lyudmila Putina in Moscow.[9][10]Authors R. L. Stine (Goosebumps) and Marc Brown (the Arthur the Aardvark series) also made the trip with Bush.[9]
Also in 2003, Lerangis was commissioned by the United Kingdom branch of Scholastic to write X-Isle, one of four books that would relaunch the Point Horror series there.[11] A sequel, Return to X-Isle, was published in 2004.
In 2007, Scholastic announced the launch of a new historical mystery series called The 39 Clues, intended to become a franchise.[12] Lerangis wrote the third book in the series, The Sword Thief, published in March 2009.[13][14][15] On March 3, 2009, Scholastic announced that Lerangis would write the seventh book in the series, The Viper's Nest.[14][16]
Lerangis lives in New York City with his wife, musician Tina deVaron, and their sons Nick and Joe.[17]
Lerangis is the son of a retired New York Telephone Company employee and a retired public-elementary-school secretary, who raised him in Freeport, New York on Long Island. He graduated from Harvard University with a degree in biochemistry, while acting in musicals[4] and singing with and musically directing the a cappella group the Harvard Krokodiloes,[5][6] before moving to New York. He worked there as an actor[7] and freelance copy editor for eight years before becoming an author.[8]
In 2003, Lerangis was chosen by First Lady Laura Bush to accompany her to the first Russian Book Festival, hosted by Russian First Lady Lyudmila Putina in Moscow.[9][10]Authors R. L. Stine (Goosebumps) and Marc Brown (the Arthur the Aardvark series) also made the trip with Bush.[9]
Also in 2003, Lerangis was commissioned by the United Kingdom branch of Scholastic to write X-Isle, one of four books that would relaunch the Point Horror series there.[11] A sequel, Return to X-Isle, was published in 2004.
In 2007, Scholastic announced the launch of a new historical mystery series called The 39 Clues, intended to become a franchise.[12] Lerangis wrote the third book in the series, The Sword Thief, published in March 2009.[13][14][15] On March 3, 2009, Scholastic announced that Lerangis would write the seventh book in the series, The Viper's Nest.[14][16]
Lerangis lives in New York City with his wife, musician Tina deVaron, and their sons Nick and Joe.[17]
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 183 reviews
November 29, 2015
The Good: The character interaction was magnificent in this installment of the series. More than anything, the kids just being together was the most entertaining aspect of the book. A lot of surprises in this book, more so than any other so far. The Curse of the King was an emotional book, something I wasn't quite expecting. Very fast paced, a lot going on, but easy to follow.
The Bad: I mentioned the parents in my review of the last book. They remain beyond belief. I also would have liked a bit more focus on the Statue of Zeus. It is the main goal of the novel and was very much relegated to the background for the majority of the book.
The Bad: I mentioned the parents in my review of the last book. They remain beyond belief. I also would have liked a bit more focus on the Statue of Zeus. It is the main goal of the novel and was very much relegated to the background for the majority of the book.
March 12, 2015
Umm...sorry...wait what?! Are you seriously ending it there?! WHAT?! OMG...why?!
When's the next book out?! *cries*!!!!
Intense. That was intense...and just pure awesomeness.
Marco...you annoy me. But omg...I need the next one...like now!
When's the next book out?! *cries*!!!!
Intense. That was intense...and just pure awesomeness.
Marco...you annoy me. But omg...I need the next one...like now!
March 20, 2015
I almost did not read the story after The Tomb of Shadows, because the third book in the series felt unpolished and underwhelming. The build-up in book 2 was so massive that book 3 felt flat when I finally read it.
However, The Curse of the King was thankfully much better than I thought it would be, although it had a few parts that I felt were not given enough gravity, given the history in the past three books.
Of course we are reintroduced to the three remaining grouped together Select Cass, Jack, and Aly. We are also introduced to a new character, but the twist is so unexpected that I'm not going to spoil it for you.They are later joined by Marco, who previously betrayed them in a thirst for power, and this is one of my disappointments with the story. Marco was almost readily welcomed back into the fold. I felt it was too easy, and I hope they tested him for a time.
