Max and the Isle of Sanctus (Secrets of the Twilight Djinn, #2) by John Peragine – Review

Tags

4 stars, Adventure, Book Review, childrens books, djinn, dragon, fantasy, John Peragine, kraken, magic, middle grade, pirates, sailing ships, series, witches

About Max and the Isle of Sanctus by John Peragine

In the second book of Secrets of the Twilight Djinn, Max Daybreaker embarks on all new adventures. Max must battle a Kraken, ride a fire-breathing dragon, and defeat the evil djinn whose powers are growing every day. The stakes are high for Max as he tries to protect his friends from angry sea gods and a vengeful sultan while also saving his mom from a terrible curse! Max must reach the Isle of Sanctus using his unpredictable magic power and foes on all sides before time runs out.

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Review of Max and the Isle of Sanctus

Max and the Isle of Sanctus is filled with pages of non-stop adventure for Max and his friends.  While Max continues to try to reunite with his family, he and the pirates get into more trouble.  Everywhere Max goes, there is someone or something trying to stop him.  Dark and dangerous, the journey is full of daring kids, swashbuckling pirates and loads of magical creatures. 

Max’s gut thinks it knows who is good and who is evil, but he is a kid with little experience to train a gut.  Which leads to never really knowing who is an enemy and who is a friend.  So, constant danger?  Yes.  Scary education for Max?  Also yes.

Captain Cinn is hilarious and is all about the next meal!  Not because he likes to eat but because he loves to cook good food for his friends.  Cinn is my favorite character and I hope he continues to feature in the series. 

I think Max still has plenty of exploits ahead of him.  This is a fun series for the middle graders who want to escape to the adventures of the high seas. 

Thanks to the author who provided a copy of his book in exchange for my honest review.

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Max and the Spice Thieves (Secrets of the Twilight Djinn, #1) by Max Peragine – Review

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5 stars, Adventure, Book Review, childrens books, djinn, fantasy, John Peragine, magic, middle grade, sailing ships, series, witches

About Max and the Spice Thieves by John Peragine

When his mother goes missing, Max Daybreaker’s world is turned upside down. Luckily, a crew of Spice Pirates, led by the mysterious Captain Cinn, help Max on his dangerous mission across the three seas. Along the way, an unlikely alliance aids in his search—a teenage warrior queen, a three-eyed seer, and an assassin spy. Their journey takes them through treacherous lands while facing shapeshifting bears, an ancient witch, harpies, and the nightmarish Djinn, who will stop at nothing to enslave the world. With every new challenge, Max unlocks the secrets of his unsettling past. Powers awaken within, forcing him to question everything he knows. Is Max who he thinks he is? Only time and destiny will tell…

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Review of Max and the Spice Thieves

I saw this book and I knew I had to try it, even though I don’t often read middle grade books.  Max and the Spice Thieves is a remarkable adventure for readers of any age.  Non-stop action, all sorts of heroes, villains, magic and a family’s peril kept me engrossed from start to finish.

Max is an engaging young boy, whose mission to save his mother becomes so much more. Keeping company with a pirate, Max meets a variety of characters, including a young queen, a witch and some talking polar bears.  I loved the mix of characters, the unending search for mom, and the constant peril. 

Max and the Spice Thieves is a true page-turner.  Be prepared to read late into the night.  The ending was perfect, especially since I was hoping for more adventures for Max and his friends.  Did I say I don’t read middle grade books?  Well, maybe one or two…

Through NetGalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book so that I could bring you this review.

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Skycircus (The Cogheart Adventures, #3) by Peter Bunzl – Review

Tags

5 stars, Book Review, childrens, circus, clockwork, middle grade, Peter Bunzl, series, Steampunk

Note: Animated cover downloaded from Peter Bunzl’s author website.

About Skycircus by Peter Bunzl

When a travelling skycircus arrives in Brackenbridge, Lily and Robert can’t wait to step aboard… But there’s something sinister about the hybrid children who appear as part of the act. And before Lily and Robert can do anything, they’re captured by shadowy figures and whisked off in the mysterious flying circus to somewhere far, far away…

Treachery, tight-ropes and trickery combine in this incredible third Cogheart adventure.

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Review of Skycircus

The third installment in the Cogheart series is even more adventurous that the first two.  In Skycircus, Lily is mysteriously presented with a ticket for her and her friends to get into the exciting travelling Skycircus and maybe even meet Miss Angelique, the girl with wings.  Now, any adult would have been suspicious.  But on her birthday, Lily was feeling neglected, so off she went with Robert and Malkin.  They were sure they could make it home before Papa even missed them.

Of course, the Skycircus is a trap set especially for Lily.  And this is where things get a little dark.  The main circus attractions are hybrid children.  Children who have been used as experimentation subjects and then sold to the circus.  Most notably is the headliner, Angelique, the flying girl.  But they want Lily to become the new main attraction.

Shall I state the obvious?  The circus owners are evil!  Lily, Robert and Malkin are not going to make it home before Papa misses them.

As I said, Skycircus is a bit dark, more so that the first two books in the series.  We are talking about human experimentation, kidnapping and imprisonment of innocent children.  But our adventurers never give up, so you know things are going to be okay in the end.  The bad guys will be brought to justice. I can’t say this was my favorite in the series, but I still enjoyed it very much.  This adventure, written for middle grade ages, also entertains adults.

Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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