มหัศจรรย์หินทั้งเจ็ด ตอน หินแห่งทะเล

by Robb Arbuckle, พลอย โจนส์ (Translator)

เราทุกคนล้วนเกิดจากหมู่ดาว
แต่เราบางคนพิเศษกว่าคนอื่น

ในวันครีษมายัน
เด็กๆผู้ได้รับหินเรืองแสงก้อนพิเศษ
จากทุกแห่งหนทั่วโลก
จะมารวมตัวกันเพื่อหาคำตอบว่าตนเป็นหินชนิดใด

อเล็กซานเดอร์ เซล
อาศัยอยู่ในห้องใต้ดินของจุดพบ
ไม่มีทั้งครอบครัวและเพื่อน
เขาแน่ใจอย่างยิ่งว่าตนไม่ใช่คนพิเศษ...

...แต่เขามีสิ่งพิเศษ
นั่นคือก้อนหินเรืองแสงลึกลับ
และวันครีษมายัน
ก็ใกล้เข้ามาทุกขณะ!

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction

416 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2025

Reviews

[Karen J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminded me a lot of Harry Potter. I see a lot of similarities. Overall the story line is intriguing. Instead of being wizards and witches, there are elementals - people who can control the elements. It is definitely meant to be a series and the first book sets up the series nicely. You can see how each of the books will focus on a stone. I am sure the villain will be defeated in the end. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the stores.

[Barbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Normally I'm not big on reading fantasy genre books. However this one grabbed my atten from the first page to the very ending of the book. That is one of the main things I need in a book is to be hooked immediately, if I'm not I will not read it. I was drawn to the characters Alexander, the poor kid has been through a lot in his short time of a life already. I would recommend this book to someone or the pre-teen or teenage age group.

[Christina Kerr · Rating 4 out of 5]

seven stones

I thought this was a cute book for middle school kids as the characters are around the age of 10 years old. There was friendship, learning, and adventure.

[Natalie Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

Familiar but entertaining

This book is an entertaining story for those that also enjoyed the Harry Potter series. The story is similar in a way, but with different elements. I enjoyed the author's take on the Earth elements and the power that they have. It was a quick read and great for kids and young adults that want something entertaining.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely better than I expected

I won this Kindle copy on a GoodReads giveaway. Frankly, I thought it sounded interesting albeit a bit cheesy in the description but entered the giveaway anyway.

This was a great, clean, fast-paced and easy read and I can't wait for the next book! I think the main characters seem a little older than they're supposed to be; more like 13/14 rather than 10/11 but that's my only real gripe. I really like the action and adventure, no real violence and now fawning over the way other characters look. Perfect for young readers who want more than the typical children's story but great for parents who'd prefer that their kids stay "innocent" longer, for lack of a better word.

Thanks for the book! Definitely would read again to my children when they're a little bit older.

[Siwabhorn Anothaisintawee · Rating 5 out of 5]

นี่ไม่ใช่แค่ “หนังสือสวย” แต่เป็น “งานศิลป์ที่เล่าเรื่องได้”

อเล็กซานเดอร์ เด็กชายที่เติบโตมาอย่างโดดเดี่ยวในชั้นใต้ดินของ 'จุดพบ' ไม่มีครอบครัว ไม่มีเพื่อน และไม่รู้ว่าตัวเองมีค่าอะไรในโลกใบนี้

จนวันหนึ่ง...เขาได้รับโทรศัพท์ปริศนา เรียกให้ไปรายงานตัวที่ตึกเอ็มไพร์สเตต นั่นคือจุดเริ่มต้นของการค้นพบว่า “หินเรืองแสง” ที่ติดตัวมาตั้งแต่เด็ก ซ่อนพลังพิเศษไว้ภายใน

หลังจากเข้ารายงานตัวกับ “บ.ธ.ส.” เขาได้พบ คิชชี่ เด็กหญิงยิปซีผู้ร่าเริง และ ดิกเกิ้ลส์ ผู้พิทักษ์ ที่พาทั้งคู่ก้าวเข้าสู่โลกแห่ง “หินทั้งเจ็ด”