Also, I wish Cass' adoption by Jack's father was more explicit. I either wasn't as immersed in the story as I thought it was, or it was treated almost as non-significant because it didn't get more than a few lines in the start.
That being said, The Curse of the King packs a wallop in terms of adventure and action. The ending, of course, ends with a cliffhanger, and a pretty good one at that, so I will be reading the sequel when it comes out next year. But while I do enjoy the Seven Wonders series, I just can't quite rave about it the way I do for other similar series.
However, The Curse of the King was thankfully much better than I thought it would be, although it had a few parts that I felt were not given enough gravity, given the history in the past three books.
Of course we are reintroduced to the three remaining grouped together Select Cass, Jack, and Aly. We are also introduced to a new character, but the twist is so unexpected that I'm not going to spoil it for you.They are later joined by Marco, who previously betrayed them in a thirst for power, and this is one of my disappointments with the story. Marco was almost readily welcomed back into the fold. I felt it was too easy, and I hope they tested him for a time.
Also, I wish Cass' adoption by Jack's father was more explicit. I either wasn't as immersed in the story as I thought it was, or it was treated almost as non-significant because it didn't get more than a few lines in the start.
That being said, The Curse of the King packs a wallop in terms of adventure and action. The ending, of course, ends with a cliffhanger, and a pretty good one at that, so I will be reading the sequel when it comes out next year. But while I do enjoy the Seven Wonders series, I just can't quite rave about it the way I do for other similar series.
November 25, 2015
17/20
En bref, un quatrième tome tout aussi intense que les précédents même s'il est plus axé sur la guerre que se livrent les deux camps que sur la 4ième merveille. Elle prend quand même une place importante dans l'histoire et arrive pour le moins à nous surprendre. La plume de l'auteur est toujours aussi agréable et nous entraine facilement à la suite de ses personnages très attachants !
http://www.leslecturesdemylene.com/20...
En bref, un quatrième tome tout aussi intense que les précédents même s'il est plus axé sur la guerre que se livrent les deux camps que sur la 4ième merveille. Elle prend quand même une place importante dans l'histoire et arrive pour le moins à nous surprendre. La plume de l'auteur est toujours aussi agréable et nous entraine facilement à la suite de ses personnages très attachants !
http://www.leslecturesdemylene.com/20...
October 21, 2016
I enjoyed this book towards the beginning and the end but it was a little slow in the middle. All the action was in the end, which made us all waiting for more from Peter Lerangis. The epilogue was almost as good as the book with a little more summary.
June 20, 2017
It's an incredible book that doesn't end like many other books. Make us read the next book. There are many books that make us read the next one, but this... when you get to the end, you think "why now?!". I expect the same from next!!!
Good job Peter Lerangis!!
Good job Peter Lerangis!!
December 29, 2015
I don't know why, but I no longer find Marco's humor amusing at all.
December 23, 2015
Wait. Wait, no. YOU CAN'T END IT THERE. But- but what happens to Ally??
Dude.
Not OK.
I NEED MORE. *Looks around in panic*.
Dude.
Not OK.
I NEED MORE. *Looks around in panic*.
November 25, 2015
4.5*
NO WHAT THAT ENDING I DON'T WANT TO WAIT UNTIL MARCH FOR BOOK 5
NO WHAT THAT ENDING I DON'T WANT TO WAIT UNTIL MARCH FOR BOOK 5
January 28, 2016
Each book gets better and better. can't wait for 5th book
October 30, 2016
Overall compared to the previous three books this one was much shorter, yet more humorous.
September 22, 2024
The Curse of the King is a captivating installment in the Seven Wonders series, offering a thrilling adventure filled with twists and turns. The story's focus on the Statue of Zeus adds a unique and intriguing element to the series.
The exploration of dark themes and character development is a highlight of this installment. The author's ability to maintain suspense and keep readers guessing is impressive.
The exploration of dark themes and character development is a highlight of this installment. The author's ability to maintain suspense and keep readers guessing is impressive.
September 29, 2018
This book is becoming more annoying then anything. I still feel like there no closer to reaching their goal. However I do like that you have no idea who can be trusted in the book. I still plan to finish the series because I’m too invested to just stop.
