Customer Reviews

The Stonekeeper's Curse (Amulet, Book 2)

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The Stonekeeper's Curse is book two in Kazu Kibuishi's Amulet series of graphic novels. I enjoyed the first book recently and decided to go ahead and pick up the second one. The story's pacing in the second novel is frenetic and moves quickly, introducing new characters and new geography almost with the turn of every page.

The story picks up where it left off in the last volume, with Emily and Navin staying one step ahead of the elves that are trying to catch them and use the Amulet for their own purposes. I still love the way the house has come to life and is walking from one place to another. The battle at the end reminded me a lot of the Japanese giant robot stories, but I love the house and hope they manage to hang onto it. But the way has gotten a lot tougher.

Emily is forced to learn a lot more about the amulet in this graphic novel, and what she learns isn't all good. Evidently the amulet wants to use the user even as much as Emily needs the powers it provides her. This type of relationship with weapons and powers has been explored several time throughout fantasy stories and remains a constant, but I like the way it's presented here, and I like Emily's innocence while facing it.

We also get to see a bit of Trellis character this time out that makes me want to believe he's going to come around to the good side before it's all over. Of course, he could also become an even worse threat than his father. I'm waiting to see how that develops.

One of the most interesting characters this time out is Leon Redbeard, who knows a lot about the amulet and isn't telling everything at this point. However, he seems bound and determined to protect Emily and warn her against the dangers of the amulet, as well as bringing to her attention the greater task she has lying ahead of her. Leon is a great warrior, and the pictures hold a lot of action and fun for those wanting martial arts in the series.

The mythology behind the story is building up quite nicely as well. There's definitely more to see - and more to be afraid of in this volume. Miskit ends up being Emily's companion throughout most of her adventures with Leon, and serves well as a comic relief.

I don't know exactly where the author is going to end up in this series, but I'm definitely along for the ride. If you have kids (or even adults) who love to have their imaginations fired up, this is a series that will definitely do it.

We read it over around 6 nights. As soon as the last page was finished, she instantly asked me to read it to her again. I'm finding it a great way to introduce her to complicated topics like death.

Love this new graphic series. Have waited a long time for next in series & was not disappointed. Of course, now I'm waiting for third installment!

I loved Book 2 even more than Book 1. This second book in the series is jam packed with action and character development. In this book we meet a whole new set of fun and scary characters. Also, the action takes place in several settings which add great breadth to the story. The illustrations, including the lighting, are as good or better than the first. If you read and liked the first one you'll love this one. Before reading this one I read the first book again. It was wonderful to read them back to back. This is starting to feel like an epic Bone-like adventure. I'm not yet ready to put it in Bone's league (I wouldn't do that until the full series is complete) but it's definitely heading in the right direction. Great story for young and old. My only complaint is that I now have to wait for Book 3 and beyond.

I am a homeschooling mother with an interest in graphic books, both fiction and nonfiction, for adult or child readers. I just finished reading this book. My ten and thirteen year old sons also read this book and they wanted me to read it so I could enjoy the story too.

In this second book in the series, the adventure continues. Emily is a human girl on a hero's journey aided by her younger brother, which they thought was (just) to save their mother's life.

In this book the younger brother plays an important role in fulfilling their goal. This second book opens the story up to reveal a more complicated situation than we originally thought existed. Now it's not just about saving a loved one it's turning into saving the people in the world who are being dominated by an evil self-appointed ruler.

Will Emily accept the quest that endangers her life in order to save a civilization of people from a world she doesn't even really know?

Will she risk sacrificing herself for the cause?

This is a fantasy story involving magic powers. It started on Earth in the first book, and this second book takes place entirely in the other world, a mysterious land which looks wild and medieval in its natural state and filled with walking and talking animals and weird monsters, living "stuffed animals" and robots, but which has modern technology such as flying ships and a house that looks like a Transformer robot that walks and has a defense weaponry.

This book series has high quality full color illustrations which makes it more visually appealing than some other graphic books for children on the market. The pages are high quality glossy paper.

This book, just like the first, is a high action story that involves lots of fighting, multiple brushes with death, and escapes. It's well written in that it is a solid hero's journey story which being done well, draws the reader in immediately, and makes us root for the hero from the start. We want to find out what happens next and we want the good guys to win. This second book is clearly a good versus evil story.

