The Revenge of the Shadow King
The Revenge of the Shadow King
By: Derek Benz and J.S. Lewis
My brother and I enjoy roaming our local entertainment store—they sell games, books, movies, CDs, and all things nerdy. One day as we wandered the aisles and I pointed out books I wanted to read, he asked me why I was interested in such young books. I was pointing out YA and upper middle-grade books. I told him that I was interested in writing those genres, but in my youth I somehow bypassed most of the books in those genres (I skipped from The Hobbit to The Lord of the Rings, and never looked back until now). He, however, did read a lot of different books and told me he would try to think of some of his favorites from middle school and high school.
For Christmas this year he gave me several books that he really enjoyed. One of which was The Revenge of the Shadow King, the first book of the Grey Griffins series by Derek Benz and J.S. Lewis. (Hint: I already bought the sequel.)
As I started reading it became obvious why he thought I would like this book. While it is a YA Fantasy book, it is set in Avalon, Minnesota, and that isn’t the only King Arthur reference. In fact, the whole thing is full of these references and they become an integral part of the story.
The Grey Griffins is a group of friends (misfits) who play a role playing card game after school. Things get interesting when they notice some of the characters on their cards are showing up in real life.
Max is the main character of this book. He is a rich kid, which isn’t all that relatable, but his parents are divorced, he’s got a bit of a crush on a girl, he’s kind of awkward, and he really wants to do well in school. If you can’t relate to any of those qualities, maybe you’ll relate to one of his friends. Harley is the tough guy in the group, he’s big and strong and loyal. Natalia is super smart, and sometimes that gets her into trouble. And Ernie is addicted to sugar and maybe a little clueless.
While at his grandmother’s house, Max finds a book that belonged to his grandfather. When he opens the book he lets out a spriggan—a kind of fairy. Every time he opens the books something magical and mysterious happens.
I love that this book shows how working together with a group and utilizing each person’s strengths is an excellent way to solve problems. I love how the King Arthur legend bleeds into the real world. I can’t wait to read the next book and see what happens next.
Only two things kicked me out of the story:
For occurring during the school year, the kids seem to miss a lot of school. It’s very possible (and likely) that the story just exists outside of the school day and the authors chose to omit some of those details. It just seems like it’s not mentioned nearly enough.
The bully of the school turns into this crazy evil creature … and his parents don’t seem to notice that he’s gone. It could have been interesting to the plot if his parents panicked that he was missing and how the Grey Griffins would react to such news.
Really, two minor things that I’m not sure the intended audience would notice. It’s also possible that I am just oversensitive to the school setting, since that’s where I’ve worked for more than three years.
Overall, I thought this was a great book—the prefect combination of mythology, magic, adventure, history, and mystery.
If you have any books you’d like me to read, but sure to leave the title and author’s name in the comments below!