อเล็กซานเดอร์เลือกที่จะเป็นสมาชิกของ “อควารีอัส” หอคอยแห่งธาตุน้ำ หนึ่งในธาตุทั้งเจ็ดของแอลป์ฮอร์น

ปีแรกของเขาเริ่มต้นอย่างสงบ...จนกระทั่งเงาของ “มาเล็กเซีย” ศัตรูผู้เกี่ยวข้องกับการหายตัวไปของพ่อแม่ เริ่มกลับมาก่อตัวอีกครั้ง

การผจญภัยของเด็กชายผู้ถือหินแห่งทะเลจึงเริ่มต้นขึ้น พร้อมคำถามว่า เขาจะใช้พลังที่ได้รับ “ปกป้องโลก” หรือ “ปลุกคำสาป” ให้ตื่นอีกครั้ง

เห็นข่าวว่า Apolar ศิลปินที่เราติดตามมาตั้งแต่ปกแฮร์รี่ พอตเตอร์ ฉบับครบรอบยี่สิบปี เปิดพรีออเดอร์หนังสือเล่มแรกของสำนักพิมพ์ตัวเองเราก็กดจองทันทีโดยไม่ต้องคิด เพราะแค่ได้ครอบครองผลงานของ Apolar ก็คุ้มแล้ว

พอพัสดุมาถึง...ถึงขั้นกรี๊ดออกมาดังๆ แพ็กเกจสวยตาแตก! ทั้งกล่อง การ์ด และรายละเอียดเล็ก ๆ ที่ใส่มาในกล่อง ล้วนละเมียดละไมแบบที่แฟน Apolar รู้ดีว่า “เขาไม่เคยทำอะไรธรรมดา”

เปิดอ่านยิ่งไม่ผิดหวัง เห็นชื่อ พลอย โจนส์ เป็นผู้แปลก็สบายใจได้เลยว่าแปลดีแน่นอน

เนื้อเรื่องสนุก ภาพประกอบงดงาม และถูกวางจังหวะเข้ากับเนื้อหาอย่างพอดิบพอดี

กลิ่นอายของ Harry Potter ยังพอมีให้ชื่นใจ แต่ก็รู้สึกได้ว่าเรื่องนี้กำลังจะ “เติบโตเป็นของตัวเอง” ในเล่มต่อ ๆ ไป

[Liesl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great fantasy novel

I don't usually gravitate toward the fantasy genre, but this book drew me in. I loved the innocence of the main character and the many lessons of kindness and friendship woven throughout. I feel that this book would appeal to many ages, kids and adults alike. There are some slightly scary parts that may not be suitable for young ones, but I think even my 7 year old would enjoy the story as the good generally prevails (there is a little cliffhanger to keep you interested in checking out the next book). Overall, I would recommend this book and look forward to continuing the series.

[Evelyn Foreman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing read!

As in real life, this story is about good vs evil, right vs wrong. Each character is creatively described, each scenario is brought to life as the reader immerses himself or herself in the storyline, feeling the emotions, the fear, and the challenge of each decision that has to be made. Very well written. Very well executed!

[Michelle Malizia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Percy Jackson meets Harry Potter

Very quick read. I’m interested to see how the story ends. When Alexander stumbles across who he is the story takes an interesting turn. If you enjoy quick fantasy reads this is it.

[Decimo · Rating 4 out of 5]

10 year old me would have eaten this up. That was really fun.

This specific edition:
10000/10 สวยตาแตก สวยแบบสวยยย ตั้งแต่ปกยันทุกหน้า ภาพสีเต็มหน้าทุกบทจริงจัง แปลดีด้วย

[❤️ Amisadai ❤️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading The Seven Stones. It was such a compelling and adventurous book. I recommended this book to any Keeper of the Lost Cities or Harry Potter fans.

[Angieleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is, hands down, one of the best YA books I've read all year. It's taken me a few days to write a review of it because I needed to gather my thoughts, and my grandfather died right after I finished it.

First things first - this book is similar to Harry Potter in a number of ways, but it's also its own story in so many magical ways. While reading it there was one thought that kept running through my mind and I still can't get it out of my head: The Harry Potter Series walked so books like The Seven Stones Series could run. It is absolutely my favorite YA series of all time and I'll forever be grateful for all the doors and windows it opened for me over the past twenty years.

Secondly, Alexander is such a wonderful main character; a child full of wonder, courage, and forthrightness. He hesitated at all the right times, and didn't let his curiosity get the best of him when it really could have.

Thirdly, Kizzy is an amazing best friend for Alexander! She is such a bright spot, cunning in all the right ways, courageous, and the type of person who grounds their friends when they start getting a bit too big for their britches.

I am a huge lover of dolphins, and most animals in general (except snakes, or nope ropes as I prefer to to refer to them as. Absolutely petrified of nope ropes and hope we never run into one in this series), but the royal dolphins kept making me smile the more the children played with them.

I am interested in learning more about Malexia and what she is all about! Thankfully Alexander didn't have to give a part of himself to bring her back to life! She is going to prove very interesting, I dare hope.

This story flows well and kept me up late at night. The only dark spot is that there is no second book to read just yet!

If you liked Harry Potter, I am sure you will like The Seven Stones: Seastone just as much, if not more!

I did take half a point away from it being a full five stars due to some grammar and spelling mistakes.

[Tiffany Riggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish we could leave partial stars. My official rating is a 4.25/5 stars.

What a wonderful preteen YA fantasy novel. My reading selections recently have had a high concentration of fantasy in the mix. Young adult and adult fantasy have been equally represented, but I’ve not read any that were written for the preteen YA reader until this book. I’ve never read Harry Potter, shocker, I know. I say all this because I have no other books to compare this one too as I write this review. Once I wrapped my mind around the target age for this book, I was able to really enjoy it.
Magic is present from the first page of this story. The brilliant star that presents itself on the summer solstice is a precursor to magical world you are about to enter. Ralphina soon discovers baby Alexander and takes him back to her home at The Found in NYC. Ralphina wants to take care of the baby until his parents come looking for him, everyone eventually come to The Found for what has been lost, so why wouldn’t his parents look for him there? Aneedle, Raphina’s sister, has much more sinister ideas and tries many times to get rid of the child, only for his to return. The sisters are Alexander and our first introduction to the tender balance of good and evil in this story. Alexander is relegated to living in the basement of The Found, sleeping in the copper gondola that Ralphina found him in.
When Alexander is 10 years old, he gets a phone call which gives him the first tangible clue to who he is. The woman on the other end of the phone tells him his last name is Zale and invites him to a meeting a E.U.M. later that morning. Alexander has never hear of E.U.M., explored the city or even left The Found. He knows he has to find a way to get to this meeting. Fate would give him a way in a bag of keys that must be delivered right away. Alexander jumps on the opportunity to leave The Found, find the E.U.M. and discover who and what he is. Along the way, Alexander meets Kizzy who becomes his best friend, discovers his not so hidden talents and learns what friends and family can come to mean in your life.
You’ll embark on a adventure of self discovery, magic and the battle of good vs evil as you join Alexander, Kizzy and friends when they are selected by their Watcher to attended a special school to grow in their magical talents.
The writing and world building are wonderful. The magical abilities and beings are believable and fun. The 4.25 rating is based mostly on the fact that this book spends a good portion of the storyline on building the world and there’s minimal character development. There is a great plot for this first story, and now that the world has been created, I look forward to future books that take a deeper dive into the characters.
If you have a preteen or teenage fantasy lover, you should grab this book up and gift it to them. It is age appropriate and a fun read. There's rumor this book series is being picked up for a movie series as well. If the rest of the series is as good, or as I suspect, better, I will happily catch each movie.

