Showing posts with label Five Kingdoms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Five Kingdoms. Show all posts

March 31, 2017

Death Weavers (Five Kingdoms #4) by Brandon Mull 5/5 stars

Hey, guys! I've been wanting to read Death Weavers for so long but kept getting sidetracked. I loved this series (reviews of books1-2, book 3), and even if I have aged out of it, I loved getting back into the universe. It was entertaining and gave me a good sense of nostalgia, too.

The Cover:


The Cover:
It shows Cole facing off against an echo (basically a ghost). I can't pinpoint what exact part of the book this is showing (if you know, leave it in comments!) but either way, it isn't my favorite cover. B cover. 

Official Description:
Cole is about to face his biggest peril yet.
Since arriving in the Outskirts, Cole and his friends have fought monsters, challenged knights, and battled rampaging robots. But none of that has prepared them for Necronum.
In this haunting kingdom, it’s hard to tell the living from the dead, and secret pacts carry terrifying risks. Within Necronum lies the echolands, a waystation for the departed where the living seldom venture.
Still separated from his power, Cole must cross to the echolands and rely on his instincts to help rescue his friends. With enemies closing in, Cole risks losing everything to find the one thing that might save them.


My Review:
I really enjoyed Death Weavers. As always with this series, the characters were fun and likable, the plot was interesting and fast-moving, and the drama only increased. 

After waiting almost a year between reading this book and the one before it, I was worried that the story would lose me, and I wouldn't remember enough to enjoy the book. That was not the case. Death Weavers reminds you of the story just enough to trigger your memories, but not enough to be boring if you just read book three yesterday. It was perfectly balanced in that regard.

Death Weavers is the most exciting book in the Five Kingdoms series to date. The danger has increased in this book as it builds to the final book in the series, Time Jumpers. The plot moved incredibly fast, keeping me on the edge of my seat.

However, the characters spent most of the book split up. This worked well with the story, but if you are only reading this book for Mira or Jace, then for the majority of the book, you will be disappointed. Usually I am against splitting characters up, as it just confuses the story, but since Cole's in the only point of view you see from, it works well in this book.

There were some new characters as well! They were quirky and fun to read about. There is also a nod to the Beyonders series with two characters from that series making an appearance, which was fun. Don't worry though, if you haven't read The Beyonders, you won't miss out. It's just a nice bonus to fans of Mull's previous series. (But, Beyonders is one of my favorite series of all time, so I would give it a shot anyway.)

Really the only drawback of this series is that I am frustrated that Cole doesn't have his powers anymore. He has a really neat piece of his character that has just been set aside. However, *mild spoiler alert* Cole finally connects with his abilities again near the end of this book, so I am looking forward to reading more about that! *spoiler alert end*

Overall, I would recommend reading Death Weavers if you have read the previous book in the series. The series in general is pretty good. Be aware that it is aimed more at a middle school aged audience, give or take a few years. I have definitely aged out of this series, but I still found it to be a pleasant read. Just make sure you know this is a little "younger" of a book than most I post reviews for.

Phrase:
Echoes

If You Liked This Book, You May Also Like:
The Beyonders series

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Happy Reading!

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April 1, 2016

Crystal Keepers (Five Kingdoms #3) by Brandon Mull 4.5/5 stars

Hey, guys!  I just finished Crystal Keepers by Brandon Mull.  It was great, just like the rest of this series.  If you haven't read any books in this series, here's book 1/ book 2.

The Cover:
The Cover:
It shows a robot attacking Cole and Constance in Zeropolis. It's not my kind of cover.  At all.  B-

Official Description:
Cole Randolph is trapped in a world where magic is powerful and dreams are real. He found his friend Dalton and has survived the first two kingdoms of the Outskirts. But none of that has prepared him for the magnetic highways and robotic bounty hunters of Zeropolis.
Ruled by Abram Trench, the one Grand Shaper who stayed loyal to the evil High King, the government of Zeropolis uses advanced technologies to keep tight control. Luckily, the resistance in Zeropolis is anchored by the Crystal Keepers, a group of young rebels with unique weapons.
On the run from the High King's secret police, Cole and Dalton venture to find more of their lost friends, and help their new friend, Mira, locate her sister Constance. But as their enemies ruthlessly dismantle the resistance, time runs out for Cole to uncover the secrets behind the Zeropolitan government and unravel the mystery of who helped the High King steal his daughters' powers. Can Cole fix The Outskirts magic, or will he be stranded forever?


