I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Thomas Wildus and the Book of Sorrows
by J.M. Bergen
Series: Elandrian Chronicles #1
Series Rating:
Published by Elandrian Press on February 2, 2019
Genres: Middle Grade Fantasy Adventure
Pages: 352
Format: Paperback
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Book Depository
Also in this series: Thomas Wildus and the Wizard of Sumeria
Magic is real, Thomas. No matter what happens, always remember that magic is real.
Seven years have passed, and Thomas hasn't forgotten. He hasn't forgotten the blue of his dad's eyes either, or the tickle of beard on his cheek as they hugged goodbye. Last moments with a parent are memorable, even if you don't know that's what you're having at the time.
Now, with his 13th birthday rapidly approaching, Thomas's search for magic is about to take a radical and unexpected turn. At an out-of-the-way shop filled with dusty leather books, a strange little man with gold-flecked eyes offers him an ancient text called The Book of Sorrows. The price is high and the rules are strict, but there's no way Thomas can resist the chance to look inside.
With the mysterious book guiding the way, a strange new world is revealed – a world in which Thomas has a name and destiny far more extraordinary than he ever imagined. But time is short. Even as Thomas uncovers his secret family history, enemies emerge, threatening to end his rise to power and destroy everything he holds dear.
Magic is real!? Yeah right.
Thomas Wildus and the Book of Sorrows by JM Bergen has that Harry Potter vibe to it but its completely different. Thomas has gone on quite the adventure in this book. He finds out what happened with his dad and about magic.
What I liked
- The book has a modern take for a middle-grade fantasy book about magic. It’s pretty neat to read and has problems that any young person has to learn to handle.
- Thomas knows Kung Fu. I like this because it’s good to see a main character who has more than just magic or something to defend themselves. It also lets the kids’ reading the book know that they can do it.
- Thomas eventually stood up against the bully.
- I loved the comic books that Thomas reads since those are pretty funny and showed that he is a twelve-year-old boy.
- The lead up to everything for Thomas was marvelous. The magic, the book, and the bad guy were well thought out and fabulous.
What I didn’t like
I didn’t like that the author did some time jumps in the book and I wasn’t sure where we were at first, but then it became clear for most of them. Also, how Thomas’ mom dealt with not talking about his dad for the last seven years, wasn’t a good way to handle this situation. Granted there were somethings she couldn’t tell Thomas yet about his dad, but she could have done a bit more.
Five Stars
Thomas Wildus and the Book of Sorrows by JM Bergen is the first book in a new series, and I am thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Thomas grows a lot in this book, and it’s just the first one. He also learns a lot about his family history, and about himself. This book is impressively entertaining, and I couldn’t put it down for anything. I highly recommend this book to those who love middle-grade fantasy books.
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About J.M. Bergen
J.M.’s debut fantasy/magic series originally started as a bedtime story for his oldest son. The story turned into a saga, and one book turned into five.
When J.M. isn’t working on the Thomas Wildus books, you can find him playing with his kids, napping, or dreaming up new adventures.
If you ever meet him and can’t think of anything to talk about, you might ask about Herman the Shark, the Kai and Eli stories, or why Riddle-Master by Patricia McKillip is his all-time favorite book. Or maybe, just maybe, you’ll have questions and stories of your own (if you do, he’ll think that’s far more interesting).
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2019 Goodreads Reading Challenge
- 2019 New Release Challenge
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