[SUZAN C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Seven Stones by author Robb Arbuckle is a new book in this series. Part fantasy, part magical, and a coming of age story where hope shines brightly in the darkness.
Young Alexander was a foundling with no one to claim him or tell him who he was. Raised by two sisters of opposite personalities, Alexander finally got a chance to escape his dull and unfulfilled life one morning. When he gets the chance to find out who he is and where he came from, Alexander jumped at the chance to embark on a thrilling and magical new life.
Enter the world of the Elementals, young children chosen to learn the 7 elements of the Universe by way of magic and folklore. In The Seven Stones, we are immediately taken into a new fantasy world where there are magical creatures, magical elements, and folklore all mixed together.
While I'm sure most authors don't necessarily like to be compared to other authors or their books, in this instance I do have to point out that The Seven Stones has similarities to Harry Potter, The Last Airbender, and a touch of The Lion and the Wardrobe. Now, the reason why I stated this is mainly so other readers get an idea of what this book is like. It's not to demean or compare by any means but just so readers know what they're getting into.
I really liked the first few pages of the books as it was a way to lead into the actual meat of the story. There is the main character, Alexander and also his friend Kizzy who comes from a "gypsy" type of life. These two quickly become friends and meet up with other kids who were also chosen to be wielders of elemental stones and magic. Part Harry Potter where there is a school to learn these elements, and part The Last Airbender where we meet people with air, water, earth, fire powers, and so forth. These unique touches in the book makes it a compelling read as the author gives us little glimpses of this magical world.
I give this a 4 stars only because there isn't a lot of character development. I understand if this was due to keeping the story short for younger readers, so hopefully in the subsequent stories the author will expand on the main and supporting characters.
I would say this story would suit kids 10-15 years old as it's a quick and smooth read. This would be rated a PG if it was a movie. There are the typical bad guys but nothing too scary or extreme. And well, of course with a book about magic there has to be dark forces too, right? :)
Thank you, and I look forward to reading the next story in this book series.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Sometimes the brightest light attracts the darkest dark” – Arcturus Diggles (p. 64)

New York. Summer Solstice. The shortest night of the year. Many are walking, talking, scuttling about to their next destination. No one is noticing that up in the sky, a curious light begins to glow. No one seems to be paying attention – this light that gets bigger, brighter, bolder. Until a little girl with a balloon, who rudely gets it slapped out of her hand by a nasty, scowling old woman, gazes up at her balloon floating away to her amazement, notices this amazing ball of light. Soon others begin to notice, and the question isn’t why is it shining, but what does it mean?

Alexander Zale is a byproduct of this ball of light. On that same night, he and his gondola and a curiously glowing stone appeared inside the cellar of The Found, a place located in Central Park that seems to be a designated “lost and found” building of sorts, where if you happen to lose something, you might just find it inside. He grows up with the Fickle sisters, Aneedle, the older sister who is a tall, thin, wretched personality and Ralphina, a short, plump, warm woman who constantly bakes to show her affections.

Over the years, Aneedle constantly tries to rid themselves of Alexander but no matter where she leaves him, he always ends up back at The Found. Finally giving up, she instead keeps him around to do her chores, and one morning as Alexander is doing one of the particular chores of locating all of the keys around the house and bringing them to her, he hears a particular phone ringing downstairs. Thinking its Aneedle calling him upstairs, he goes to the phone hanging on the wall and finds it is not, in fact, this phone, but a particular bright yellow phone.
This phone call will change his life forever.

You see, he’s had questions about himself for years. Who am I? Where are my parents? Why did I end up at The Found all those years ago? Why do I have this glowing stone with me that always seems to find its way back to where I am?

Alexander is no ordinary boy. He is part of the selected. He is an Elemental. And this is his story.

