We are proud to continue our Colorado Author Series with a review of Scepter, written by Scott Collins. The author is married to one of the publishers of this newsletter, so this review is by Chris Schaffer, the former publisher of Macaroni Kid Fort Collins. A copy of the book was provided to Chris in exchange for an honest review.
This book was very intriguing. It is a unique cross between The Hunger Games and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe series. It is a tale of survival that starts off with two brothers who have special gifts, and then their journey of survival turns into a fight for their freedom against the evil King Argyle.
I found Scepter to be very exciting because in almost every chapter you meet a new friend/character who plays an important role in the development of the main characters. The new friends that they would meet on their journey were mystical and legendary creatures or children in the same predicament as themselves.
Scepter is also filled with intense action. The action scenes are short and to the point and they leave you with more time to enjoy the story line instead of dragging out fight scenes. The only somewhat negative aspect of this book is that the back story at the beginning of the book was long. The good thing about the long back story, though, is that the book would not have made a lot of sense without referring to the actions that led up to where the main characters are today.
The single most important factor about Scepter is that there was never a hint of predictability. No matter what chapter I was on, no matter what I thought was going to happen, there was always a pleasant twist to the story line that would throw my imagination for a fun and interesting roller-coaster ride!
I would recommend this book to anyone old enough to read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. This recommendation is simply due to the level of violence discussed in the fight scenes. There is no graphic description of carnage, however. There is a level of violence but nothing too graphic. It is written with the younger readers in mind so anyone of any age can enjoy this book. For example:
"Another one is creeping out from the tree line close to where the first one went down. Olivia let out a long breath and gently squeezed the trigger. Another cry indicated she'd hit her target."I hope everyone gets a chance to enjoy this book, as I know I did.
Scepter is available through Amazon as a paperback or a Kindle e-book. It is first in a series. The second book is expected to be released in late 2013.
About the Author: Born and raised in Southern California, Scott Collins relocated to Colorado soon after the birth of his first child. He now resides in Castle Rock with his wife and two sons. Days' End was his debut novel and Scepter is the first in a middle grade fantasy series. In addition to writing, Mr. Collins enjoys spending his free time (and with two kids, that's not much time) running and cycling.
