Jake Ransom and the Howling Sphinx

Jake Ransom #2

by James Rollins, Pedro Pascal

Using his father's watch as a key, Jake intends to return to Calypsos. Instead he's thrust into a strange desert land where he's joined by his friends Marika, Pindor, and Bach'uuk and his sister, Kady. As they try to figure out what to do next, a surprise attack by the beautiful young Princess Nefertiti takes them all captive.





Soon even she is battling the Skull King's minions. For Jake has something the Skull King wants—a prize that will give its owner awesome power, including control of the fearsome Howling Sphinx. In a new pounding adventure, Jake races against time to outfight and outwit Kalverum Rex, knowing that if the Skull King wins, he'll be unstoppable.





Filled with unexpected danger, challenging puzzles, and dazzling action, this is a first-rate, fast-paced thriller—a read only James Rollins could have created!

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Adventure, Fiction, Childrens, Thriller, Action

Audio

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

James Rollins is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of international thrillers. His writing has been translated into more than forty languages and has sold more than 20 million books. The New York Times says, “Rollins is what you might wind up with if you tossed Michael Crichton and Dan Brown into a particle accelerator together.” NPR calls his work, “Adventurous and enormously engrossing.” Rollins unveils unseen worlds, scientific breakthroughs, and historical secrets matched with stunning suspense. As a veterinarian, he had a practice in Sacramento for over a decade and still volunteers at local shelters. Nowadays, Rollins shares his home up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with two furry companions, Echo and Charlie. He also enjoys scuba diving, spelunking, kayaking, and hiking. Of course, he loves to travel and experience new places around the world, which often inspire his next globe-trotting adventure.

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this is the second of the Jake Ransom stories (am not sure if there will be more as it certainly lends itself to a whole series) and to be honest it pretty much follows in the same vein as the first book.

Both Jake and his sister are plunged in to another strange and mysterious land where they are pitted against the Skull King. However this time the plot is able to develop a lot quicker since so much had been set up in the first book and took minimal introducing this time around (there is always that trade off of assuming too much of the reader or boring them while repeating everything that was presented in previous books) - for me this time around it was the right balance.

So what can you say about this book without giving away spoilers. Now that is the challenge - it is easier if you are familiar with the previous book as basically its more of the same. Jake winds up in a fantastic situation and almost instantly finds himself between a way home and the plans of the Skull King - pretty standard fair really however its now it is achieved which I think is where the entertainment comes from.

The writing style of James Rollins has always been open and easy to follow - and considering the target age ground of this book - you can very quickly gets deep in to the story and the action without realising it.

So for a grippingly good fantasy story this is a great example and one I will happily return to - I just wonder if we will see any more instalments, I hope so.

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

James Rollins is building an interesting world in this young adult series. Even an old "young adult" like myself loves this stuff.

Jake and Tandy Ransom are the children of two archaeologists who disappeared three years before, presumed murdered by bandits while on a dig. The two kids always hoped differently and learn they were probably right.

They get drawn back in time through a Mayan pyramid to the super continent of Pangea and a valley called Calypsos where they find lost tribes of humans. Mayans, Romans, Neanderthal. Brought there by some ancient Atlantean technology, Jake and Tandy make new friends there: Marika, a Mayan girl, Pindor, a Roman boy, and Bach'uuk, a Neanderthal their same age.

They have a ferocious battle with the Skull King(all this from the first book), save the day, find evidence their parents have been in this land(his father's pocket watch),and get matching arm bands from the Neanderthal elders, and return to their own time.

This time, at an Egyptian exhibit in New York, they are again pulled back to Pangea, this time in a desert environment. They learn their three friends are with them, the matching arm bands being the reason.

They are captured by a beautiful young girl, the Princess Nefertiti, whose hunting party saves them from a pack of Velociraptors, then imprisoning them. Soon they are embroiled in palace machinations and learn the Skull King is operating here also, wanting something they have, probably the watch, and face an uphill battle to survive, find their parents, and get home.

Rollins even drops a hint where the next book will go.

A lot of fun. I'm a fan of Rollin's adult thrillers and this one isn't much below them.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jake and his sister Kady are thrown into another mythical world of the past, this time with a lost tribe from Egypt. Jake's old friends are pulled into the desert with him, and they must fight to survive in the strange land. Once the young Princess Nefertiti takes them as captive slaves to the capital city, the dangerous plans of the Skull King become apparent, and even the Princess will turn to Jake for help in fighting against that ancient evil. Surrounded by mystical beasts and magical stones, Jake and his friends are in the thick of another wild adventure!