This book was super intense, and I feel as though everyone should read it. You wouldn't ordinarily think that magic happens in New York City. This book proves that magic happens to us all, and even when we don't expect it to happen. Even when we think we are ordinary. There is magic inside of us all, and we just need to believe in ourselves and our magic will come out.

[Jennifer Poulin]

Start of New Adventure at a Dazzling New School!

The Seven Stones : The Seastone is the first in a series of fantasy-based book written similarly to other more famous books but with its own unique plot line. The instructors and guides called the watchers teach through magic and folklore about the seven elements and which element best aligns with each student. While this is a fantasy adventure book with dazzling imagery, The Seven Stones: The Seastone is also a story of how children develop friendships at a new school.

The main character is Alexander Zale, a foundling left in the care of two sisters who lives in a literal lost and found in New York City is about to embark on a life-changing journey. One sister, Ralphina believes Alexander will be reclaimed by his parents, while the other more nefarious sister, Aneedele makes several attempts to get rid of him. When given the opportunity at the age of ten to leave his dull world and perhaps learn about why he was left behind by his parents, he welcomes the chance to change the course of his life. On the first day of the summer, Alexander is one of a group of children who receives a special stone that begins his adventure at the Alphorn school. The reader will be first introduced to a more innocent Alexander but will watch him quickly mature due to the challenging circumstances he is suddenly faced with having to manage.

While written to appeal to a younger audience, this is a book that piqued my interest as an adult and has intrigued me enough to want to read another in the series. I also think that due to the earth’s elements described in the book it could be a recommended fiction read for a science class. Perhaps with subsequent Seven Stones books the characters could be developed a bit more. There are no other criticisms other than the obvious similarities to characters and to plots of other more famous fantasy books. Certainly this a start of a series that has the ability to stand its own in the fantasy genre.

[Jody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story for all ages, especially a preteen fantasy lover who appreciates the magic of the unknown. Alexander, the main character, is discovered as a baby left on his own by a woman named Ralphina. Upon her discovery, Ralphina takes Alexander back to her home at the Found in New York City with the hopes to take care of him until his parents come to claim him. She is confident this will happen quickly because everyone knows to come to the Found to find what they are missing. Ralphina’s sister Aneedle, on the other hand, makes several attempts to get rid of Alexander.

Although he has a roof over his head and the care of Ralphina, Alexander does not know anything about his past and his opportunities for the future look limited. That is until he gets a call at ten years old from an unknown lady asking him to visit the E.M.U.. Alexander knows he must find a way to make the appointment to learn more about himself and find his parents along the way. As he embarks on his journey of self discovery, he meets Kizzy and together they are transported to the magical world of the Elementals and a boarding school called Alphorn.

At Alphorn, Alexander and Kizzy are joined by friends from all over the world who are selected to grow their talents at the school in one of the seven elements. As they are studying with their classmates one evening, Alexander and Kizzy happen upon a discovery that will test their friendship and the strength of every adult and student at Alphorn.

The Seven Stones was truly an enjoyable read. The descriptions of the different places outside of New York City were detailed, intriguing, and magical. Alexander and Kizzy were developed as kind and inquisitive characters each with unique personalities. As the series continues I look forward to more in depth character development and adventures that continue to strike the balance between good and evil.

[Jennifer Mielke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting mash up of modern and fantasy

I thoroughly enjoyed this young adult fantasy book. I appreciated that the author stayed authentic to the characters (who are tweens) and had them speak and behave as children will. Too many books aimed at teens and tweens have the young characters behave as mini adults and it makes the characters and plot seem unbelievable. I could envision children actually doing the actions in this book.

I loved that the setting of the novel ( and what I assume will become a series) a mash up of the modern world with a fantasy world. The reader will be familiar with the sites and sounds of New York City, but also be completely transported and engrossed in a new fantasy world that exists simultaneously.

I liked that this book takes the standard kids with ability quest against evil and adds elements you don't necessarily expect. I see an opportunity for more than the standard 2 or 3 main characters. The main character in this book does not know his history or roots, so it will be interesting to see that unfold.

