Thomas Wildus and the book of sorrows

Title : Thomas Wildus and the book of sorrows

Author : J.M.Bergen

Rating : 4 / 5

Publisher : Elandrian press

Publication date : 2nd February

*I recieved an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions are my own*

Goodreads summary :

Magic is real, Thomas. No matter what happens, always remember that magic is real.

Seven years have passed, and Thomas hasn’t forgotten. He hasn’t forgotten the blue of his dad’s eyes either, or the tickle of beard on his cheek as they hugged goodbye. Last moments with a parent are memorable, even if you don’t know that’s what you’re having at the time.

Now, with his 13th birthday rapidly approaching, Thomas’s search for magic is about to take a radical and unexpected turn. At an out-of-the-way shop filled with dusty leather books, a strange little man with gold-flecked eyes offers him an ancient text called The Book of Sorrows. The price is high and the rules are strict, but there’s no way Thomas can resist the chance to look inside.

With the mysterious book guiding the way, a strange new world is revealed – a world in which Thomas has a name and destiny far more extraordinary than he ever imagined. But time is short. Even as Thomas uncovers his secret family history, enemies emerge, threatening to end his rise to power and destroy everything he holds dear.

I’ve read and loved my tiny share of middle grade books. But this book was a bit unique.

Plot

The plot is a bit old as time. There are magic objects and protagonist has to rescue them before the antagonist.

But there were many tropes altered and changes made which actually make us fly through the book.

Characters

Thomas Wildus, our protagonist is a 12 soon-to-be 13 year old with a sweet life , a crush , best friend , an idiot bully and loving mom . Until destiny knocks him off.

Enrique Rodriguez thomas’s best friend , the guy who has all qualities from almost all of our school heartthrob. He is fun , honest , bold and has a looot of siblings (reminded me of the Weasley from HP) and a great kid .

Though the book has a lot of adults no one really had much character development?! No one except for a “mysterious” character had much space.

Writing style

Actually , the writing style was original and actual?! Like , so natural there are no weird words and thomas is actually curious but he’s so psyched about comics. It was so naturally written.

Pacing

I have to mention the pacing of the story because it was highly uneven. Sometimes it felt like you missed something , sometime it dragged on.

Opinions

In my opinion , this is a perfect middle grade read. Like only a lil bit more from a children’s fiction which is written exactly for the target audience.

The antagonist of the story is so amazing and complex. I really expect to read more of him.

Thomas was fond of archie comics , doodles and practical jokes. It was almost like reading about percy. I really wanna continue reading to see how he grows up .

There are paragraphs from the book of sorrows which are sortof problematic. The book is supposed to written centuries ago but was perfectly understandable except for the “est” and “eth” additions.

Though the book is written unique the plot is so old .

Anyway , its a perfect read for a cozy sick or summer afternoon.

About the author :

J.M.’s debut fantasy/magic series originally started as a bedtime story for his oldest son. The story turned into a saga, and one book turned into five.

The first book in the series, Thomas Wildus and The Book of Sorrows, is scheduled for release in February 2019. When J.M. isn’t working on the Thomas Wildus books, you can find him playing with his kids, napping, or dreaming up new adventures. If you ever meet him and can’t think of anything to talk about, you might ask about Herman the Shark, the Kai and Eli stories, or why Riddle-Master by Patricia McKillip is his all-time favorite book. Or maybe, just maybe, you’ll have questions and stories of your own (if you do, he’ll think that’s far more interesting).

Website

Thanks for reading . Did you enjoy the review?? Do you read middle grade?? Which is your preferred genre for reading? Lets talk.

Twitter Bookstagram Blog

Happy living