Snared: Escape to the Above

Wily Snare #1

by Adam Jay Epstein

Chopping blades, scorpion nests, giant spiderwebs—no one makes traps better than Wily Snare.

He has never seen the sun, or blue sky, or even his parents. Wily Snare lives underground, creating traps to keep treasure-seekers away from the gold in an ancient wizard’s dungeon. He spends his days mopping up giant slug slime, avoiding poison darts, and herding undead skeletons. It’s all he knows.

Until an unusual band of adventurers—an acrobatic elf, a warrior with a magic arm, and a giant made of moss—successfully defeat Wily’s traps. And they want the ultimate treasure: Wily himself. His skills can help them invade every other dungeon in the kingdom. He might even aid their fight against the Infernal King, whose gearfolk and prisonauts terrorize the land.

But for a boy who has never been outside, dungeons aren’t nearly as scary as the world above. Or an evil king who builds the trickiest traps of all . . .

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Adventure, Childrens, Fiction, Survival, Friendship

311 pages, Hardcover

Published June 5, 2018

About the author

I grew up in Great Neck, NY loving all things fantasy and science fiction - from Dungeons and Dragons and the Legend of Zelda to Star Wars and Dr. Strange. I created and imagined new worlds and stories from an early age but never knew that I had the talent to be a writer until seventh grade, when my English teacher assigned our class to write the first ten pages of a sequel to The Good Earth. After that, I was hooked.

I now live in Los Angeles with my wife, two children and a black and white alley cat with a bite out of his ear. I write with a partner, Andrew Jacobson, who is a much better typist than I will ever be.

Reviews

[BlipBlop · Rating 3 out of 5]

**Spoiler-free!**

So if you haven't read Snared. . . it's a meh kind of book.

You might pick it up and enjoy it, or you might find interest waning halfway through and then want to abandon it. I finished reading it, but I found myself disagreeing with a lot of the writing and plot as the book wore on.

You start joining Wily Snare, a hobgoblet living in the dark recesses of Carrion Tomb, under the tutelage of the Wizard Stalag. He is a cruel and vengeful man, who cares only about keeping his riches in check. Wily Snare is his trapmaster - a young boy he saved from the Above (anywhere not in the cave) from meeting an untimely end. He builds traps to keep people out of Carrion Tomb, and is quite skilled at what he does. One day, however, a group of adventurers come in, solve his traps, and come, taking the treasures and explaining they want one more thing: Wily.

From there, Wily is led to the Above with his hobgoblet sister, Roveeka, and sets on an adventure to keep invading other tombs and taking treasures from them. . . but so much more happens.

I won't go into farther detail there. The plot is quaint, and set for middle-schoolers and below. So I won't fault it too much for that. But it felt rushed in parts, and honestly I was a little confused by the end of it. The book spent a lot of time developing the characters in the Above, but then it fell flat. The book ends very abruptly with a Happy Ending - which felt a little insulting, especially given the main antagonist was able to do all of these horrific and powerful things. . . and he's beaten in the strangest way.

The characters are pretty. . . mmmm. Meh.

Wily is the one given your full and undivided attention.

Moshul is actually really nice, but I wish much more would have been done with him.

Pryvyd is. . . he feels like a cardboard prop at times.

Odette is also given a lot of screentime, but I really wish she wasn't. She's a vicious girl, and for some reason Wily has a crush on her. And that in itself is frustrating because he literally only has a crush on her because she's pretty. She's not the nicest or most empathetic girl in the world, and her justifications on why she's this way don't stand up very well.

So.

Readable? Sure.

Interesting? Eh.

Forgettable? . . . Yep.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll say right at the beginning that I absolutely loved this book. I loved the characters. I loved the plot and the surprises that came my way. And I love the themes. I am also excited to know that there will be more stories about these characters. I've read enough fantasy stories over the years that sometimes they all seem to follow the same basic formula. It's refreshing to come across one like this that feels new. It's also a pleasant surprise to be surprised as I'm reading. There were several plot twists that I really didn't see coming which made for a delightful reading experience.