My Review:
This book was very pleasant.  Despite the fact that it had been a year and a half since I read book 2, it was not hard to orient myself inside the story. If you enjoyed the first two books, you will like this one as well.  
That being said, this was not my favorite book in the series.  There was a lot of setup for the next two books in the series and significantly less action than the previous books.
That just left more time for character development, which ran rampant in this book.  The characters in this series are very relatable and are unique.  From just a line of dialogue, you can tell which character is speaking because they are so distinct.
The plot was exciting and the adventure was thrilling. 
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book, but then again, I enjoy everything that Brandon Mull writes.  If you enjoyed the previous books, definitely pick up Crystal Keepers.  If you haven't read any of this series, give it a shot (keeping in mind, its target market is closer to twelve-year-olds than most posts on my blog).

Phrase:
Roxie the robot

If You Liked This Book, You May Also Like:
The Outcasts
The Sword of Summer
Tesla's Attic

Happy Reading!

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October 21, 2014

The Rogue Knight (Five Kingdoms #2) by Brandon Mull (Awesome)


The Rogue Knight is the second book in the Five Kingdoms Series, the first book being Sky Raiders.  I loved both books immensely.  Brandon Mull did it again.  He is an amazing author who I've enjoyed reading basically everything from.  My favorite series from him is the Beyonders series (link to information of the first in that series), closely followed by Fablehaven and Candy Shop War.  His books tend to have this strange characteristic of sounding absolutely terrible and goofy, at least until you start reading and engaging with the story.

I'll post a really tiny review I wrote of Sky Raiders before I move on. (For more information, follow the link to Sky Raider's Goodreads page)
Review:
While probably meant for twelve year old boys, I loved Sky Raiders. It was unique and awesome. I love Brandon Mull and everything he does (writing-wise anyway). He even got a lot of points for making the book's epigraph lyrics from the Killer's song Dustland Fairytale. It is full of great comebacks, irony, exciting plot points, cool characters, and a surprisingly large amount of slavery (possibly too much slavery).  I enjoyed reading it and highly recommend for you to as well.

Back to The Rogue Knight.  For this point on, there may be spoilers for the first book, sorry!

The Cover:

The Cover:
It shows the Rogue Knight swinging at Cole and Mira with his sword.  Meanwhile, Cole attempts to defend Mira and himself with his Jumping Sword which is glowing.

Official Description:
Cole Randolph never meant to come to The Outskirts, but when his friends were kidnapped on Halloween he had to try and save them. Now he's trapped in a world that lies between wakefulness and dreaming, reality and imagination, life and death.
Cole's search for his friends has led him to Elloweer, another of the five kingdoms that make up The Outskirts. He's accompanied by Mira, Twitch, and Jace, new friends he's met here in the Outskirts who each have their own important missions.
The group is following news that Mira's sister, Honor, could be in danger. However, Cole and Mira are soon the ones facing direct threat, and must resort to a fascinating new kind of magic to protect themselves. Their journey brings them across familiar faces, some more welcome than others, until their paths ultimately cross with the infamous man known throughout Elloweer as the Rogue Knight.
Will he turn out to be an unstoppable enemy, or a key ally?
Every move is filled with danger as Cole and his new friends try and outwit the High Knig, who will stop at nothing to regain what he has lost.

My Review:
I really enjoyed reading The Rogue Knight.  I was constantly surprised by where the story was going and was completely caught off guard by one key plot twist.  This novel was beautifully written, creative, and even very funny at times.  It was a perfect sequel to Sky Raiders and picked up right where the last book left off.  It was a fast-paced and easy read for all ages.

I loved the characters in this series for the most part.  For example, I loved the returning characters (Mira, Cole, Jace, Twitch, etc.) even more during Rogue Knight but I found some of the new characters a little bit irritating.  (However, my annoyance with them might not have been entirely with them but with the altering of the previous characters' dynamics.)  Either way, there was plenty of character development that occurred during this book, as well as really amusing banter.  Who doesn't love a good comeback? or some excessive sarcasm?

I loved all of the plot lines of The Rogue Knight! Seemingly unconnected circumstances would slowly connect themselves as I was reading, conquering up a puzzle board that slowly pieced itself together.  Yet still a few pieces are missing.  Even more reason to continue the series as it comes out. (The following book is Crystal Keepers out this March.)

The Rogue Knight was a great installment in the Five Kingdoms series, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who has read Sky Raiders, which I would, in turn, recommend to everyone.  Both were exciting reads with complex characters and lots of fun.

The Rogue Knight comes out November 18, 2014

Phrase:
Brady's Wilderness

*Note: This book was given to me by Aladdin through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review*