My only negative about the book is the use of the term "gypsy" throughout the book, since one of the prominent characters is part of that community. This is really not an acceptable term and the people within that community find it terribly offensive. They prefer to identify as Romani. However, since this is a more recently developed issue, I can understand the author not being familiar with the idea.

I am assuming this is merely the first book in what will likely be a 7 book series. I look forward to reading more and seeing the story unfold.

[Shilo Goodson · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're familiar with "Harry Potter," you'll quickly see a lot of similarities. I will say, though, that this one felt like it was targeted more at children and less at adults. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the book. I still liked it. I would just say that the target audience is probably 10-14 years old. I read a lot of young adult novels, so this was a fun read. If you don't like books targeted at this age group, you may not like this book.

One thing that I really liked about this story was that I was drawn into the story from the first page. I wanted to know what was going to happen. I wanted to discover who was good and who was bad. For me, the connections to "Harry Potter" added to the appeal of this story since I found myself wondering if specific things would happen or how the plotline would be similar.

I really like series where the particular issue in that book is resolved, but I'm still left wanting to read the next book because I am drawn into the plot. I am happy to report that this book did not end on a cliffhanger. Yet, I was still drawn into the story enough that I do want to know what happens next to each of the characters.

For me, the amount of swearing, sex, and violence are always concerns when I find a new book. Fortunately, this is a clean book. People use their elemental powers to knock other characters over or tie them up, but that's as violent as it gets. I will definitely be excitedly awaiting the next book in the series, and I would recommend this book to other readers.

[Misty McClaskey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t walk… RUN!!!!

Hi. Big Harry Potter fan here. Low and behold, I get invited to read this Young Adult Fantasy book as a trial (it is available to buy and a free download if you have Kindle Unlimited).

You. All. When I say I couldn’t put this down, I 100% mean it. I finally stopped reading last night when I got tired, but woke up and had to finish it! This. Book. Is. Amazing!!!! It is the first in a projected 7 book series (each one being about a different stone, I am sure). And it has already been picked up to be a movie! Freaking amazing!

Main character Alexander is raised in shoddy circumstances for 10 years in New York. As the summer solstice approaches, he is contacted and told he is destined to a life he didn’t even know existed. His watcher takes him to the other, magical world where he is to learn and be trained at the Alphorn school. You see, Alexander is what they call an Elemental. And he is destined for greatness. Once enrolled in his new life/school, all kinds of learning and mystery ensues. Each Elemental is prone to giftedness dealing with one of the 7 elements of Earth. I was IMMERSED in this magical world and learning along with Alexander! Like I said, huge Harry Potter fan here - I could go on and on about this book. Seriously. You HAVE to read it before the movie comes out!!!!!

[WhyChoose Book Boyfriend Book Blog · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fans of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson would enjoy this series!!!!

So I'm going to start this review out first by saying this book and series is probably aimed more towards Pre-Teens, than Young Adults or Adults. But I'm sure Young Adults would enjoy it also.

So I'm not sure if I should categorize it as a children's book or young adult, as the characters are Only around 11 years of age. I don't tend to read that many books with characters that young anymore as my own children are grown now. Well my youngest is 15 years old, so he might enjoy this book.

There are major, major, major Harry Potter vibes going on in this book. The young male lead Alexander is a orphan and as of right now it is unclear if his parents are dead or have just been missing for the past 11 years. Young Alexander is chosen to attend a magical school and there's some hanky things going on there. Though instead of magical wands, they have stones.

I will say that I liked some of the secondary characters. Like Kizzy she seems like she'll be a great friend for Alexander.

I will say though that the similarities between this book and the other one mentioned above are glaringly obvious. And I'm hoping it's not going to continue that way throughout the series.

I'm giving this book 3.5 Glowing Positive Stars out of 5 and can't wait for the next one!!!