Wily Snare makes for a wonderful main character. He's smart and dedicated, as well as curious. He works as the trapsmith for Stalag in Carrion Tomb. He plans and maintains the traps that protect Stalag's treasures. And he does so successfully. But he remains curious about the world Above. Never having seen the outside world, he wonders about it. And he loves books, despite not knowing how to read. Things don't seem like they will ever change though, until the day three individuals arrive to steal the treasure and manage to get around his traps. He's even more stunned when the three want to take him with them.

As Wily travels with his three new companions, Odette, an acrobatic elf, Pryvyd, a former knight with a floating arm named Righteous, and Moshul, a golem, he's amazed at the world of the Above. He's also thrilled to have his only friend from below, Roveeka, a hobgoblet. What Wily doesn't expect is the discovery of the evil of the Infernal King, and the refreshing nature of freedom. And he wonders about his own family. Who is he and where did he come from? As his companions continue with their plan to gather enough treasure to leave the land, Wily goes along with it because he has no where else to go. But as he learns more about himself, he begins to wonder if maybe he owes more to this land than he ever could have imagined.

Epstein has created a delightful new fantasy series that young fantasy readers are bound to enjoy. The creativity exhibited in the creation of the characters and plot is fabulous. And the themes of family, freedom, and sacrifice are powerful ones. I also liked the theme of books and the value of reading.

[Vernon Area Public Library KIDS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wily Snare has lived in a dungeon as far back as he can remember and has never been above ground. He is the trapsmith of Carrion Tomb dungeon. It is his job to create and maintain all of the traps, clean up after the failed attempts of adventurers and invaders, and keep the vast vault of priceless treasures safe. Just when Wily wonders if there is more to life than being a trapsmith, a group of adventurers try their luck. But, the adventurers are not only after the dungeon’s treasures...they are after Wily himself. A fascinating adventure twist that is sure to “ensnare” readers.

Recommended for grades 3-6. Lexile Level: 820
Reviewed by Christine Hwang, Youth and School Services, Vernon Area Public Library

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wily Snare has been in charge of the design and upkeep of the traps in the dungeon guarding the treasure of the Wizard Stalag. Wily is very good at his job and prides himself on all the would-be thieves his traps have helped find more profitable work in Stalag's mines. But when a new group of adventurers manage to not only get farther than any other previous group, but also best the wizard and claim the treasure, Wily's world is rocked. Not only that, but they demand Wily goes with them on their next adventure. The world above is scary and entirely foreign to Wily. Wizard Stalag has warned him that sunlight will burn his skin and that life above is terrible. But the champions insist he comes with them, and Wily has no clue how this trip about will change his life.

I really enjoyed the world building in this one. Adam Jay Epstein has imagined very interesting worlds below and above ground that's mostly fantasy with touches of steampunk and feels very unique. Wily's fellow adventurers are quite the colorful cast. There's a golem made mostly of moss and vegetation (who is very Groot-like in all the best ways, but also has its own unique skills and traits), a former knight with only one arm but an independent floating arm that accompanies him (have to say, I've never met a character with a floating and independently minded prosthetic limb before), a super acrobatic elf with past trauma issues, and Wily's "sister" from the dungeon who is a hobgoblin (Wily was told he was a hobgoblin too, but it is soon clear that Stalag wasn't very truthful to Wily in many ways). There's a sinister and very intelligent king who is terrorizing his subjects in the world above, and just how the king got that way and why is part of the adventure. Of course, so is figuring out if our band of adventurers should just make as much money from dungeon raiding as they can and escape the kingdom or if they should do something noble and try to figure out a way to save the kingdom. This was a very fun read and surprised me with it's uniqueness. Highly recommended to fantasy adventure fans.

Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. Some beings somewhat injured in dungeon traps, very perilous situations but no one is seriously hurt on page. (It is hinted some didn't survive certain traps in the past.)

[Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Read at work for review for ROYAL*

This book is pretty meh.

I picked this up at my review group for work hoping I would get a middle grade combo of Tomb Raider and fantasy creatures dabbling in puzzles and escape room like situations. Instead, this book was overly tropey, full of clichés, and very info dumpy.

