Welcome to the fourth day of The Gates of Atlantis blog tour. Don't miss the awesome GIVEAWAY, details on all six books and their authors, and the schedule for the rest of the tour at the bottom of the post so you don't miss a thing!
I
want to start off by admitting my obsession to all things 'Atlantis'.
The very concept itself is such a fascinating piece of history,
mythology, and mystery. Even though Atlantis has (likely) never
existed, it has affected the world just as much as if it had. My
favorite thing about Atlantis mythology is seeing the many different
takes on it by writers of all mediums.
So,
yeah, a six book series by six different authors (a la 39 Clues
and Infinity Ring) called The Gates of Atlantis is
totally up my alley.
Check out my video booktube review of The Battle for Acropolis or scroll down for the text version.
The Review:
The
Battle for Acropolis by Mikey
Books is listed on Amazon.com as the sixth and final book, but the
great thing about this series is that each book is self-contained.
They are designed to be read as individual novels that will make up a
whole, not necessarily as a start-to-finish series. It's a unique
approach and I think they've pulled it off well.
This
book centers around foster kids Talon –who has a knack for getting
into trouble and shooting fire out of his palms– and Hattie –a
chatterbox bent on running away to find her grandmother in Florida.
I
breezed through this book. At no point did I feel bogged down with
superfluous exposition, so that scored some major points with this
book. It kept my attention with the fast pace, interesting
characters, and unfolding mystery. What are Talon's weird dreams all
about? Is he really just a mutant freak? And what's up with Hattie's
hair?
What
I love most about Mikey Brooks' storytelling is the
ease with which he writes characters.
They feel like real
kids, with quirks and doubts and determination. He represents the
awkward stage of middle schoolers so well I'm inclined to believe his
bio, that he really is a child masquerading as an adult.
Perfect
level for middle school readers. Though elements of the story were
predictable, it was entertaining enough to keep me reading and there
were a couple of surprises.
The
Gates of Atlantis is rampant with new imaginings of all kinds of
mythos -banshees, mer-people, nymphs, kelpies. Each book seems to
concentrate on the particulars of one or two kinds and I'm looking
forward to reading even more about the others.
Even
though the story is nicely resolved and self-contained, you can tell
that there is more going on. Everything wraps up –there are no
cliffhangers or dangling
plot threads– but we are
inundated with the whole series' cast of
characters toward the climax. It
hints
toward the other
adventures and
different story lines. While
it's a little tricky to keep them all straight, I predict it wouldn't
be a problem if you'd read the other books. Part
of me wishes we could have gotten to know these characters a little
better within the margins of Battle for the Acropolis,
because I'm curious about them, but I also feel that it would have
pulled away from Talon's story, which is exactly what we don't want.
I like the fact that I don't feel like I have
to read the rest of the series to get the whole story, but I
definitely want to
because I'm curious,
I want to know more about the world and the characters. As
I read, I could tell where the different stories came in; there was
enough detail that I wasn't confused, but not enough to spoil the
other five books. On the whole, magnificently executed.
To Read or Not To Read?
What do I recommend? To Read.
Battle for the Acropolis gets four stars. I can't
wait to get my hands on the rest of this series. Perfect material for
8-12-year-olds, boys and girls, and
anyone obsessed with Atlantis.
There's something here for everyone.
Battle for Acropolis by Mikey Brooks
Thirteen-year-old Talon is in trouble...again. He didn't mean to burn down the school library. It just happened. Things like that always happen to Talon. His life is a mixture of the weird and bizarre. No one else he knows can shoot fire from their hands or cause an earthquake...but he can.
Every night the same dream haunts Talon: the destruction of an underwater city. He doesn't have a clue what it means but he feels like fate is trying to warn him. It's not until he runs away with his foster sister Hattie that he discovers his trouble-making powers and strange nightmare are connected. Together they are the key to saving magic...to saving Atlantis.
Mikey Brooks is a small child masquerading as an adult. On occasion you’ll catch him dancing the funky chicken, singing like a banshee, and pretending to have never grown up. He is the author/illustrator of several picture books including the best-selling ABC Adventures: Magical Creatures and Bean’s Dragons. He is also the author of the best-selling middle-grade fantasy The Stone of Valhalla as well as the exciting series The Dream Keeper Chronicles. His art can be seen in many forms from picture books to full room murals. He loves to daydream with his three daughters and explore the worlds that only the imagination of children can create. Mikey has a BS degree in English from Utah State University and works fulltime as a freelance illustrator, cover designer, and author. As a member of the Emblazoners, he is one of many authors devoted to ‘writing stories on the hearts of children’. He is also one of the hosts of the Authors’ Think Tank Podcast.
Mikey's Links of Awesome: Website | Amazon | Facebook | Twitter | Blog | Pinterest
The Gates of Atlantis
Banshee at the Gate by Wendy Knight
Thirteen-year-old half-breed banshee, Seven, likes her life. She leads souls safely to Death and she has the planet’s most awesome dad and little brother. But a cryptic message from Atlantis asking for her help changes all that. And then there’s Death, who has decided it’s time to take her brother’s soul. Now she’s racing across the world, trying to stay one step ahead of Death.
Unfortunately, getting to Atlantis from Ireland isn’t easy, and there are evil minions determined to keep her away every time she turns around. But fighting for their lives teaches Seven one very important lesson—she isn’t human, and she isn’t a banshee. She has to be both if she wants to save her brother and make it back home alive.
Wendy Knight is the bestselling author of the young adult series Fate on Fire and Riders of Paradesos. She was born and raised in Utah by a wonderful family who spoiled her rotten because she was the baby. Now she spends her time driving her husband crazy with her many eccentricities (no water after five, terror when faced with a live phone call, no touching the knives...you get the idea). She also enjoys chasing her three adorable kids, playing tennis, watching football, reading, and hiking. Camping is also big—her family is slowly working toward a goal of seeing all the National Parks in the U.S. You can usually find her with at least one Pepsi nearby, wearing ridiculously high heels for whatever the occasion. And if everything works out just right, she will also be writing.
