Series: Seven Wonders #1
Genre: Middle Grade, fantasy, adventure
Published on February 5, 2013
Published by HarperCollins
Pages: 348
Read From: 10.22.14 - 10.24.14
SYNOPSIS
JUST ONE BOY. . . .Jack McKinley is an ordinary kid with an extraordinary problem. In six months, Jack is going to die.
JUST ONE MISSION. . . .After Jack collapses in the middle of a busy street, he's whisked off to a strange hospital in a strange place. There are armed guards and weird kids and fantastic creatures, not to mention no parents, no phones, and no possibility of escape. The place is run by an odd professor named Bhegad, who tells Jack that what's killing him is a genetic trait inherited from the prince of a long-lost civilization. It's destroying Jack by making him too strong too fast. He'll need to stay strong, though - because it's up to him to save the world.
JUST ONE PROBLEM. . . .That long-lost civilization sank when seven magic Loculi were stolen and hidden around the world. Now Jack and his friends must find the Loculi before they fall into the wrong hands. If they don't, they'll never be cured, that lost world will rise, oceans will be displaced, and life as we know it will pretty much end.
Review
Cover Blurb: Yes or No? Love the cover art! Very Percy Jackson-esque and adventure-esque, and intriguing. And the story inside did not, thankfully, disappoint.
Characters: I'm going to be honest with you: I read this so fast that I really don't remember much about it - other than it was entertaining. The characters were all great characters; Jack very sympathetic, though I wish he hadn't taken so long to accept what was in front of him. Aly was a great female character - tough but no attitude. Cass was the oddball of the group - talking backwards when he got excited and/or nervous - and my favorite. Marco kind of held everyone together. And that's as far as my memory takes me.
The Romance: None!
Plot: Jack is getting ready for school, just like any other normal day, when he passes out in the middle of the street and whisked off to a hospital. He's there long enough to get kidnapped again - and whisked off to a mysterious and secret base on an isolated island, where he's told that he's going to die. Jack, along with three other kids, are descended from Atlantians - yeah, that place that sunk under the water. Atlantis had seven sources of power that were stolen long ago. And unless Jack and his new friends want to die on their sixteenth birthdays, they need to find these seven Loculi and restore them to Atlantis. Of course, as in any good adventure novel, they aren't the only ones after the Loculi. And can the side they're on really even be trusted? The plot is strong, fast-paced, and engaging. Again, I wish Jack had accepted everything a bit faster. Don't deny the proof before your eyes. And in a Middle Grade adventure novel, denial just makes things slow. There were some surprising stakes in The Colossus Rises. I wasn't sure if the Author was the sort who would do whatever was required to his characters, despite it being Middle Grade, and I can't say that he didn't disappoint. Every character in this book feels mortal. The world building is done very well, if not a little too slowly. The first part of the book is mostly spent with explanations for everything, and that could bog some Readers down. But the Author has a good world going.
Believability: Not applicable.
Writing Style: First person, past tense. Jack is a perfectly acceptable narrator, and the style has a sense of humor very similar to Rick Riordan's.
Content: None.
Conclusion: Everyone has said that this is the next series for Rick Riordan and 39 Clues fans. I would agree with that statement, except I would say that this is more for 39 Clues fans. I made the mistake of going into The Colossus Rises expecting it to be Rick Riordan. So I wasn't able to appreciate the first half of this book as much as I could have. This absolutely will appeal to Percy Jackson Readers, but you can't go into any book expecting it to live up to The Master. ;-) Once I got over that, I was completely able to appreciate The Colossus Rises for what it was: a terrific first book in a terrific and promising new Middle Grade adventure series. I would say that this was a little mediocre in terms of pacing, but the climax totally upped the game. And I look forward to Book #2.
Recommended Audience: Girl-and-boy read, nine-and-up, fans of 39 Clues, Eternity Ring, and Rick Riordan.
The Romance: None!
Plot: Jack is getting ready for school, just like any other normal day, when he passes out in the middle of the street and whisked off to a hospital. He's there long enough to get kidnapped again - and whisked off to a mysterious and secret base on an isolated island, where he's told that he's going to die. Jack, along with three other kids, are descended from Atlantians - yeah, that place that sunk under the water. Atlantis had seven sources of power that were stolen long ago. And unless Jack and his new friends want to die on their sixteenth birthdays, they need to find these seven Loculi and restore them to Atlantis. Of course, as in any good adventure novel, they aren't the only ones after the Loculi. And can the side they're on really even be trusted? The plot is strong, fast-paced, and engaging. Again, I wish Jack had accepted everything a bit faster. Don't deny the proof before your eyes. And in a Middle Grade adventure novel, denial just makes things slow. There were some surprising stakes in The Colossus Rises. I wasn't sure if the Author was the sort who would do whatever was required to his characters, despite it being Middle Grade, and I can't say that he didn't disappoint. Every character in this book feels mortal. The world building is done very well, if not a little too slowly. The first part of the book is mostly spent with explanations for everything, and that could bog some Readers down. But the Author has a good world going.
Believability: Not applicable.
Writing Style: First person, past tense. Jack is a perfectly acceptable narrator, and the style has a sense of humor very similar to Rick Riordan's.
Content: None.
Conclusion: Everyone has said that this is the next series for Rick Riordan and 39 Clues fans. I would agree with that statement, except I would say that this is more for 39 Clues fans. I made the mistake of going into The Colossus Rises expecting it to be Rick Riordan. So I wasn't able to appreciate the first half of this book as much as I could have. This absolutely will appeal to Percy Jackson Readers, but you can't go into any book expecting it to live up to The Master. ;-) Once I got over that, I was completely able to appreciate The Colossus Rises for what it was: a terrific first book in a terrific and promising new Middle Grade adventure series. I would say that this was a little mediocre in terms of pacing, but the climax totally upped the game. And I look forward to Book #2.
Recommended Audience: Girl-and-boy read, nine-and-up, fans of 39 Clues, Eternity Ring, and Rick Riordan.
Others in the Seven Wonders Series:
1)The Colossus Rises
2)Lost in Babylon
3)The Tomb of Shadows
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