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harperv28's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent book. I had a hard time putting it down. Definitely a page turner. Great plot and characters. I can't wait to read the rest of the series. It reminded me of Dan Brown with the clues, and reminded me of Brandon Mull or N.D. Wilson where the children or teens are the heroes.
jesassa's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely awesome! Action-packed excitement, characters that felt genuine, intelligent plot and interesting facts interspersed throughout. A great middle grade adventure. The marketing plan looks like it will be great fun too! I look forward to seeing more of The Copernicus Legacy series.
racheln23's review against another edition
3.0
Kind of "meh," and difficult to get in to. The characters aren't compelling and the plot just does make logical sense. For example, bad girl Krause practices with her crossbow and shoots bulls eyes, even without looking once. Then when she goes to use it in the field and is calmly hunting, she takes many shots and misses.
Another huge hole in the plot was in each leg of the adventure. Moving on through the adventures required solving puzzles and having access to specialized relics in order to get to the next destination. However, Krause's crew not only doesn't arrive to each scene lagging behind Wade's crew, they are equal or ahead in heading them off! The only way this constant plot error could be redeemed is if Krause is actually from the future and knows where all the relics are. But if that is so, then why does she closely peruse Wade's group? Why not just forget about them and get the relics at her own leisure.
I am a bit bummed after reading this book, as I was excited that it was compared to Rick Riorden's novels. My only hope is that author Abbott will improve on his creativity through upcoming practice.
Another huge hole in the plot was in each leg of the adventure. Moving on through the adventures required solving puzzles and having access to specialized relics in order to get to the next destination. However, Krause's crew not only doesn't arrive to each scene lagging behind Wade's crew, they are equal or ahead in heading them off! The only way this constant plot error could be redeemed is if Krause is actually from the future and knows where all the relics are. But if that is so, then why does she closely peruse Wade's group? Why not just forget about them and get the relics at her own leisure.
I am a bit bummed after reading this book, as I was excited that it was compared to Rick Riorden's novels. My only hope is that author Abbott will improve on his creativity through upcoming practice.
cjmedinger's review against another edition
3.0
This is like Dan Brown for middle schoolers - it's not terrible and it's not great. The target audience will most likely be swept up into the adventure along with the characters, but as an adult i couldn't quite get past some of the plot holes. Still going to read number 2, though, so don't read this as a harsh critique, just observations.
jscarpa14's review against another edition
4.0
The story opens in a gripping manner that is reminiscent of both Dan Brown's Davinci Code Series and the multi-authored 39 clues. By this I mean you get a few random, but still interesting scenes and you're gripped because you're trying to figure out how they fit together. It does slow down a little in a section of the first quarter of the book when longer explanations than I think were necessary are given to explain cypher codes and krackens, but once you get through those explanations that were in my opinion more drawn out than needed the story picks back up.
One thing I did like about this book that you don't see in a lot of Middle Grade and YA fiction is that the parents aren't neglectful, absent or abusive. Wade has a great Dad who will do whatever he can to protect him. He thinks about the welfare of the children and put their safety ahead of their wishes. He listens to them, he talks to them and he's an active presence in their lives. While there are multiple scenes where the four children are alone, they're alone not because he's ignoring them, but because he's separated from them to draw off enemy attention or fire in order to protect them. I really love that the author has managed to tell a great middle grade story, or section of a story, without creating poor parents as character in order for this to happen.
Like the 39 Clues, it's clear that this is only a section of the story but at the same time you're offered a resolution in reaching the first step of the journey. You have to study different historical figures in order to find what you're looking for and you're competing with another group who will do anything to stop you. Or rather the characters are because you're not actually in the story.
I happen to really enjoy this sort of fiction and love how it mostly teaches without boring kids in the process because they don't realize they're learning anything until the story is over and someone brings up one of the real elements that were part of the story. Such as after reading this they'll know who Copernicus or Magellan are where as they might not have known that before, depending on what parts of history they've already covered in school. These's aren't the only educational pieces of the book but they're woven in such a way that it's not pounding learning into the reader's head even as it is teaching them.
