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2024 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (Hosted by Yours Truly)

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30 / 30 books. 100% done!

2024 Literary Escapes Challenge

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My Progress:


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2024 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

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44 / 50 books. 88% done!

2024 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge


36 / 50 books. 72% done!

Booklist Queen's 2024 Reading Challenge

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52 / 52 books. 100% done!

2024 52 Club Reading Challenge

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50 / 52 books. 96% done!

2024 Build Your Library Reading Challenge

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35 / 40 books. 88% done!

2024 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge


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2024 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge

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21 / 25 books. 84% done!

2024 Medical Examiner's Mystery Reading Challenge

2024 Mystery Marathon Reading Challenge

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17 / 26.2 miles (3rd lap). 65% done!

Mount TBR Reading Challenge

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38 / 100 books. 38% done!

2024 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge

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91 / 104 books. 88% done!

Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge

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52 / 52 books. 100% done!

Disney Animated Movies Reading Challenge

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124 / 165 books. 75% done!

The 100 Most Common Last Names in the U.S. Reading Challenge

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76 / 100 names. 76% done!
Thursday, October 23, 2008

Desperately Seeking Substance

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

What do you do when summer vacation means big adventures for everyone ... but you? If you're Samantha Costas, star of Ben Furman's Sam's Quest for the Crimson Crystal, you take matters into your own hands.

Once again, Sam's archaeologist parents are spending the summer searching for the lost city of Atlantis. Once again, Sam will be stuck on her grandpa's isolated farm. She enjoys time spent with the old man and his friendly dog Patch, but a whole summer? With no t.v., no malls, no movies, she will go out of her mind with boredom ... unless she finds an adventure of her own. Before she knows it, Sam finds her wish fulfilled - she's shimmying down a hole in the ground, following a boy about the size of her thumb into his mysterious underground world.

Sam has always felt a connection with Mile-High Mountain, which looms over her grandfather's property, and now she understands why. Buzz, her miniature guide, explains that the Costas Family has always protected his people, the Awoks. Now the mountain dwellers are under siege from the repugnant Zogs. Buzz pleads for help. When Sam protests that she's not a hero, just an ordinary girl, he tells her about an ancient prophecy claiming a redheaded Costas with a diamond-shaped birthmark will save the Awoks. The prophecy seems to point directly at her, but can she really save the gentle people from the formiddable Zogs? Can she really find the crystal that seems to be the key to their survival?

With the help of Buzz and Patch, Sam takes on the quest. It's a journey that will take her into the mysterious mountain where moths are pets, people communicate with color, and dragonflies act as royal coaches. She will also venture into the mountain's sinister underworld where a ferocious Zog plots not only to kill Sam, but also to claim the thrones of all the mountain worlds. Can she survive long enough to find the crystal, defeat the Zogs and save the Awoks? She's not sure, but she's willing to try, even if it means giving her life. After all, that's what a great adventure is all about.

Sam's Quest for the Crimson Crystal offers a decent, if predictable, plot. It's fast, fun and somewhat original. The writing isn't especially vibrant, the characters don't leap off the page, but it's really not a bad little story. I enjoyed the mountain land Furman created, especially the idea of the Awoks "auras" - or the idea that they communicate as much with color as with words. Such spots of originality make the novel's plot holes and contrived happenings less noticeable, although I still found them distracting. What I really wanted was more substance - more interesting characters, a meatier plot and a compelling reason for Sam to risk her life for people she barely knows. Sam's Quest for the Crimson Crystal is not bad, but, let's be clear - I'm not clearing my schedule so I can devour the next book in the series.


Grade: C



1 comment:

  1. I discovered your blog through another blog by a favorite author - Poisoned Pen Letters. I also do a blog (http://misterreereeder.blogspot.com/) and have been asked about doing a book giveaway. What has been your experience with this?

    ReplyDelete

Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.

P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!

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