Secrets of Stone and Sea

by Allison K. Hymas

A summer visiting grandma turns into an epic life-or-death middle-grade adventure about twin brothers who must use their wits to keep the god of the sea from sinking their city.

Rise, the ocean rise,
Rise and greet the shore,
With red and bread, he feeds on the dead
And meets you at the door.

In Allison K. Hymas's Secrets of Stone and Sea , twelve-year-old identical twins Peter and Kai are spending the summer in the town of Seaspire when ancient legends quickly pit the boys against a furious sea creature with the power to destroy worlds and sink cities. To prevent it from drowning the entire town of Seaspire, they'll have to solve a set of codes and puzzles with ties to the lost city of Atlantis.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Mythology, Fiction, Urban Fantasy

304 pages, Hardcover

First published October 18, 2022

About the author

Hello, readers! It's great to meet you!

I was born in Provo, Utah, but raised (along with my 4 siblings) in Virginia and Pennsylvania.

As a middle schooler, I was a law-abiding citizen (except for the occasional offense of reading under my desk when I should have been listening).

I now hold an MFA from Brigham Young University and currently live in Utah. Under Locker and Key is my first novel. I'm hard at work writing Jeremy Wilderson's further adventures.

Reviews

[Jimjoebob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, I picked this book because one of the characters shares my child's name. It was a fun light read and it kept his attention well. Great book for 8-10 year olds.

[Eileen Winfrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twins Kai and Peter accidentally raise a monster who is an embodiment of the sea while on vacation in their grandmother's Massachusetts oceanside town. The sea is enraged and bent of destroying everything (for reasons that aren't really clear) and the twins work to find a way to bind The Sea back into whatever prison they raised it from. Some lore from Atlantis, some American History, some supernatural folklore from other ancient civilizations help the boys and their family through a series of Indiana Jones-esque challenges until the final climax. A whole lot going on but a decent read. (Is it me or is the font in this edition really small? Time for glasses?)

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this book started out a little too fast paced for me, I rather enjoyed it in the end. The main characters grew and changed along the way and I really liked the parallels between them and what was happening, between when the right time is to act and when the right time is to hold back and think. The book also contained fun riddles and snippets of history. All in all, it was a quick, enjoyable read!

[Estrella Nguyen]

I can't wait to get my hands on this! :D

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus or Netgalley

[Mira Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well-written, with good pacing, interesting characters, and an all-in-all breathtaking story with major mystery and mythology elements. This is definitely going on my favorites list!

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

An adventure story about twin brothers on a world-risking quest. Interesting and exciting for a certain kind of middle grade adventure reader—the one who likes books with lots of racing around and solving puzzles, like the Artemis Fowl or The Mysterious Benedict Society books.