Enter the Enchanted (Everworld #3)

A truly brilliant take on mythology. For anyone who has ever been a fan of the religions of yore you'll be enthralled with Applegate's world of aliens and gods. My favorite series when it first came out and still one of my favorite series. The beginning of the first book is a bit difficult to get into, but once you get past that it is simply phenomenal. Applegate creates an entire world within Everworld while drawing enough from our own world so as not to entirely alienate or confuse the audience.

This is a quick, easy, and entertaining read that would appeal to reluctant readers. It is part of a series entitles Ever World of the fantasy genre. The tale of quest is for the female protagonist to find her half-sister, Senna, who has disappeared into a fantasy medieval-like world where Merlin is the antagonist. There is clever banter with the other male teen characters who help April on her search, making references to popular culture. This adds an element of humor not always found in fantasy literature, and therefore has a hi-lo appeal given its interest value and brevity. This would be a good recommendation for reluctant readers and for SSR time, as well as for those who enjoy series.

Interest Level: Grades 7-Adult

Synopsis:
This is the third tome in the series Everworld. This book continues the adventures of April, David, Jalil, and Christopher as they encounter Merlin, the forces behind the Everworld. April is the presumptive heroine in the story and she bounces between one world of reality to a nether world of magic, dragons, evil doers, wizards, and Knights of the Round Table. How April bounces from one world to another is not clear but seemingly she and her friends do so when they sleep. April has a half sister named Senna who has been missing for several months from her home with April. April’s parents are worried and have no idea where Senna could be. April know where she is, in Everworld, but does not tell show more her parents. In Everworld, Senna is a witch wanted by Loki (a Norwegian god) and Merlin (a wizard) as both lay claims to her. As the story progresses, April and her friends battle to escape the clutches of Loki with the help of Sir Galahad and some of his knights fighting in true medieval form. Merlin supports the teens with the knights against Loki and his warrior trolls. Will the teens escape? Will they take Senna, who has magical powers, back to the real world? The last chapter lends some clues as to what happens next.
Review:
I did not enjoy the book as it is not my genre. I find it difficult to read fantasy with dragons, characters from mythology, and magic. However, it was a fairly fast read even if it is not my preference. I think the book is appropriate for high school students and probably middle school students as well. There is a huge population of my students that will really enjoy this book that love the Christopher Paolini books (Eragon, Eldest, and Brisingr). The middle schoolers may have some familiarity with the mythology characters but more than likely, the high schoolers will be more familiar. It was not necessary to read the preceding books (one and two) in order to understand what was happening in this volume. The author does a good job with providing a back story but not to the distraction as to interrupt the current story. The conclusion of this book provides a tease for the reader to want to read what happens in the next book. show less

Fun fluff.