Scan barcode
harleyrae's review against another edition
I had received this book as part of a goodreads giveaway
So I'm gonna be completely honest here, i did not finish this book. While it kills me inside I jut couldn't do it. I like the idea behind the plot but I just for the life of me could not get into it. It might have helped if I was still 10 and read it, you an clearly tell it's for a younger audience. I didn't like how the characters seemed to be repeating everything. One paragraph they'd say one thing and thing and the next they'd say the exact same thing just a different way. To me everything almost seemed forced, they would get a coded message and act like the world is falling apart but that it isn't all at the same time. There also seemed to be no depth in the characters, it literally all felt forced like this is how your going to be and act, no questions asked. I wish there was more build up to, the whole star gazers map was just strange honestly and when they found out something bad happened, they seemed perfectly fine. I don't know maybe if I was younger I would have enjoyed it much more, maybe one day I'll reread it all the way through with a fresh pair of eyes. Guess we'll have to wait and see.
So I'm gonna be completely honest here, i did not finish this book. While it kills me inside I jut couldn't do it. I like the idea behind the plot but I just for the life of me could not get into it. It might have helped if I was still 10 and read it, you an clearly tell it's for a younger audience. I didn't like how the characters seemed to be repeating everything. One paragraph they'd say one thing and thing and the next they'd say the exact same thing just a different way. To me everything almost seemed forced, they would get a coded message and act like the world is falling apart but that it isn't all at the same time. There also seemed to be no depth in the characters, it literally all felt forced like this is how your going to be and act, no questions asked. I wish there was more build up to, the whole star gazers map was just strange honestly and when they found out something bad happened, they seemed perfectly fine. I don't know maybe if I was younger I would have enjoyed it much more, maybe one day I'll reread it all the way through with a fresh pair of eyes. Guess we'll have to wait and see.
galathyn's review against another edition
3.5
Still have tons of questions. Can't wait for the next book.
in_and_out_of_the_stash's review
4.0
Reminded me of the books I read when I was young. Except there were no mobile phones and computers then.
Sure some things were incongruous but a fun read.
Sure some things were incongruous but a fun read.
michellehenriereads's review
4.0
I gave it 3.5 stars.
One point I am always concerned about, is the amount of violence in children's books. The Forbidden Stone has characters who die, and are threatened with death. We know that someone was killed in an elevator accident, but the reader is not led through a murder step, by gruesome step. The villain is a disturbing because she is so young; described as being only a few years older than the four protagonists. In the first book we don't know her background, but it is sure to be a stunning revelation. The book is not overtly violent.
I am always interested in the characters. Wade and Darrel are step-brothers, and they are best friends, though....
To read the full review go to www.talesuntangled.wordpress.com
One point I am always concerned about, is the amount of violence in children's books. The Forbidden Stone has characters who die, and are threatened with death. We know that someone was killed in an elevator accident, but the reader is not led through a murder step, by gruesome step. The villain is a disturbing because she is so young; described as being only a few years older than the four protagonists. In the first book we don't know her background, but it is sure to be a stunning revelation. The book is not overtly violent.
I am always interested in the characters. Wade and Darrel are step-brothers, and they are best friends, though....
To read the full review go to www.talesuntangled.wordpress.com
aoosterwyk's review
3.0
This was an easy read,appropriate for late elementary or early middle schoolers. I would compare it to the 39 clues series, but it was not that well written. Of course it may be perfect for the intended audience.
I liked the concept. Copernicus had it all figured out in the 1500s and had to hide his work from The Order of Teutonic Knights to save the world.
The main characters (two boys, two girls and a father) travel the world to find the artifacts and keep them out of the hands of the bad guys, who are chasing them.
The actual action scenes kept my interest, but I was half way into the book before the plot gelled and I cared what happened next. I'm still not sure I care enough about the characters to read the second book, but I'll get my students to test drive it.
I liked the concept. Copernicus had it all figured out in the 1500s and had to hide his work from The Order of Teutonic Knights to save the world.
The main characters (two boys, two girls and a father) travel the world to find the artifacts and keep them out of the hands of the bad guys, who are chasing them.
The actual action scenes kept my interest, but I was half way into the book before the plot gelled and I cared what happened next. I'm still not sure I care enough about the characters to read the second book, but I'll get my students to test drive it.
brandypainter's review
3.0
Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
The Forbidden Stone by Tony Abbott is the first in a new fantasy adventure series called The Copernicus Legacy. Perfect for lovers of quests, spy stories, and secret societies it is a wild crazy ride around the world.
Wade loves math and astronomy. His dream is to follow in his father's footsteps and make them his career. His step brother, Darrel, loves music and food and dreams of being a rock star. Wade's cousin Lily loves her the Internet and using her phone to document everything. Lily's friend Becca loves books and studying anything she can get her hands on. She's definitely a genius as she can speak several languages and is on her second reading of Moby Dick at the age of 12. The four work really well as a team. Wade and Becca are the puzzle solvers, the ones with the background knowledge to unlock the secrets to the code they've been given. Darrel and Lily handle most of the more practical parts of the mission. Their characters really don't go deeper than the surface. The relationships likewise. Becca and Wade clearly have crushes on each other. Lily and Darrel have one of those relationships that could clearly go there one day. Wade and Darrel are best friends as well as step-brothers. The interactions between the characters are fairly limited to the quest and solving the riddles. There is a lot of talking at each other about stuff, but little real dialogue. It works for the type of story this is, but left me frustrated as I wanted to know the characters better in order to care what happened to them. Wade's father is also a key player, and this is where my credulity couldn't stretch far enough to buy into the idea. While I thoroughly enjoyed having a fantasy novel where a parental figure was not only present but involved, I couldn't help but wonder why he didn't have those kids on a plane back home. Kid readers won't have a problem with this. They love stories where kids get to be heroes. As a parent, I couldn't stop wondering what he was thinking or of what Becca's (who he has really no legal right to be doing anything with) parents would think of it.
