What do you think?
Rate this book
Kingdom Keepers #7.5
The Syndrome
When Amanda travels east to Orlando on a hunch, she’s met with the worst news possible. Kingdom Keeper, Finn Whitman, is missing. Calling on her own gift (she’s telekinetic), her sister Jess’s ability to dream the future, and their fellow Fairlie, Mattie Weaver’s, unexplained ability to read minds through physical contact, the three gifted girls must navigate treachery, deception and the stubborn, unwilling parents of the missing Keepers if they’re to save their friends.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published March 3, 2015
68 people are currently reading
3190 people want to read
About the author
Ridley Pearson
186 books2,101 followersRidley Pearson is the author of more than fifty novels, including the New York Times bestseller Killer Weekend; the Lou Boldt crime series; and many books for young readers, including the award-winning children's novels Peter and the Starcatchers, Peter and the Shadow Thieves, and Peter and the Secret of Rundoon, which he cowrote with Dave Barry. Pearson lives with his wife and two daughters, dividing their time between Missouri and Idaho.
Also writes Chris Klick mysteries as Wendell McCall.
Also writes Chris Klick mysteries as Wendell McCall.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
March 13, 2015
I am sick of the Kingdom Keepers.
I originally liked the idea. I still do. I love the idea of incorporating the magic of Disney into novels. I loved getting to know the parks through the eyes of the Keepers. (The keepers are a group of teen age kids who get wrapped up in saving the park from the "overtakers", which are all of the Disney villains come to life.)I learned things I had never known about the works of Walt himself. The problem was, the series went on for too long, and the author had a very hard time sticking to the plot. There were lots of tangents, and moments of complete confusion. Sometimes it was hard to understand what the author was trying to convey. The series also became very repetitive. Every book was the same drill. New Overtaker problem, sneak around the park at night, and then take down the villain at the end of the novel.
I do have to admit I got giggly with all of the Disney references, but I am done with The keepers. The only reason this book got two stars, is that it was actually semi different. This novel was not in the point of view of the keepers. Instead, it was narrated by the awesome and totally underplayed fairlies! (All of our overused heroes were stuck in the unfortunate Sleeping Beauty Syndrome.)There were even a few chapters narrated by one of the evil green eyed boys!
Yet again, the plot got lost. It was strong for the first part of the book, but suddenly things went downhill. Events were happening too quickly and randomly. I was being driven crazy! I am still trying to convince myself to give the next book a shot. I am starting to think it is not worth it. Ten books of confusion should have taught me better.
I originally liked the idea. I still do. I love the idea of incorporating the magic of Disney into novels. I loved getting to know the parks through the eyes of the Keepers. (The keepers are a group of teen age kids who get wrapped up in saving the park from the "overtakers", which are all of the Disney villains come to life.)I learned things I had never known about the works of Walt himself. The problem was, the series went on for too long, and the author had a very hard time sticking to the plot. There were lots of tangents, and moments of complete confusion. Sometimes it was hard to understand what the author was trying to convey. The series also became very repetitive. Every book was the same drill. New Overtaker problem, sneak around the park at night, and then take down the villain at the end of the novel.
I do have to admit I got giggly with all of the Disney references, but I am done with The keepers. The only reason this book got two stars, is that it was actually semi different. This novel was not in the point of view of the keepers. Instead, it was narrated by the awesome and totally underplayed fairlies! (All of our overused heroes were stuck in the unfortunate Sleeping Beauty Syndrome.)There were even a few chapters narrated by one of the evil green eyed boys!
Yet again, the plot got lost. It was strong for the first part of the book, but suddenly things went downhill. Events were happening too quickly and randomly. I was being driven crazy! I am still trying to convince myself to give the next book a shot. I am starting to think it is not worth it. Ten books of confusion should have taught me better.
March 7, 2015
The Kingdom Keepers series is that series I look at and think, "These have been around for a lot of my life." I read the first book in fourth grade, which seems like so long ago. In fact, it was 7 years ago. Last year the 7th and final book in the series came out, which was bittersweet. I love the series immensely (enough to read the first book a total of 32 times).
