Patten, EJ Return to Exile (Hunter Chronicles Book #1) 519 pgs. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2013. $7.19. Content: Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG13.
Sky Weathers has a really interesting Uncle Phineas who has played many riddle, puzzle and trap games with him over the years. Just as Sky’s family is moving back to the town of Exile, where his Uncle is from –Phineas disappears. Sky is worried, and stumbles into a situation that he could hardly believe. Monsters are real! Sky might be part of a line of hunters destined to stop them. There are new friends, betrayals, triumphs and mostly dangers. Sky must try to save his Uncle, his family, his new friends –all while solving the mystery of his own strange history and of course, stopping some big bad monsters, including a boss monster The Arkhon.
I thought that this book was an exhausting information overload that I simply could not buy into. It starts out slow and interesting, but as it gains momentum it becomes character laden and action packed -to the point where I even had a hard time keeping up! I didn't feel like I got a chance to know, let alone envision, almost all of the characters. The population of characters gets even more hazy when you find out they each have multiple names and secret monster alter egos. Topping out at 500 pages of chaos, I think students will be overwhelmed too.
MS –NOT RECOMMENDED Reviewer: Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author.
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