I LOVE the action in this story! The plot takes a million twists and turns, the puzzles and mysteries keep me guessing, and I can barely stop reading because every scene flows into more action.
The world building is fantastically imaginative! So many little creatures, and strange landscapes, and burning magical objects that do weird things! I was fascinated by all the beautiful and horrifying aspects of this new world.

I'm a little disappointed that there isn't much character development in this book. We had a lot of it in the first book, developing friendships, establishing characters' personalities and strengths. Not as much of that in this one. Characters feel a little static. They are still good characters, and they DO have their moments of good dialogue, but they haven't changed or grown much since the last book.

I wish the rest of the series was written already!

[EAL · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anyone who considered me erudite has now been proven wrong. Action-adventure children's books - gotta love them. You've got all the stock characters - relatable everyboy main character Jake, annoying older sister Kady, comic relief Pindor, love interest Marika, et al. But they do manage to move outside of being mere placards, not enough so that they're very deep characters, but enough to lend the story some substance. Nefertiti was somewhat annoying, but she shaped up in the end. I'm looking forward to other books in this series.

[AlenGarou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Secondo e ultimo (?) appuntamento con le avventure di Jack Ransom. Almeno per ora. Sia mai che all’autore non venga lo schizzo di continuare la serie. Comunque, nonostante le lacune del primo volume a causa di tutto l’ambaradan di roba che Rollins ci aveva buttato dentro, devo dire che questa lettura è stata inaspettatamente piacevole.
La storia è più lineare, c’è molta più azione e nuovi misteri si aggiungo al mazzo.
Oltretutto la vicenda sarà interamente ambientata in un Antico Egitto alternativo (ricordiamoci che l’universo parallelo è in realtà Pangea). Cosa si vuole di più?
Ah, sì. Navi volanti, squali della sabbia, una setta sanguinaria che tenta di controllare la famiglia reale… I VELOCIRAPTOR! Insomma, ha tutti gli elementi giusti… per un fantasy XD
Purtroppo si scoprirà molto poco riguardo ad Atlantide e alla creazione di Pangea, ma per lo meno la storia compirà diversi passi avanti. Primo tra tutti, Jack riuscirà a sconfiggere nuovamente il Re Teschio e le sue armate. Certo, è solo una vittoria temporanea, che tuttavia porterà la pace in entrambi i villaggi. Secondo, scopriremo nuove informazioni riguardo i genitori di Jack e Kady. Non sono morti, ma dispersi nel tempo. Auguri a trovarli!
Rivedremo i vecchi personaggi che hanno aiutato Jack nello scorso romanzo, con la new entry di Nefertiti, che si dimostra una vera tosta. Anche se all’inizio… beh, è una principessa egiziana dopotutto, se non ha lei un ego spropositato…
Ammetto che devo ancora abituarmi al fatto che sia una lettura destinata a un pubblico giovane. E, purtroppo, questo fatto si fa sentire nel corso della storia. Ciononostante non è male come serie e spero vivamente in un continuo. No, sul serio…
Voglio una risposta per almeno la metà delle 385235934349 domande che ho in testa .-.
Alla prossima!

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Dus ga je maar gauw inlezen, Einstein. We moeten zo veel mogelijk weten.'
'Wat ga jij dan doen?'
Kady keek om, één wenkbrauw opgetrokken, een vilein glimlachje om haar mond. 'Ik moet mijn sabel slijpen.