The characters are also meh. Not one of them is that greatly developed, the majority of which seem a bit like copies of characters in other works, such as Harry Potter (Wily) or Guardians of the Galaxy (everyone else). The plot was pretty predictable and the way the rag tag group of misfits got out of trouble was seemingly all too easy on almost every occasion.

While usually one of my favorite parts of a fantasy is the made up terminology and slag words, in this case it was a huge deterrent. Everything that could be considered world building felt messy and like one giant info dump that was boring. Every time a new word was used, there would immediately be a paragraph explaining to what type of creature it belonged and what it meant, when half the time it was easy enough to guess what it meant. It kind of felt like the author wasn’t giving the reader a change to figure things out for themselves, which is ironic in a book that’s supposed to be about traps and puzzles.

Overall, I’m sure this will appeal to a lot of younger middle school aged children, but for me it was just okay. I liked the sense of adventure, but I wish the puzzle aspects would have been more prominent.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snared: Escape to the Above by Adam Jay Epstein, 306 pages. Imprint (Macmillan), 2018. $17.

Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (some fantasy fighting)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL – ESSENTIAL; MS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Wily Snare has lived his whole hobgoblin life in the underground lair of Stalag, an ancient wizard. Wily’s job is to build the traps keeping all of the adventurers far away from his master. But when an intrepid group of heroes bypass all of his traps, Wily himself is the ransom! Now he must venture into the dangerous unknown with a group of strangers – a blue-haired elf, a bald warrior whose right arm has a mind of its own, a moss giant (no, really – he’s made of moss), and his best hobgoblin friend. Wily begins to suspect he’s not really a hobgoblin and the others push him towards a destiny he could never have imagined.

Epstein has certainly honed his writing skills. All of his books are must-haves for elementary school libraries. A great swash-buckling fantasy adventure with excellent steampunk monsters and inventions added in. Memorable characters and just the right amount of action. Hmmm – it looks like a series, but I have no idea where it will go from here.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wily Snare has been lied to all his life. Brought up thinking he's a hobgoblet (one of the creatures, along with gwarves and oglodytes, that guard Carrion Tomb), he believes sunlight will melt the flesh off his bones – as evidenced by the burn mark on his arm. He also thinks that, in his role as trapsmith, he is doing tomb raiders a favor by giving their lives purpose, toiling in the mines. But then a team of treasure seekers slips past all his clever traps and plunders the treasure room, forcing the crypt wizard Stalag to give up one more thing: Wily himself. Apparently, an oracle told them that to accomplish their mission – to escape the mechanized tyranny of the Infernal King – they need Stalag's trapsmith.

Taking along his adopted hobgoblet sister Roveeka, Wily joins the unlikely team of Odette, an acrobatic elf whose mood swings follow the sun; Pryvyd, a knight who has forsaken his vows; Righteous, Pryvyd's detached arm that has ideas of its own; and Moshul, a golum covered in moss, mushrooms and insect nests, sort of a walking ecosystem who speaks in sign language. Their plan is to use Wily's trapsmithing skills to raid tombs and crypts all over the kingdom, until they raise enough money to buy passage across the sea. But as Wily learns more and more about who he really is – from accepting that he's a human to realizing that his mother and father are still out there – their mission changes toward saving the world.

This fast-paced book places a remarkable young character in the middle of a whimsical and dangerous fantasy world. Its magic has moods that vary from sad and grim to exuberant. It is full of weird creatures, goofy personalities, menacing machines and ingenious inventions – from a cackling skull who offers "a riddle for your life" to a mechanical flying machine to a mysterious hero who conceals his or her identity under a rainbow-colored collection of scarves. It has dragons, giant slugs and squid, bone soldiers, a floating city, a castle on wheels, tests of cleverness and courage and, best of all, the enchantment of finding family where you never would have looked.

This is the first book of the "Snared" series, continued in Lair of the Beast and Voyage on the Eversteel Sea. Adam Jay Epstein is also the co-author, with Andrew Jacobson, of four "Familiars" books and at least a couple "Starbounders" books, all for younger readers.