However, I was skeptical when I found out that not only would the series be continuing, but two books would be coming out within a month of each other. I was slightly disappointed, because I was ready to say, "bon Voyage" to one of my favorite series. But this book was good. Told from the POV of three fairlies (or fairly humans), it was refreshing. These three girls have been a part of the story for a while--Amanda and Jess having been around since the first book. The story was exciting and easy to read.
I read the book in less than two days. Of course, it's a novella, so it's not too surprising! I am pumped now, however, for "The Return" to release on March 31st. (The cover is fabulous. Check it out). So yeah, I enjoyed this book.
PS.
I wonder if it would kill Disney-Hyperion to edit their books ONE MORE TIME before releasing it to the public. From my count, there were a total of 15 errors in grammar and such throughout the book. e.g. "I had plan." Where's the 'a'? Anyways, that's my spiel.
However, I was skeptical when I found out that not only would the series be continuing, but two books would be coming out within a month of each other. I was slightly disappointed, because I was ready to say, "bon Voyage" to one of my favorite series. But this book was good. Told from the POV of three fairlies (or fairly humans), it was refreshing. These three girls have been a part of the story for a while--Amanda and Jess having been around since the first book. The story was exciting and easy to read.
I read the book in less than two days. Of course, it's a novella, so it's not too surprising! I am pumped now, however, for "The Return" to release on March 31st. (The cover is fabulous. Check it out). So yeah, I enjoyed this book.
PS.
I wonder if it would kill Disney-Hyperion to edit their books ONE MORE TIME before releasing it to the public. From my count, there were a total of 15 errors in grammar and such throughout the book. e.g. "I had plan." Where's the 'a'? Anyways, that's my spiel.
May 17, 2015
Amanda travels to Orlando after Finn doesn't answer her texts, and finds out that Finn and the other keepers are caught in SBS (sleeping beauty syndorme). She visits her friend Mattie, another farlie who can read minds, and Wanda, imagineer Wayne's daughter, for their help. who wants do harm them. Meanwhile, back at imagineering school, Jess is having dreams about Amanda being captured by Barracks 14ers. She too rushes to Orlando to protect Amanda and the other keepers. With the help of confusing clues left by Finn, they must both protect the keepers and find out where they are.
I picked up this book because I read the other books in the series and I was really interested in the farlies and this book is told in the fairlies' perspective.
I finished this book because it was entertaining, and I wanted to know the significance of the items in the can.
I would recommend this book to Claudia because it's set in Disney, and I know she went to Disney World a few years ago and she really enjoyed it.
I picked up this book because I read the other books in the series and I was really interested in the farlies and this book is told in the fairlies' perspective.
I finished this book because it was entertaining, and I wanted to know the significance of the items in the can.
I would recommend this book to Claudia because it's set in Disney, and I know she went to Disney World a few years ago and she really enjoyed it.
April 29, 2015
When Amanda travels to Orlando, she finds out horrible news, that Finn is missing. What should she do? She does what anyone would do, she tries to get to the bottom of this! Since Amanda's telekinetic, Jess being able to dream the future, and Mattie (a fairlie) being able to read people, it sounds like the perfect team. The three of them must go through different obstacles, and crack codes. Along the way they have to learn who to trust, and who not to.
April 19, 2017
I absolutely loved this book! It was impossible to put down, and was intense from cover to cover. The anxiety neber stopped for one second while you were reading this. I loved
seeing the character insight and development of the three fairlies. I understand their characters so much better now. And what a cliffhanger! I cant wait for Disney Lands. Is it March 31st yet?
seeing the character insight and development of the three fairlies. I understand their characters so much better now. And what a cliffhanger! I cant wait for Disney Lands. Is it March 31st yet?
