For two years, Cyrus and Antigone Smith have run a sagging roadside motel with their older brother, Daniel. Nothing ever seems to happen. Then a strange old man with bone tattoos arrives, demanding a specific room.
Less than 24 hours later, the old man is dead. The motel has burned, and Daniel is missing. And Cyrus and Antigone are kneeling in a crowded hall, swearing an oath to an order of explorers who have long served as caretakers of the world's secrets, keepers of powerful relics from lost civilizations, and jailers to unkillable criminals who have terrorized the world for millennia. (taken from Goodreads)
That's the synopsis of just the first book. Wait till you get to the third and second. It just gets better. :)
For clarification's sake, I'll tell you this is an unfinished series (only 3 books out so far, two more to come.)
The Ashtown Burials is one of my all-time favorite book series. And I've read a lot of books. N.D. Wilson spins a tale of intrigue, loss, beauty, ashes, high risks and thundering fight scenes. The characters are lovable and relatable, passing plenty of witty quips back and forth. A lot of main characters in books these days are really stupid and selfish, but Cyrus manages to be stupid in the good way, and heroic when it comes time, and Antigone is sweet, smart, and snarky all at the same time. The pacing is good, and keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole way through each book. It's a nice break from wishy-washy-pops-out-of-a-wand magic and teenagers with no adult supervision that is in nearly every teen-fantasy-fiction book out there.
There are only two possible instances of different kinds of "OMG's." Otherwise, the books are completely clean, which is also another thing I am thankful for.
All in all, it's a 5-star series in my eyes, and I highly recommend it to anyone 11 and up.
~The Scribbler in the Attic
P.S. I'm out of books to read, and happen to have a lot of down time. Not a good combo. :P Any suggestions?
I love N.D. Wilson. He is not talked about and read enough. I loved Leepike Ridge; it is hilarious to read about a little boy from a man's mind-they are so different. I absolutely adored the 100 Cupboards trilogy (you have to read them all; I was reading the blog of someone who read one, thought it didn't deliver and so dismissed it; a really good series builds momentum throughout the series...instead of tangling itself it to much drama after a climax in the first book *cough* hunger games *cough*). It was almost Narnia-esque to me. I cannot remember any bothersome issues.
ReplyDeleteI have read all the 100 Cupboards books, and loved them. :) They had a tone that I really liked, a little different from the Ashtown Burials, but I like both just as much. And yes, they had a very Narnia-ish feel, which always is a wonderful kind of book to read. :D
DeleteI forgot to add; I think the 100 Cupboards trio is written better than Ashtown even though Ashtown is newer; he probably got caught up in the modern authors compelling desire to churn out books too fast.
ReplyDeleteTwo recent favourites of mine are Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.
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