Saturday 7 April 2012

Book Review - Gregor & The Marks of Secret

Title: Gregor & The Marks of Secret
Author: Suzanne Collins
Series: The Underland Chronicles (book 4)
Publisher: Scholastic
Release Date: 1 May 2007 (this edition)
ISBN-13: 978-1407121161

Synopsis
It's only a few months since Gregor and Boots returned from the Underland, leaving their mother behind to heal from the plague. Though Gregor's family receives frequent updates on her condition, they all know Gregor must return to fulfill his role as the warrior who is key to the Underlanders' survival. Accompanied by his now-talkative little sister Boots, still considered the honorary "princess," Gregor joins forces with another princess - 12-year-old Luxa - and Ripred the rat to defend the Underlanders and the vulnerable "Nibblers," or mice, from the rat army.

My Review
So I've finished book 4 already, I couldn't wait to get stuck into it, and then I couldn't put it down.
Gregor is back in Underland, he only stopped by to visit his mum and see how everyone was recovering from the plague, but as usual his quick visits are never that simple, the Nibblers send a distress message to Luxa and they set off to find out what is happening to them, a chain of events kick off and things go from bad to worse.
Luxa is back and ready to take control, finally she is using her attitude and strong personality to take control and I quite liked it, there were places when I wanted her to soften up a bit and let others in, and they did come occasionally, but she finds it hard to let others in. She is definitely more of a realistic character and becoming more 3 dimensional all the time, much more alive on the page. Gregor is a little bit more hesitant in this book, but after all he has been through I can understand this, and I like how he is maturing, he still thinks of others more than himself and I want to see him succeed. 
Ares and Ripred are back and they still make me smile whenever they appear. I was glad to see a bit more of Ripred again, his sarcasm is great.
The story of this one is action packed and had me gripped to the pages, it was very exciting, a lot of dangers, conflicts and mysteries to keep you glued to the pages. 
I found the pages just flying past, I was so engrossed in the book. The characters as I said were well developed and the story continues to take your imagination on an exciting journey. A couple of things were slightly predictable, but this is aimed at younger readers so I won't hold that against it.
I now can't wait to read the finale. This book hints a lot at what is to come and I really want to know how it comes to light. 

My Rating
   

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