Kobal: The Mysteries of the Septagram by Paul Bryers
| Kobal: The Mysteries of the Septagram by Paul Bryers | |
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| Category: Teens | |
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Reviewer: Kimberly Saunders
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| Summary: A page turner of a story that masterfully blends science fiction with fantasy. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 304 | Date: July 2008 |
| Publisher: Hodder Children's Books | |
| ISBN: 978-0340930755 | |
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Jade is having an identity crisis. She knows her friends are as well, it's a normal teen thing for them, though, where they discover their parents are more or less aliens to them and they try to figure out just who they are themselves. It's a rite of passage everyone goes through. Jade's crisis is nothing like theirs though. She begins hearing voices, and having strange images appear on her PC. Just what are her parents hiding from her, and what does it all have to do with a hospital for the criminally insane?
It all gets even more unsettling when a reputably mad scientist kidnaps her and claims to be her real father, and she runs full tilt into a dark secret involving herself, a dark experiment, reindeer herders, a mysterious castle, and angels and demons. It begins to appear the fate of the world rests within her own fate. But what does it all mean, and what path should she choose?
Part His Dark Materials with echoes of some of Harry Potter's darker moments, Paul Bryers takes the reader on a page turning ride that is as enthralling as it is fantastic. Jade feels and acts much like a very real girl of her age, and older readers will no doubt recognise shades of their own younger selves in Jade's emotions and thoughts. While the larger print may, at a casual glance, infer that is for the younger set, this is most definitely for the mature young adult reader. With scenes of violent death and the occasional bit of animal abuse, it is definitely not for the sensitive reader. Those that do not dismiss it for these attributes will be well rewarded with a finely crafted tale that weaves myth and science seamlessly together for a fascinatingly wild ride. It's a ride that rather provocatively ends on a cliffhanger that leaves the reader running to get in the queue for the next part of the adventure. Here's hoping it's not a long wait.
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag.
Further reading suggestion:
If this book appeals to you then we think that you might also enjoy Blood Ties by Sophie McKenzie.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Kobal: The Mysteries of the Septagram by Paul Bryers at Amazon.com.
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