I’ll cut to the chase. This is so far the best book of the Five Kingdoms series. The series revolves around Cole, a teenager from Arizona who, along with a lot of other kids from his neighborhood, is kidnapped and taken to another world known as The Outskirts. The Outskirts is made up of the titled Five Kingdoms, each with it’s own variety of “shaping power”, powerful forms of magic. Cole must help the daughters of the High Shaper, the evil king, regain their powers, find one another, and defeat their father. Then, maybe, he can find a way back home. Maybe.
In Crystal Keepers Cole and his fellow heroes venture to Zeropolis, the kingdom that uses crystals to power amazing electronics and creations, in search of Princess Constance. The most technologically advanced of the kingdoms by our standards, Zeropolis provides plenty more of the “cool factor” that Mull is known for, plus lots of twists and turns, action, and danger.
The series is aimed at middle grade readers, but my fourteen year old daughter who is largely into YA and adult fiction these days still wanted to listen as I read, so it’s clear Mull’s appeal is broader than that. I certainly have a lot of fun reading them.
With this installment Mull ups the stakes considerably and really ends the book with a bang (pun intended). He introduces more interesting characters and keeps you guessing as to who you can trust. Mull’s imagination is more active than a kennel full of puppies, and his writing just keeps getting better. As I’ve said before, he doesn’t write simple stories, assuming his readers lack the ability to follow complexity. He provides layers within layers of plot, interesting and complex characters, and enough humor and action to keep anyone satisfied, parents included.
Anyone who reads my blog knows I’m a big fan of Brandon Mull, but he’s earned it. He regularly delivers fun, enjoyable books that my kids and I can enjoy together. He’s also a nice, down-to-earth guy who has fun talking with fans. There’s only one down-side to his Five Kingdoms series. So far he’s released the books six months apart. Books four and five will be released a year apart. To quote Jar-Jar Binks, “Well that smells stinkowiff!”