September 13, 2019
Another page-turning entry in the Seven Wonders series. This one, as shown on the cover, involves the Statue of Zeus (or is it?) at Olympia. This story took a surprising turn or two and ventured into some darkness from one of the major characters.
I’m left wondering - how is Lerangis going to pack in the last three Wonders into a single book?
I’m left wondering - how is Lerangis going to pack in the last three Wonders into a single book?
January 12, 2024
Most of this book didn't really make sense. A lot of things happened so that the reader would be shocked, but none of it was connected and none of it seemed like logical choices for the characters to make. Quick to read though.
Read
April 11, 2021Also known as the fourth book in the Seven Wonders series. I've been having a reading slump recently and I think by trying to finish series I previously started + liked I'll hopefully be getting out of it soon. Since I have one Novella and one book left in this series I'm going to focus on them and get it done before moving onto anything else.
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I did enjoy that the events didn't have a break in them, like the ending of the third book leads directly into what happened in this book instead of having some time pass and then we continue. It could very well be because the kids are on a very deadly time limit, in either case I do like how Lerangis is portraying it. However, I honestly don't think that bringing any romance into this was necessary. He didn't make it cheesy and overbearing but it was still something that made me role my eyes a bit, maybe it's because I think that there should be way more important things than that at the moment or in their age as a whole but again thankfully we kind of moved away from that and actually focused on the important things.
The other thing that actually came as a surprise was the appearance of a character that was in the Novella, I didn't really expect any of the side stories in this series to actually be relevant in the main story other than background information and getting to know the world a little bit more but actually having one of those characters appear in the story in such a position was an interesting move, makes me really glad that I got familiar with that character before their appearance and of course raises huge questions on what exactly are they aiming to do in the bigger scheme of things? What was said in the book or shown to be the reason in the book can't be the only reason right? I don't know feels iffy a bit.
The characters seem to act mature one minute and then really annoying in the other, which I can blame if on them being children. What I couldn't really let go I guess was another thing, in the very first book they were divided into 4 different roles for them to play in their journey but in this book in particular it had instances where it showed them as kind of stupid in areas that were not apart of their expertise. It might've been Peter Lerangis's way of being funny or humorous with the characters but I don't think it works out that well for it the end. Or at least it didn't for me.
I did like the whole encounter with "King" by it also raises some obvious plot holes that weren't answered and given what happened in the end of the book I'm not sure it ever will be so it leaves me disappointed a bit but still with a tiny hope that somethings will be clearer later. I did enjoy it in the end, books 2&3 were better with 2 being my favourite of them so far but not a bad read by any means.
Final rating: 3/5
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I did enjoy that the events didn't have a break in them, like the ending of the third book leads directly into what happened in this book instead of having some time pass and then we continue. It could very well be because the kids are on a very deadly time limit, in either case I do like how Lerangis is portraying it. However, I honestly don't think that bringing any romance into this was necessary. He didn't make it cheesy and overbearing but it was still something that made me role my eyes a bit, maybe it's because I think that there should be way more important things than that at the moment or in their age as a whole but again thankfully we kind of moved away from that and actually focused on the important things.
The other thing that actually came as a surprise was the appearance of a character that was in the Novella, I didn't really expect any of the side stories in this series to actually be relevant in the main story other than background information and getting to know the world a little bit more but actually having one of those characters appear in the story in such a position was an interesting move, makes me really glad that I got familiar with that character before their appearance and of course raises huge questions on what exactly are they aiming to do in the bigger scheme of things? What was said in the book or shown to be the reason in the book can't be the only reason right? I don't know feels iffy a bit.
The characters seem to act mature one minute and then really annoying in the other, which I can blame if on them being children. What I couldn't really let go I guess was another thing, in the very first book they were divided into 4 different roles for them to play in their journey but in this book in particular it had instances where it showed them as kind of stupid in areas that were not apart of their expertise. It might've been Peter Lerangis's way of being funny or humorous with the characters but I don't think it works out that well for it the end. Or at least it didn't for me.
