The Curse of Deadman's Forest

The Curse of Dead Man’s Forest (book 2, Oracles of Delphi Keep)
By Victoria Laurie
Delacorte Press, 2010
423 pages.

As the forces of evil continue to build, Ian Wigby and his sister Theo try to fulfill the 3,000 year old prophecy that they can save the humanity with the help of four other magically gifted children yet to be revealed. The third child is called the healer and can only be found if the children enter the portal—a time travel portal near their home in Dover, England. But, the stakes are high—the prophecy foretells of Ian’s death if he enters the portal again. The children are sure they can’t stay in Dover and wait for evil forces to find them, but they can’t enter the portal and risk Ian’s death either.

A magic sundial found in the second box reveals the way to solve each riddle.

This series is sure to delight readers of all ages. Anyone who liked Harry Potter, Rick Riordan’s The Lightning Thief series, and A Series of Unfortunate Events is likely to love this book. Part magic, part Greek mythology, part adventure, this novel sets a break-neck pace for page turners. Suspenseful and satisfying.

Highly recommended ages 10-and up.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher along with book one. I did not receive any monetary compensation for my review or blog posting.

Best New Series

Oracles of Delphi Keep
Victoria Laurie
Delacorte Press, 2009
549 pages

The first in a series of books by a debut author is a magical story of two orphans, a castle and orphanage, an English earl, and the white cliffs of Dover. But it’s much more than that, part adventure, part magical tale, it reminds readers of A Series of Unfortunate Events and The Lightning Thief series (Riordan) with a bit of Harry Potter magic thrown in.
A baby arrives on a dark and stormy night in 1930, carried by a mysterious horseman, and Ian is entrusted to be her older sibling and look after her.

Ian loves adventure and fancies himself a great explorer someday. He dreams of romantic places and amazing discoveries. One day he and Theo are exploring among the cliffs of Dover near the Keep, when Ian discovers a fantastic black box. He unearths it and takes it back to the Keep to try and open it. The box is decorated with strange markings but try as he might, Ian cannot open it.

Ian and Theo uncover a 3,000 year old prophecy and are astonished that their names are written down. They have been called upon to save the world from forces that will be called together to destroy humankind.

Readers who enjoyed Riordan’s The Lightning Thief and the Harry Potter series will love this novel. Rollicking great fun and a real page turner. ‘


Highly, highly recommended. Ages 10 and up.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this copy of the book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review. I REALLY loved this book..