[Noelle Mcnamee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting story, very enjoyable

I very much enjoyed this story and the different spin it put on elementals and magic users. The part of this book concerning the seven stones had me intrigued from the beginning, and I couldn’t wait to read more.

I liked the introduction to the different cities and areas and the descriptions painted a great picture in my mind. The characters are well developed and I found the thematic elements of their names to be an enjoyable aspect to the book. I enjoyed seeing the same characters pop up, such as Aneedle as the woman with the spiky hair. Once I read about the main character Alexander being an orphan I instantly became more intrigued because I hoped that the story would tell us more about him and that things would turn out well for him. Also, the book itself explores the themes of family and belonging which Alexander searches for and discovers for himself.

I love all the detail description of every place that they visited inside of Alphorn. From each description my imagination ran wild with seeing how each area looked. I definitely could imagine myself actually visiting this place and wanted to live there too.

I can’t wait to read book two.

[Vanessa Sellers · Rating 4 out of 5]

If this book wasn’t so similar to Harry Potter, I would rate it 5 stars. It was definitely a great read. Suitable for more younger children. I love the elementals idea instead of witch and wizards. I would like to see more interactions with the other students. Michael seems more like an after thought and not an integral part of the story. Similarities to Harry Potter include possible orphaned boy whose parents disappeared when the big bad disappeared. Seems to have special circumstances around his birth and may be the chosen one? Lives in a cellar in less than ideal. Boats to get to the school. A type of sorting into groups. Mean teacher who you are lead to believe is the bad guy working with the big bad throughout the book. Teacher seems to dislike the main character immediately. The pyros seem to be the slytherins. Mean and nasty and not well liked. Oh and the large animal teacher takes a liking to the main character. I do like that everyone’s in different groups. There are 7 elements and the main characters are all in different ones. I really hope to learn more about the 7 in the group. I enjoyed the book and laughed a few times. I’m going to read this again with my 8 and 12 year old boys.

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a YA (maybe more middle grade) novel about a young orphaned boy discovering he has powers and that his parents have been disappeared by an evil being called Malexia. It was an easy, fun read that allowed me to escape into childhood fantasy for a while. The editing for grammar/spelling mistakes/typos could have been better, though I’m sensitive to those types of mistakes (often if a friend and I are reading the same book, I will catch the mistakes the friend usually doesn’t even notice) and they tend to bring me out of the story. All of that being said, I have to point out that this story was incredibly similar to Harry Potter, and for a good majority of the story I was connecting characters and events in this book to those in Harry Potter. I won’t go into detail so I don’t spoil anything, but if you read it, you’ll see the parallels. It was maybe a little TOO similar, but then again, middle grade books often follow similar patterns so maybe we’ll chalk it up to that. Despite that, it was a fun story, and any child who is into fantasy would enjoy this book. Any adults who want a break from the stress and chaos of real world and want to cater to their inner child would most likely enjoy this as well.

[Lashay Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this young adult fantasy novel

What struck me the most was the author's commitment to maintaining the authenticity of the characters, allowing them to converse and act in a way befitting their age as tweens. In a refreshing departure from many teen-oriented books, where young characters often mimic adults, this story's kids felt real, making their adventures and the plot all the more plausible. I could vividly imagine children actually embarking on the quests described within these pages. For anyone who found enchantment in the world of Harry Potter and yearn for a similar experience, I strongly recommend immersing themselves in this book. The characters possess a charm that's both captivating and endearing, while the plot's momentum keeps you engrossed, reluctant to put the book down. My only qualm is that the story felt slightly rushed, leaving me yearning for more depth in Alexander's interactions with his fellow teammates and his magical education. This spellbinding tale is a lovely fusion of mystique and enchantment, promising unexpected revelations that will leave readers eager for more.

