Saturday, June 5, 2010
"The Pyramid of Souls: Magickeepers Book 2" by Erica Kirov (Reviewed by Cindy Hannikman)
Overview: Nick has recently discovered that he comes from a long line of Russian magicians, known as the Magickeepers. He has recently moved into the Winter Palace Hotel and Casino where his family doubles as a performing magician act in an effort to hide their real magic.
Nick and his family are in danger. An artifact, the Pyramid of Souls, which at one point was protected by Edger Allen Poe and has the power to steal a person's soul, has gone missing. the people who now have possession of it can use it to cause real damage and destruction around the world.
In an effort to protect his family, Nick puts himself in harms way to make sure that evil forces do not gain anymore power. The path to finding the Pyramid of Souls will lead Nick and his new friends on a journey to far off places.
Format: Pyramid of Souls is the second book in the Magickeeper series. It stands at 163 pages. It was published by Sourcebooks on May 1, 2010.
Analysis: Magickeepers Book 1 came across my reading last year. The combination of a magic family and Russian culture caught my eye and I really wanted to explore the book. The first book while a decent story really didn't leave a lasting impression on me, it appeared to drag in some areas. However, in an effort to be fair to Erica Kirov as it was her debut book I thought I'd give her second book a try. There is really a big improvement in this novel.
As the second book in the series, Pyramid of Souls really allows Kirov to show off a bit more of the characters and the adventures that they will lead. My major complaint in the first book was the over-explaining of background information and the amount of time it took the main character, Nick, to learn magic. I also felt there was an overuse of the Russian culture in the first book, which is massively toned down in this second book. With all that behind us, readers can really be swept up in the storyline.
Magickeepers is definitely a novel/series for younger readers, and will really appeal to children. The characters are fairly detailed for a children's book, but adults will have a hard time feeling any connection to the 12 year old characters. Although, Kirov does take the opportunity to mix a bit of history and people from history, in this case Edger Allen Poe, and I can see adults appreciating how these characters fit nicely into a children's story. The use of history isn't overdone but it's used in a way that can spark an interest in children. The Russian culture is also a bit interesting for both children and adults.
Events happen fairly quickly and there's a lot of quick moving action scenes. This allows children to not become bored with the novel.
Overall, I found this book an incredibly quick read and am pleased to see how much Erica Kirov has grown as a children's writer. I actually look forward to her third book and seeing what she can do with this series!
Nick and his family are in danger. An artifact, the Pyramid of Souls, which at one point was protected by Edger Allen Poe and has the power to steal a person's soul, has gone missing. the people who now have possession of it can use it to cause real damage and destruction around the world.
In an effort to protect his family, Nick puts himself in harms way to make sure that evil forces do not gain anymore power. The path to finding the Pyramid of Souls will lead Nick and his new friends on a journey to far off places.
Format: Pyramid of Souls is the second book in the Magickeeper series. It stands at 163 pages. It was published by Sourcebooks on May 1, 2010.
Analysis: Magickeepers Book 1 came across my reading last year. The combination of a magic family and Russian culture caught my eye and I really wanted to explore the book. The first book while a decent story really didn't leave a lasting impression on me, it appeared to drag in some areas. However, in an effort to be fair to Erica Kirov as it was her debut book I thought I'd give her second book a try. There is really a big improvement in this novel.
As the second book in the series, Pyramid of Souls really allows Kirov to show off a bit more of the characters and the adventures that they will lead. My major complaint in the first book was the over-explaining of background information and the amount of time it took the main character, Nick, to learn magic. I also felt there was an overuse of the Russian culture in the first book, which is massively toned down in this second book. With all that behind us, readers can really be swept up in the storyline.
Magickeepers is definitely a novel/series for younger readers, and will really appeal to children. The characters are fairly detailed for a children's book, but adults will have a hard time feeling any connection to the 12 year old characters. Although, Kirov does take the opportunity to mix a bit of history and people from history, in this case Edger Allen Poe, and I can see adults appreciating how these characters fit nicely into a children's story. The use of history isn't overdone but it's used in a way that can spark an interest in children. The Russian culture is also a bit interesting for both children and adults.
Events happen fairly quickly and there's a lot of quick moving action scenes. This allows children to not become bored with the novel.
Overall, I found this book an incredibly quick read and am pleased to see how much Erica Kirov has grown as a children's writer. I actually look forward to her third book and seeing what she can do with this series!
5:48 AM | 
Posted by
Cindy |
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