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The Rock Of Ivanore (2012)

by Laurisa White Reyes(Favorite Author)

3.73 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1933718609 (ISBN13: 9781933718606)

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Tanglewood Press

series

Celestine Chronicles

review 1: Marcus is excited to participate in his village's annual Great Quest, the time where boys of age go off on some adventure or other (assigned by an elder in the village), and those who return are considered men. It's also used for job placements, so returning with honor is a high priority. But Marcus's quest immediately presents some pressing problems. He's been told to find the Rock of Ivanore, but no one is quite sure what it is. In addition, some nefarious plot is afoot on the island, and the boys are about to walk right into trouble . . .This book reads like a condensed epic fantasy. Several boys set out from home on a quest to become men, and stumble upon mysteries and a plot to overthrow the kingdom. The pacing is quick, and there's always something unexpected around ... morethe corner.The only real problem I had with the novel was that there were far too many characters. I had assumed Marcus and at most one of the boys he leaves with would be the focus, but all of them continue to play a role through the end of the book. I kept getting them mixed up, and few of them get any characterization beyond one or two quirks (the fat kid, the bully, the sycophant, etc). Then the plot starts adding in additional characters, most of whom have at least a few point of view sections.This wouldn't have been as much of a problem in a longer novel with the space to develop the stronger characters, but as it was by the end the focus had spread so far certain pivotal scenes felt rather shallow.The lesser issue was that the rules of magic seem rather arbitrary. I thought Marcus's last big spell was cast using the power of the pendant, or focusing through it somehow---and that may yet be what happened, but the plot doesn't go there this volume. It just repeatedly states this is impossible and then when he does cast it (while injured and exhausted) he suffers little more than a deep sleep.Overall it will be interesting to see if the second volume picks up at all. I got them both from the library so I might as well continue on. It isn't a bad story, just one that could have used a bit more space to flesh itself out. I rate this book Neutral.
review 2: The Rock of Ivanore by Laurisa White Reyes was a cute coming of age fantasy. It had a charming cast of characters and a rather simplistic plot.The beginning was a bit confusing to me - there were two points of view, but the way the other was integrated was a bit confusing. I didn't feel like the voices were different enough, and it was very jarring because I was confused as to who this other random person was. The story did come together, and then the story made a lot more sense.The plot is a ton of fun - the happy go lucky, questish type. There were a lot of instances where I felt things were too simple. Everything seemed to simply fall into the characters paths, and given the nature of their quest, that seemed a bit unrealistic. I did like how there was an element of mystery that followed the entire plot - you weren't ever completely sure where the plot would take you next.The characters were a ton of fun. Xerxes was a hoot. I loved his snarky comments he threw in everywhere they went. Jayson was another favorite character of mine - I loved that you never could quite figure him out. I really liked Bryn's transformation of character throughout the book. A lot of the more minor characters are what made the book for me, like Vos was in such a small part of the book but he was awesome!Fans of middle grade fantasy will definitely enjoy this one. I had a little trouble getting into it, but once I did the pages just flew by. I wasn't completely content with the plot, but for me, the characters forgave that. less

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