The concept of the novel is a good one. There are several riddles to solve, a race across the globe, and some very real danger. People are killed and the villains will stop at nothing to get what they want. What they want is not made entirely clear until about two thirds of the way through the book. The reader discovers what is going on as the heroes do. Despite all of the chases and danger there were large parts of the novel that are simply exchanges of chunks of information. Information about Copernicus, his work, the Guardians, the cities they are in. All of it is informative and in dialogue, but can be lengthy at times. It took me longer than it should have to read what is really a short book.
This is a great book to give to kids who love books like Kate Messner's Capture the Flag series and N.D. Wilson's Ashtown Burials. In my opinion this book is not the same caliber as either of these but it does fall into a reading range somewhere between those two levels.
I read an e-galley made available via Edelweiss by the publisher, Katherine Tegen Books. The Forbidden Stone is available for purchase now.
The Forbidden Stone by Tony Abbott is the first in a new fantasy adventure series called The Copernicus Legacy. Perfect for lovers of quests, spy stories, and secret societies it is a wild crazy ride around the world.
Wade loves math and astronomy. His dream is to follow in his father's footsteps and make them his career. His step brother, Darrel, loves music and food and dreams of being a rock star. Wade's cousin Lily loves her the Internet and using her phone to document everything. Lily's friend Becca loves books and studying anything she can get her hands on. She's definitely a genius as she can speak several languages and is on her second reading of Moby Dick at the age of 12. The four work really well as a team. Wade and Becca are the puzzle solvers, the ones with the background knowledge to unlock the secrets to the code they've been given. Darrel and Lily handle most of the more practical parts of the mission. Their characters really don't go deeper than the surface. The relationships likewise. Becca and Wade clearly have crushes on each other. Lily and Darrel have one of those relationships that could clearly go there one day. Wade and Darrel are best friends as well as step-brothers. The interactions between the characters are fairly limited to the quest and solving the riddles. There is a lot of talking at each other about stuff, but little real dialogue. It works for the type of story this is, but left me frustrated as I wanted to know the characters better in order to care what happened to them. Wade's father is also a key player, and this is where my credulity couldn't stretch far enough to buy into the idea. While I thoroughly enjoyed having a fantasy novel where a parental figure was not only present but involved, I couldn't help but wonder why he didn't have those kids on a plane back home. Kid readers won't have a problem with this. They love stories where kids get to be heroes. As a parent, I couldn't stop wondering what he was thinking or of what Becca's (who he has really no legal right to be doing anything with) parents would think of it.
The concept of the novel is a good one. There are several riddles to solve, a race across the globe, and some very real danger. People are killed and the villains will stop at nothing to get what they want. What they want is not made entirely clear until about two thirds of the way through the book. The reader discovers what is going on as the heroes do. Despite all of the chases and danger there were large parts of the novel that are simply exchanges of chunks of information. Information about Copernicus, his work, the Guardians, the cities they are in. All of it is informative and in dialogue, but can be lengthy at times. It took me longer than it should have to read what is really a short book.
This is a great book to give to kids who love books like Kate Messner's Capture the Flag series and N.D. Wilson's Ashtown Burials. In my opinion this book is not the same caliber as either of these but it does fall into a reading range somewhere between those two levels.
I read an e-galley made available via Edelweiss by the publisher, Katherine Tegen Books. The Forbidden Stone is available for purchase now.
harperv28's review
4.0
Excellent book. I had a hard time putting it down. Definitely a page turner. Great plot and characters. I can't wait to read the rest of the series. It reminded me of Dan Brown with the clues, and reminded me of Brandon Mull or N.D. Wilson where the children or teens are the heroes.
jesassa's review
5.0
Absolutely awesome! Action-packed excitement, characters that felt genuine, intelligent plot and interesting facts interspersed throughout. A great middle grade adventure. The marketing plan looks like it will be great fun too! I look forward to seeing more of The Copernicus Legacy series.
racheln23's review
3.0
Kind of "meh," and difficult to get in to. The characters aren't compelling and the plot just does make logical sense. For example, bad girl Krause practices with her crossbow and shoots bulls eyes, even without looking once. Then when she goes to use it in the field and is calmly hunting, she takes many shots and misses.
Another huge hole in the plot was in each leg of the adventure. Moving on through the adventures required solving puzzles and having access to specialized relics in order to get to the next destination. However, Krause's crew not only doesn't arrive to each scene lagging behind Wade's crew, they are equal or ahead in heading them off! The only way this constant plot error could be redeemed is if Krause is actually from the future and knows where all the relics are. But if that is so, then why does she closely peruse Wade's group? Why not just forget about them and get the relics at her own leisure.
I am a bit bummed after reading this book, as I was excited that it was compared to Rick Riorden's novels. My only hope is that author Abbott will improve on his creativity through upcoming practice.
Another huge hole in the plot was in each leg of the adventure. Moving on through the adventures required solving puzzles and having access to specialized relics in order to get to the next destination. However, Krause's crew not only doesn't arrive to each scene lagging behind Wade's crew, they are equal or ahead in heading them off! The only way this constant plot error could be redeemed is if Krause is actually from the future and knows where all the relics are. But if that is so, then why does she closely peruse Wade's group? Why not just forget about them and get the relics at her own leisure.
I am a bit bummed after reading this book, as I was excited that it was compared to Rick Riorden's novels. My only hope is that author Abbott will improve on his creativity through upcoming practice.