May 3, 2015
Wow. A more in depth review to follow but all I can say is guess they saved on an editor/proofreader. I swear every page had at least 5 (okay some had 1 or 2) typos on it to the point it was bad. I have never had to fight such an urge to take a pencil and edit a book, but I was close!
February 28, 2017
The Failies have always been some of my favorite characters so I absolutely loved this! But that ending Ahhhhhhhh!!!! I cannot wait for The Return to come out!!!!
July 12, 2022
The only thing that saved this book was the ending... but I'm getting ahead of myself.
As with all of the Kingdom Keeper books, I think that it's a really good story! I loved getting to know more about Amanda, Jess, and Mattie's powers and their thoughts behind the powers, and it was interesting that these events took place almost immediately after The Insider. HOWEVER, as with all these books, the storytelling is atrocious! It just does not compare to great series similar to this. I can't picture the story from beginning to end because the storytelling jumps from point A to point B without explaining how that happened. And the character arch of the kids! Bad! Each girl doesn't know how to deal with her powers, and then in a blink of an eye, they suddenly feel more in control?! Where's the process to get there?!
Just disappointing. Great story, terrible storytelling. The end was very interesting, though. I will continue to struggle through this narrative and just hope the writing gets better.
As with all of the Kingdom Keeper books, I think that it's a really good story! I loved getting to know more about Amanda, Jess, and Mattie's powers and their thoughts behind the powers, and it was interesting that these events took place almost immediately after The Insider. HOWEVER, as with all these books, the storytelling is atrocious! It just does not compare to great series similar to this. I can't picture the story from beginning to end because the storytelling jumps from point A to point B without explaining how that happened. And the character arch of the kids! Bad! Each girl doesn't know how to deal with her powers, and then in a blink of an eye, they suddenly feel more in control?! Where's the process to get there?!
Just disappointing. Great story, terrible storytelling. The end was very interesting, though. I will continue to struggle through this narrative and just hope the writing gets better.
December 31, 2021
Very good! Cliffhanger at the end!
April 14, 2024
Kind of predictable ending, but still some surprises along the way. Good dose of nostalgia
November 20, 2015
The Syndrome is not like the other Kingdom Keeper books. First of all it's really about the Farlies as the mysterious Barracks 14 comes after them to turn them back into lab rats.
I liked getting more of Amanda, Jess and Mattie. The story is first person narrative told from the alternating perspectives of the three girls. We get a lot more back story about the farlies early years and how they ended up being held captive by the government. And the best part is, THE FIRST BOOK FINALLY MAKES SENSE! Questions like, if Amanda didn't really have a mom who worked for Disney, then how did she get those passes? are answered.
The only reason that this book didn't get all five stars is because the story isn't really over.
This book is more like a really long stand alone plug for the Eighth Kingdom Keepers book "The Return." I was really hoping for more of a spin off with this novel and less of a set up for the next book. When authors write these little unnumbered tie in stories all it does is confuse the readers who are trying to figure out which order they should them in.
In case you were wondering This book comes chronologically after book eight: Disney Lands. The Syndrome was published first and think maybe even written before the eighth book was finished, because there are some contradictions.You can read it before but technically it should be 8.5 not 7.5.
Anyway if you are already a Kingdom Keepers fan you will find this book interesting and entertaining. If you aren't already familiar with the world of the Kingdom keepers books, read one through seven first.
I liked getting more of Amanda, Jess and Mattie. The story is first person narrative told from the alternating perspectives of the three girls. We get a lot more back story about the farlies early years and how they ended up being held captive by the government. And the best part is, THE FIRST BOOK FINALLY MAKES SENSE! Questions like, if Amanda didn't really have a mom who worked for Disney, then how did she get those passes? are answered.
The only reason that this book didn't get all five stars is because the story isn't really over.
This book is more like a really long stand alone plug for the Eighth Kingdom Keepers book "The Return." I was really hoping for more of a spin off with this novel and less of a set up for the next book. When authors write these little unnumbered tie in stories all it does is confuse the readers who are trying to figure out which order they should them in.
