Kaza Kingsley

I do not care to be impatiently yanked along for an adventure I am not sure I want to be having.

Make no mistake, I love being dropped into the fray from straight out.
But I absolutely loath authors being all rush-rush - the exact thing that happens straight away in this book. It's like I was having my back impatiently pushed to "Go on, go on! NO dawdling! Adventure ahead! GO ON!" Annoying is what it is.

The cloudy thoughts thing? That's enough to put me off reading these books altogether. show more That's too convenient a device, something that is sure to be most thoroughly abused. Not to mention this implies a very real lack of free will - a big resounding NO.

If the first few chapter are anything to go by, the solutions will magically pop up all on their own, with no real effort put in by the protagonist. That's no way to go. Abysmal.

I would not put this book in the hands of an adult, let alone a child. I find it disturbing that a lack of free will on a person's part can inspire a loyal following. I cannot for the life of me understand how depriving someone of their right to make a choice can be seen as a good thing.

What kind of message does this give you?

I would not want my kids to come away believing that some invisible intangible force shall make them do the right thing. That's not how people work. Our choices define us.

Frodo made a choice to carry the Ring.
Harry Potter chose to fight.
Coraline chose to act.
Alice chose to follow the white rabbit.

Not to mention no solutions magically appear before us on a silver platter in the nick of time.

I have not read far enough into the story to make any comparisons to Harry Potter series - as many of the reviewers are wont to do. There's hardly any need. I have seen enough to draw my own conclusions.

!!!WOULD NOT RECOMMEND TO ANYONE, PLEASE STIR CLEAR!!! show less

2.5 stars
ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

When Erec Rex�??s adoptive mother disappears into a tunnel under a New York City sidewalk, 12-year-old Erec and his new friend Bethany go looking for her. Below the city streets they find a new world full of magic and enter a contest which, if they win, will make them king and queen of Alypium.

The Dragonƒ??s Eye, the first book in Kaza Kingsleyƒ??s EREC REX series, is a fun, fast-paced childrenƒ??s adventure featuring a magical world show more thatƒ??s hidden from modern society but can be accessed through a magical version of Grand Central station. When they get there, Erec and Bethany meet tricksy ghosts, make potions, learn a new sport, and get their own pets. They live in a castle, which is a welcome change from the closet Erec is used to sleeping in.

The magical competition involves growing gills and swimming below a lake inhabited by a sea monster to meet the race of water sprites who live there. Another task involves a hazardous maze and another requires them to steal something from a dragon. Bethany, who happens to be a math genius, gets plenty of chances to impress people with her brilliance as they complete these tasks. Although sheƒ??s only 13, she can talk intelligently about calculus and linear algebra and even uses the correct jargon, despite having no formal education. During all this, the kids must, of course, avoid the traps laid by the mean rich boy and his cronies who are eager to see them fail. There are a few adults who seem evil, too.

A big surprise to Erec (but probably not to the reader) is that his name is famous in Alypium. All this time his adoptive mother, who had magically changed his appearance, had been trying to hide him in the world of the ƒ??Losersƒ? above, but his name gave him away when he entered their world. I couldnƒ??t help but wonder, if she was so worried about him being found, why she didnƒ??t change his name, too. Oh, well.

I know what youƒ??re thinking: ƒ??This is HARRY POTTER.ƒ? But youƒ??re wrong. This is not HARRY POTTER. And thatƒ??s its problem. Some of the story is cute, but itƒ??s never very clever, and nearly every part of the plot has a parallel to HARRY POTTER, even down to the soul-sucking Dementors (which are called "Destroyers" in Kingsley's work). Itƒ??s full of heavy foreshadowing and all of the adults are stupid. Despite the supposed danger, we never really worry about the characters.