De avonturen van Jake en Kady gaan lustig verder. Nu in Boek 1 de basis werd gelegd, wordt hier alles verder uitgespit en uitgediept. De lezer komt weer voor een paar ferme verrassingen te staan, en het mysterie wordt alsmaar groter. Je kunt echt een heel lijstje met vragen bijhouden die nog beantwoord moeten worden, eigenlijk. Knap! Het voordeel dat de basis er al ligt, is dat het echte verhaal veel sneller van start gaat. Achteraf bekeken is een groot deel van het eerste boek namelijk nogal wat inleiding: wel spannend en intrigerend, maar er gebeurt eigenlijk niet zo heel veel. Dat is hier absoluut wel het geval. Het boek leest als een trein, er is altijd wel iets gaande, je hebt geen tijd om adem te halen.
De setting is ook veranderd - het lijkt erop dat dat met elk boek in de reeks zal gebeuren. Boek 1 was een Maya-wereld, nu komen we in het Oude Egypte terecht (Pangaea-stijl dan toch). Nefertiti is een toffe aanwinst voor het boek. De vraag rijst nu: zal ze nog terugkeren? Dat de vijf hoofdrolspelers - Jake, Kady, Mari, Pindor en Bach'uuk - er telkens zullen bij zijn, is duidelijk, maar welke andere personages zullen in de reeks een (grote) aanwezigheid krijgen? Dat gaat later nog interessant worden... Van die vaste personages gaat mijn voorkeur nog steeds uit naar Jake, en dan Kady en Mari op een gedeelde tweede plaats of zo. Mijn hart stond even stil toen Kady werd versteend, maar gelukkig komt alles weer in orde. En ik hoop verdomme dat Rollins niet van plan is om die hele will they won't they-romance tussen Jake en Mari uit te smeren over vijf boeken? Dat zou echt te lang zijn, zeker als je bekijkt wat er in dit boek gebeurt. Maar goed, we zien wel...
Het had op zich wel beter geweest als er een kaart van het gebied rond de Grote Storm in het boek had gezeten. In Het Mayamysterie was er wel een kaart aanwezig van Calypsos, waarom heeft Rollins en/of de Amerikaanse uitgever dan besloten dat dat hier niet nodig was? Dat had toch een handig overzicht geboden, vind ik. Een gemiste kans.
Ook deze vertaling is van Hanneke Majoor en ik vind ze beter dan het vorige verhaal. Er stonden - met dank aan de redactie & co. - ook minder typfoutjes in, en de stijl leek het hele boek door vlot en natuurlijk. Zoals ik al zei: ik zou deze vertalingen nu niet gewéldig noemen, maar ze mogen er best zijn. Ze zijn zoals een vertaling moet zijn, wat mij betreft: begrijpelijk, vlot, degelijk...
8,2/10

Even een woordje over Boek 3
Het valt misschien op dat het ondertussen al tien en negen jaar geleden is sinds de publicatie en vertaling van Boek 1 en 2. En er komen vijf boeken. Dus... Hoe zit het met die andere?
Rollins heeft gezegd dat de rest van de reeks vertraging heeft opgelopen omdat hij andere projecten voorrang heeft gegeven. Ferm klote voor ons dus. Hij heeft al een titel voor het derde boek - The Cauldron of Doom - maar dat heeft hij al jaren. En we weten dat het een Noorse setting zal krijgen, maar dat is ook duidelijk als je De Sfinx hebt gelezen. En daar houdt het zo ongeveer op. Alleen gaat hij eerst ook nog Boek 4 en 5 schrijven, en wordt dan de hele reeks (her)uitgebracht in twee jaar en een half. In het Engels dan toch.
Ik vrees dan ook dat Jake en zijn vrienden hun doodsstrijd in Nederland en Vlaanderen allang gestreden hebben. Tenzij De Fontein dan ook besluit om de eerste twee delen opnieuw uit te brengen, zie ik niet in wie er nog de vervolgen zou kopen. De mensen die eerst Boek 1 en 2 hadden gekocht... wie gaat daar nog de reeks van vervolledigen?
Nu ja, ik wel dus. Ik ben persoonlijk heel erg benieuwd. En gelukkig ook een jaar of dertig jonger dan de schrijver, dus tenzij Rollins of ik vroegtijdig het loodje leggen, zal ik de verschijning nog wel meemaken, ook al is het dan in 2047. Maar dan nog, James, je had toch wel wat rapper mogen werken en een beetje meer prioriteit mogen geven aan deze reeks, want ze is erg plezant en het is jammer dat het zo lang duurt.

[Kate Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

What to say, what to say. It's no secret I'm a huge fan of both James Rollins and YA literature and this book marries those two things, so it should be a winner. In some aspects it certainly is. I love the ways Rollins takes actual parts of history and science and weaves them into a story with his own theories and creations. This book is the second in a series and I love the basic plot of the tale - Jake and his sister Kady get sucked into an ancient lost part of Pangea, their parents are missing (are they there too??) and they have a big bad evil to fight with some friends they made in the first book, who live on Pangea. What I didn't like about this book was that it constantly felt like Rollins was trying to keep an YA length while cramming as much into the story as possible, clearly aiming to set up for another book in the series. I LOVED the addition of the lost queen Nefertiti, but I really can't stand the way Kady is written. I get she is supposed to be the superficial cheerleader high school girl, but I like to believe that most girls would step up and get their priorities straight when sucked into an ancient time/alternate universe and faced with all sorts of horrible frights. Maybe not, but at least she wouldn't complain about her cell phone.

