Book Review: The Paladin Prophecy

Will West is careful to live life under the radar. At his parents' insistence, he's made sure to get mediocre grades and to stay in the middle of the pack on his cross-country team. Then Will slips up, accidentally scoring off the charts on a nationwide exam.

Now Will is being courted by an exclusive prep school . . . and is being followed by men driving black sedans. When Will suddenly loses his parents, he must flee to the school. There he begins to explore all that he's capable of--physical and mental feats that should be impossible--and learns that his abilities are connected to a struggle between titanic forces that has lasted for millennia.

Co-creator of the groundbreaking television series Twin Peaks, Mark Frost brings his unique vision to this sophisticated adventure, which combines mystery, heart-pounding action, and the supernatural. Quoted from Goodreads

--------------------

So you've all read Mark of Athena (and you have all read it, right?).  Now the ending is making you a little crazy, and you don't know how to wait an entire year for the sequel or quite what you'll do until then.  No worries, for I have the answer to at least one of these problems: The Paladin Prophecy.  Adventure?  Check. New mythology? Check.  Smart, brave hero? Check. Plucky side-kicks? Check. Mystery? Check.

First off, there's Will, and I love him.  Here's the thing, just by naming a character that, you have my attention.  What can I say, I love the name.  Beyond that, though, Will is smart, cocky, and confident--maybe a little bit like Tony Stark without the money or Sherlock Holms only he's better with girls.  I love main characters like this, characters who take charge of their situation, aren't perfect, but aren't so flawed you want to smack them upside the head.

Then there's the mystery.  Why did Will's parents tell him to remain middle-of-the-road when he's clearly better than that?  Who are the black caps? What's up with his mother? What is the Paladin Prophecy?  Where are his powers coming from? Who can Will trust?  Who's the random stranger that keeps saving his life?  The questions go on and on, and as soon as you figure out one, another one takes it's place, forcing you to keep reading.

Another refreshing aspect is Will's friendship with his parents. They're such good friends, in fact, whenever he encounters a new situation, his Dad's rules or sayings pop into his head.  I like those sayings.  Honestly, they're kind of a cool plot device, and I wouldn't mind owning a list and stealing a couple for myself.

I don't want to give too much away, but this is a great book.  If you're looking for another fun adventure with a hodgepodge of different tropes (angels, knights, super-powers, special school, demons, secret societies, ultra advanced technology, other dimensions, good vs. evil, monsters, kidnapping, body-snatching, mind control, etc.) this is the book for you.  I give it a mysterious four stars. It's a smart book that kept me reading until the end.  Alas the next book doesn't come out for a good while.

Okay, so I realize that I've probably over sold the book, and I don't want you not to love it because you expect too much, so I'm warning you, it's not perfect.  I found Will's relationship with Nando  and the things that man was willing to do kind of pushing it. Also, Will is remarkably good at being noticed when he's spent his whole life trying to blend in.  He made the switch kind of fast for me.  Despite these minor problems, this book is a fantastic ride you should absolutely board.

Now, in honor of Theater Thursday, which again, I didn't really do, here is the book trailer.  It's one of the best ones I've seen recently and would be kind of awesome if it were turned into a movie.  If you like Percy Jackson or Artemis Fowl,  I defy you to watch this trailer and not immediately rush out to read this book.