Yes, I'm hiding behind the book, but that is irrelevant. Did you see what book it is? It's book two in the Beyonders series by Brandon Mull.
It comes out in March and you can read reviews and the blurb summary on Goodreads already (GOODREADS.) I'm not going to post it here because I just can't stand spoilers but if you want to know more about the story before picking it up you can follow the link.
But I will one sentence blurb the first book---
Beyonders: A World without Hero's follows Jason and Rachel, two kids from America, who find themselves thrust into a new world and a bitter conflict that they could have never imagined. (Did you know it was one of Amazon's Best Books of the Month in March of 2011 AND a #1 New York Times Bestseller- one of these things is considered more prestigious but I can't remember which)
You can read more reviews and summaries by clicking on the book cover on the left or you can watch the trailer below.
---My Thoughts on Beyonders---
Brandon Mull never seems to lack creativity. The stuff that guy can come up with can capture your imagination again and again. I do not doubt that there is still world-building to be done in book 3 that will blow our minds.
For journey books these things are all over the place. There are so many twists and turns, places and people. I must admit that I think these books are the middle grade gateway to adult fiction novels. They remind me more of the fantasy greats than what you normally see in a middle grade story.
These are no small books. Around 500 pages each.
At the end of the first book I was not thrilled with the ending. It was alright, since I knew it was a series, but I was still disappointed that I was going to have to stop there and wait a year for the next book. (Think the end of the second Lord of the Rings film.)
Towards the end of the second book I was so worried that it was going to have a similar ending but in the final fifty pages tied things together well enough I would say it ended better than the first.
Talking to Brandon over Christmas he talked about how the story of Beyonders was originally a single book and he knows that the endings of the 1st and 2nd book are cliffhangers but that he believes that the ending in the third book (what would have been the end of the original book) will pull everything together in a way that it will pay off the patience of the readers. I trust him. I'm excited for the third book more and more.
One thing I must say that I LOVE about Brandon Mull's books is his vocabulary. This guy uses absurdly large words and kids eat it up. I love well used verboiosity (and I love making up words.)
So pre-order your own book 2 HERE
AND if you're in the Salt Lake City area there is a FREE launch party (PAR-TAY!) in March. More deets to come.
Have you read any Brandon Mull books?
What are your favorite middle grade fantasy stories?
I didn't know much about this guy until you started talking about him, but I want to read these now. I might wait until he publishes the third one though :-)
ReplyDeleteWell I love long books and fantasy's so this one sounds like a winner to me:) Thanks for the links!
ReplyDeleteI'll always have a soft spot in my heart for Brandon Mull because my son's love of reading began with the Fablehaven series. I'm sure a lot of people can say the same thing. He definitely has the talent to draw his readers in and keep them as fans.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the ending is this book is a little more satisfying. I was bummed out after book one. But you can't deny Brandon Mull has talent!
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited for this. Definitely going to pre-order and looking forward to the launch par-tay! Whoot-whoot!
ReplyDeleteThe only Brandon Mull I've read is the first two books of his Fablehaven series. Our library doesn't stock the rest! Maybe they have the first book of this new series though. I must find out!
ReplyDeleteMan, Brandon is so dang creative. I loved Beyonders 1 and I'm excited to hear that you liked the sequel. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteWhat fun I had reading Fablehaven! And I'm like Ruth - I couldn't get my son to read anything except the one book he loved over and over again. I told him a bazillion times how much he would love Fablehaven and that he should read them. Finally, he did! He loved them and he's loved reading ever since! Fantastic! I mean, it just drove me crazy that he was missing out on the happiness of reading.
ReplyDeleteThanks for telling us about Beyonders. I haven't read it yet, but I will. Oh, I will!!!
And I'm dying to see you and Chad perform at Brandon's launch party! YES!