[Marla · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 again, but more because it didn't advance much of the back story of the mystery of his parents disappearance or much about Jake.

Likes:
* Jake's friends were pulled along with him, and loved Pindor's embarrassing appearance
* Egyptian flying boats
* Pindor's crush on Nefertiti
* time stones
* prophesy/messages
* Kree and his eye tattoo was a great villain with Heka aiding him
* the dinosaurs, the sand sharks and harpies were cool monsters
* prisoners in the dungeon were a pleasant surprise
* Jake's new pet

Dislikes:
* uncertain about the mirror and the encounter at the end, I didn't understand what it meant and it left me feeling off balance
* this book did not explain any of the unanswered questions from the first book and instead brought up more questions, esp about stones and Bledsworth Corp.
* did not have a moral like the first book, beware of cults?
* Jake just reacted a lot more in this book instead of thinking first
* missed Jake's McGyverisms that I enjoyed in the first book
* spent more time traveling and fighting than developing characters

[Kaylee · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some niggly bits in the first book, but they were all things I could ignore, so they didn't affect my enjoyment of the adventure story. Book two here, on the other hand, had a lot more annoying bits that I couldn't ignore.

First thing I noticed, the author uses random Egyptian words for names of characters and places, to give the story an "Ancient Egyptian" flavor. Naming things with random words is nonsensical, but I wouldn't have minded this; I neither expect nor require historical authenticity from a middle-grade Indiana Jones-type adventure story, so that's fine. But then we are introduced to an evil sect called "The Blood of Ka". Jake explains that ka is the Egyptian word for soul or spirit. So that would translate as...The Blood of Soul/Spirit? That makes no sense. Finally, allll the way at the end of the book, Rollins belatedly mentions that they are supposed to be followers of a god named Ka. There is no such being in real-world mythology, and there's no indication in the book that it's the name of a god in this fantasy world, so there was no way to know this. It wasn't a mystery for the characters to reveal, he just forgot to tell us, apparently. If he had clued us in sooner that he had made up a god named Ka, then the cult's name would have made a lot more sense. That's a very sloppy oversight.

Just a little rant... The "Ka" thing annoyed me. I mean, the author can make stuff up if he wants, but why not use one of the hundreds of existing mythological figures? Or, if you want to make up something original, why not make up an original name for it? What he did is like if I wrote a book about the cult of chocolate, and the whole time you think it's about people who are crazy about chocolate (you assume it refers to the food, because that's what the word *means*) but then it turns out that Chocolate is some kind of mythic being, and everyone knows this. Did I forget to tell you? Oops, oh well, I'm not going back to fix it now. Also, I have no objection to him making stuff up, but I do object to him trying to pass it off as real-world mythology. Both books contain afterwords, where the author proudly states that everything is based on historical fact or mythology, and he hopes that this will get kids interested in those subjects. Well, as someone who is interested in those subjects, I am annoyed that he thinks that dressing a boy in a toga is enough to make him Roman, or that tossing in a mislabeled hieroglyph is all that's required to make a group of people Egyptian. He doesn't even use the word "hieroglyph" correctly. If he had just written a cheesy story for the hell of it, that would be one thing, but his assertion of authenticity rankles, given how INauthentic his characters and societies are. It's still a fun adventure story, but claiming that it's informative...let's not kid ourselves.

The evil sect's symbol is the hieroglyph for "ka" above a skull. Couple niggles here: 1. A skull symbol is woefully out of place next to an Egyptian hieroglyph. I get that Rollins wanted something sinister, but the incongruous skull is so cheesy that I'm gonna sprain my eyes from all the rolling. But that seems to be his style, to focus on outer appearances and neglect the substance of the thing. Honestly, if the sect has a reputation for being evil, then a sinister emblem isn't even necessary; they could have a fluffy kitten as their symbol and nonetheless people would shudder, knowing what they stand for. A skull is such a cop-out. 2. The glyph for ka is two arms raised upwards. Calling it "the hieroglyph that looks like horns" is painfully stupid coming from Jake, who is supposed to be an expert on this stuff. If the author had just made that mistake himself, I would have let it go (it's kind of a niche interest, so I don't expect the average person to know this), but since Rollins insists that Jake knows his hieroglyphs...well, then Jake should bloody well know basic things like this.

