Release Date: September 9, 2013
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This review describes an uncorrected proof. The published version may be different.
My mom read this book. Here are her unflattering remarks:
You know how The Flintstones came out because of The Honeymooners? Then The Jetsons happened because of the Flintstones? This book is like the Jetsons. It happened because somebody wrote a hit book about a kid who is actually a wizard, then somebody else wrote a book about a kid who is actually a Greek God. Hoping for lightning to strike a third time, the publishing industry cranks out a book about a girl who is actually the child of Egyptian Gods.
[Editor's note: I actually enjoyed The Lightning Thief.]
Isadora's conflict in this book is mainly with her parents. They're immortal, she's not, and it's just not fair! (Slam!) Isadora is a stereotypical shallow, self-involved teen. Over the course of the book, she develops from being unlikeable to somewhat more likeable. She did become closer with her parents, but not in a way that involved outgrowing her abrasive immaturity.
I wish there was less Egyptian folklore stapled onto the story. The way it's integrated is jarring and contradictory. For example, her parents are millennia-old Gods with access to the internet, but they find San Diego baffling? More baffling, say, than the Book of the Dead?
I would reluctantly recommend this book to teenaged girls, but I would demand that they read something intelligent afterwards.
My mom was not the target audience for this novel. For a more positive review, see:
Proud Book Nerd
Dark Faerie Tales
The Nocturnal Library
For a less negative, but not totally ebullient review, check out:
My Friends Are Fiction
Sarah's YA Blog
Bookworm 1858
Punk's House of Books
Or a negative review that's just less brutal:
Nawanda Files
If all this misanthropy hasn't scared you off, go pick up your copy at The Blue Manatee or your nearest independent bookseller.
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