Summary (from Goodreads):
In this thrilling sequel to AMULET #1: THE STONEKEEPER,
Emily and her brother Navin head for Kanalis, a beautiful and mysterious city
of waterfalls, where they hope to find the antidote for the poison that felled
their mother. That cure lies in the eggs of a giant serpent atop Demon's Head
Mountain, but the kids' archenemy, Trellis, is headed for the peak, too. A
battle that will engulf all of Kanalis is looming. It's up to Em to triumph
over evil while controlling the amulet's power . . . without losing herself!
Review:
These books really make me wish I had some inkling of
artistic talent (besides mad writing skills of course). The plotline of book 2
wasn’t as enticing for me as the first one. However, the artwork is even
better. There are whole new cities, mountains, and evil elf kingdoms to look
forward to. Sometimes it would take me a long time to turn the page because I
had to just stare longingly at this beautiful world Kibuishi has created.
On a weird side note, the summary talks about the cure being
in the eggs of a giant serpent, and that actually wasn’t the case. In the book,
Emily has to get the cure for her mom from the fruit of the ancient Gadoba
trees…Maybe the book originally had giant serpents? This is weird, right?
This book definitely focused more on what it actually means
to be a stonekeeper. Emily’s new necklace is beginning to look more and more
like one of Harry’s horcruxes: the one that made everyone slightly evil when
wearing it. We also learn that Emily, unlike the wizard trio, cannot actually
take the stone off. The stone wants control over Emily. But thanks to a new
friend named Leon, we know that Emily absolutely must not let the stone gain
control.
On top of the mission to save her mom, the stone trying to
gain control, learning about the history of the stonekeepers, and making new
friends, there’s the constant threat of the evil elves. The elf king wants
Emily dead at all costs, and the poor girl never has it easy. Each step of her
adventure is followed by elves out for her life. And these elves have wicked
scary teeth.
I like that this series starts with the kids rescuing their
mother. I liked that Emily has to work to control her magic. Cause frankly if
she didn’t, things would be too easy. I like that there is a strong emphasis on
family. I love the moving house, the mechanical friendships, the animal people,
and the prophecies of the trees.
Book 2’s plot was a little too much like other middle grade
fantasy books for me. What made this stand out though was it’s illustrations
and its strong emphasis on family. Seriously, the artwork gives new meaning to
world building. And I loved the dynamic of the brother/sister relationship. I
give this one an 8/10, and I’m excited to start reading book 3. I’m so ready
for a kid/elf showdown.
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