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Five Elements #1
The Emerald Tablet
Five elements. Four friends. One city—and its sinister shadow. The action-packed adventure of Percy Jackson meets the elemental magic of Avatar: The Last Airbender in this epic new middle grade series.
I name myself water.
I name myself air.
I name myself earth.
I name myself fire.
When Gabe and his friends find a strange old map in his uncle’s office, follow it to a crumbling secret chamber beneath San Francisco, and perform a ritual that promises to bind them together forever, they think they’re just having one last adventure before Gabe moves away. It’s not like they believe the “power of the elements” is real.
But then things begin to happen that none of them can explain. In their search for answers, the four friends draw the attention of a sinister cult that’s plotting to merge our world with a twisted parallel realm...and discover that they are all that stands between San Francisco and utter destruction.
Full of awesome elemental powers, nightmarish creatures, and nonstop adventure, this cinematic and fast-paced series opener is the perfect next read for kids who have devoured books by Rick Riordan, Ridley Pearson, and Brandon Mull.
I name myself water.
I name myself air.
I name myself earth.
I name myself fire.
When Gabe and his friends find a strange old map in his uncle’s office, follow it to a crumbling secret chamber beneath San Francisco, and perform a ritual that promises to bind them together forever, they think they’re just having one last adventure before Gabe moves away. It’s not like they believe the “power of the elements” is real.
But then things begin to happen that none of them can explain. In their search for answers, the four friends draw the attention of a sinister cult that’s plotting to merge our world with a twisted parallel realm...and discover that they are all that stands between San Francisco and utter destruction.
Full of awesome elemental powers, nightmarish creatures, and nonstop adventure, this cinematic and fast-paced series opener is the perfect next read for kids who have devoured books by Rick Riordan, Ridley Pearson, and Brandon Mull.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published October 18, 2016
37 people are currently reading
1537 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
September 11, 2016
The setting is San Francisco. Four middle grade friends are having an adventure following the map they "borrowed" from Gabe's Uncle Steve to a underground location where they are planning a friendship ritual. Unbeknownst to the rest, one the the kids, Brett Hernandez, is being guided by someone who has come to him in his dreams and is playing on the guilt he feels about the death of his older brother.
The friendship ritual in the underground cavern endows the four kids with elemental powers. Gabe has some power over fire. Kaz has power over earth. Lily has power over air and Brett has power over water. When they return home they find that Gabe's house has been ransacked and his Uncle Steve is missing. They follow clues to a woman currently in a psychiatric facility who might be able to answer their many questions.
The kids find themselves in a battle to keep the world of magic from the world they know. They are battling fanatics who want to unite the world despite the massive destruction that will cause. The story was filled with battles with creatures out of nightmare. The story also has each of the kids finding out just what they can and should do despite the temptation of their new powers.
This is the first of a series and the ending nicely sets up the next adventure. Middle graders will enjoy this exciting story.
The friendship ritual in the underground cavern endows the four kids with elemental powers. Gabe has some power over fire. Kaz has power over earth. Lily has power over air and Brett has power over water. When they return home they find that Gabe's house has been ransacked and his Uncle Steve is missing. They follow clues to a woman currently in a psychiatric facility who might be able to answer their many questions.
The kids find themselves in a battle to keep the world of magic from the world they know. They are battling fanatics who want to unite the world despite the massive destruction that will cause. The story was filled with battles with creatures out of nightmare. The story also has each of the kids finding out just what they can and should do despite the temptation of their new powers.
This is the first of a series and the ending nicely sets up the next adventure. Middle graders will enjoy this exciting story.
May 27, 2017
The cover of this book is amazing, I really liked to sound of it, however, it didn't deliver like I was hoping. It has a LOT of info dumped at you and as much as I thought some of the characters were good, I wasn't a fan of them all, I think it missed a lot of build all around and it took to long at time to get to the next part of the story. I felt like the did more talking and running around than actually doing anything. Once I got to about 78% I think it started to pick up a bit on the action and the story started to come together just thought maybe it was a little too late.
The story revolves around 4 kids, a ghost, a secret society and an alternate world. Gabe, Kaz, Lily and Brett are planning to have one more adventure before Gabe has to move again. His Uncle Steve is trying to keep him secretly safe and needs to move but Brett throws everything all over the place when he steals a map and sets a chain of events into action that could cost them all their lives.
It needed more world and characters build, the only person that got the most build was Brett and Gabe, I wasn't a fan of Brett at all not even a little. The Ghost kid was equally annoying. The POV also changed a lot and I don't think I liked that very much, it made it a little confusing. I think I would have preferred just reading in Gabes POV but I understand you need to read in Bretts also but I just didn't like him. I wanted to like the book more but I just felt like it was a lot more explaining then telling a story.