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Middle grade readers who enjoy fantasy adventure stories like Raiders of the Lost Ark or The Hobbit, will enjoy this new novel which begins a series by Adam Jay Epstein. The author says that he was inspired to write this book by questions that always puzzled him – “Have you ever wondered what happened after Indiana Jones ran away from the giant boulder? Who pushed it back into place for the next guy who came wandering in? And who greases the gears of all those crushing walls found deep in the catacombs? Or feeds the giant spiders while they wait for a new band of ring-laden adventurers to come wandering into their lair?”

This novel is written from the point of view of Wily Snare, a twelve-year-old boy who is the trap master in the deep underground world of Carrion Tomb. He has spent his whole life there creating traps, maintaining the tunnels, and capturing treasure hunting trespassers. He has often wondered about the outside world, what he knows as The Above.

But along comes a band of burglars that includes a blue-haired, acrobatic elf, a former-knight with a magic arm, and a giant creature made of dirt and moss who defy all of Wily’s best tricks and traps and defeat the keeper of the tomb. In addition to taking all of the tomb’s treasure, they also take Wily and his sister with them so that they’ll be able to make use of Wily’s skills as they continue to plunder treasures throughout the kingdom.

This book would be a great way to discuss point of view and narrative description with young readers and writers. I love the way the author describes the wonders of the outside world as seen through the eyes of Wily, who has never seen the sky, trees, mountains, butterflies, or a sunset. Everything is brand new to this character.

The book takes readers on a great adventure as Wily and his new friends escape all sorts of dangers – those chasing them from the Carrion Tombs, the soldiers of the Infernal King, and scary creatures that try to eat them. The book also has good character development as Wily experiences all that the outside world has to offer and learns the truth about his own background. This book is one that will be popular with readers of fantasy adventure.

[Mark Buxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

My name is Wily, and I was the trapsmith for Stalag's Carrion Tomb. However, Stalag the mage lied to me about everything, so I've run away with a small band of tomb raiders. I always believed the sun in the Above would kill me, but I've survived several days under the open sky. Even more surprising, I now know I'm not a hobgoblet. I'm a human! I've agreed to help the thieves raid another tomb, since they need a lot of money to escape the ruthless Infernal King's rule. I may need their help in return, because I've uncovered the truth about my parents. I assumed I came to Stalag because my parents were gone, but that was another one of his lies. My parents are alive, but that's both very good and very bad news.

The cast of characters for the story was intriguing. Wily had a talent for devising traps, as he was thought creatively and understood how machines worked. Other characters were Wily's "sister" (a hobgoblet), a golem, and a warrior with a detached arm. Actually, the arm itself was a free-thinking, sword-toting character with valiant intentions. The book even included a couple of separate antagonists. The Scarf was another mysterious character that regularly popped up to save the day, and the true identity was a surprise. Wily went through a dramatic transformation. He grew up in Carrion Tomb as the trapsmith and found it logical and normal to devise methods for capturing treasure seekers. However, later in the story, he learned the value of freedom and second-guessed the imprisonment of others. Like the arm character, Wily wanted to help the helpless and was willing to face unbeatable odds. The plot traveled across lands and through danger-filled mazes, and it had a wonderful blend of adventure, action, and character interaction. I liked the imagination of the obstacles and Wily's appreciation for the workmanship. The book won't win any awards, but it was a fun story to read.

[Gmr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of one Wily Snare. Raised by a menacing "father" figure deep in the Carrion Tomb and working as a trapsmith for as long as he can recall, the little hobgoblet has never seen the light of day...as in the actual sun because I guess his skin was suppose to melt off if its rays ever touched him. Yeah, sounds a LOT more than unpleasant, so I don't blame him for being a fan of the underground....but what if every thing he was ever told, every thing he ever took as truth, suddenly turned into a lie?