Wendy's Wonderful Links: Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Wattpad
Guardians of the Gate by Laura D. Bastian
Thirteen-year-old merman Exander wants to leave Atlantis to mingle with the humans and explore the world above. Talia, his best friend, wishes she was a guardian of a gate leading to the surface. She'd keep those nasty humans out of her beloved city of Atlantis. When Talia accidentally short circuits a gate, Exander is trapped on the wrong side, getting a crash course in navigating the human world. As Talia fights to help Exander come home, she learns someone is closing the other gates, and it’s destroying the magic of Atlantis. If they can’t convince the magical creatures of the world to save the gates, the destruction of Atlantis will only be the beginning.
Laura Bastian grew up in a small town in central Utah and now lives in another small town in northern Utah. She always loved stargazing and imagining life outside her own little world. Though they grew up only thirty miles apart, she didn’t meet her husband until they went to college. A graduate of Utah State University with a degree in Elementary and Special education, Laura has been using that training as she raises her children and writes make believe worlds. You can usually find her on her laptop either typing away, or on social media interacting with friends.
Secrets of the Mine by Juli Caldwell
Adam Alfaro daydreams about magic, myths, and becoming famous for discovering the lost city of Atlantis. The only problem? He has to spend spring break in Africa while his mom works. To make it worse, everyone expects him to be friends with the annoying Clancy Pitt while he’s there. It’s dislike at first sight...until he realizes she might know a few secrets about Atlantis.
Then he meets Nef, a spirited sea kelpie who needs help rescuing naiads kidnapped and left to die in an ancient mine. Suddenly the strange creatures Adam dreamed of become all too real. And they’re after him. Can Adam, Clancy, and Nef fight their way through the maze of tunnels in the mine and reach the naiads before it's too late?
Juli Caldwell --This is where I tell you about how amazing and interesting my life is. Sorry to disappoint you with my non-glamorous life, but I'm a normal person who loves to read and loves to write. I've written romance, YA paranormal, and mid-grade fantasy--who knows what I'll try next? I just listen to the voices in my head and let their stories out. I'm married to my favorite person, and together we're raising two hilarious daughters and a dog who dances gangnam style for treats. La vie est belle!
Magicians of the Deep by Jaclyn Weist
Thirteen-year-old Colin knew nothing of the magic world until he is bitten by a mischievous pixie. He meets thirteen-year-old Alleya on a secret website devoted to magical creatures. Before he knows it, Colin finds himself thrust into a whole new world. Alleya has been hidden away from the rest of Atlantis because she’s half-mermaid, half-Atlantian. Her father tries to ease her boredom by getting her a computer and finally allowing her to go to school. She accidentally lets slip a dark secret —the gates to Atlantis are being shut and it's destroying magic. Alleya is exiled to Indiatlantis.
There, she learns mermaids are getting sick because of the lack of magic, and the tunnels are beginning to collapse. Together, Colin and Alleya must find a way to bring back the old magic and fight to save Atlantis.
Jaclyn Weist is an Idaho farm girl who grew up loving to read. She developed a love for writing as a senior in high school, when her dad jokingly said she was the next Dr. Seuss (not even close, but very sweet). She met her husband, Steve at BYU and they have six happy, crazy children that encourage her writing. After owning a bookstore and running away to have adventures in Australia, they settled back down in their home in Utah. Jaclyn now spends her days herding her kids to various activities and trying to remember what she was supposed to do next.
Madness Behind the Throne by JR Simmons
Callidora is an Atlantian noblewoman and member of an elite guard whose purpose is to keep Atlantis pure...until her life is turned upside down by the birth of a son.
Phoibos, bullied and taunted by other kids, is sure of one thing: something is wrong with Atlantis. Impure, Atlantian-Human hybrids are ruining his city, and he'll stop at nothing to rectify that. Callidora is the only one who knows the truth of who her only son really is, and how dangerous he can be. Can anyone stop Phoibos before his need for purification brings Atlantis to the very brink of destruction?
JR Simmons lives in Northern Utah with his wife and 4 boys. He loves spending time with his family and coaching his kids in all of their different sports. He is an avid gamer and is very excited that his boys are picking up on his hobby. JR was recently introduced to triathlons and has since found that he loves the sport. Most nights he can be found either sitting down with a good game or hunched over his iPad writing.
J.R.'s Usual Haunts: Twitter | Blog
GO CHECK OUT WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THESE BOOKS AND SOME FABULOUS
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Right off the bat, the characters got my attention. The Orion Twins are so lifelike and fun I got pulled right into the story. Emmy is a firecracker, ready to take on any bully that picks on her brother, but she's also a mess of emotions and sarcasm. My gosh, she's got a tongue on her. But the adults in the story don't give her any leeway for that, which I loved, so Emmy gets to be brutally sarcastic (like so many ten-year-old girls), but she also gets put right back in her place, so she doesn't come off as a brat. Brother Ethan is meeker and more reserved than his sister, but we soon discover he's no sissy; he prefers to put his brain to work on a problem than, say, jumping onto its back and hitting it, like another Orion I could mention. Kids will relate easily to both Emmy and Ethan. I absolutely love them, as characters and as siblings. Their dynamic is great, constantly jumping between infuriating each other and adorably being the other's greatest protector or confidant. They have to work together despite their opposing flaws, strengths, and weakness. Along the way, they learn to appreciate new things about each other, and that's the best kind of sibling story. ^_^
will be available for only $.99. That’s 81% off the regular price. The
countdown will end on 
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