Overall maybe it would be better for younger kids but it wasn't what I was expecting and I think the lack of character build and me not liking them all really caused me to not enjoy this book like I would have wanted. I don't ever say don't read a book because you never know, you might totally like it better than me! :)
2.5 stars on my blog/ 3 on goodreads
The story revolves around 4 kids, a ghost, a secret society and an alternate world. Gabe, Kaz, Lily and Brett are planning to have one more adventure before Gabe has to move again. His Uncle Steve is trying to keep him secretly safe and needs to move but Brett throws everything all over the place when he steals a map and sets a chain of events into action that could cost them all their lives.
It needed more world and characters build, the only person that got the most build was Brett and Gabe, I wasn't a fan of Brett at all not even a little. The Ghost kid was equally annoying. The POV also changed a lot and I don't think I liked that very much, it made it a little confusing. I think I would have preferred just reading in Gabes POV but I understand you need to read in Bretts also but I just didn't like him. I wanted to like the book more but I just felt like it was a lot more explaining then telling a story.
Overall maybe it would be better for younger kids but it wasn't what I was expecting and I think the lack of character build and me not liking them all really caused me to not enjoy this book like I would have wanted. I don't ever say don't read a book because you never know, you might totally like it better than me! :)
2.5 stars on my blog/ 3 on goodreads
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September 29, 2018
After performing an elemental ritual with his friends Lily, Brett and Kaz, Gabe returns to a home destroyed and a missing uncle, all connected to a dangerous cult and the parallel world they're trying to reach - one filled with terrifying monster and untapped magick! Jolley begins an interesting series full of deadly creatures and wit that will hold young audiences with every scary monster run-in. Fire, water, earth, air...but there should be five elements...
May 4, 2023
Not appropriate for child
First few pages a kid wakes up being chained up, guy saying a spell over him,puts blood on his forehead, draw a magic circle in blood. I can see where this is going sounds like a sacrifice or making the kid possessed no thanks
First few pages a kid wakes up being chained up, guy saying a spell over him,puts blood on his forehead, draw a magic circle in blood. I can see where this is going sounds like a sacrifice or making the kid possessed no thanks
February 27, 2017
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July 21, 2018
un livre jeunesse fantasy comme je les aime :D de la magie, de l'humour, de l'action, des rebondissements, des créatures terrifiantes, un univers cauchemardesque... bref j'ai hâte de lire la suite!
February 26, 2017
San Francisco has a magical past that is coming back to haunt it.
Mostly world and some character building. High on action adventure and good start to this new series.
Mostly world and some character building. High on action adventure and good start to this new series.
December 1, 2016
The Emerald Tablet by Dan Jolley is now one of my favorite middle grade books out there. It's full of magical awesomeness, great friendships, ferocious monsters, heroic adventures, wonderful characters and an intriguing plot. This is definitely one of the best Middle Grade books I've read in 2016, I can compare Dan Jolley's works to that of Rick Riordan, Richard Paul Evans and E.G Foley.
Gabe, Lily, Brett, Kaz and even Jackson are one of the most intriguing characters I've read about. Not just their amazing ability over the elements or their way of inherently getting into trouble, it's their resourcefulness that impresses me most about them. The characters alone make this book a interesting read, throw in an evil apocalyptic cult, monsters, magic, mystery, alternate magical reality, mayhem and you have one book full of abundant fun.
I wait with bated breaths for more installments in this amazing series. I happily recommend this book to anyone who wants a great fun read, it's one adventure you don't want to miss.
Gabe, Lily, Brett, Kaz and even Jackson are one of the most intriguing characters I've read about. Not just their amazing ability over the elements or their way of inherently getting into trouble, it's their resourcefulness that impresses me most about them. The characters alone make this book a interesting read, throw in an evil apocalyptic cult, monsters, magic, mystery, alternate magical reality, mayhem and you have one book full of abundant fun.
I wait with bated breaths for more installments in this amazing series. I happily recommend this book to anyone who wants a great fun read, it's one adventure you don't want to miss.
May 10, 2018
Entertaining, action-packed, and full of interesting bits and pieces.
The beginning of an adventure to save the world from magic by using magic, The Emerald Tablet works because it keeps things relatively simple without talking down to it's younger readers. There's action, sacrifices, double-crossings, hidden agendas, and dragons. What kid wouldn't like it?
