The first installment of Peter Lerangis’ new series, the Seven Wonders, is a fast paced, action packed book. “The Colossus Rises” will intrigue even the most reluctant readers with it’s witty humor and lovable characters.
Our story starts off with the main character Jack, who’s an ordinary thirteen year old boy. He starts to feel dizzy from the beginning of the book, and faints, leading to his capture by doctors. When Jack wakes up, he has no idea where he is, and tries to escape, but is captured and brought back to where he is originally stationed. There, Professor Bhegad, the head of the place he’s in, explains to Jack his disease, along with three other kids, also having the same problems. Marco, Aly, and Cass. It turns out that they are the descendants of Atlantis, having a gene that causes them to die at the age of fourteen. The place they are located in is called the Karai Institute, which will give them treatments so they can live until fourteen. There’s only one way they can be saved. Jack McKinley and his friends needs to retrieve seven magical items, which only together can help them save their lives. But there is one problem. These objects have been missing for thousands of years, and they are located in the ruins of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Peter Lerangis’ writing style in this book is so similar to the New York Times best seller author, Rick Riordan, that it feels like a book written by him. Lerangis is able to add humor into his pieces of work, even in the most of tense situations. He’s able to keep the story lighthearted and fun to read, dragging readers inside the story, and making them feel as if they are a part of the adventure. Lerangis’ development of the characters improved throughout the story, and each character was more then just a specific role in the story. Lerangis adds some historical content to his book, making it very similar to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, and also uses pictures and drawings to help the readers connect clues and make the story so much more interesting.
Lerangis was able to weave many authors writing together to create a masterpiece of his own, which I find extremely admirable. Each page made me want to read more, carrying me to the next page before I even knew I was there. He was able to make the story’s tone extremely real, almost as if the events in the book were just happening outside your window. Each character had it’s own role, but at the same time none of them were fighting for the spotlight. All the characters had it’s imperfections and seemed to need each other to go on in the book. Readers who enjoy action and constant changes of scenes will love this book, as well as fans of the Percy Jackson series. No book could be better for them. This book might not be a best fit for readers that like connecting clues, mystery, and kind of a dark tone, as it is more of a lighthearted, action packed book.
After finally finishing off the book, after reading the very last pages, I was satisfied with it. But the book ended with a huge cliffhanger and left me completely overwhelmed by the plot and the thought and effort the author had put into this book. My thirst for the next book in the series was
having a huge effect on me, I had to think about it everywhere I go, and I feel that the only way to be fully happy and fully satisfied with this series is by finishing off every single book the author has written for this adventure. I finished this book in a short amount of time, in about three days, and I do not regret it. It earned a solid A in my grade book, and I can promise you that when you pick up this book, you’ll feel that it’s dragging you inside, and you’ll read it in a couple of days, leaving you feeling satisfied and unsatisfied at the same time. Wondering about the next book, yet leaving you still overwhelmed by the book you just finished.