Matt Myklusch

DNF at 17%

I refuse to subject myself to any further torture. NO MORE!

This is bland and cardboard-like. It's mind-numbing in simplicity. Clarification: there are 1) simple = easy to understand and 2) simple = bland, dull, oversimplified. This here is the later case.

This would probably be suitable for a 6.y.o but I don't think a kid that young would appreciate whatever story the author was trying to build here.

FINAL VERDICT: AVOID LIKE A PLAGUE
Believe you me, there are better books out there. Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Cloak Society, Narnia, His Dark Materials to name a few.… (más)

While the cover and blurb drew me in, I was a little skeptical about the high page count. This, however, was such a fun read that the heavy page count wasn't a problem.

Joey isn't exactly an exceptional student, but he's great at taking test. When he ends up getting a perfect score on a set of tests and is marked as genius, he's knows that this is a bunch of trash. He doesn't know anything outside of comics and movies. Definitely, not school stuff. Still, his parents are determined to chase this and soon have him registered at a school for the gifted. When he arrives to take some more test which should determine the rest of his life, things take a strange turn. He's given a box of magical tricks, 150 of them and all to be solved within one hour. Somehow, he does it and the results send him soaring into the world of magic and a dangerous war.

This is a fun read full of magic, quirky fun and tons of fast-paced adventure. In other words, it's a blast. The beginning runs fairly quickly as Joey heads from a perfect score to the gifted school and finds himself in a strange and spooky place—a deserted New York street with a theatre and tons of creepy shadows. The setting begs for a fantastical adventure, and that's exactly what this book gives.

The writing flows at just the right pace. There are enough descriptions to draw into the world, but these usually don't run extremely deep. Instead, the plot shoots forward and is pulled along with fun dialogue. Imagination takes flight, making this an adventure made for the age group. And for those adults who still know that magic is possible if one simply is ready to believe.

I received an ARC and loved the imagination and adventure so much that I wanted to leave my honest thoughts.… (más)