I did like the whole encounter with "King" by it also raises some obvious plot holes that weren't answered and given what happened in the end of the book I'm not sure it ever will be so it leaves me disappointed a bit but still with a tiny hope that somethings will be clearer later. I did enjoy it in the end, books 2&3 were better with 2 being my favourite of them so far but not a bad read by any means.
Final rating: 3/5
February 15, 2017
I loved it .so much fun I can imagine it very excited
September 3, 2017
I just love these kids!!
**spoilerssss
I would really like to be in an adventure with these kids + Torquin. How the events turned in this book sway my thoughts and feelings. Like Torquin being dead. I was in denial at first, thinking "this is a fantasy world, anything out of impossible can be possible" and just when I accepted that he's gone, it happened. Torquin actually survived from the murderous act of Massa. Yey! And I just hope same thing would happen to P. Bheg. Well, let's see. Also, Cass' sister!!! Who's also a Select and speaks backwardish. They were so adorable because they didn't actually like each other at first because they have so much in common, and reading the parts where they bicker was oddly cute. : 3 and oh, Jack's Mom!!! It turned out that she's neutral and it was such an emotional reunion for them, I just hope the Mckinley fam would be together soon. Speaking of reunion, our four-piece was back!!!! I was so happy that Marco was back, with all his antics and quips. I hope it's for good. Not until.... Aly. 😢
**spoilerssss
I would really like to be in an adventure with these kids + Torquin. How the events turned in this book sway my thoughts and feelings. Like Torquin being dead. I was in denial at first, thinking "this is a fantasy world, anything out of impossible can be possible" and just when I accepted that he's gone, it happened. Torquin actually survived from the murderous act of Massa. Yey! And I just hope same thing would happen to P. Bheg. Well, let's see. Also, Cass' sister!!! Who's also a Select and speaks backwardish. They were so adorable because they didn't actually like each other at first because they have so much in common, and reading the parts where they bicker was oddly cute. : 3 and oh, Jack's Mom!!! It turned out that she's neutral and it was such an emotional reunion for them, I just hope the Mckinley fam would be together soon. Speaking of reunion, our four-piece was back!!!! I was so happy that Marco was back, with all his antics and quips. I hope it's for good. Not until.... Aly. 😢
December 23, 2020
The characters visit a LOT of places in this one, from Turkey, Greece, back to the island....there was a twist when it came to the statue of Zeus 😱
This one was more fast pace to me and a lot is revealed. From the story of Jacks mother, how Aliyah from The Orphan comes into the story, people dying and coming back or not .... Jack's ancestry and just SO MUCH happens!
At this point they have discovered 4 Loculi but don't exactly have them and I'm curious as to how they'll fit 3 into one book after taking so long to get find four. And what happened to the one from Giza? Nobody ever said they found it or even tried to look there even though they went there in book 2. And now one of the Select have gone missing in time....eek!
Gotta get my hands on book five! Haha
This one was more fast pace to me and a lot is revealed. From the story of Jacks mother, how Aliyah from The Orphan comes into the story, people dying and coming back or not .... Jack's ancestry and just SO MUCH happens!
At this point they have discovered 4 Loculi but don't exactly have them and I'm curious as to how they'll fit 3 into one book after taking so long to get find four. And what happened to the one from Giza? Nobody ever said they found it or even tried to look there even though they went there in book 2. And now one of the Select have gone missing in time....eek!
Gotta get my hands on book five! Haha
August 8, 2015
Wow. I felt like no time at all passed while I read this book
I'm so glad that things are resolved with Marco!
And that class isn't alone. He is adopted and has a sister!
That ending. I HAVE TO WAIT A YEAR TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?
I think the concept of the king being in the statue is so cool!
Such a great book. Amazing. I'm so sad this series has only one more book.
I'm so glad that things are resolved with Marco!
And that class isn't alone. He is adopted and has a sister!
That ending. I HAVE TO WAIT A YEAR TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?
I think the concept of the king being in the statue is so cool!
Such a great book. Amazing. I'm so sad this series has only one more book.
April 15, 2015
I just... I can't anymore with this series anymore.
