CBAY Books, August 2009
Overall Grade: B+/A-
Robert Montasio didn’t have the most normal of lives; his father, after all had disappeared a few years ago with no warning or explanation…and his little sister Janine had to be more annoying than the average. But nothing could have prepared him for the day when she would drink a strange elixir and shrink to bug-size. In order to get her back to normal, Robert discovers he must take his place in an age-old society: The Cheese Syndicate, of which his father was a member and for whose mission he disappeared. Robert must complete the mission and find an ancient, magical cheese if he ever wants to see his dad and a normal-sized Janine again.
Secrets of the Cheese Syndicate has a lot going for it: fast-paced action, very believable relationships, good humor which makes the story remarkably readable. Fans of Percy Jackson will doubtless enjoy the references to mythology and the non-stop action plot, though it could be argued (of both books, it must be admitted) that the amount of action at times clouds the character development the reader hopes for with such a funny, likeable protagonist. Additionally, some of the magical elements seemed to be too random, weakening the overall effect of the plot. I was never sure, for example, exactly why the magical cheeses were so important to the world as to necessitate a secret society for their protection. Or why a magical dog could appear out of the blue three times to save Robert—but only three times, as he failed to mention until his last visit. But as the book ended with the perfect set-up for a sequel, perhaps these are questions Donna St. Cyr is planning on giving us answers to later. She certainly has the makings of a good storyteller; as this is her first published work, it can only be assumed that her later novels (like the best cheeses, as she would say) will get better and better with age.
Literary Quality: A-
Plot: B
Voice: A-
Originality: A-
Descriptive Ability: B
Humor: A
Illustrations: n/a
Believability of Characters: A+
Believability of Situations: C
Overall Reading Enjoyment: A-
Possibly objectionable topics*: mild violence
Overall Grade: B+/A-
Robert Montasio didn’t have the most normal of lives; his father, after all had disappeared a few years ago with no warning or explanation…and his little sister Janine had to be more annoying than the average. But nothing could have prepared him for the day when she would drink a strange elixir and shrink to bug-size. In order to get her back to normal, Robert discovers he must take his place in an age-old society: The Cheese Syndicate, of which his father was a member and for whose mission he disappeared. Robert must complete the mission and find an ancient, magical cheese if he ever wants to see his dad and a normal-sized Janine again.
Secrets of the Cheese Syndicate has a lot going for it: fast-paced action, very believable relationships, good humor which makes the story remarkably readable. Fans of Percy Jackson will doubtless enjoy the references to mythology and the non-stop action plot, though it could be argued (of both books, it must be admitted) that the amount of action at times clouds the character development the reader hopes for with such a funny, likeable protagonist. Additionally, some of the magical elements seemed to be too random, weakening the overall effect of the plot. I was never sure, for example, exactly why the magical cheeses were so important to the world as to necessitate a secret society for their protection. Or why a magical dog could appear out of the blue three times to save Robert—but only three times, as he failed to mention until his last visit. But as the book ended with the perfect set-up for a sequel, perhaps these are questions Donna St. Cyr is planning on giving us answers to later. She certainly has the makings of a good storyteller; as this is her first published work, it can only be assumed that her later novels (like the best cheeses, as she would say) will get better and better with age.
Literary Quality: A-
Plot: B
Voice: A-
Originality: A-
Descriptive Ability: B
Humor: A
Illustrations: n/a
Believability of Characters: A+
Believability of Situations: C
Overall Reading Enjoyment: A-
Possibly objectionable topics*: mild violence
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