Sunday, July 15, 2018

Worldquake Sequence #1: Dragon's Green by Scarlett Thomas

Dragon's Green (Worldquake Sequence, #1)My name is Effie, and the Otherworld is real! My grandfather left me all of his books when he died, and I'm angry that my father sold 499 of them to a Diberi named Leonard Levar. The evil Diberi want to absorb the magic within them to grow more powerful. My grandfather hid the 500th book, Dragon's Green, so I can use it to find the Otherworld. I faced a princess-eating dragon within the book's story that allowed me to find my cousins and my grandfather's lawyer. They said I'm a true hero, and a ring I inherited has endowed me with strength to fight the Diberi. I'm still learning to manage my magical force, and I'm happy for the support from my new friends. The spectacles I've given Maximillian provide him with great knowledge, but I pray they can help us develop a plan to rescue my grandfather's library. 

The plot moved a little slowly for me in the beginning, as a clear conflict with tension didn't appear until I was over a hundred pages into the book. However, everything came together in the second half and grew into an exciting climax. I liked the use of boons that helped Effie unknowingly form a team, as the magical objects could only be activated by various characters. A letter opener became a sword, a glass ball helped with healing, and a wand enhanced a young witch's powers. Worldquake Sequence referred to the separation of worlds occurring sixty years prior to the story. The way books were used as portals to the Otherworld was creative, as the stories themselves became the gateway, not the book. The grandfather's training popped up throughout the plot, including Effie's unusual method for stopping the dragon. Also, the grandfather's death may not be permanent, since Effie was told he might return to the Otherworld sometime in the future. Again, I had a little trouble making sense of the events in the first half of the book, but I enjoyed the plot much more once things cleared up. Overall, I think I'll be giving the sequel, The Chosen Ones, a chance sometime soon.

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