Customer Reviews

Oracles of Delphi Keep

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is set just before WWII. It immediately captures your attention. The main character, Ian Wigby, who is living in an orphanage, meets his "sister" Theo under strange circumstances in the opening scene. Mystery as well as psychic ability hangs around her from the beginning. Archetypal figures, symbolic animals, and well-rounded characters make this book a delight to read, except for the rather slow middle section.

The plot centers around these two characters and a mysterious prophecy they find in the cliffs of Dover. A hellhound guards the prophecy, and several scary moments ensue when it comes in pursuit of Ian and Theo when they take it. The middle part of the book unfortunately drags a bit. It feels like a lot of backstory being dumped, and here I struggled to keep my attention focused. The end picks up and keeps you reading breathlessly as the kids make their way through Morocco.

Ian and Theo do not change all that much during the book, it doesn't seem. I would have appreciated a bit more growth or change in them. However, their interactions with each other, and with the character Jaaved, when he is introduced, are well-rounded and complex.

Overall, this book is good for all readers. The target audience of middle readers to early young adult may find itself skimming over the middle section of the book. I did remain engaged enough to finish, but I'm an adult. Descriptions are well done, characters are well developed. But the book could have used a harsher editor.

I could have rated this book four and a half to five stars, with a bit more editing in the middle section. The last part is an adventure ride that will keep you riveted to your seat - just stay in it long enough to get there.

When I first got a Victoria Laurie book, it was a gift. Now she is giving us the gift of this new series. I was absolutely blown away by this story. The characters are well written and the story progresses as she builds to the conclusion of this start of the series. I found this novel as engrossing as the first Harry Potter book. She has done a masterful job of making characters that are interesting with a story that pulls you along to the end. What else can I say but, read this book. You will not be dissapointed. She has another amazing series on her hands to go along with Abby and MJ. Keep writing and we'll keep reading.

It's not fair to Ms. Laurie for reviewers to continually draw the JK Rowling comparsion. This book was a delightful read, but it was a not Harry Potter. And that's OK. It was rather reminiscent of the Boxcar Children stories I was read as a child. If you like engaging adventure stories for younger readers (and I do) this would not be a waste of time. The characters have dimension, there is suspense and intrigue, and the plot was good.

The Harry Potter stories were a once-in-a-lifetime magical (heh) gift. It's unfair to other authors in the genre to try to find a connection to Ms. Rowling's series. Just enjoy the book for what it is, and don't spend too much time looking for what it's not.

During a raging storm a curious stranger brings a two-year-old girl he found wandering alone in the fields to an orphanage. The foundling comes only with a stunning necklace and a note from her vanished mother saying the child is not safe with her, and asking that she be delivered to the care of the mistresses at Delphi Keep. Young Ian Wigby, another orphan, is designated as her big brother. While playing in the caves along the Dover coastline eight years later, Ian, now thirteen, and his sister, Theo, now ten, are drawn into an ancient mystery that threatens their lives and those of everyone at Delphi Keep. Once you start it is hard to put the book down until you have run out of pages. You will not find protagonists more charming and clever than Ian and Theo as they lead you through unexpected terrors, confrontations with demons from the dawn of myth and into perils far from home. The only problem is that when you reach the end of this story, you want to immediately start the next. I don't recommend buying a copy of this one, however. You should probably buy two: one to read and one to save. This feels like the launch a major new series that will appeal to adults and children alike for a very long time.

My 9-year-old son adored this book, and has passed it on to his best friend, who similarly enjoyed it. With the qualification that my son thinks that nothing is quite as good as Percy Jackson, this books gets highest marks for entertainment value.

As a fan of Victoria Laurie's Psychic Eye mysteries, I decided to give "Oracles of Delphi Keep" a go. This book was just okay for me. Nothing great. Nothing awful. Just. . . . kind of boring really. I felt the book was entirely too long. For example, about 70 pages are spent with the main characters trying to fight off a hellhound. I could see no reason that this passage needed to be so long.

The book revolves around 3 orphans who discover a prophecy & must unlock its meaning to save the world. Well, that is the general gist & an oversimplification. I just found the mythology boring, but others might enjoy it.

