Sky Raiders, Brandon Mull

Wow. Ok. So this was my August book club book. It is book one in what will be a 6 book series. This is the first series book that I will start reading right after the first is published and have to wait for the rest to come out.

I’m having a hard time getting over the premise of Cole, our protagonist, and his friends getting to this alternate world via kidnapping. Apparently there is a LOT of magic of some sort going on, since no one will notice they’re gone. They pretty much fade from existence on Earth. So at least parents aren’t left completely broken and terrified for their missing kids. I guess that’s merciful. But I had a hard time because of what is going on in the world today with kids being kidnapped to be sold into the Sex Slave industry, which is alive and well in many developed parts of our country and child prostituting is much more common that anyone would want to admit. It’s sickening and for some reason I just could not shake that image while reading this book. I keep waiting for Cole to wake up, maybe he’s in a really imaginative coma on Earth and this is all happening in his head. I would sure LOVE for that to happen at the end of the series. Or at least a happy ending when all kids kidnapped from Earth get returned and no time has passed on Earth or something like that.

Anyhow, if you get past the kidnapping part, this is a REALLY suspenseful, action packed adventure full of intrigue, hideouts, magical abilities, magical weaponry, deceit, betrayal, friendship, loyalty, risks, quick thinking, and so much more!

Absolutely imaginative. Just when you think you may understand something about this world, you realize you don’t even begin to know the half of it.

I am definitely interested to see where this series goes. I am secretly hoping that all the kids get to go back to Earth and be with their families and finish living their normal lives.