e-Audio, 11:09:23
Narrated by: Torian Brackett
Release Date: September 26, 2023
Published by: Books on Tape
Read from: September 6-11, 2023
Stand-alone (?)
Source: PRH App
TW: Violence, Fighting
For Readers Interested In: Folklore, LGBTQ+, Fighting, Racial/Ethnic Diversity, Fantasy, MGWelcome to the summer of the apocalypse. One 12-year-old boy leads the charge against the forces of evil as he tries to stop the Four Horsemen from taking over the world in the start to a wildly funny and addictive fantasy series about accepting yourself and finding your inner hero.
Alex Wise feels like his world is ending. His best friend, Loren, is leaving town for the summer, his former friend and maybe sort of crush Sky hasn’t spoken to him since he ditched Alex on first day of sixth grade, and now his mom is sending him and his annoying younger sister, Mags, on a cruise with the dad who abandoned them. And, as if things couldn’t get worse, a creepy shadow monster may or may not be stalking him.
But none of this could prepare Alex for the actual end of the world. Too bad that is exactly what’s coming, after the definitely-real Shadow Man kidnaps Mags and she is possessed by the ancient spirit of Death–one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Luckily (depending on who you ask), Alex is possessed as well by a powerful god who imbues Alex with their powers in an effort to stop the Horsemen…if he can figure out how to use them. So begins an epic battle between good and evil: Alex, Loren, a grumpy demi-god, and Alex’s fourth grade teacher vs. Death, Pestilence, Famine, War, and the waves of chaos and destruction they bring to LA and soon the rest of the globe. Just your average summer vacation.
Alex is more used to being left behind than leading the way, but now he’s the only one who can save his sister–and the world. That is, if he can unlock his new powers and see himself as the hero he is.
*MY THOUGHTS*
I read Terry’s YA book earlier this year and I met Terry at TLA earlier this year as well! Super cool guy! So when I loved that book, I knew I HAD to get my hands on Alex Wise! So imagine my surprise when I saw this come up as a tour stop! I have a “THING” for tweens that go on these questy adventures, and this one was no different.
So Alex got in trouble one last time and his mom sends him off to stay with his dad for the summer. Or so he thinks. She’s now ruined his plans and wasted the money that his mom spent on said tickets. But just as they go off on vacay, he runs into something he never thought he’d see….. The apocalypse lol And when I say it was unexpected, it was unexpected. Like I’m talking randomly deciding to jump off the side of a cruise ship to MAYBE save your sister after she goes overboard.
So as a character driven reader I have to share this. The way Terry made me think he was so emotional and then tied it into an element into the story? I was like OMG! I mean he WAS, but it was for a reason. His dad wasn’t actually a good person and he was already dealing with so much as a tween. Those years are hard for everyone. Everyone else was your typical tween. I enjoyed seeing them grow from scared tweens who were just on summer vacay to actually handling business. It was wild to think he wasn’t even a real teen yet and suddenly all these responsibilities are on him. I did feel that Alex was written realistically too. There is no way I would have jumped in after anyone. I would have stayed and kept track of her till a grown up showed lol So regardless of what I thought he was in the beginning, I also thought he was incredibly brave.
The action in this one was nonstop tho. I’m a sucker questy books with tweens lol Those always turn out to be my favorite middle grades. It started with PJO. And I’ve tried to read as many as possible since then. This one has a quest and magic and it was hella fun. I mean soon after jumping overboard they meet another boy, and then everything happens. It really was a wild story. It’s a journey you’ll have to take on your own.
Now the ending fight scene, I do think was a little abrupt. But after non-stop edge snatches I thought it was ok. It just seemed like it was really short? Idk I would have liked them to put up more of a fight after they’ve done all this extra and were so dramatic. It seemed he defeated them too easily. But also, I had to remember this was a MG and not YA so the readers usually like instant gratification.
I knew I was going to like this book, so it was definitely a treat to see them the kiddos having fun and fighting evil. I hope there’s more to this story because I really need to see if Alex’s sister keeps her hair lol
Overall, I give this
