Liviania’s review of The Ankh of Isis (Library of Athena, Book 2) by Christine Norris
YA fantasy adventure eBook released by Samhain 8 Jul 08
There are many books it would be fun to enter and explore, to be able to interact with favorite characters and experience events first hand. Of course, it would be fun in an abstract sense. No worries of how to get back out of the book or getting injured in the story. Megan Montgomery’s library of enchanted books is a duty. She protects their contents from those who would use the artifacts they contain.
I read The Ankh of Isis without reading the first book, The Crown of Zeus, first. From the story I can deduce that the first book’s adventure didn’t pit Megan and her friends against an adversary, but was instead time for them to learn about the books’ worlds and their rules. Archaeologist Sir Gregory was a wizard, who wrote books in which to hide magical artifacts. To leave a book, one must find the artifact hidden within it using a series of clues. While Megan is the Librarian, her school friends Claire and Rachel know about the library because they were with her when she discovered it and its secrets. The Ankh of Isis delivers this information smoothly, allowing the second to stand well on its own.
The story is a straightforward adventure. The girls suspect Mr. Hemmlich, a client of Mr. Montgomery, of searching for something and rightly so. The chase to the finish works well because Hemmlich is obviously obsessed and not listening to reason and the girls and his son will be stuck in the story if he reaches the ankh without them. Christine Norris uses Egyptian mythology well and the riddles seem to be of an appropriate difficulty. (That is, they’re tough, but recognizable to an Egyptologist and his son so that the story doesn’t bog down.)
The Ankh of Isis will appeal most to young adults and children reading above their age level (as most children that read for pleasure do). The romance between fourteen-year-old Diedrich Hemmlich and Megan is sweet and chaste. They’re just two good kids enjoying a summer crush. In fact, the sweet romance is an odd contrast to the villain Norris created. Mr. Hemmlich’s obsession with power leads him to harm children and be quite willing to kill them, despite the fact one of them is his son. While that familial connection gives Diedrich a reason to be on the scene, it causes some issues older readers will be more bothered by than younger.
I know that several years ago I would have no problem with the conclusion. Now I feel that Diedrich, at the book’s end, is burdened with a bundle of daddy issues and not much of a support network, if any. Norris touches briefly on the subject, but it’s a dark thing which doesn’t mesh well with the book’s light approach. Events at the end suggest a conspiracy that might be a threat to the Librarian, which would likely darken the tone of the series. As the series is though, the Hemmlichs seem like a case of too dark, too early.
Still, The Ankh of Isis is a fun adventure with light romance that young adults will enjoy. I know I’m likely to read book three when it arrives.
Grade: B-
Summary
Megan Montgomery is looking forward to a nice, quiet Easter holiday. No school, no homework, time with her friends. Then her father informs her Mr. Hemmlich, a potential client and archaeologist, is coming to stay with them for the entire week. Her dreams of goofing off go up in smoke—until Hemmlich arrives with his handsome teenage son in tow. Things are definitely looking up.Megan’s excitement quickly turns to suspicion when Hemmlich starts asking questions about the manor and its builder, Sir Gregory. Is it just admiration for Sir Gregory’s work? Or could Hemmlich know about the Library of Athena, the secret room full of magic books hidden deep beneath the manor? It shouldn’t be possible.
But then again, if she can get sucked inside a book…
Read an excerpt here