The Dragonƒ??s Eye is clearly meant to appeal to youngsters who havenƒ??t yet read HARRY POTTER, or maybe are too young for how dark HARRY POTTER can get, and thatƒ??s fine. However, itƒ??s hard to admire a work thatƒ??s so derivative but lacks the qualities that make the imitated work so brilliant. I think that most discerning readers who love Rowlingƒ??s series will be disappointed in The Dragonƒ??s Eye. And if it didnƒ??t want to be compared to HARRY POTTER, it shouldnƒ??t have copied it.

I read the audio version which was produced by Simon & Schuster Audio and narrated by Simon Jones. Mr. Jones was a terrific reader. If you're going to read The Dragon's Eye, I recommend this version.

Originally posted at Fantasy Literature. show less

I tend to give every book I enjoyed a four star rating and am stingy with the five stars, saving them for my very favorite series. This book is really more of a 4.5 for me, in part because it was so much better than the cover (and some Audible reviews) had led me to expect.

I absolutely adore the young adult fantasy worlds of Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl, and Septimus Heap, as well as those created by Diana Wynne Jones, but many of the "just like ..." books I've read fall short of evoking a show more similar kind of charming and whimsical world that is nonetheless distinctly original to the series.

The first book in the Erec Rex series surprised me by being charming and whimsical right off the bat -- and the author isn't even British! (Although the publishers wisely decided on a British narrator for the audiobook version.) I'm sure critics can find parallels between the world of Erec Rex and other popular young adult fantasy worlds, and sure some aspects of the "hero's journey" are familiar. But that's less of a case of "ripping off" Harry Potter than it is a case of tapping into fantasy and epic paradigms that existed long before JK Rowling took pen to napkin.

I was thoroughly charmed and immediately bought the next book in the series. I wasn't able to find the audio version through my Scribd subscription, but here's hoping they add it soon! show less

How would you feel if, when you were twelve years old, your mother disappeared and, in the quest to save her, you left the real world and entered a world of magic and kings and queens? That’s exactly what happened to Erec Rex.

Erec is not your normal boy; he has a glass eye, his home contains things that are less than normal, and his brothers and sisters aren’t as special as he is, but they are certainly unusual. When Erec gets a “cloudy thought,” which are like visions, he knows his show more mother is in danger, and that he is the only one that can save her.

As Erec begins his search he meets Bethany, a girl who is being raised by her mean uncle and forced to work at his newsstand. Bethany knows a way to help Erec, and so she joins him on his journey. When the two go through an unnoticed door in the sidewalk, they enter a world much different than their own.

When they get to this world, called Alyphium, they find themselves in a contest to become the next rulers of the land. There are three rulers who will be replaced - King Piter, Queen Posey, and King Pluto. However, King Piter is sick and is slowly losing himself; the castle is quite literally on its side, and The Substance that holds the whole world together has gone askew. There is something very wrong in this magical world, and when things start happening and become dangerous, it’s up to Erec, with the help of Bethany, to fix things.

Although I first thought this was a knockoff of Harry Potter (and there are some correlations), this is a story with characters that are all their own. Kaza Kingsley has created an array of characters that are easily lovable and have depth. The story is adventurous and fun, with an element of danger and a “wait, did that really just happen?” quality.

Once I finished, I was eager to continue onto the next book in the series, just to know what happens next! The Dragon's Eye is a captivating read, and it stands to reason that with this cast of characters and the imagination of Ms. Kingsley, this could easily be the next phenomenon to sweep through the young adult fiction world.

There is plenty of humor for those who prefer lighthearted but still slightly dim stories. By the end of page one, I was already laughing so hard I had to put the book down. I also found myself oddly wanting Erec’s alarm clock. There are many more instances like this throughout the rest of the book, and this is definitely a novel that I would recommend to everyone.

For the older audience, parts of the story are a bit predictable, but the writing and depth of the characters totally makes up for that. If you haven’t heard of the Erec Rex series before, or have overlooked it in the stores, then you should run, not walk, to the nearest bookstore and pick up your copy today! show less