January 5, 2017
good book
August 7, 2018
Woah, what an ending! and Cass x Marco is back on! and can we just talk about how beautiful Jaly is, just agh.
August 14, 2015
Very boring. Doesn't keep you entertained.
March 26, 2021
I don’t know if it’s just me but Jack’s decisions at the end of book 3 (The Tomb of Shadows) and in the beginning of this book, made zero sense to me. Why on earth did he just destroy a loculus with no rational explanation?? The series didn’t rationalize the Loculus as the cause for the portal opening until this book.
I felt like Jack was making completely irrational decisions again in the first half of this book without any explanation of his thought process to the reader - or even to Cass and Aly. He goes with a spontaneous plan to get captured by the Massa, but doesn’t explain why. Instead, Jack repeatedly acts on impulse and oftentimes his only “reasoning” is that he feels it’s “what they must do”.
It seems at times that even Cass and Aly are left lost when it comes to Jack’s rash, completely illogical decisions and plans. When Aly logically laid down the physical repercussions of raising a continent, Jack illogically got excited about the idea of bringing Atlantis back (pgs 194-195). Jack’s sense of logic was also out the window when he insisted on hiding out on a cliff outside of Routhouni for the night even though Cass, Aly, and his father all thought it made more sense to leave the continent. In the end of this chapter, Jack’s plan completely fails as Zeus the statue finds them anyway. To me, it just seems like Jack has lost his mind, his sense of direction and leadership. He often left his entire group out of the loop for these irrational gut feelings and I didn’t like the first half of this book for that.
It wasn’t until the second half of the story that I felt that everyone’s judgement and plans were back on track and by the last quarter of the story, when we are introduced to the new characters that things really take off! I enjoyed the last 100 pages of story very much and it definitely redeemed the poor character thought processes of the first half.
The title of the fifth book sounds like time rifts are making a comeback and that makes me excited! High hopes for the fifth book!
I felt like Jack was making completely irrational decisions again in the first half of this book without any explanation of his thought process to the reader - or even to Cass and Aly. He goes with a spontaneous plan to get captured by the Massa, but doesn’t explain why. Instead, Jack repeatedly acts on impulse and oftentimes his only “reasoning” is that he feels it’s “what they must do”.
It seems at times that even Cass and Aly are left lost when it comes to Jack’s rash, completely illogical decisions and plans. When Aly logically laid down the physical repercussions of raising a continent, Jack illogically got excited about the idea of bringing Atlantis back (pgs 194-195). Jack’s sense of logic was also out the window when he insisted on hiding out on a cliff outside of Routhouni for the night even though Cass, Aly, and his father all thought it made more sense to leave the continent. In the end of this chapter, Jack’s plan completely fails as Zeus the statue finds them anyway. To me, it just seems like Jack has lost his mind, his sense of direction and leadership. He often left his entire group out of the loop for these irrational gut feelings and I didn’t like the first half of this book for that.
It wasn’t until the second half of the story that I felt that everyone’s judgement and plans were back on track and by the last quarter of the story, when we are introduced to the new characters that things really take off! I enjoyed the last 100 pages of story very much and it definitely redeemed the poor character thought processes of the first half.
The title of the fifth book sounds like time rifts are making a comeback and that makes me excited! High hopes for the fifth book!
July 26, 2021
The Curse of the King is the fourth and penultimate book in the Seven Wonders series written by Peter Lerangis and illustrated by Torstein Norstrand. The series continues as Jack McKinley and his friends try to save themselves and, while they're at it, the world.
Jack McKinley, Cass Williams, and Aly Black all are alive and thinking of settling back into their lives in the United States when a horrible reminder of their genetic condition jolts them back to reality.
Aly lies dying in a hospital bed in California, and Jack, Cass, and Jack's father rush to her side. Jack wonders why he and Cass are still healthy until he realizes the shard he carries around of a broken Loculus has magic healing properties. He saves Aly with it, but it's at a cost – the shard shrinks before his eyes and will soon be too small to keep them all healthy.
So Jack does what he does best - hatches a plan and it's a daring one, to get captured by the enemy Massa while tracking down the next of seven Loculi and go back to the secret island they now rule to find the other shards of the healing Loculus – then try to escape in one piece – it's a plan that will either save their lives or kill them.
