Magickeepers: The Eternal Hourglass - Book One by Erica Kirov

Books Completed: 145
Completion Date: June, 2009
Pages: 256
Publication Date: May 1, 2009

Reason for Reading: Sent a review copy by Sourcebooks, New Author Challenge, Pub Challenge 2009

What would you do for an hourglass that stopped time?

Nick Rostov's father is the worst stage magician in Las Vegas. He can barely pull a rabbit out of a hat. So it is a strange morning indeed when Nick wakes up to find himself on the top floor of the Winter Palace Casino with a promise from the greatest magician in the world to teach him magic.

And not just stage magic. Real magic. Nick sets out to learn about his mother's family, the strange Russian clan of magicians that secretly run the Winter Palace. But there is a catch: Nick has the sight, the ability to see into the past. And so it must fall to him, with only his cousin Isabella to help, to pick up the long-buried clues and unravel the mystery of The Eternal Hourglass, the only magic artifact ever created that can actually stop time.

Title and author of book: Magickeepers: The Eternal Hourglass - Book One by Erica Kirov

Fiction or non-fiction? Genre? Young adult fantasy.

What led you to pick up this book? Sent a review copy by the publisher.

Summarize the plot, but don’t give away the ending! See above...

What did you like most about the book? The combination of Russian history and modern fantasy. I thought that the author weaved the two ideas together very well! I really like Russian history. It was a subject that I studied a great deal in school. Fantasy is my pet genre, so it was fun to combine the two. It could've been highly unbelievable, but it really worked together. Who hasn't wished for a bit of magic in their lives? Many people know at least one magic trick. Then, there is the whole adding in the Russian monarchy and having the bad guy be Rasputin. I think she writes a good story.

What did you like least? Anyone that knows me knows that while I read a lot of young adult fantasy (though, mostly this year), I find narrators that are children annoying. Nick has a few moments like that for me. I didn't always enjoy his character very much. It wasn't enough to put the story down, though. It was still a fun book and I think the series has a lot of potential. Adults will find it fun, but I think children in the correct age-range will really enjoy this series.

Have you read any other books by this author? What did you think of those books? First one, but I would like to read the sequel!

What did you think of the main character? As I said above, he annoyed me at times, but I got passed it. When he wasn't having his moments, he was a good character and told his story well. He was just being a kid, and there is nothing wrong with that. It's hard to find out that lots of secrets have been held from you for years, but Nick overcomes it. I look forward to seeing how he progresses as the series continues.

What about the ending? Nice, clean ending. It wraps mostly everything up. There is a chance for a sequel, but no major cliff-hanger. Is it too nice an ending? Maybe, but it is a series for the younger generation...

Overall, a fun book! I will continue on with the series. I also like the cover. If I was in this section of the bookstore, I think it would catch my attention!

Other Reviews:

Dolce Bellezza: "In this magical tale, we find jewel encrusted eggs, the Cyrillic alphabet, caviar and borsch, and even such famous Russian characters as Anastasia and Rasputin. These things give a glorious twist to the fairy tale genre, making a story which is both old in the time honored tradition of pursuing good not evil, and new in the exploration of Russian history and culture. I found it a delightful escape into imagination and intrigue." (Yes, it's long, but editing it kept taking something away from it!)