The book has a tidy ending to one storyline but the larger issue is revealed, so this is not a complete story in one volume; the next series must be read to find out what happens. At the time of this writing there are three books in print in the Amulet series, the third being The Cloud Searchers (Amulet).

Highly recommended for a tween or young teen who enjoys graphic novels, or for reluctant readers who enjoy reading about fantasy, adventure and the battle of good against evil. I would say this is more of a boy book but with its girl main character and the strong sense of being engaged in the story and its ease of reading some girls might enjoy it too.

If you haven't read The Stonekeeper (Amulet Vol. 1), this review will contain some mild spoilers.

Emily's problems only seem to be multiplying. She and Navin managed to rescue their mother with the help of their great-uncle Silas's creations, but their mother was poisoned and they must travel to a distant city in hopes of finding a cure. When she arrives, however, she learns that being a stone keeper is no small task. The disembodied voice that comes from the stone is trying to lure her to the dark side. There are people out to kill her, her brother, and her friends. Not only that, it's been predicted that she will kill the elf king and free everyone from his tyranny...but the only thing she wants to do is save her mother's life.

This installment of the Amulet series is as well crafted as the last one. The illustrations are excellent, the coloring is phenomenal and complements the scenes' moods perfectly, the writing is well done as is the editing, and this time around we get to see a bit more character development. In the first book, Emily and Navin's characters didn't seem fully formed, but as more of their destinies are revealed, they both come into their own.

The story also opens up more and it introduces an entirely new cast of characters and creatures and intense action. One aspect of the story, though, would be a stretch even for the truly young and imaginative. (Mentioning it would be a spoiler.) But overall, this was another winner and I look forward to seeing where the series takes me.

My son is eight years old and a very strong reader. He loved the first book, Amulet, and couldn't wait to read the second one. We've already pre-ordered the third. Hoping for more. He said that this was his favorite book!

Book one ended with me licking my chops for more, and Kazu has not let me down.

I got started on his stuff through the Flight Comics AnthologiesFlight, Volume One and then with Daisy KutterDaisy Kutter: The Last Train

Book one lays the ground work for a great world of fantasy and SciFi, with a dash of steam-punkery.

Here in book two he takes the story and really starts to flesh out the characters and the world they are in.

I enjoyed it quite a bit, and it was safe enough to read to my 4-year-old.

The only complaint that I have is that it seems that parts of the book got more time and attention than others, but over all I loved the artwork.

I look forward to the next book.

Kazu Kibuishi is a charming storyteller, the kind of creator who gives graphic novels for all ages a good name. That's not to overstate his impact; it's simply to give a sense of how warm and comfortable his books feel. You feel drawn to his characters, engrossed in the fantasy land they inhabit, and rooting for their cause. There's an element of danger throughout, never too intense but always there, and the sense that no character is really too safe.

We first met Emily and her brother Navin in THE STONEKEEPER. Emily is the stonekeeper, but there's no telling whether that is a positive or a negative. The stone has a mind of its own, and that mind is rather evil. But Emily has a pretty strong will of her own, so all bets are off --- although the power the stone offers is pretty alluring.

In this sequel, Emily and Navin are forced to split up. Their mother is in a coma and near death, and the only thing that will save her is the root of a tree that grows only atop the deadliest of mountains. No one has ever returned after embarking on a trip to the mountain. Emily is determined she will be the first. She has to be if her mother is to survive.

Navin is discovering his own destiny as a leader of an army in this strange land. Much of THE STONEKEEPER'S CURSE pays homage to previous epics (The Empire Strikes Back being one of them). The homages are easy to spot, but they don't overpower Kibuishi's story, which is grand in scale. This second book sets up the next with great aplomb, leaving a wide open door for a knockdown, drag-out battle. Players on the other side (including those who know firsthand the power and seduction of the stone) are mounting their attack, and much suspense is building over what is to come.

The Amulet series is gentle and easy for readers to follow. The violence is thrilling (Kibuishi has an amazing sense of choreography he employs in his art) and not gruesome or inappropriate for young readers (although perhaps a little too intense for the very young). The ultimate drama here, and the overriding message, is the enduring power of family, and that shines through always.

--- Reviewed by John Hogan

I love these books! Such a wonderful story and amazing art. Anyone can get into this at any age! Fun to start collecting the series. Keep them coming Kazu Kibuishi!