Review – Book of the Dead (Tombquest, Book 1) by Michael Northrop (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Science Fiction
Length: 208 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Release Date: January 27, 2015
ISBN-13: 978-0545723381
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Tombquest series
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the first book in the Tombquest series. This series is “designed” by the same people who worked on the Infinity Ring series and the Spirit Animals series. I have read some of the Spirit Animals books and they weren’t my favorite. However, I kept picking this book up and looking at it and finally decided to get it when I saw it at my son’s book fair at school. There are five books planned for this series and they will all be written by Northrop.

Eleven year old Alex has suffered from sickness his whole life and it’s getting worse. After a horrible attack the doctors are worried he won’t recover. That’s when his mom, who is an Egyptologist, uses one of the Lost Spells from the Book of the Dead to save him. Unfortunately she unlocks a doorway that does more than save Alex’s life. Now strange things are happening all over the world and Alex’s mom has disappeared. Alex will stop at nothing to save her.

I really enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I was going to. There is a lot of mystery in here, some creepy parts, some good action, and some magic. I really enjoyed it all. The book was fast-paced and easy to read.

I liked Alex as a character and wanted to know more about his illness. After his mom uses the Lost Spells on him he starts gaining endurance and this leaves the reader wondering what else about Alex will change as the series continues.

I loved that him and his mother have an open and loving relationship. I also enjoyed the friendship between him and Ren. Ren was another fun character, she is a girl and has a lot of spunk. I enjoyed that there was both a main boy and girl character; this makes the story accessible and fun for both genders.

The plot was well done, pretty much the story is just getting started here. I loved the Egyptian mythology throughout too. The story is exciting and fast-paced and was easy to engage with. I gave it to my 8 year old son and he is reading it now, so we will see what he thinks.

We have not checked out the game yet, but plan to in a few weeks when we are moved into our new house.

Overall an excellent start to a new series. I thought the book was fast-paced, exciting, and really well done. I thoroughly enjoyed the mythology, the characters, and the plot. I can’t wait to read the second book in the series, Amulet Keepers. Recommended to those who enjoy mysteries with some action, mythology, and magic.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
– Mythology Reading Challenge