The Curse of the King is written rather well. The cinematic plotting, readers find out more about Jack's mystery Massa mom, get a reunion with Marco, and watch the main characters enact a pretty daring plan to save themselves, which goes by rather quickly with plenty of action fight scenes.
All in all, The Curse of the King is written rather well and is a good continuation to what would hopefully be a wonderful series, which I plan to continue in the very near future.
Jack McKinley, Cass Williams, and Aly Black all are alive and thinking of settling back into their lives in the United States when a horrible reminder of their genetic condition jolts them back to reality.
Aly lies dying in a hospital bed in California, and Jack, Cass, and Jack's father rush to her side. Jack wonders why he and Cass are still healthy until he realizes the shard he carries around of a broken Loculus has magic healing properties. He saves Aly with it, but it's at a cost – the shard shrinks before his eyes and will soon be too small to keep them all healthy.
So Jack does what he does best - hatches a plan and it's a daring one, to get captured by the enemy Massa while tracking down the next of seven Loculi and go back to the secret island they now rule to find the other shards of the healing Loculus – then try to escape in one piece – it's a plan that will either save their lives or kill them.
The Curse of the King is written rather well. The cinematic plotting, readers find out more about Jack's mystery Massa mom, get a reunion with Marco, and watch the main characters enact a pretty daring plan to save themselves, which goes by rather quickly with plenty of action fight scenes.
All in all, The Curse of the King is written rather well and is a good continuation to what would hopefully be a wonderful series, which I plan to continue in the very near future.
June 15, 2021
Emotional rollercoaster is the best way to describe this installment of the Seven Wonders series. There were so many ups, downs, twists and turns. I absolutely loved it!
Only a couple downsides as far as I'm concerned. Cass' personality is a real pain to deal with in the first part of the book. He kinda goes off the deep end, and his character regresses to being very annoying. However, he eventually mellows out.
The other thing is that the story is extremely predictable in a few areas. Considering I'm not the intended audience, this is fine. However, it did make a few of the major plot twists less impactful for me.
Speaking of plot twists: Aliyah from book 3.5 reappears! So the book that I initially said could be skipped now becomes more significant to the story, and actually ties books 3 and 4 together pretty well. I still hold that book 3.5's diary format ruined the story, but now I feel it shouldn't be skipped because it adds some pretty great back story and context to events and characters between books 3 and 4.
Some highlights include the mystery of Jack's mom being revealed, the motivations of the Messa becoming clearer, more loculi magic, Torquin being pretty awesome, the epic battles with Zeus/Ular, and the return of Marco and his character development.
Although I wasn't prepared for the amount of beast and creature noises (not necessarily bad, just jarring if you're not expecting it), the audiobook format continues to be excellent.
Only a couple downsides as far as I'm concerned. Cass' personality is a real pain to deal with in the first part of the book. He kinda goes off the deep end, and his character regresses to being very annoying. However, he eventually mellows out.
The other thing is that the story is extremely predictable in a few areas. Considering I'm not the intended audience, this is fine. However, it did make a few of the major plot twists less impactful for me.
Speaking of plot twists: Aliyah from book 3.5 reappears! So the book that I initially said could be skipped now becomes more significant to the story, and actually ties books 3 and 4 together pretty well. I still hold that book 3.5's diary format ruined the story, but now I feel it shouldn't be skipped because it adds some pretty great back story and context to events and characters between books 3 and 4.
Some highlights include the mystery of Jack's mom being revealed, the motivations of the Messa becoming clearer, more loculi magic, Torquin being pretty awesome, the epic battles with Zeus/Ular, and the return of Marco and his character development.
Although I wasn't prepared for the amount of beast and creature noises (not necessarily bad, just jarring if you're not expecting it), the audiobook format continues to be excellent.
