The Tomb of Shadows by Peter Lerangis

 The Tomb of Shadows by Peter Lerangis

2014, HarperCollins

Series: Book 3 of Seven Wonders

Website / Twitter / Goodreads / Amazon

Rating

Synopsis: Percy Jackson meets Indiana Jones in the New York Times bestselling adventure Seven Wonders! The Tomb of Shadows is the third in a seven-book series by master storyteller Peter Lerangis. This sequel to the bestselling Lost in Babylon and The Colossus Rises chronicles the adventures of Jack McKinley and his friends in a life-or-death race to the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. In the rubble of this Wonder of the Ancient World, they have to face down their own demons and engage in an epic battle with foes long gone. But when promises are broken, blood is spilled—and the Select are left with no choice but to destroy the one thing that might have saved them all.

The Good:  Right on par with the previous books in the series. Adventure, lots of action, lots of intrigue and never knowing who to trust. A good, fast paced read with great characters and a little education thrown in - this time with the Mausoleum in Halicarnassus. Excellently written and destined to wow middle grade readers.

The Bad: Kids aren't going to care (I'd imagine), but Jack's parents in these books are beyond unrealistic. Mom's been making choices that are suspect since he was a baby and Dad is irrationally helpful to his cause. All of this is supposedly due to his ticking time bomb of genes, but would parents really blindly flail all over the place in the hopes that someone else may have an answer? Especially if this bending over backwards to find a cure took them away from the child they were trying to save in the first place? Or worse, enabling his repeated attempts to risk his life for a chance you have no reason to believe in?