Summary:
A trio of friends from New York City find themselves trapped inside a mechanical board game that they must dismantle in order to save themselves and generations of other children in this action-packed debut that’s a steampunk Jumanji with a Middle Eastern flair.
When twelve-year-old Farah and her two best friends get sucked into a mechanical board game called The Gauntlet of Blood and Sand—a puzzle game akin to a large Rubik’s cube—they know it’s up to them to defeat the game’s diabolical architect in order to save themselves and those who are trapped inside, including her baby brother Ahmed. But first they have to figure out how.
Under the tutelage of a lizard guide named Henrietta Peel and an aeronaut Vijay, the Farah and her friends battle camel spiders, red scorpions, grease monkeys, and sand cats as they prepare to face off with the maniacal Lord Amari, the man behind the machine. Can they defeat Amari at his own game…or will they, like the children who came before them, become cogs in the machine?
(via Goodreads)
My rating: 4/5 stars
Pros: Good characters, Great world-building, Exciting plot, Good writing
Cons: Would have enjoyed more at a younger age (but still enjoyed it a lot!)
Many of you reading this might be familiar with the movie Jumanji. It’s even referenced in the description of the book! And while this book did remind me a lot of Jumanji, it reminded me a lot of one of my personal favorites as well. What movie is that, you may ask? Labyrinth. I mean Farah has to save her little brother from the Goblin Ki–I mean Architect. Farah defeats the G–Architect in the end. Am I the only one seeing these similarities? I can’t be the only Labyrinth fan out there. Let me know.
Like Labyrinth, this book captured me from the very beginning. I found myself reading eagerly, wanting to know more. Whenever I picked up this book, I simply could not put it down. And here’s why:
Firstly, the characters. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you’ll know that characters are important to me. More important than even plot. A book can have the most exciting plot around, if I don’t care about the characters, I won’t like the book. This is definitely not a problem for The Gauntlet. Let’s start with Farah, the amazing main character. I absolutely adore her. I wish I was that awesome when I was 12! I love her intelligence, her bravery, and her loyalty to her family and friends. I love how she does everything she can to save Ahmed, no matter what. I just think she’s great. I want to hug her and give her a huge high five. Let’s not forget her friends, Alex and Essie. Both of them are just as intelligent, brave, and loyal as Farah is. They are both just as easy to root for. I especially love Alex, for some reason I can’t quite put my finger on. Maybe cause he’s a total nerd. I don’t know. But he’s great and so is Essie. And Ahmed. He’s so adorable and somewhat annoying as younger siblings can be (I imagine, since I’m an only child). I spent the book worrying for him along with Farah and wishing him well. I love Henrietta and the rest of the lizards. I love Vijay. I love Farah and Ahmed’s aunt and their parents. I even love characters like the Architect and his mother. While I don’t root for them, I find them interesting to read about.
In addition to the characters, the world is amazing. The world of The Gauntlet is described so well that the reader can’t help but picture it. I know I couldn’t, and I’m not a very visual reader in most cases. The world of The Gauntlet also reminds me somewhat of Labyrinth because of it being hard to navigate and not always what it seems. This similarity only made me enjoy the book even more because it reminded me of one of my favorite movies. The world of this book is beautiful and well-written and I would love to get lost in it. (Probably not really, I’d worry I wouldn’t get out again. Haha.)
Along with the characters and the world-building, I love the plot in this book. Though it is a fairly simple one it is extremely exciting. You find yourself rooting for Farah and her friends to find Ahmed and make their way through the tasks set for them by the Architect. This book constantly kept me on the edge of my seat and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes an exciting plot.
Finally, the writing. The writing in this book is beautiful. From the descriptions of the food to the world of the Gauntlet. Everything is described so well. The writing is simply amazing.
Given all of this, you may be wondering why I didn’t give this book five stars. Well, dear readers, I’ll tell you. While I absolutely loved this book, I was aware while reading that it is a middle grade novel. I think that I would have enjoyed it even more if I had been in the target age range. So that made me knock it down a star. But honestly it’s just a personal thing. Please don’t take my lack of a five star rating as anything against this amazing book. It’s great and I thoroughly recommend it.
Overall, I loved this book and would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves Jumanji (or Labyrinth, or both), or who enjoys exciting plots with well-written characters and well-described worlds that the reader can get immersed in.
Have you ever read a book that reminded you of one of your favorite movies? Tell me in the comments below!
Goodreads Link / Amazon Link/ Barnes & Noble Link
I read this book for #DiversityBingo2017.
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