And then they get to the inner city, and the palace is a giant pyramid. *sigh* I know pyramids are the quintessential "Egyptian thing" but I really don't think that that particular piece of architecture is suitable for a palace, even in a cheesy fantasy world. It is really completely impractical as a residential or administrative building.

I did like the ending. Unlike the first book, this one did not pull a cliffhanger. It did have an open-ended ending, in that Jake and Kady still haven't found their parents, and at the end they make a pledge to keep searching. So the story gets all its loose ends tied up, but there is more to come. That's a nice setup for a continuation; unfortunately, it appears that the author has abandoned this series. Being a middle-grade series where the main characters aren't allowed to die, I think it's safe to assume they would have eventually reached a happy ending, but the two initial books are all we're gonna get. Kind of disappointing, but at least this book had a satisfactory ending, so I am okay with stopping here.

Oh, one thing I *loved* was that Djer decides to raise his cousin so he can grow up with a good role model. You don't see many characters in Djer's situation taking on a responsibility like that. I thought that was a very smart choice, and it had the potential to come back as an interesting sub-plot later on.

I rate juvenile books according to how much I think I would have liked them at that age, so this gets bumped up from 2 to 3 stars. At that age, I would not have noticed all of the things that bug me now, but there is still a fair amount that would have annoyed me even then.

[Suby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantasy in novels is okay. But a book should not appear to be children's book because of all the childish fantasies that grown ups would find hard to digest.
Ancient Egypt had lots of secrets - Agreed. But to say that pyramids are as old as the Raptors is stretching it a bit too far. Then to add the magic of Atlantis to the equation makes it further far fetched.
But its okay. Jake Ransom, the hero, is in his early teens. At that age he could be excused to imagine anything he wants.
The book is better than the harry potter books I have managed to complete.
This book too appears to be the 2nd in a series. I must find the first and read it too.
Readable.

[Jonathan Tran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jake Ransom is a suspenseful book that has twists and betrayal at every turn. This is a riproaring adventure, especially for those who have read the previous book, ''Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow''. There is heartbreak, humor, and adventure in every page of this book. I couldn't put the book down and read it whenever I had the chance. James Rollins, the author,keeps you on your toes so you can't predict what will happen next in this amazing book. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, though I think it would be better if they read Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow first.

[Jaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an action-packed young adult adventure story that got the action starting immediately. The premise was truly intriguing and I enjoyed listening to it. However, I'm going to say something I don't say often: You really must read this series in order. There were a lot of references to events that happened in book one that this plot relies heavily on. However, even missing chunks of information (because I started with book 2, of course), I still enjoyed everything that happened and will definitely go back to book 1. This is definitely going on my recommendation list for my students. My boys, especially, will love it!

[A.R. Voss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as the first book of the series, this was a great adventure to enjoy. Although it is intended for younger readers, it is still enjoyable for any reader. As I mentioned on my review on the preceding book, Jake Ransom, and the Skull King's shadow, I do enjoy reading a lighthearted PG rated books once in awhile, for both purposes of writing and also it is refreshing to read a book that is focused mostly on the entertainment aspects of the story telling, rather than just the shock value. I definitely recommend this book, and not only for young readers.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. It was fast moving and got me hooked right from the beginning. I liked all the twists and turns that kept me wondering right up until the end. And I loved the wisling...my vote is for Hissler. It was nice seeing charactors from the previous book, like meeting old friends. I'm looking forward to the next trip to Pangaea. As usual, I don't want to spoil it for others so I'm keeping this short. I will be recommending this to all of the people I know who love adventures.

[Alexander Draganov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent second novel in the "Jake Ransom" series. The young hero travels again to mysterious land, this time to find an Egyptian tribe lost in a prehistoric desert. Rollins uses his skills of a thriller author to create a complex and mysterious plot, which thrills the reader. Jake is a very likeable young hero and Kalverum becomes more and more terrifying as a villain. Highly recommended for fans of adventurous YA novels.

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fabulous tale! I picked it up this morning and a few hours later, I had devoured it all. A nice quick-paced adventure that just keeps the action coming and the pages flying. I'll be going out to get the first book now, and after I consume that one, I'll end up agonizing until the next is released. This is a must-read for all ages.

