Beast Quest #1: New Blood by Adam Blade

My name is Sam, and my cousins and I received unusual bequests following our grandmother's death. She left us arm bands that my mother says are completely worthless. However, we later discovered some secret stairs in our grandmother's house that led to a blue egg. We were immediately attacked by a gargoyle beast, but my band changed into a chain and grappling hook! Amy leaped in to help when her band became a clubbed mace. Together, I managed to hold the creature, while Amy smashed it to smithereens. Afterwards, I went and picked up the egg, and a small dragon hatched into my hands. We're able to communicate with our minds, and our connection protects me from fire. How cool is that! We didn't know it at the time, but he just became Guardians of Avantia, and we are the only ones able to hatch Beast eggs. Unfortunately, the Dark Wizard wants the eggs, so we know Malvel will be coming for us.

This book was a very quick read; I finished in less than an hour. It's probably best for upper elementary readers, as the plot was fairly simple and fast-paced. There was plenty of combat to keep young readers interested, and each main character wielded a unique weapon. On the downside, there wasn't much time to develop backstories or to develop the characters. The three kids were all cousins, but Sam had an unpleasant disposition. I expected this to be the personality of his character, but it quickly changed due to the quick pace. As expected, the lack of depth in the whole story made the events more unbelievable than some other books. There was a zero-learning curve, as the kids easily manipulated their new weapons. There wasn't an inner feeling about how to use them, but the kids still defeated the evil creatures. The main antagonist was easily predictable, but the kids made him seem less formidable. Again, they were able to stop him a couple of times on their first day of becoming Guardians. Overall, this book tells an entertaining, short story with magic and monsters. Younger readers might not be bothered by my reactions described above, so the book will appeal to the right audience and reading level.