The Desert Thief by Daniel Patrick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Disclosure: I was given this copy in exchange for an honest review.
Daniel Patrick has done it again! This was the second book in his children/young adult series involving Lara and her locket. It is very steampunk and fun. There are new friends and dangers, including the sinister Sora who is out to kill Lara and get her locket.
The first book The Locket Thief felt very much like Golden Compass without daemons and drunken polar bears. But this had just as much action and adventure. This book made a great continuation of the first.
Daniel’s characters are fun and likable with a bad guy you love to hate. There is flying in airships and long treks through the lands below. I really like the new people. I didn’t so much at first. I didn’t understand the beginning with a differing point of view but I stuck with it and soon understood.
I have to admit that I wasn’t in a childrens’ book mood so it took a lot for me to get into it. Having it downloaded in my Moon Reader Pro helped with that as I just put on the text-to-speech and allowed the story to encompass me. Soon I couldn’t stop and found myself reading far later than I should. I blame this book for my 2PM wake up. Where does the day go when you rise so late?
If you’re looking for a fun little adventure to pull you out of your mully grubs this is the series for you.
One note, I would suggest reading both books as closely as possible if you have a memory like mine. I think I could have used more reminders like, Where did the locket come from? Why is it important? Who were the folks that died before and how did they die? Mr. Patrick did include a few clues but I could have used more.
And… I hope there will be more as I am concerned about threads that weren’t neatly tied up. At least I’m left feeling safe, no cliffhangers.
Darswords 