Happenstance Found

There's always something to be said when you read a book for the third time and enjoy every minute of it, excitedly waiting for a favorite passage or character. That's how this book is.

Not only is the writing good, but the world, plot, characters -- everything. It's all great and unique. Happenstance is a very sympathetic yet cool character, Umber is brilliant and curious, Sophie is intriguing and interesting. The world is super detailed and yet not overwhelming.

You open this book up expecting the usual fantasy adventure, but trust me. You get so much more.

After reading a few heavy WW2 books, I desperately needed something fun and fantastic. I had heard of this series but knew nothing about it. I just grabbed it off the shelf of the library and brought it home.
This book isn't life altering or knock your socks off amazing. It's just what I needed though. It's fun. It's got some great characters and just enough mystery and suspense to keep me turning the pages. I would say that readers of Fablehaven, The Books of Pellinor, the Inheritance Cycle, and other similar fantasy books would really enjoy this series. I am planning on diving into book 2 tomorrow.

I liked this book a lot during my early teens, although I thought it lacked some more exciting details. Pretty average fantasy stuff which didn't make me want to jump into the sequel - although the setting was quite original. I loved the idea of a boat attached to a whale.

Elly says: This first book in a new series hits the ground running and doesn't stop. Characters are introduced quickly but are developed just enough to peak interest. The two main characters have identity issues, the boy doesn't know who he is and the man has to hide who he is, all the while trying to protect the boy from death on all sides.
It's court intrigue, derry-doing, monsterous whales, amphibious humanoids and a very determined assassin all rolled into 300 pages. Great book for adventure lovers.

Twelve year-old Happenstance emerges “out of nothing”, with no memory of a previous existence, in the exciting opening chapter of The Books of Umber: Happenstance Found, the first installment in a new fantasy series by P.W. Catanese. Happenstance or “Hap” is befriended by a group of adventurers, led by Lord Umber from Kurahaven in the Kingdom of Celador. They have been led to Hap by way of a mysterious letter, the contents of which, dictates their movements for much of the story. The promising opening chapter which includes an exciting escape from a worm- like serpent with a thousand legs, is not always maintained in the subsequent chapters. Hap and Lord Umber return to Kurahaven pursued by a spectacularly evil villain on horse show more back. A great deal of the narrative is taken up with the back stories of Hal and his friends, so much so, that the finish of the story seems rushed, forcing the reader to wait for the next installment for the resolution of many of the mysteries, including Hap’s lost memory. The Book of Umber is well written with some great surprises for the patient reader. The novel would appeal to upper elementary fantasy fans. show less

This was an interesting book I thought the plot line was unique and the idea of a Meddler was something I have never read about before. I think the book was a little slow it could have used more action. The characters of Happenstance and Umber worked really well together and the fact of who and what Happenstance was gave the book good suspense. I would use this book as a free read and in a reading corner but I would not have the whole class read it. I am interested to see where the series goes I was surprised by the ending.

What a pleasant surprise this book was! Action and intriguing characters make for quite a page-turner. The ending resolves nicely, while still pushing readers to seek out the sequels. Hand this one to fans of fantasy adventure like Fablehaven or Pendragon.

Review: http://www.abbythelibrarian.com/2011/09/happenstance-found.html