In case you were wondering This book comes chronologically after book eight: Disney Lands. The Syndrome was published first and think maybe even written before the eighth book was finished, because there are some contradictions.You can read it before but technically it should be 8.5 not 7.5.
Anyway if you are already a Kingdom Keepers fan you will find this book interesting and entertaining. If you aren't already familiar with the world of the Kingdom keepers books, read one through seven first.
April 2, 2015
This was an interesting twist in the Kingdom Keepers series. The book was wrote more from the first person perspective relaying events as the characters seen them. I was a great read and I get the impression is a "go between" the seventh Kingdom Keepers book and the next book "The Return-Book One Disney Lands."
This book focuses more on the three fairlies and one villian. It makes we wonder if they will be more involved with the plot in the upcoming book.
The book contains some twists and turns that makes you wonder about certain things and drives you to keep reading to the end so you can find the answers.
This book focuses more on the three fairlies and one villian. It makes we wonder if they will be more involved with the plot in the upcoming book.
The book contains some twists and turns that makes you wonder about certain things and drives you to keep reading to the end so you can find the answers.
March 22, 2015
I really loved this book, as I have all of the Kingdom Keeper books. The reason I have to give it a 4 star is the editing. There were many passages I had to read over in order for them to make sense. Words were missing or in the wrong order.
The storyline shown from Jess and Amanda's POV was really good. Adding Mattie into the mix, was really good, too, especially since they combine their abilities and work together. Hope there will be a follow up to this one!
The storyline shown from Jess and Amanda's POV was really good. Adding Mattie into the mix, was really good, too, especially since they combine their abilities and work together. Hope there will be a follow up to this one!
September 9, 2018
Every time I read one of these books it makes me realize how much I love Disney and wish I could go back to Orlando. This was a short book, the main focus was Amanda, Jess and Mattie and their efforts to save the kingdom keepers from Sleeping Beauty Syndrome that they were stuck in. In a way each fairlie found their strength and were able to work together to find out what happened. Kind of sucked that the kingdom keepers were not in the book at the end but overall I enjoyed this book.
March 8, 2015
Me gusto mucho este libro, es una gran conexión de la primera serie y la segunda serie. Le puse 4 estrellas por que yo quería que saliera un personaje de una película como en los otros libros. Pero si fue un muy interesante y entretenido libro y no puedo esperar por el primer libro de la siguiente serie.
August 6, 2015
So apparently this happens after the events of the newest book. I'm glad I found out before starting the return. I enjoyed this short book. I liked the 1st person story telling however he changed points of view a little to frequently.
December 11, 2015
This book seemed too quickly made or something. There were so many grammatical and spelling errors, it was a bit annoying. The editor didn't do such a stellar job. The story was just ok compared to the others in the series.
Read
March 5, 2015amazing!
So great! I wish it was longer! Love how the chapters contained different POV's. Can't wait for the return to come out!
So great! I wish it was longer! Love how the chapters contained different POV's. Can't wait for the return to come out!
March 7, 2015
I really liked it. It's a little weird though. How do they get back?? Other than that it was amazing.
March 11, 2015
Good lord this series should have ended several years ago.
March 16, 2015
Great story
This was a great story told from the view point of Jess and Amanda. The flow of the story was great and t and it had good action
This was a great story told from the view point of Jess and Amanda. The flow of the story was great and t and it had good action
March 29, 2015
Good book that sets up the plot for the next series
April 16, 2015
This was the best kingdom keepers' book for awhile.
April 25, 2015
It was "Fairlie" okay...
November 3, 2015
This seemed to be a tryout for a ghost writer or something. Very different style and nothing happened.
March 20, 2016
Read this way quicker than I thought I would. I also liked this one better than I thought I would. It was a great way to see what happens in the present during the events of the next book
March 16, 2016
Anyone who is Team Amanda, this book is a must read!!
March 22, 2016
I am so glad I read this. I enjoyed it a lot. This series is awesome!