Yes, my friends, Wily Snare is in for QUITE the surprise, when invaders turn unexpected friends, his true heritage is revealed, and he finally finds the confidence within to not simply be a grand trapsmith, but a...well, okay, I can't say that part, but trust me, it's BIG, and it's GRAND, and it's all that his little non-gobhoblet (because he's HUMAN!) heart has desired for so long.

I adored the mysterious characters that kept creeping into the story, and how their purposes were always something more than what they at first appeared. I found the combination of magic and science, or rather more specifically engineering, on display fascinating, and a good representation of how they truly blend. My heart was shocked by some reflections though I did have my suspicions as the story progressed, but it was also warmed by the family Wily found, and how his sister from some other, well, mister/creature, stood by his side steadfast as Modul in a river (he's an moss golem, in water he drinks/hydrates...fascinating creature!).

All in all, a great fit for Middle Grade Fiction readers of all ages, boys and girls, elf and golem, hobgoblet and Roamabout, alike. There is so much to love, so much to discover, so much adventure to be had that one trip through the traps within doesn't seem like nearly enough....good thing it's the first in a NEW SERIES! (Woo hoo!)


**copy received for review

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snared, the story of Wily, a lad without his folks, living underground protecting a vast treasure.  His job?   Make traps!  Rebuild traps!   Keep the treasure safe, stay  underground always.  BUT...the unexpected comes along.   Oh, this review book took me about four hours maybe... (I had other stuff I needed to do at the same time so my timing is a bit flexible eh?)   to read through.   As soon as I was done I said "Lad, I think you'll like this book".  :)

Snared is written by novelist Adam Jay Epstein.  He co-authored middle school books such as The Familiars (I thought I recognized his style) and Starbounders.   Living in Los Angeles with his family, he has written for various film and television projects as well. 

It's hard for me to write about this book without giving away the story.  I just want to tell you EVERYTHING about it but ... I can't.  That's not what a book review is eh?  I love a good fantasy.  Anyways, Mr. Epstein takes his time at the start of the book to tell us everything he can about the world Wily is living in.  We learn of the life he lived, how he's never met his folks, the creatures he spends his time with, and how he views himself....a misbegotten hobgoblin.   We are introduced to two villains, The Infernal King and Stalag.   His life is safe underground but then.... his life is literally turned upside down.

And the story gets interesting...the adventures, the learning, the possibilities... it was all just rather intriguing indeed.   Good character development, back stories were added in well, horror described without being graphic, just enough adventure mixed with daily living to keep the book moving forward.  Not so incredibly fast paced that you feel like everything is a rush, yet not so bogged down by details you get bored.  Well balanced.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a 3.5 for me. For twelve years, Wily Snare has labored underground at the behest of Stalag, a cruel taskmaster if there ever was one. The mage has used Wily's talents as a trapsmith, designing traps to keep intruders out of the caverns where treasure has been secreted. But when a band of intruders looking for gold is able to circumvent all the effects that are supposed to keep them out, they take Wily with and Roveeka--the girl he considers to be his sister- with them. As it turns out, this is the best thing that could have happened to the two friends, and Odette, Pryvyd, and Moshul quickly become his friends as they seek additional treasure to fund a trip away from the lands that are controlled by the Infernal King, who uses machines to keep his citizens terrorized and firmly under his control. Not only does Wily come to learn that he's been lied to about many things during his time underground, but he also learns his true identity. The world building here is creative, and the use of unusual terms for familiar objects and concepts was interesting even while I was pretty sure where the story line was heading even from the beginning. I'd have liked to have known more of the back story of the king, but I still liked the characters and how they eventually had each other's backs even while the snares and attempts to keep them from causing trouble kept right on coming.

[Allie Outhouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

The tale was predictable and easy to follow but it was iniated from a fascinating concept: what if one's occupation was to design and maintain snares of a hidden treasure. The being chapters are fascinating as the author details what would be involved in creating, maintaining and resetting traps that an audience familiar with television might have frequently overlooked.

