The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book hovers between 2 and 3 stars for me. I liked the basic idea - the atlas, the orphans, the magician...it had the elements of a good read-aloud book for the kids and I to share. It didn't work out that way. The characters were too forced for me. The oldest was determined and worried and protective. That's it. There was no additional depth. The brother was over-the-top bookish and backwards. Every sentence, every situation, was exactly the same. And the youngest was angry and fierce and violent. Again, that was her only pattern. I quickly wearied of the youngest and the middle and by the end of the book the oldest was on my last nerve. I don't think we'll read the next two books because I can't imagine books focused on the younger siblings.
I was surprised by the violence. We have read other series (Harry Potter, Septimus Heap, Artemis Fowl) with aggression and threats and my kids weren't troubled. This book's violence was more difficult for the kids. Instead of someone dropping dead from a spell, there were dwarfs with axes that wanted to cut off kids' hands and children imprisoned for 2 years without parents. My youngest quit listening after the ax incident. In my opinion, this book might be a little too intense for the 8 year olds or for children that are a little more anxious about separation.
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