[Haley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book!!! I love this series and i'm jumping off the walls excited for the next one!

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't wait to find out what happens next! It just can't end there!

[Janice Wang · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was much better than the first one.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another quick paced book for the tween audience. Definitely left things open for a third book.

[Fefi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un "Egitto" un po' diverso...

Secondo appuntamento con le avventure dei fratelli Jake e Kady in quello strano continente che è Pangea,sempre alla ricerca dei genitori,archeologi, scomparsi misteriosamente molti anni prima.
Come nel primo volume, i due si ritrovano a tornare indietro nel tempo e nello spazio,mentre stanno visitando un museo,questa volta non dei Maya,ma una mostra dedicata all'Egitto e,grazie ai braccialetti della precedente avventura,si uniscono a tutti gli altri amici incontrati in precedenza. Questa volta si ritroveranno in un Egitto popolato da creature preistoriche a combattere contro il re Teschio su navi alate che sfrecciano in cielo,accompagnati dalla regina Nefertiti e da pietre magiche.
Ci sono anche colpi di scena che hanno reso questa nuova avventura davvero bella,anche se,a volte, qualcosa è scontato.
Trovo questo Rollins per ragazzi davvero piacevole,peccato che sia stata interrotta la serie in italiano.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a blast from the past, man. It was such a fun time getting to relive this story I was obsessed with as a kid from a whole new perspective - both in the fact that I’m almost 22 now and the fact that this series was my first ever foray into audiobooks. I’m not a huge fan of reading YA/children’s books anymore because they tend to dumb everything down and make adventures not as fun, but this is just as wild a ride as I remember it being as a kid, and definitely still worth a read if you’re into ancient history. I’m so bummed that Rollins never wrapped up this series and left us hanging, because I absolutely adored it! Maybe one day we’ll get a resolution...

[Hannah Belyea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jake and Kady knew their time amongst the lost civilizations of Calypsos was far from over, but nothing could have prepared them for landing in the desert, finding their friends wandering the sand, and being taken captive by Princess Nefertiti! Now they must save a whole new society from falling to the hands of the evil Skill King - and perhaps learn the secret of their parents' disappearance. Rollins gives readers a heart pounding sequel that will have fans glued to every word of this epic adventure. Time flies when you're on the run from an evil cult...

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book of the Jake Ransom series. This book was not as good as the first, but it was by far not the worst book I have read. The story was not as clever as the first which added to it not being as good. The writing was still elegant, as before and the creativeness of the writer was still there, just not as distinct as before. The author seemed to not have another astonishing story to tell, which is why this one was not as good. Another reason the book was not as good was the fact that many new character had a counteracting personality. In one chapter they would do something, but in the next they reacted the opposite way you would think based on their earlier reactions. I will still continue the series once the next book comes out because the author left a cliff hanger which I must find the resolution to. I recommend this book to anyone who like fantasy, and ancient history.

[M.D. Khamil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't really know what are my thoughts on this book. I believe this is a very good book but I have forgotten half of the story even though I've just finished it. I think I didn't give my all into concentrating reading this book as I have a lot of disturbance while reading this at work. I might give the book a chance in the future and reread it properly. But I like Jake, Jake is a great character. Smart boy.

[Emily Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ehm stop, did it really take me OVER A YEAR to finish this? upsi
okay so hahah I always listened to this while falling asleep so maybe that’s why😆 but still, I thought let’s finish this because even though I can’t remember every detail now, I really enjoyed it!
It’s crazy to think that I was dreaming about doing something Egypt related when I started the book then and now I’m actually studying egyptology.. This book has really come on a journey with me🩶

[Sandy Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fascinating adventure, this time in Egypt. When Jake and Kady get sucked into the time vortex, their unity bracelets pull their friends from the last adventure with them. Filled with puzzles, terror, interesting new characters and menacing old ones, this is a great second book in the series.

[Rob Roy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is written for young adults and is basically a fantasy. While an interesting tale, it takes snippets of ancient Egyptian history and culture and misuses most of them. The author clearly did not do much research. This is to the detriment of his readers, as a c chance to pass on some real items of Egyptian culture, language, and history is lost.

[Aidan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book, and much better than the first in the series! The action sped up so that I was able to really focus on the book and read straight through it.

[Vanalottiel Olanthir · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHY IS THERE NO THIRD BOOK?!