Friday, April 20, 2012

The Rock of Ivanore - Review + Giveaway


Expected publication: May 15th 2012 
by Tanglewood Press

Blurb:
The annual Great Quest is about to be announced in Quendel, a task that will determine the future of Marcus and the other boys from the village who are coming of age. The wizard Zyll commands them to find the Rock of Ivanore, but he doesn’t tell them what the Rock is exactly or where it can be found. Marcus must reach deep within himself to develop new powers of magic and find the strength to survive the wild lands and fierce enemies he encounters as he searches for the illusive Rock. If he succeeds, he will live a life of honor; if he fails, he will live a life of menial labor in shame. With more twists and turns than a labyrinth, and a story in which nothing is at it seems, this tale of deception and discovery keeps readers in suspense until the end.

Middle readers will find that The Rock of Ivanore fits nicely among the traditional fantasies they so enjoy. They will also appreciate its fresh and inventive take on the genre.

I especially enjoyed the character and plot development of this book. It is the perfect "epic" story for MG readers: awesome storyline and set-up for following books, but not so long as to be intimidating to middle readers. If we could take the tone of Lord of the Rings and make it 10-year-old friendly, we'd have The Rock of Ivanore.

The characters are what totally make this story shine--especially Xerxes, the talking, walking-stick. Love him! Every one of the boys is individual and likable, with unique traits that add something to the overall storyline. I love the pacing and world building and easy readability. 

This is the perfect choice for middle grade fantasy lovers!

To help spread the fun of this new adventure, I will randomly choose one winner from the comments (must be a follower of this blog) to win my ARC. Good luck!

9 comments:

  1. This one is right up my alley. Thank you for the giveaway.
    ank272 at live dot com

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  2. You had me at Lord. Of. The. Rings.

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  3. Lovely! Thanks for telling us about this one. I'm on the look out for good MG stories at the moment.

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  4. I've really been falling in love with middle-grade books. And I love fantasy. This books sounds wonderful!
    ladyofnarnia(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  5. This looks fantastic and I adore the cover! I think kids who like any thing high fantasy will eat this up. Matt said it right! Lord of the Rings-ish! :)

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  6. You've got me so excited to read this. I have an ARC for an interview with Laurissa so let someone else win. thanks for the great review.

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  7. Did I read that right-- a talking walking stick? Wow, talk (and walk) about being inventive!! Thanks for the review, Shannon.

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  8. I love the idea of a Lord of the Rings-style book that is a bit more accessible for the MG audience.

    A "talking, walking-stick" sounds fantastic!

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  9. Thanks, Shannon, for this lovely post. And to everyone for such positive comments. :)

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Thanks for adding to the mayhem!