The characters and concepts are fascinating until about a fourth of the way through the book. From the moment our hero sees a town, the plot takes a nose dive into the predictable. With the Poalini's Black Hand love interest mixed with Pixar's Robots mechanics the only detail that kept the story alive were the antic of the gynastic morning elf and a mishappen garden gollom. Parentage and theft of intellectual property are addressed but all the interesting conversations and details are provided before the town.

However, if you like mechanical twists for maniacal royalty you'll likely enjoy the amazing concept gone awry.

[Amy Sinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this title was super clever, Escape to the Above makes one wonder what is “above” and would the opposite be below, and why would one be below, versus above? Lol.

There are a lot of weird creatures with weird names, which appealed to my 12-year old son, as did the main character, Wily Snare, who is a trap smith that builds/creates traps to stop thieves from trying to steal the treasure of Carrion Tomb, where Wily has grown up believing he is a hob-goblet (he is human).

He is aware there is an “above” but has been told he would die (burst into flames, I believe he was told!) if he went outside the caves. The plot thickens when an interesting band of thieves/heroes takes Wily from his dungeon home (with his hobgoblet “sister”) and opens up his world to new possibilities and the truth of his existence.

We listened to the audiobook and enjoyed it. The narrators voice was annoying at times, but his range of voices was impressive!

We’re on to the 2nd book, Lair of the Beast.

[Cynthia Parkhill · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a questing hero races through a tomb -- pursued by an enormous boulder or bombarded with a flight of poisoned darts -- do you ever think about whose job it must've been to set up those lavish obstacles?

Wily Snare is a "trapsmith," employed by a reclusive wizard who jealously guards his treasure. Wily has worked for the wizard Stalag for as long as he can remember: keeping the traps in working order, cleaning up after and coaching the "monsters" who help to guard the tomb, and clearing away the latest set of unconscious heroes before the next "visitors" arrive.

Wily has never been above-ground because Stalag convinced him that he would die if he was exposed to sunlight. Stalag has told him a lot of things, actually. But an unusual set of tomb-raiding adventurers bring unimaginable change to Wily's ordered existence.

Escape to the Above is an exciting tale, told from the perspective of a skilled technician who understands the dungeon's secrets in a way that few others do. I look forward to further adventures of Wily and his friends.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wily Snare lives in Carrion Tomb. He is a trapsmith which means that Wily cleans, maintains, and creates new traps to prevent knights, wizards, and elves from invading and stealing the tomb’s treasures. Wily is very good at his job. So good in fact that one group of invaders consider Wily to be the treasure and steal him away from the only home he has ever known. Once on the outside, Wily discovers that many of the things he was told about the Above are not true. It is a place of many wonders. But one truth he learns is that an evil king terrorizes the land. Wily may be the only one with the skills to defeat the Infernal King.

Escape to the Above is a rollicking adventure with unique, likable, disparate characters that morph into a family. This entertaining read is filled with humor, magic, wonder, and a steampunk vibe. Epstein’s refreshing series starter promises more action to come in subsequent volumes of this lighthearted, satisfying fantasy.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Join Wiley Snare, the master escape designer, as he, along with his half-sister hobgoblet Roveeka, Odette the blue-haired Elf, Pryvd, the one armed knight and his free-floating arm, Righteous, and Moshul the moss golem who can only speak in sign language, as they encounter puzzle after puzzle, adventure after adventure, followed by an evil wizard, an evil king, traps, wicked fairies, gossipy shady salesmen and robotic soldiers in a world all revolving around puzzles!
Great book for future Tolkien fans, great book for fans of Chris Grabenstein's Lemoncello Library series, good read for adults or fans of Henson's Labyrinth film or of Indiana Jones, great book that also uses S.T.E.M./S.T.E.A.M.,
Should be a movie!
Wish I had this as a kid!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice, easy read.

It's fairly lighthearted. It's rather Legend of Zelda-esque with our heros raiding "dungeons" for good. It's about the same level of "violence", maybe even tamer. No romance that I've noticed. An interesting storyline. A few good twists that are predictable if you've read a lot of juvenile fantasy, but still enjoyable. There are a lot of very new and interesting ideas that I thought were fun, but don't want to spoil.

