One Epic Task
The Task: Retrieve the Five Feathers of the Phoenix to raise Atlantis so its people can return home.
The Chosen: Cousins Rosa & Jerome embark upon a perilous and personal quest to retrieve the first Feather. Rosa’s special gift, kept far in the Past, will be revealed, and Jerome will discover his.
The Opponents: The Four Deadly Horsemen of the Apocalypse will stop at nothing, not even murder, to possess the Feathers.
Join Rosa & Jerome as they risk all in their search for the First Feather!
My review of The Atlantean Horse: I’m a huge fan of anything to do with Atlantis. Just say the word and I’m there. Having read the start of Rosa’s adventures in Sons of the Sphinx, I was also keen to see where her gift had taken her. I was not disappointed. Author Cheryl Carpinello sets the scene right away with a mysterious, yet familiar stranger who appears to tell Rosa she is needed again. This is a special and possibly perilous mission that just happens to coincide with Rosa and her cousin Jerome’s family visit to a small, out of the way (can you even find it on the map?) island called Kalymnos in the Mediterranean, near Greece. From the moment they arrive and their mission is revealed – to find the first of the Five Feathers of the Phoenix – danger and a deadly enemy stalk them. I won’t give too much away but suffice to say there is enough action, adventure, intrigue, mystery, history, mythology, and legends to please young (and young at heart readers) who find the ancient world and its stories fascinating. The story arc is complete but refers to the next adventure in store. After all, there are five feathers so one down, four more to go!
Cheryl Carpinello does not dumb down the writing for middle grade and young adult readers, and parents (who might also enjoy dipping into the book) will appreciate a high level of complexity and vocabulary to keep readers on their toes and learning new words as they embark on this adventure with Rosa and Jerome. There is enough fresh information to delight readers who already enjoy history and mythology and to encourage readers new to the series to read further. The author refers to Rosa’s previous adventure a few times so, to put everything into context, I’d recommend reading Sons of the Sphinx as well to catch up on Rosa’s gift. The book includes end notes on mythology, Atlantis, biblical lore, and the actual islands of Kalymnos and Telendos mentioned. This book would be a great addition to any history class to encourage young readers to enjoy reading more about the past and learning from it.
About the Author: I'm a lover of mythology, myths, legends, and tales from the ancient/medieval worlds. I enjoy exploring how these have transcended time/space to influence our world today. Myths and legends don't fade away; they are just repackaged for a new audience. As a high school English teacher, I continually challenged my students to find connections between today and times long gone by. Some took more digging than others, but the connections were always there. One of my favorites, Star Wars, borrows several concepts from the Legend of King Arthur. The Star Trek series goes even further back into the mythology of ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt as well as others. I write Arthurian Legend for young readers and teens (I never refuse to let mature readers enjoy my stories!). These stories exhibit what I consider to be cornerstones of that Legend: Courage, Honor, Loyalty, and Friendship. My tales from Egypt and my new series Feathers of the Phoenix meld the ancient/medieval worlds with today. The Atlantean Horse (Book 1 of Feathers of the Phoenix) also brings the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse out of the Bible and into the modern world. They and my main characters are after the feathers of the Phoenix in order to bring Atlantis alive again. P.S. I believe in magic and Unicorns!!
Website Link: https://www.cherylcarpinello.com
Blog Link: http://carpinelloswritingpages.blogspot.com/
Twitter Link: https://twitter.com/ccarpinello
Facebook Link: https://www.facebook.com/cheryl.carpinello1
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2924554.Cheryl_Carpinello
Instagram Link: https://www.instagram.com/ccarpine1/
1 comment:
Thank you so much!!
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