OK, so Oracles of Delphi Keep is the first in a promised series of young adult books from Victoria Laurie and admitedly the bar is set pretty high for the young adult genre given the long term success of Harry and friends. Having said that, I find myself having recently completed Oracles of Delphi Keep and already looking forward to discovering what's next in store for Ian, Theo and this wonderful assembly of characters. And the last time that happended was, well with Harry Potter.

As to the book itself, here's the short summary. Orphans, treasure, prophecy, danger, quest, more danger, good, evil and eventually (some) resolution. And there's a hellhound or two to stimulate your imagination. Well you didn't think I was going to repeat the story did you? (Read the book!)

Ian, Theo and all of the characters have been superbly and lovingly brought to life by Laurie. I suspect that some of Theo's experiences in learning to live with her ability to see future events are reflective of Laurie's own coming to grips with her intuitive talents. She paints a wonderfully descriptive landscape in which the story develops and plays out. I found it easy to close my eyes and envision the Keep, cliffs, caves, cityscapes, waterways and lands where the characters live, explore, grow, and discover and take on various forms of evil. There's a fair dose of mythology in the book and references to the horror that would be WWII, and Laurie does a wonderful job of making these understandable to a young(and old)audience.

Oralces of Delphi Keep should be on the reading list of young adults everywhere this summer. I recommend the book, not just to those young adults, but also to their parents as one of those rare opportunities to share a great read with their children.

I found this book one of my favorites so far! My title most definately applys to this imaginative story. It is about two orphans living in the year 1940. The author gives each of them a very detailed personality, which I loved. Theo is a girl who has a mysterious past. Her "brother" Ian, who saw the stanger who delivered her to the orphanage and has always acted protective and kind to her, is also important in the story. They stumble across a strange box while exploring tunnels near the orphanage. With the help of a few unexpected freinds, they discover many more secrets about the box and themselves... This is the first book in the series, has exciting twists in the plot, a cliffhanger ending, and a little mythology. You will not be able to stop reading! I definately couldn't! I'm looking foward to the next book in the series.

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book as much because few books have matched the intensity and complete immersion I felt with the Harry Potter books but I was swept in quickly. There was suspense, drama, murder and death (which I appreciate bc often those themes are shied away from), mystery, and magic. I absolutely loved this series. I read both books and I am now anxiously and quite desperately waiting on number 3,4, and any other that comes out (I'm really hoping for a loooong series). Wish it was longer bc I could stay wrapped up for days happily. I think this is definitely worth turning into a movie by the way. I know she doesn't expect that to happen but I think it would be a great movie.

I highly recommend it if you are a fun loving, whimsical loving, story lover. Thank you Victoria!! Keep it coming!!

Of all the YA/Children's fantasy I've ever read, this book goes somewhere near the top, (Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and The Olympians, and His Dark Materials being the other ones up there). You knew when you start reading a new book and only a few pages in you know you're going to like it? That's how I felt while reading this one.

Five year old Ian Wigby, an orphan living at Delphi Keep, cannot fall asleep. There's a storm outside and he thinks he sees someone outside. Sure enough, a man brings a little girl to the orphanage. The girl was found wandering alone in the storm, apparently abandoned by her mother. As "punishment" for being out of bed after bedtime, Ian is given the responsibility of caring for the girl as an older brother, who he names Theo. Years later, while Ian and Theo are exploring the caves near the Keep, they discover a new cave. This new cavern is full of many mysteries, including ancient Greek writing on the walls, a silver box with something locked inside, and a dangerous beast. But these discoveries are only the beginning of a much bigger adventure that the kids will find themselves embroiled with nothing less than the fate of the world at stake.

Interestingly, there are some similarities between story lines in this series and the Percy Jackson series. Specifically, in its use of Greek mythology. Either way, it's well written (save for the occasional, slightly awkward dialogue) and exciting. It takes a long time before the particular details and magic really come to life and yet I didn't find myself bored or irritated by it. Laurie sets up a world within the orphanage that is so well defined and captivating, that the larger story's absence isn't missed. Though it is certainly welcome once revealed of course.

Sadly, the next book in the series will not be out until August. But on the upside, the author seems to only take about a year to write a book so there isn't much waiting time from book to book.