On the eve of his twelfth birthday, Sky Weathers returns to the town of Exile with his family. Noticeably missing is his uncle Phineas T. Pimiscule. The uncle who encouraged Sky to study puzzles, science and the takes if the Hunters of Legend. Unbeknownst to Sky, the things he has studied for the last eleven years are more than a game.
Upon his return to Exile, the scars on Sky's hand mysteriously begin to bleed black, forcing him to confront one of many mysteries that have lingered in the back of his mind for so long.When Sky follows his father onto Phineas's property, he is attacked by monsters he thought only existed in the books his uncle had given to him. After he is saved by fellow students at his new school, he must learn to work together with them to keep the prison from being unlocked and to find his uncle.
E.J. Patten's first book in The Hunter Chronicles weaves together a complex plot with a complicated back story which makes it hard to follow until almost a third into the book when the action picks up. An imaginative and fresh fantasy for those who enjoy intricate plot and world building. Overuse of metaphors and similes bog down an already long story. However, humor with the help of the action in the last half of the book helps to lighten the load of an unusually long first novel. Though the audience is middle grade, the complex story make it more appealing toward the upper end of the middle grade group 11-14. Good to recommended for the fantasy reader.
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Publishing information
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster
- Ages 8 and up
- Hardcover 500 pages
- ISBN 978-1-4424-2032-8
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