[Darcysmom · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Seven Stones: The Seastone is a boarding school adventure that is reminiscent of Harry Potter; fortunately, the story and characters settle and develop their own rhythm shortly after the introductory exposition.
Alexander Zane will feel familiar to readers - orphaned, about 11 years old, unaware of being special, and able to attract good friends.
Kizzy, Alexander's closest friend, will also feel familiar - smart, fun, stable family, and has a greater understanding of the world they are joining.
Alexander and Kizzy both have elemental powers that garner them invitations to Alphorn a magical school for elementals.
The Seastone encompasses the adventures of the first year at Alphorn. Alexander, Kizzy, and the new friends they make have lots of adventures, face some danger, and end the school year ready for the next new thing.
This series will be ideal for younger readers - I would have loved it as a ten or eleven-year-old. As an adult, I very much appreciated the fast-paced storytelling and language that didn't condescend to the intended audience.

[Jessie Zimmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed seeing the story and the characters develop over the course of the book. The story brought to mind several other books targeted to a younger audience but was unique. I appreciated that the author deviated from the typical choice of 4 elements.

There were a couple of grammatical errors that I noticed, but I think the thing that disappointed me most was that we didn't get to see as much character development with characters outside of Alexander and Kizzy. It would have been more satisfying if we could have seen even a little more interaction between the different teams and the tensions adapting to a boarding school as experienced by some of the characters. Showing some of the extracurricular activities done by the different teams would have also helped.

The sequence of events seemed like it was rushed. Some scenes get a lot of attention, while other more fundamental moments, such as the initial interactions between Aneedle, Ralphina and Alexander just get a glance and then forgotten. In my opinion, that would have provided more depth to Alexander's character.

[Christalea McMullin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The next Harry Potter

This story has all the workings to be the next Harry Potter. Now when we turn 10 we can be disappointed we didn’t get a letter from Hogwarts or a selection stone from the Seven Stones school!

This book has all the earmarks of the next great series that captures the imagination of a generation.

The friendship between Alexander and Kizzy is sweet, and the forced team (one of each elemental type) gives Alexander a group of friends to win over throughout the next several books.

One concern I have is that it did feel like we’re being set up for the same prejudice as in HP. Except instead of all of Slytherin being bad, it’s the fire elementals. It does make some sense, fire is often the opposite of water and our hero is a water(+) elemental. But the fire elementals are just jerks in general. I don’t think we met one that wasn’t mean nor did we meet a mean person who wasn’t a fire elemental.

All in all, good read, good fun, can’t wait to read the rest. Hope it gets movie (good) adaptations, definitely going to send it to my nieces.

[Erynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty good book that follows a bit of the Harry Potter-style with the orphaned infant dropped off in an unwelcoming home. There's a smidgen of James and the Giant Peach with the two "aunties" taking care of Alexander - though Aneedle is the abuser and Ralphina is...well, she clearly adores Alexander, but she's useless to protect him.

Alexander is "selected" and taken to a parallel world via elevator (gives off a little bit of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory vibes here) where he will go to a magic academy named Alphorn (more HP themes). The students are given animals to take care of in one class, learn the various elements in all of their classes, and Alexander learns more about the objects he was given. He tries to thwart the evil, but unfortunately said evil returns instead.

Not a bad book; if you'd like something that's relatively fast-paced, but offers a bit more variety than the Harry Potter world (at least, I think it had some more variety), you should give this one a go.

[Lewis S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable read

This book was an excellent book from start to finish. I enjoyed parallels to different books I had read and consider it similar to Harry Potter or Charlie Bones.
The characters are well developed and I found the thematic elements of their names to be an enjoyable aspect to the book. I enjoyed seeing the same characters pop up in the boom such as Molly and Aneedle as the woman with the spiky hair.
In addition, the book itself explores the themes of family and belonging which Alexander searches for and discovers for himself.
The seven stones allow for a great amount of fantasy to take place in the book. Readers will enjoy reading about the tree of knowledge and the royal dolphins, hopefully as much as I have.
In conclusion, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in a Middle grade fantasy novel that will keep them on their toes from start to finish.