July 6, 2022
Staff Review:
The kids travel to Greece to try and find the next orb, which they believe is a part of a Zeus statue. They find the statue in a small village and, of course, chaos ensues when the statue comes to life and chases them across the barren countryside as it tries to retrieve the orb they stole from it. They hide from monsters (and Zeus)overnight in caves, run from the monks, live through an explosion and are once again, caught by the Monks who take them back to the jungle island where the adventure began. There they find the island completely changed and taken over by the monks who have also imprisoned the institute workers that are trying to find a cure for Jack, Cass, and Aly's gene mutation. Zeus the statue finds them on the island and takes Aly into a rift in time which also starts to return the island to its original form, the long-lost city of Atlantis.
Book 4 was a quick, exciting read, but the ending....boy was that cliffhanger. The author does a great job of keeping the reader's attention and I've really enjoyed learning about the 7 ancient wonders the kids visit. I've also enjoyed the growth of each character and how they work together as a team.
The kids travel to Greece to try and find the next orb, which they believe is a part of a Zeus statue. They find the statue in a small village and, of course, chaos ensues when the statue comes to life and chases them across the barren countryside as it tries to retrieve the orb they stole from it. They hide from monsters (and Zeus)overnight in caves, run from the monks, live through an explosion and are once again, caught by the Monks who take them back to the jungle island where the adventure began. There they find the island completely changed and taken over by the monks who have also imprisoned the institute workers that are trying to find a cure for Jack, Cass, and Aly's gene mutation. Zeus the statue finds them on the island and takes Aly into a rift in time which also starts to return the island to its original form, the long-lost city of Atlantis.
Book 4 was a quick, exciting read, but the ending....boy was that cliffhanger. The author does a great job of keeping the reader's attention and I've really enjoyed learning about the 7 ancient wonders the kids visit. I've also enjoyed the growth of each character and how they work together as a team.
July 31, 2017
A whirlwind of events happens in this book even though it is short in comparison to some of the others. Jack, Alley & Cass find the fourth Loclouis. The statue that holds it is actual that ancient Alantian King trapped there by his sun never to die until the Loculi are reunited. Unable to defeat the statue/king they proceed with their plan to be captured by the Messa.
Jack's mother admits that the Messa are wrong but she had been foolish and nieave when she thought both the Kahri Institue and the Messa could work together. Marco rejoins the team. Cass finds out he has a little sister. Alley gets sucked into the past along with the Alantian King. With one of the loculi returned part of Alantis rises.
I was a little confused at the ending. I wasn't sure if Jack, Marco, Cass & Cass's little sister were recaptured by the Messa or if they were simply looking down on the beach fromt he top of the valcano and seen the Messa on the beach. I guess I will have to wait until the next book to find out.
Jack's mother admits that the Messa are wrong but she had been foolish and nieave when she thought both the Kahri Institue and the Messa could work together. Marco rejoins the team. Cass finds out he has a little sister. Alley gets sucked into the past along with the Alantian King. With one of the loculi returned part of Alantis rises.
I was a little confused at the ending. I wasn't sure if Jack, Marco, Cass & Cass's little sister were recaptured by the Messa or if they were simply looking down on the beach fromt he top of the valcano and seen the Messa on the beach. I guess I will have to wait until the next book to find out.
September 16, 2024
It was really looking forward to this book expecting to look at the best out of the series, but I was disappointed maybe because I got my hopes up it was just as boring and uninterest as the rest of it.
I enjoyed the start of the first book and then I will probably enjoy the end of the fifth one (I hope I’ll like that one) making just the pure story progression interesting for me and not the adventures. It might be because I’m not attached to the characters and especially Marco is unresting and a bit annoying to me.
This is not like Percy Jackson and I think the comparison has ruined this for me and maybemy lack in nostalgia. The Percy Jackson or Harry Potter trio are iconic and if someone asked me the character names here at gun point I would be sweating.
I enjoyed the start of the first book and then I will probably enjoy the end of the fifth one (I hope I’ll like that one) making just the pure story progression interesting for me and not the adventures. It might be because I’m not attached to the characters and especially Marco is unresting and a bit annoying to me.
This is not like Percy Jackson and I think the comparison has ruined this for me and maybemy lack in nostalgia. The Percy Jackson or Harry Potter trio are iconic and if someone asked me the character names here at gun point I would be sweating.
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