The Adventurer's Guide to Successful Escapes by Wade Albert White

He also has a secret that sounds unlikely. He was working with the Copper Knights that attacked us, but he says the creatures were actually using him. Anne and Hiro seem to be okay with Valerian joining our team, but I don’t trust the thief. We’re supposed to slay the dragon queen, or are we supposed to save her from being slain. As usual, a medallion attached itself to Anne’s gauntlet and activated an unauthorized quest. My name is Penelope, and our team has accidentally been given a quest, again. If there's another book to the series I'll be seeking it out :) I always look forward to reading more of the story, it's easy to read without being simplistic, and the worlds and situations he creates are definitely, well, creative! Overall, I still enjoy White's writing style.

So, for me, this definitely felt like a pretty shocking moment to include in an otherwise pretty tame book. But, I was surprised by the death and kept waiting for the 'just kidding she's alive' which doesn't come. The actual chapters aren't long or too in depth (which, actually, I felt there should have been more emotional introspection given the severity of the plot point) so young readers might not be too bothered by this. For example, one of the character's mother's is cursed and eventually turns completely to stone. And, while this book introduces a few new fun characters it doesn't really explore the original characters any further or delve too much into furthering their arcs.Īlso, some potentially unsettling plot points for sensitive readers:Ĭharacters actually die in this book - or, at least apparently so. The first book had me captivated by their unique, but also non-caricature personalities. Which not every book has to hit you over the head with a moral! But, I'm not sure what the characters thought about the conclusion (or even entirely what the conclusion was). But, I was ultimately left feeling unfulfilled by the conclusion and am still not entirely sure what the message and point were. I like the power-play questions presented in this book, as well as the concept that someone motives might not be what they appear. That said, I often find that it would be incredibly difficult to actually solve the puzzles since there are so many interpretations and it seems like any one could have been 'the right one' making it hard to play along. I enjoyed this second installment of the Adventurer's Guide series and absolutely love the mystery and puzzle-solving aspect of these books (and definitely think I would have adored that challenge as a kid).

The Adventurer's Guide to Successful Escapes by Wade Albert White