Monday, August 16, 2010

Monster War: By Dean Lorey

MONSTER WAR

SUMMARY

Charlie is in big trouble

Dangeroos, Mimics, Netherstalkers, and worse are everywhere, and the danger to our world has never been greater. The Named have succeeded in summoning the Queen of Nightmares, a villain so terrible that only one person can stop her—Charlie Benjamin, armed with the Sword of Sacrifice. But Charlie can't get the fabled sword without the help of his friends Theodore, Violet, and Brooke—and the sacrifice it demands from them is even more horrifying than a roomful of Ravenous Sticky-Spitters. . . .

REVIEW

Monsters are real, and nightmares are their way into our world.

Monster War is the third installment in the Nightmare Academy series and completes the story of the Fifth. When readers left the series in Monster Madness, Charlie Benjamin was exiled, the headmaster was critically wounded, and the Fifth, the creator of the Named monsters, was loose in the world.

Now as the final installment to the Nightmare Academy begins, monsters are running loose in the world, causing chaos, killing, and creating even more nightmares letting in more monsters to wreck havoc.

Nightmare Academy is an interesting series that has a unique concept. Part Monster’s Inc. and part Yu Yu Hakishu (for those not familiar it’s an anime series where the protagonist kills monsters/demons sending them back to the demon world) that is perfect for elementary and middle school children.

While some of the characters seem childish in their dialog (such as Theodore), the majority of the characters are solid enough. That, plus loads of action and excitement makes this a great book for kids.

What surprised me most about Monster War was that it doesn’t end the series, it is just the end of the first installment. It does resolve many of the problems created in the first two books in the series, but in the extra chapter offered in the end, Charlie discovers a whole new aspects of the Nether that opens up a new development in the series. I was expecting Lorey to neatly wrap up this series and so when he left this cliffhanger of an ending it truly shocked me.

All in all Monster War is fun and exciting. It is filled with action, and while some of the characters seem silly and some of the plot lines are predictable it is a good book, a fun series, and a great read for middle school readers looking for a quick engaging book.

RATING
7 out of 10

INFO

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: July 27, 2010

Price: $6.99

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