The only thing that kept me from giving this the full five star review is that the characters feel a bit half-formed and like we (the readers) should already know things about them without being told. It's something I'm willing to overlook in the first volume of a series, but it's also a bit of lazy writing. It feels like the author went with stereotypes and we are expected to know what attributes each has. Not a deal breaker for a first volume, yet definitely something that needs to be dealt with as the series progresses.
Mandatory note: I got my copy thru Good Reads' First Reads.
The beginning of an adventure to save the world from magic by using magic, The Emerald Tablet works because it keeps things relatively simple without talking down to it's younger readers. There's action, sacrifices, double-crossings, hidden agendas, and dragons. What kid wouldn't like it?
The only thing that kept me from giving this the full five star review is that the characters feel a bit half-formed and like we (the readers) should already know things about them without being told. It's something I'm willing to overlook in the first volume of a series, but it's also a bit of lazy writing. It feels like the author went with stereotypes and we are expected to know what attributes each has. Not a deal breaker for a first volume, yet definitely something that needs to be dealt with as the series progresses.
Mandatory note: I got my copy thru Good Reads' First Reads.
March 4, 2017
Seven cities in the last twelve years. Gabe doesn’t want to leave San Francisco and the friends he’s made here. Gabe, Lily and Kaz decide to take him on one last adventure. They borrow Uncle Steve’s old map and the instructions for a ritual call “The Power of the Element’s” that promises to bind them together forever. They all learn that Gabe’s bloodline holds a secret to a world unlike anything they have ever known. Can the elements and the four friends keeps the worlds apart. Reviewer #25
May 10, 2017
C’est un ouvrage destiné à la « jeunesse » mais qui, selon moi, est écrit de manière intelligente et possède plusieurs niveaux de lectures et peut plaire à un public plus âgé sans aucun problème. Les lecteurs fans d’aventure et de jeunes personnages intelligents mais faillibles, apprécieront sans aucun doute cet ouvrage.
Ma chronique complète
Ma chronique complète
July 25, 2017
A mystical tablet unlocks the powers of the elements in some kids, throwing them ino a multigenerational conflict that's bloody and violent and super exciting. A really solid middle grade fantasy that feels like it should be older than it is, and with a lot of great things going on in it for a series that I do hope to spend more time with in the future. A great, surprising read.
February 27, 2017
very good if you like murder and fantasy
March 25, 2019
Hmmmm... Een geval van klonk goed in de beschrijving, maar deed het 'm niet voor mij. Het was een leuk idee.
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Het verhaal gaat over vier kinderen die bij wijze van vriendschapsritueel zich ieder aan één van de vier elementen hebben gebonden. En ze kunnen nu, instinctief, het element ook naar hun wens gebruiken.
That really cannot be that simple. Ik weiger dat te geloven.
Maar goed, op een dag verdwijnt de oom van een van hun, die een professor was in occultisme. En toevallig dus ook een elementalist. Hij is ontvoerd door een sekte die hem naar Arcadia wil sturen in ruil voor, wat zij hopen, een grootheid die daar al lang vast zit. Maar ze hebben het fout, hij is niet de afstammeling die het boek heeft geopend, maar Gabe. Dus dat ritueel flopt, en er komt een draak in hun wereld tevoorschijn terwijl zijn oom, en een van hun vieren naar Arcadia verdwijnen.
Maar ze doen een ritueel, en dan komt de jongen weer terug in ruil voor de draak.
Er zit nu alleen een scheur in de grens tussen Arcadia en de Aarde. En maken we die dicht? Nee, want als ze die sluiten komen Gabe's moeder en oom daar nooit meer uit...
Oké, ik moet toegeven dat ik nieuwsgierig ben naar het einde, maar niet genoeg om door te zetten. Ik legde het ook best makkelijk weg steeds, het zoog me er gewoon niet zo in.
---------------
Het verhaal gaat over vier kinderen die bij wijze van vriendschapsritueel zich ieder aan één van de vier elementen hebben gebonden. En ze kunnen nu, instinctief, het element ook naar hun wens gebruiken.
That really cannot be that simple. Ik weiger dat te geloven.
Maar goed, op een dag verdwijnt de oom van een van hun, die een professor was in occultisme. En toevallig dus ook een elementalist. Hij is ontvoerd door een sekte die hem naar Arcadia wil sturen in ruil voor, wat zij hopen, een grootheid die daar al lang vast zit. Maar ze hebben het fout, hij is niet de afstammeling die het boek heeft geopend, maar Gabe. Dus dat ritueel flopt, en er komt een draak in hun wereld tevoorschijn terwijl zijn oom, en een van hun vieren naar Arcadia verdwijnen.