The book is exciting with interesting characters that I look forward to learning more about. It's in my opinion more plot driven than character driven, but I'm hoping to know the characters better in future installments. Definitely recommended.
One thing I did like about this book that you don't see in a lot of Middle Grade and YA fiction is that the parents aren't neglectful, absent or abusive. Wade has a great Dad who will do whatever he can to protect him. He thinks about the welfare of the children and put their safety ahead of their wishes. He listens to them, he talks to them and he's an active presence in their lives. While there are multiple scenes where the four children are alone, they're alone not because he's ignoring them, but because he's separated from them to draw off enemy attention or fire in order to protect them. I really love that the author has managed to tell a great middle grade story, or section of a story, without creating poor parents as character in order for this to happen.
Like the 39 Clues, it's clear that this is only a section of the story but at the same time you're offered a resolution in reaching the first step of the journey. You have to study different historical figures in order to find what you're looking for and you're competing with another group who will do anything to stop you. Or rather the characters are because you're not actually in the story.
I happen to really enjoy this sort of fiction and love how it mostly teaches without boring kids in the process because they don't realize they're learning anything until the story is over and someone brings up one of the real elements that were part of the story. Such as after reading this they'll know who Copernicus or Magellan are where as they might not have known that before, depending on what parts of history they've already covered in school. These's aren't the only educational pieces of the book but they're woven in such a way that it's not pounding learning into the reader's head even as it is teaching them.
The book is exciting with interesting characters that I look forward to learning more about. It's in my opinion more plot driven than character driven, but I'm hoping to know the characters better in future installments. Definitely recommended.
ugneee645's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
libraryjen's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
4.0
I don't really know much about Nicolas Copernicus from history, but this story is a lot of fun. It's like National Treasure (the movie with Nic Cage) for middle school readers. Good, clean fun with just enough suspense to keep you going, but not too scary for kids. Definitely recommended!
mb_runs's review against another edition
4.0
The Forbidden Stone is a fun read, probably best geared for upper elementary kids. Although there isn’t a lot of character development, the action picks up steam in the second half making the chapters fly by. A good summer read, or in my case, a rainy weekend.
jasmyn9's review against another edition
4.0
It all starts with an email and a murder…and Wade, Lily, Darrell, and Becca are off on an adventure of a lifetime. Following one clue to another, they find themselves on the hunt for a relic. I found their quest to be quite fascinating. Traveling across Europe, solving riddles and puzzles, and learning about the life of the famous astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus – which was far more interesting than I would have guessed.
All of the kids are rather brilliant, piecing things together that I never would have been able to myself. The adults in the story act more as guides and chaperones, often seeming to not quite belong or be very helpful other than doing standard adult things. It was nice to see the story focus so intently on the kids and let them really lead the way.
There is plenty of danger and excitement and near-death situations. This is probably more appropriate for the higher-aged or more mature middle grade readers as there is some violence – but not graphic. It does get rather tense at some moments, which I loved, and my kids loved, but not all will.
The puzzles are a lot of fun. They are challenging and exciting, and each one plays its own part in moving the adventure forward and revealing the final answer and location. I highly recommend this book for kids who enjoy mysteries with a lot of action and excitement.
All of the kids are rather brilliant, piecing things together that I never would have been able to myself. The adults in the story act more as guides and chaperones, often seeming to not quite belong or be very helpful other than doing standard adult things. It was nice to see the story focus so intently on the kids and let them really lead the way.
There is plenty of danger and excitement and near-death situations. This is probably more appropriate for the higher-aged or more mature middle grade readers as there is some violence – but not graphic. It does get rather tense at some moments, which I loved, and my kids loved, but not all will.
The puzzles are a lot of fun. They are challenging and exciting, and each one plays its own part in moving the adventure forward and revealing the final answer and location. I highly recommend this book for kids who enjoy mysteries with a lot of action and excitement.
disnelyse's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75