Here, There, and Everywhere  

Read at least 5 books that fit somewhere within the Once Upon a Time II criteria. They might all be fantasy, or folklore, or fairy tales, or mythology…or your five books might be a combination from the four genres.

Book 4: On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness  by Andrew Peterson

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: WaterBrook Press (March 18, 2008)
ISBN-10: 1400073847

When the three Igiby siblings find a mysterious map, they embark on an adventure to discover family secrets about the father they never knew and a hidden treasure that many have long desired to find. Leeli, the youngest, can sing with a beauty that captivates dragons; Tink, the middle sibling, has the makings of a king; and Janner, the eldest, possesses a bravery that will protect them all. But the children's curiosity get the entire Igiby family into trouble with the Fangs of Dang—frightening, scaly-skinned, lizard creatures that drip venom—who have ruled the land of Scree since the Great War. Soon, the Igibys are scrambling for their lives. Peterson's style is lighthearted and funny, but following the Igibys' story requires patience and attention to detail and character so as not to get lost. The sheer amount of names, places, creatures and history Peterson invents will frustrate some readers—it is so complicated that he inserts explanatory historical footnotes throughout (though many are amusing).

I think I sent for this book based on two things:  the cover (and we know we really shouldn't do that!).  And in this case the choice of fonts worked! 

And two: this sounded like a very upbeat and fun read, with more than one protagonist, and they aren't even orphaned!

So....   to me (and only me), the beginning was a bit slow and it was overwhelming  with odd character and places names to remember.  I didn't have a problem remembering them (which in itself is amazing), but it made it seem like a jumbled mess.  The beginning seemed to be more about names than story.

I would have liked to known more of the kids personalities than what was shown, although, they did have a good reason for not letting you know about their "father" and even younger years.

Of all the characters in the book it wasn't until maybe the last fourth of the book that a character named, Peet the Sock Man, who was deemed "crazy" and wore socks over his hands and arms, appeared.  For whatever reason, I liked this character right off the bat and he did turn into a very interesting "person".

Overall, the book was ok.. good even, but the good came the second half of the book, and even more so the last 1/4 of the book.  But because of that the mysteries surrounding the Igiby family became clear before the book ended.

This is book one, with more to come... I'm not sure if I'll go on reading this or not.  I might give it one more try.