I think it would be great for kids, and a good relaxing, fun read for adults.

Oh, and he wrote a male character who easily acknowledges his female friends' fighting superiority without even mentioning their gender. So there's room for both SJWs and conservatives to be happy, which is impressive.

[غنية · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t enjoy it. It felt dumb. The description of the protagonist’s brilliance just doesn’t align with the challenges he faces, which feel like child’s play. Supposedly, this is a story about solving wicked traps and invading impossible dungeons, but every time, the characters cheat their way through and miraculously skip the traps!
The characters themselves are another issue; they’re flat, and there’s no room for development or growth. They’re so rigid and devoid of any real depth. For example, there’s the evil, wicked king; the proud, egotistical elf; the righteous and loyal knight; the mute moss giant who symbolizes strength; not to mention the useless, loving mother; and finally, of course, our dull hero.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty good. You got to know Wily very much and from the beginning and you knew he wasn't a hobgoblet like the others in Carrion Cave. The setting was humorous but the plot was predictable. I liked how it was told from the POV of a trap master in a dungeon as opposed to the group of friends/heroes ransacking the dungeon to obtain the treasure. It was a pleasurable twist. It is a good read for a middle school aged kid or even a fifth grader. I also greatly enjoyed all the different monsters and their lingo.

[Teresa Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that the book was fine, though upper grades will find it predictable. I think that elementary students will love the book. Wily Snare makes traps underground to catch people trying to get the wizard's gold. Wily is very good at making traps and some adventures learn about him and want to trap him! Wily is scared at going above ground and unsure about this group. Will he be brave to try something new and save a kingdom? You will have to read this to find out. (review by Eli, grade 8)

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Snared is an enjoyable story with some interesting ideas, but pacewise could have been a much longer book and perhaps could have used a little more to it. Also, there were some inconsistencies in the story not caught by editing but they were for the most part easy to overlook for the parts of the book that were genuinely charming.

it felt like we didn't get to explore any of the more interesting ideas that deeply but I have high hopes for later entries in the series!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good novel for 4th and up.
Willy lives in the dungeon and is the Trapmaster- he creates all the traps that catches the treasure hunters. I liked how innocent the main character is, his is happily creating traps that catch people so they can get a new job working in the mines. He believes everything that his Father tells him about the Above- his skin would melt etc.
Good adventure and fun story about family and working as a team.

[Griffin D · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the worst book I have ever read. The story is a good one, sure. But it is too convenient. When the characters have a problem, POOF! The problem is soled by a very convenient character. I'm just gonna go all out. The main character's dad is the main antagonist, and he thinks his mom is dead, when POOF! she's alive! The author doesn't explain the universe, character, backstories, or monsters in the universe. It all just happens. Do not read this book.

[Alice Kuhn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Willy was told that if he ever went outside he would die. He has lived his life in an underground dungeon. His job is to make traps to capture people that come down to the dungeon to steal his "father's" treasure. That all changes when a group of unlikely heroes successfully make it through Willy's traps. They need Willy's skill so that they cannot defeat the Infernal King. Great fantasy with a little mystery.;

[Taylor Ren’e Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wily Snare is a love able non-hobgoblet who goes on the adventure and saves the day. There was nothing really original about this book. Absolutely everything was extremely predictable. The bad guy is...guess what? His father. The vigilante fighting him is... guess who? His long lost mother. But it was cute and fun and overall a good starter middle grade adventure fantasy.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun concept that should seem even fresher to children -- a view of the adventurers (D&D style) seen from the point of view of the dungeon maintenance crew. And the book goes on to play with many fantasy assumptions while remaining a hero's journey at the core.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little predictable, but that's not a bad thing in fantasy stories! We like our grand quests to turn out well for the heroes. Can Odette cool it with the acrobatics for a minute, though? (Evidently not.) And the identity of the mysterious freedom fighter The Scarf was certainly unexpected!

[Yapha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun fantasy novel with great adventure and tinkering. Nice Makerspace tie-ins. Recommended for grades 4 & up.

[Shirley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Typical "hero's journey" with an abrupt end.