This missed the mark for me.
I was intrigued by the description and the cover, but this missed the mark for me, sadly. I kept hoping things would pick up as the story went along, but I just didn't find the depth to the characters or storyline to keep me engaged. The potential was there, but it failed in the execution.
I'm all for more middle grade books, particularly adventure one, as the market is a bit lacking, and I loved the diverse characters. Sadly, the characters weren't very distinct and kind of blended together. The worldbuilding, which is key to this genre, was lacking. And information dumps or overdetailing made parts of the story downright confusing. It felt like the author was trying to do too much with this one book and not fully developing any of the elements. As a result of what I've mentioned, it may be difficult for the intended middle grade audience to follow.
I'm all for more middle grade books, particularly adventure one, as the market is a bit lacking, and I loved the diverse characters. Sadly, the characters weren't very distinct and kind of blended together. The worldbuilding, which is key to this genre, was lacking. And information dumps or overdetailing made parts of the story downright confusing. It felt like the author was trying to do too much with this one book and not fully developing any of the elements. As a result of what I've mentioned, it may be difficult for the intended middle grade audience to follow.