Early Review - The Drowned Vault (Ashtown Burials, Book 2) by N.D. Wilson (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Size: 464 pages
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Release Date: September 11, 2012
ISBN-13: 978-0375864407
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Ashtown Burials series
Source: eGalley from Edelweiss
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the second book in the Ashtown Burials series. I got an eGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. It was a solid book and really drags the reader deeper into the world of the Order of Brendan. We learn many long kept secrets and have many adventures with Cy and Tigs.

After the Phoenix steals the Tooth from Cy and Tigs in book 1, they become even more outcast than they already are. Now the transmortals are descending on Ashtown seeking retribution for the Tooth’s loss and Cy and Tig are in ever increasing danger. Trapped in their room for the duration of the transmortals visit they train hard with the strange Arachne. Then they head off with their Keeper to try to recover the Tooth...only to find that even deeper evil is at hand.

I am having a lot of trouble reviewing this book. I love the idea and the characters and the world, but had some trouble with all the different points of view (POV) The plot switches POV a lot and sometimes this got a bit confusing. There are a couple times when I was a little confused about what was going on in general and had to go back and carefully re-read parts. Part of this might have been that since this is an eGalley much of the formatting was lost, so it would take me a few lines to realize that we were in a different place with different characters talking. This made the book frustrating to read.

The above aside I really am enjoying the Order of Brendan. There are some great characters in this novel and both Tigs and Cy grow a lot in abilities and power through plain old hard work. One of my favorite additions was the character Arachne, who controls spiders and takes over the Smiths training for parts of the book.

There are some wonderfully creative things in this book. A maze of water, spiders that can weave armor, and numerous other wondrous and amazing things. It makes the book a lot of fun to read.

We also get to finally meet the most famous Smith of all, John Smith. It was great to find out the Smith history and find the reason why Tigs and Cy have been so disliked from the very beginning.

Overall I liked this book. I enjoyed the world, all of the creative things in it, and the characters. I had some trouble with the frequent switching of POVs; it made the story confusing at times and I had to go back a re-read parts to figure out what was going on. This leaves me a bit torn; I really liked the world and characters and plot...but had trouble with the writing style...it just wasn’t as cohesive as it could have been. Still it’s a solid read. I recommend to those you are interested in middle grade adventure fantasy.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Review - The Dragon's Tooth (The Ashtown Burials, Book 1) by N.D. Wilson (4/5 stars)

Reading level: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Size: 496 pages
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Release Date: August 23, 2011
ISBN: 978-0375864391
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Ashtown Burials series
Source: From Amazon Vine for Review
Rating: 4/5 stars

I got an advanced reading copy of this book to review through Amazon Vine. The book starts out a bit slow but ends up being a solid and engaging middle grade adventure and fantasy read.

Cyrus, Antigone, and Dan Smith live in a rundown motel that they barely make a living running. When an old tattooed man shows up demanding to stay in a certain room things start changing fast. Within hours of the man's arrival the motel is burnt to the ground, Dan is missing, and Cyrus and Antigone are whisked away to the Order of Brendan.

I thought the book started a bit slow, but as it progressed it picked up pace quickly and introduced the reader to an adventurous and fantastical, if grungy, world. I liked that the book followed both Antigone and Cyrus; it made the book easy for both boys and girls to relate to and engage with.

The Order of Brendan is an order the kids' parents belonged to and an Order that doesn't like the Smith children much because of things that their past relations have done. Cyrus and Antigone are faced with with a lot of hatred from the moment they arrive at the Order of Brendan. They find help in unexpected places though and discover the secrets behind the keys and tooth that the old tattooed man left with Cyrus.

In their exploration of the halls and corridors of the Order of Brendan they find adventure and surprises at every turn. They also find some nifty magical items and meet some fascinating people. Soon though they are on a run for their lives as a very evil man seeks possession of the tooth that Cyrus was given.

Cyrus and Antigone were wonderful characters I enjoyed reading about them and enjoyed the stoicism with which they accepted all of the horrible situations they were put in. They always tried to make the best of things and persevere; they supported each other with bravery and determination.

I loved the Order of the Brenden and all of the secrets that were in its halls. There is a ton of adventure in this book. There are also traitors, spies, and some scary bits...so only for middle grade or older. I should mention the book takes place in a lot of creepy and gross settings. From the moldy and bug infested motel the characters start in, to the water-logged stone halls with scuttling Whip Spiders that they are forced to sleep in at the Order of Brendan; there is a lot of yucky in this book. I found myself wondering how they could ever sleep in those conditions and got a little itchy from time to time. Still, the descriptions were wonderful and really made the settings come alive.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It was an excellent middle grade adventure fantasy and I enjoyed the world and the characters. You never knew what crazy character you would run into next or what fantastic magical thing you would find around the corner. I highly recommend this to fans of middle grade fantasy. If you enjoyed Fablehaven by Brandon Mull or The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens you should definitely give this book a try.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge
- TBR Pile Reading Challenge