Happy June, my friends! It’s thoroughly summer here, which is tough on kids who’re still in school and wish they weren’t. Me, I’ve cheerfully moved a few of my evening writing hours to the pool office, and am reveling in the shift. 😀

Today’s spotlight is on The Vengekeep Prophecies, an adventurous tale I found while wandering the library, because I’d been bowled over by a restless need to have a bold and fantastic adventure!

As you can see from the cover, the story promises just the kind of adventure I was looking for, and delivered that plus a few extras. First of those were the characters–all of them–but I absolutely loved Jaxter Grimjinx! He’s a perfectly sympathetic character as a highly clumsy thief who tries his best to live up to his family’s glorious thieving heritage because he doesn’t want to disappoint his sweet Ma and Da. I mean, his fatal flaw is the he falls off of things when he’s supposed to be stealing them, can’t pick a lock to save his life, and the first time he attempts a big solo burglary job? He accidentally burns the place to the ground…and worse, he gets himself trapped inside until precisely the moment the authorities show up. I don’t know if that’d be a double or triple fail, but it’s definitely not the stuff that gets written down in the family book of most amazing accomplishments.

Luckily for Jaxter his parents are too clever for their own good and have arranged for the perfect conditions that will allow them to pull of the ultimate heist. To that end, Vengekeep is about to fall prey to a seriously disastrous prophesy of nearly apocalyptic proportions which happens to conveniently specify Jaxter’s family as the only people who can save the town!

Unfortunately things rarely go according to plan when magic and prophecy mix and Jaxter and his best friend Callie must become runaways with the law on their heels in order to save his family and the town from imminent destruction. Things get shaky when they meet up with a lovable swindler from his parents’ past, and their plans and his become tangled. Add in a runaway magician, a lady scietist who’s perhaps a little too carefree with her experiments, and a secret magic tower, and the promised adventure is paid back in full with interest. Along the way Jaxter learns a thing or two about himself, and if he’s willing to trust himself and let go of the ideas that are holding him back, it’s possible he’ll discover an alternative profession–one that he could actually enjoy and be good at.

I only had two quibbles with the story–and those were minor. The first was that the beginning of the book had trouble cementing Jaxter’s pov, making it just a little harder to sink into the first pages than I would have liked. If you find yourself having the same difficulty, hang in there! The book sorts itself out quickly and is well worth the read. My second quibble turned out to be a squee, since I really felt the book’s ending required a sequel. Lucky for me this is the first in a trilogy, so I’ll get to enjoy two more books with Jaxter, his hilarious Ma and Da, and mysterious and delightful little sister. Full details on the other books on Brian Farrey’s website.

All in all, the story was a great romp and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Now, let’s see what Apricot-kitty thought: 

“I rather liked this book, especially the way the magic worked! I also liked the dowager. That is, so long as she understands that no cat is ever going to work for a living–prior history as a mushroom servant or no.”

That would be the lady scientist I mentioned, and I was tempted to say that her servants must be the most patient creatures on the planet, given how much time they spend out of human form. Tempted, but then I remembered that they also get to be cats at one point–and I suspect Apricot-kitty is right and that felt like a vacation.

What are you reading? Is it summer where you are, or is spring holding out? Tell me in the comments, and be sure to stop by Greg Pattridge’s blog for the full round up of Marvelous Middle Grade Monday reviews, spotlights, interviews and giveaways!

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