Christopher Tozier

Simply put Olivia Brophie and Aristotle’s Lantern is a rousing middle-grade adventure that will appeal to readers of all ages. The characters are sometimes mischievous, sometimes sinister, sometimes empathetic, but always engaging. What Tozier does so well is to settle us into ten-year-old Oliva’s world, which is quite an amazing one, from the beginning pages.

This is book three of his Olivia Brophie series. In book one we learn that Olivia moves to the Florida scrub and discovers that life is much more than sand and sunshine when her fate becomes tied to a Pearl that holds unlimited power—and unlimited enemies. Book two revolves around Olivia’s discovery of an ancient society and her mishandling of the Pearl’s power and its unintended consequence on the planet.

That’s really all you need to know before starting Book Three because Tozier is masterful about incorporating the first two book’s backstory without distracting from the current tale. He’s also good at incorporating fun, scientific facts. Most importantly, he possesses the quality that all good authors must have—not shying away from letting his protagonist suffer. Olivia must deal with resetting the world on the right track, the loss of her family and best friend, seizures, physical danger and the heavy burden that comes with these responsibilities. Did I mention that she no longer possesses the Pearl?

Olivia Brophie and Aristotle’s Lantern is a well-paced page turner. It’s filled with twists and turns. I was hooked from beginning to end. I was also glad that the story was not only satisfying, but self-contained, though it was obvious there were things to come.

One minor complaint about the Kindle version – there are wonderful illustrations by Steve Weaver, but they appeared too small on my screen to be fully enjoyed. Maybe this has something to do with my settings.

Long live Olivia Brophie, her friends and enemies, and the spectacular world Tozier has created for them, and for us.… (more)