Maar ze doen een ritueel, en dan komt de jongen weer terug in ruil voor de draak.
Er zit nu alleen een scheur in de grens tussen Arcadia en de Aarde. En maken we die dicht? Nee, want als ze die sluiten komen Gabe's moeder en oom daar nooit meer uit...
Oké, ik moet toegeven dat ik nieuwsgierig ben naar het einde, maar niet genoeg om door te zetten. Ik legde het ook best makkelijk weg steeds, het zoog me er gewoon niet zo in.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 1, 2018
I liked this book a lot I thought it was very interesting. I would give this book 4 stars because it was able to catch my attention from the very begging and I'm not a big reader so that was really good. I would trade give this book 5 stars because I thought that the book could have been a bit clearer in some points. Once you passed the second chapter all this information hit you which was nice to keep you intrigued, but it was a little confusing. I couldn't put this book down I liked it suck much that I decided to read the second book, also partially how it ended too.
March 14, 2017
Unwanted to leave San Francisco and the friends he’s made here. Gabe rebel.
Brett, Lily, and Kaz decide to take Gabe on one last adventure. They borrow Uncle Steve’s old map and the instructions for a ritual call “The Power of the Element’s” that promises to bind them together forever. Unknowing to the rest, one the kid, Brett Hernandez, is being guided by someone who has come to him in his dreams and is playing on the guilt he feels about the death of his older brother.
The kids find themselves in a battle to keep the world of magic from the world they know. They are battling fanatics who want to unite the world despite the massive destruction that will cause. The story was filled with battles with creatures out of nightmare. The story also has each of the kids finding out just what they can and should do despite the temptation of their new powers.
This is the first of a series and the ending nicely sets up the next adventure.
it full of magical awesomeness, great friendships, ferocious monsters, heroic adventures, wonderful characters and an intriguing plot.
The characters alone make this book an interesting read, throw in an evil apocalyptic cult, monsters, magic, mystery, alternate magical reality, mayhem and you have one book full of abundant fun.
I wait with bated breaths for more installments in this amazing series.
Brett, Lily, and Kaz decide to take Gabe on one last adventure. They borrow Uncle Steve’s old map and the instructions for a ritual call “The Power of the Element’s” that promises to bind them together forever. Unknowing to the rest, one the kid, Brett Hernandez, is being guided by someone who has come to him in his dreams and is playing on the guilt he feels about the death of his older brother.
The kids find themselves in a battle to keep the world of magic from the world they know. They are battling fanatics who want to unite the world despite the massive destruction that will cause. The story was filled with battles with creatures out of nightmare. The story also has each of the kids finding out just what they can and should do despite the temptation of their new powers.
This is the first of a series and the ending nicely sets up the next adventure.
it full of magical awesomeness, great friendships, ferocious monsters, heroic adventures, wonderful characters and an intriguing plot.
The characters alone make this book an interesting read, throw in an evil apocalyptic cult, monsters, magic, mystery, alternate magical reality, mayhem and you have one book full of abundant fun.
I wait with bated breaths for more installments in this amazing series.
January 23, 2018
Excellent premier tome qui met en avant 4 adolescents qui découvrent le monde de la magie et des éléments. Un très bon page-turner qu'on lâche à regret. Heureusement que j'ai le tome 2 dans ma PAL :-)
June 6, 2017
It was pretty good except for the fact that in the middle of the book it gets a little boring
September 27, 2017
Book is boring. Gabe finds a hidden map in his uncle's attic with his friends to go on a magical journey. Nothing exciting really happens in it. Honestly, it's a waste of a time to read it.
October 4, 2017
This book was ok and you would like it if you enjoy fantasy books involving the elements like water, fire, air, Earth.
December 4, 2018
Something happened to brett
January 29, 2019
J'avais oublié les émotions que je ressentais à la lecture de ce livre...
June 5, 2019
There were moments that were graphic in this book. I ended up skipping sections entirely.
August 2, 2019
Slow starter and confusing world building at first. It took me a while to get into the story and to connect to the characters, but once you do, you are hooked to the end!!
March 17, 2020
This book was fun because the four friends got powers.
Read
May 21, 2021I really loved this book! It was fun, and I'm dying to get a hold of the next one!
July 17, 2022
It was written well, and this is just simply personal preference, but I prefer my protagonists to not be actively betraying their friends (e.g. Brett).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 26, 2022
3,5
J'ai bien aimé l'histoire, les perso, l'intrigue autour des éléments.
J'ai bien aimé l'histoire, les perso, l'intrigue autour des éléments.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews