The Curse of the Deadman's Forest

I fast forwarded my reading through this sequel. Ian and Theo continue their adventures saving the world from the evil Demogorgon and his 4 offspring. The two have to find 7 children (in book one it was 6 children) to save the world from the rise of the Demogorgon. In this book, the prophecy predicts the two finding the third child by going through the portal and she will be a great Healer; however, it also predicts that Ian will be killed. The adults, along with Theo and Carl, agree that Ian is not to go through the portal. When the Plague comes to the Keep and children begin to die Theo, Ian, and his best friend Carl find themselves forced to go through the portal. Will Ian live?

The plot in this book is more inconsistent than the last book and the pacing is slow in spots. I got confused at times who was speaking in certain chapters. For instance, the Earl is mascarading as Mr. Nutley's nephew and when another character said, "Mr. Nutley..." I had to reread passages to determine if it was the Earl or the Professor speaking. It might have been because I was reading in fast forward motion which I do if the pacing is slow. I also got confused when someone snuck out of the Keep and met with Dieter on page 76. Just remember that Dieter and Hylda are the Van Schufts from the previous book who killed two children from the Keep. I didn't remember their first names because they are mainly referred to as the Van Schufts.

Ian is out of character a couple of times. The first time is when he spots a woman paying off a cab driver but still gets in the taxi and doesn't tell the Earl. There have been several attempts at their lives and he is The Guardian, protector, or the cautious one of the group. This action was irresponsible and out of character. The other time is when Carmina steals the journal from the Professor. Ian has no thought as to whether or not the Professor was injured. He would have sent Carl to check on him if he was being The Guardian. Theo sounds older than an 11 year old.

The book is violent in parts particularly when the soldiers shoot Eva and have the children line up execution style with hands behind thier heads so the German soldier can kill them. The soldier shoots the air and kicks them down a ravine. This was too realistic and violent for me. Maybe students lack of knowledge of WWII would make them okay with it. This book has Ian jealous of Carl because the girls like Carl. While publishers have the book for ages 9-12 it has elements that would place it in Young Adult.

Reading Level 6.1

:-) :-) 2 Smileys