Review: Seven Sorcerers by Caro King

by Kay | Jul 2, 2010 | Reviews | 5 comments

The Bogeyman is all too real in this fantasy Publishers Weekly calls “energetic and absorbing.”Nin Redstone wakes up to discover that her brother has vanished—and she’s the only one who remembers him. But when Bogeyman Skerridge comes for her, too, Nin realizes the true danger her brother, Toby, is in. To save him, she and her new friend Jonas must travel to a mysterious and magical land called the Drift. Located just next to our world, the Drift is being slowly destroyed by a terrible plague. The Seven Sorcerers who ruled there might have been able to prevent the devastation, but even they have succumbed. In a race to rescue Toby and get home before the plague makes it impossible, can Nin and Jonas avoid the tombfolk, mud men, and various creatures who want to stop them? And what is the secret of the Seven Sorcerers?

Seven Sorcerers is that first real Middle-Grade novel I have read since, well, I was in middle grade. And I am so glad I got such an amazing reintroduction to the MG section of the bookstore! Seven Sorcerers is filled with rollicking adventure, humorous villains, entertaining sidekicks and some epic I’m-doing-this-out-of-love sacrifice. It kept me entertained for hours – and I was genuinely sad when it ended.

Seven Sorcerers takes a new spin on the magical and mystical. There are bogeymen and vampires, and all sorts of other nasties.  Our little heroine, Nim, is spunky and full of character – even as her entire life is stolen from her, she still plucks up the courage to try to do something about it. OK, maybe she’s not your average 12-year-old, but with King?  I totally bought it.

When I think about Seven Sorcerers, the only comparison I can come up with is Harry Potter. Now, I am a big HP fan – so a book has to be pretty brilliant for me to compare it to JK Rowling’s works! But both King and Rowling write first-and-foremost about a universe, and then the characters inside it. And like Rowling, I get the feeling that King knows every last inch of her verse.

I can’t wait to get started on the sequel Shadow Spell! Also, I wanted to give a shout-out to the artist for the novel. There are some gorgeous illustrations at the start of the book that really set the tone of the novel.  Beautiful work!

Bottom line?  This Middle Grade book is one for all ages.  If you are looking for an adventurous novel you can’t put down, look no further!