October 21, 2023
4.5 stars. Admittedly, I'm surprised to be rating this book so highly; this ties my highest rating of the series with book 5 (my favorite) and just ahead of book 7.
I always thought the Fairlies were an odd inclusion in the Keeper series and they didn't necessarily add much for me. Why mysterious human powers when you have real people with mysterious digitalized powers going into the magical Disney character realm? It seemed unnecessary and it expanded the number of characters to develop; in the first couple of books, more time was spent on Amanda and Jess's character development than the female Keepers.
Additionally, coming out of the seven-book conclusion, I was pretty much ready to move on, even though I knew this book existed as well as a sequel trilogy. I decided I would at least read this one to finish out the original series, but now that I finished it, I find myself re-energized to read the trilogy too.
I enjoyed the style of this book; alternating first-person perspectives from the three Fairlies led to IMO the strongest character development that occurred within one book in the whole series. It also switched at times to the chief villain of the story and humanized the "girls with powers" as well as the villain in an appreciable way. In general, having the Keepers not be the drivers of the story allowed more space to flesh out supporting characters including Joe the Imagineer, the parents of the Keepers, etc. That said, I did enjoy seeing some development of Finn as the new Wayne, which was touched on at the end of the first seven books.
The tension was consistent, the mystery there, but in the end, I believe this rated so highly because the ratio of action to character development leaned toward the latter, and apparently that is what I appreciate more.
I always thought the Fairlies were an odd inclusion in the Keeper series and they didn't necessarily add much for me. Why mysterious human powers when you have real people with mysterious digitalized powers going into the magical Disney character realm? It seemed unnecessary and it expanded the number of characters to develop; in the first couple of books, more time was spent on Amanda and Jess's character development than the female Keepers.
Additionally, coming out of the seven-book conclusion, I was pretty much ready to move on, even though I knew this book existed as well as a sequel trilogy. I decided I would at least read this one to finish out the original series, but now that I finished it, I find myself re-energized to read the trilogy too.
I enjoyed the style of this book; alternating first-person perspectives from the three Fairlies led to IMO the strongest character development that occurred within one book in the whole series. It also switched at times to the chief villain of the story and humanized the "girls with powers" as well as the villain in an appreciable way. In general, having the Keepers not be the drivers of the story allowed more space to flesh out supporting characters including Joe the Imagineer, the parents of the Keepers, etc. That said, I did enjoy seeing some development of Finn as the new Wayne, which was touched on at the end of the first seven books.
The tension was consistent, the mystery there, but in the end, I believe this rated so highly because the ratio of action to character development leaned toward the latter, and apparently that is what I appreciate more.
December 31, 2017
Well, I certainly feel like I've run a regular marathon in getting through the adventures of the Kingdom Keepers. This final (but not truly final) installation in the series finds the Kingdom Keepers arrested in Sleeping Beauty Syndrome while the fairlies work to get them to come back out of this endless sleep. This book took a different turn in how it was laid out; instead of working in the traditional chapter style like most of the other books, it told the story by days. As such, I found myself worn out when completing a VERY long day with hundreds of pages in tow, as the girls relentlessly work to awaken the Kingdom Keepers. Links to the past, including the origins of Disneyland, are made known, and a lead in the the Return series is clearly set for the kingdom Keepers to keep on working to save the Magic Kingdom, both Orlando and Anaheim. It's a,along to me that I've been keeping with this series since august and have gone through the series past my excitement in going to visit Orlando myself this past October. While the various stories peaked my interest in more ways than others, I feel like I kept going to find out simply WHAT would happen to the parks, and how these characters grow as a result of their adult responsibilities. The Kingdom Keepers are now in COLLEGE, where they started as cute middle school kids, who have done a ton of growing up in their adolescent years. I'll be taking a short break from the series here to catch up on other major reads I've been wanting to get into. I've already ordered the last three books in the series for the Return, and will be joining the Kingdom Keepers again soon to continue answering that same question: WHAT is going to happen to the parks?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews