Published by: Walden Pond Press, September 1st 2015
Genre: MG, Fantasy, Ships
Pages: 352
Format: Ebook
Does the Vanishing Island really exist? And if so, what treasure—or terrible secret—was hidden by its disappearance?
It’s 1599, the Age of Discovery in Europe. But for Bren Owen, growing up in the small town of Map on the coast of Britannia has meant anything but adventure. Enticed by the tales sailors have brought through Map’s port, and inspired by the arcane maps his father creates as a cartographer for the cruel and charismatic map mogul named Rand McNally, Bren is convinced that fame and fortune await him elsewhere. That is, until his repeated attempts to run away land him a punishment worse than death—cleaning up the town vomitorium.
It is there that Bren meets a dying sailor, who gives him a strange gift that hides a hidden message. Cracking the code could lead Bren to a fabled lost treasure that could change his life forever, and that of his widowed father. But to get there he will have to tie his fate to a mysterious Dutch admiral obsessed with a Chinese legend about an island that long ago disappeared from any map.
Before long, Bren is in greater danger than he ever imagined, and will need the help of an unusual friend named Mouse to survive. Barry Wolverton’s thrilling adventure spans oceans and cultures, brings together the folklore of East and West, and proves that fortune is always a double-edged sword.
This book should be perfect for me - it's got ships and sailors and maps and a hidden island. But something about it never clicked, meaning I liked it a lot but never loved it.
Bren was a pretty okay character - fairly standard for MG fantasy although I was impressed with him not being an orphan (that trend is way old and this was a nice change.) Still, I would have loved to have read this entire book from Mouse's POV. Mouse was much more interesting and complex than Bren and I want to know more about her.
The story was great, though. It had everything I love as mentioned above, it wasn't stringent on the ship paraphernalia despite being a kid's book, and whenever the plot seemed to dip it would pick up the pace without warning. There were several WHAT THE HECK moments for me, which were a nice surprise - it's always fun to be shocked.
All in all, a fun, fast-paced fantasy that holds many secrets. You can't go wrong with this one.
Bren was a pretty okay character - fairly standard for MG fantasy although I was impressed with him not being an orphan (that trend is way old and this was a nice change.) Still, I would have loved to have read this entire book from Mouse's POV. Mouse was much more interesting and complex than Bren and I want to know more about her.
The story was great, though. It had everything I love as mentioned above, it wasn't stringent on the ship paraphernalia despite being a kid's book, and whenever the plot seemed to dip it would pick up the pace without warning. There were several WHAT THE HECK moments for me, which were a nice surprise - it's always fun to be shocked.
All in all, a fun, fast-paced fantasy that holds many secrets. You can't go wrong with this one.
Characters ★★★☆☆
Setting/world-building ★★★★☆
