Members with This Book
Most Helpful Reviews
see all reviews
Liked It “A great book, but drops off again (As usual for these books). I still like it anyway though.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
see all reviews-
“#2 in series.”
Kristine C wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“A great book, but drops off again (As usual for these books). I still like it anyway though.”
Superstars111 wrote this review Saturday, October 24 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“filled with kidnapping betrayel murder pain discovery reconishion chaing of heart ect
kate m wrote this review Tuesday, September 8 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
I love it”
“ Reviewed by Samantha Clanton, aka Harlequin Twilight for TeensReadToo.com
TeensReadToo.com wrote this review Thursday, September 3 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
When I started the second book in the EREC REX series, I wasn't really sure what to expect. There were all kinds of things I already knew should happen, things I wanted to see happen, but there were some things I really didn't see coming.
It's been a month since the contests ended and Erec has spent that month in "Upper Earth" recuperating with his family, at least until he receives a letter from his friend, Bethany, that says he must return to Alyphium and begin the quests - or he will forfeit his rights to be king. And with the Stain brothers and Rock Rayson gunning for becoming the next kings, Erec cannot let that happen.
Erec returns, unaware of how public opinion views him, King Piter, and the events that happened the month before. The public believes that Erec is an impostor, that he tricked the Lia Fail, and that the three other boys are the rightful winners of the contests. Erec also returns with the internal debate of whether he can handle the scepter or if the power of the scepter will destroy him.
There are many twists and adventures that Erec encounters, some planned, some not. The quests are deadly and terrifying, but as Erec continues he learns more and more about himself and about the magical world he has entered. There's also the matter of all the baby dragons having gone missing and finding them in time to save them and discover who has taken them.
Erec also has to delve into The Substance, the very thing that holds their world together, the very magic that encompasses their entire lives. There is something about this world that Erec is drawn to that just seems to encapsulate the reader's attention. The creatures, the people, the places all seem like something straight out of the imagination of someone that's read too many fairy tales, but that's because they basically are. And it's a good thing!
This book could possibly stand on its own, because Ms. Kingsley does seem to go back and do a bit of a recap about things, which I see as a good thing, especially for someone who doesn't go into reading the book directly after the first one.
Along with the adventures, there is still plenty of humor and the characters are taken deeper with this book. I have now officially found myself involved in another series that is going to keep me waiting for the next book. It's easy to become involved with the story and care about the characters. I even found myself beginning to tear up at a few parts.
There is something for everyone within this book, whether it's adventure, family, friendship, amusement, or just a story you can get lost in. Most of the time, the second book in a series lacks from the first, and while this one does a little, it doesn't disappoint and still left me wanting more. I found myself with more questions than I started with, and most of them were different questions!
So, while I did get some questions answered, there were a lot that I was left with. There are six more books slated for the series, so there is plenty of time to get my questions answered! And I can't wait to find these answers. There is so much good about this series so far, that I already know I will spend the next few years involved in these characters - and I can't wait!
”“Erec Rex is finding home life a little more flat than he remembered. After facing down a man trying to take over the world, besting King Pluto's dungeons to rescue his mother, and somehow impossibly winning a contest to become king, life with his mom and his family doesn't seem quite as interesting. Then he finds out certain people are campaigning to call his settling down a forfeit---so it's back to the Kingdom of Keepers, back to magic, and back to an increasingly complicated and messy life.
Aelvana wrote this review Thursday, July 30 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
One of my favorite things about Erec Rex is that he's got his fair share of embarrassing problems. His use of the scepter has left him with a want of it that runs so deeply he's sure becoming king will destroy him. He's not really a people-pleaser, but he cares too much what other people think about him (and he gets angry when the crowds, rather than showering him with adoration, accuse him of cheating Balor Stain out of his rightful victory). Erec uses his powers mostly for good, but there is one particular instance where he uses them out of rage. And he often chooses to trust people who tell him what he wants to hear rather than people looking out for his best interest.
Erec retains his talent for burying himself in zany situations, and there are plenty of chuckles outside his antics. From a scroll that forces anyone who holds it to speak only the truth to the revered well that connects to the Fates to the sly grins at some common turns of speech, this book rejoices in the absurd. Jam, head butler accidentally co-opted into helping Erec with his second quest, is a stitch as he maintains his poise despite their trek through the wilderness.
The only real downside to the story was how flat Balthazar Ugry remains, and how Erec always immediately blames him despite having a far more credible suspect. Ugry hardly shows up at all, so his role as would-be villain is a lot less convincing than the previous book.
Overall this book has cemented the series as a personal favorite. The rest of the quests can't come soon enough. I rate this book Highly Recommended.”
“Erec kind of creeped me out in the beginning because he was all power hungry, but now the Stain triplet scare me. I feel so bad for the two baby dragons they killed.”
Wanderer wrote this review Wednesday, July 22 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“i like it but to understand read the first on "The Dragons eye"”
artemas b wrote this review Friday, June 19 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“In Book Two of Erec Rex the heir apparent to the magical kingdom of Alypium begins a series of magical tasks testing his claim to the throne. As Erec begins a new course of studies under a frankly dodgy pair of tutors, he faces a growing heap of challenges. The Stain brothers continue to contest Erec's claim to the throne. Protest demonstrations and snarky memos show that he is hated by the people he is destined to rule. Meanwhile Erec keeps receiving suspiciously enthusiastic fan letters.
Robbie F wrote this review Tuesday, May 5 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Baby dragons have been disappearing. War is brewing with the creatures who inhabit the wasteland of Otherness. Two of Erec's siblings have been abducted and replaced by lookalike assassins. An evil "Prince of Peace" has laid plans whose fulfillment will be fatal to Erec and, indeed, to the whole world. All that, plus the first two of twelve seemingly impossible tasks, fall on Erec's young shoulders just when his best friends Bethany, Oscar, and Jack seem to be growing away from him in their own, fateful directions.
Erec's second adventure is filled with the unexpected. There's the mystery of who is really behind the kidnapping of Danny and Sammy Rex. Even more mysterious are the clues Erec picks up to his own shadowy, ominous past. It's a time for a boy with a magical, royal destiny to learn about seeing past appearances. It is a time for a future king to practice compassion and justice, to face the uncomfortable results of telling the truth, to decide whom he should and shouldn't trust, to resist the tempting allure of pure power, and to learn how to balance superhuman powers with his human frailty.
So there's plenty going on in The Monsters of Otherness. Don't be surprised if, at times, it moves a bit faster than you can comfortably follow. Erec himself seems to be dragged along at a swifter pace than he can keep up. Within a very short time he meets trolls, dragons, harpies, hydras, and other creatures both wondrous and scary. He navigates through a bureaucratic maze, sticks his hand into the well of the fates (eww), solves one mystery only to be confronted with another, and simultaneously wins and loses a series of contests. He befriends an unusually resourceful butler, makes signal use of a magic scroll, and sees a friend fall in battle. He experiences sacrificial love. He struggles for self-knowledge. And he continues fighting to win a scepter he fears to hold - for good reason! - only because the idea of his enemies holding it is more terrifying still.
All this is almost too much for a single book, but it is only the second part of an ongoing series. And when it ends, Erec has made it through only two of the twelve tasks required of a would-be king. So plenty of adventure remains in store for us. The third book, titled The Search for Truth, is coming out at the end of June 2009.”
displaying 1-9 of 9
