Curse of the Spider King

Over the past few months I've ordered for my fourth grader several "this is the first book in a young adult fastasy series." In every case, he gets a few chapers in and quits. It's not because he doesn't enjoy fantasy or reading (he loves both), but the other series simply haven't engaged him. The Berinfell Prophecies, Curse of the Spider King is the first new series (as opposed to older series, such as those by Lloyd Alexander) to catch and keep his interest. He just finished the book, and is asking when the second book in the series is due to be published. As a mom, that's all I need to hear to know the series is going to be a success.

This is a perfect book if you love Elves! (and who doesn't) After the spider king minions destroy the elven kingdom Berinfell. He had hoped that was the end of the elves but something happened that he had not planed... With the Allyran Elves almost non-existent they have one hope. And that hope is on earth hidden in a billion people. This is a fun and exciting book for anyone who like fantasy. 5 stars!

Heed the prophecies all you readers out there. I'm sure by now you've scanned reviews and heard the echoes of the impact this book is making. I am 15 years old and devour all kinds of fantasy, secular and Christian, adult and teen works. To start, this book proved itself worthy to sit on the number one spot of my "Best Modern Fantasy" list. At least until its sequel is released. COTSK is about 7 teenagers, each from varying backgrounds (a variety enough for any reader to resonate with at least one), who are thrust into strange and confusing circumstances wrought with danger and mystery. COTSK is the story of another world, Allyra, and how the noblest of all races in that world was nearly destroyed. COTSK is the story of how 7 teens are revealed as Elven lords prophesied to save a dying land. Now don't leave me yet. Curse of the Spider King is NOT your average "two worlds" novel. This isn't the type of story where children wander into another world and are instantly filled with unlikely courage and save the day. Quite the contrary. This is the story where realistic teens with hurting and burdensome hearts are faced with an impossible task (yes, quite impossible) and learn two words--Endurance and Victory. Be prepared when you read this book for a large cast of characters, characters with distinct personalities and histories, deep characters, and be prepared to fall in love with them. Be prepared to read this book and forget about everything else save it. I have never felt the sensation of "not being able to put a book down" until I read this book. And I have read everything from Eragon to Shannara to Dragons In Our Midst. This book easily tops them all. And better yet, it lays the groundwork for an exciting series to come. The world of Allyra is a world you do not want to forget, and you do not want to miss out on. Wayne Batson and Christopher Hopper have successfully combined their voices into one and written a beautiful book. Honorable adults, courageous characters, a loving almighty God. Hair raising battle scenes and repulsing spiders. Evil villians and mystery wrought within. And one insanely intriguing story-line, I'm still putting pieces together. And I'm loving it! You will love this book.

Curse of the Spider King (Book 1 of The Berinfell Prophecies) weaves together a tale of seven Elven Lords, who, as infants, narrowly escaped their doom and are now residing on Earth, completely unaware of whom they are, or any idea of their true heritage. Seven thirteen-ish "human" children begin to notice dark strangers lurking about, and friendly sources give them each a very special book, The History of Berinfell, a book that comes to life with only a touch. Their first tastes of a history they didn't even know was their own come rushing out of the ancient handwritten text, seemingly releasing giant Warspiders or setting fire to their classroom. Each child is an Elven Lord, and thus, is endowed with a mysterious and previously unknown ability that manifests near their thirteenth birthday. As children of Earth, the possibility of such gifts or other existing realms is unheard of. However, The Seven have been sought out and protected by Sentinals from the children's homeland of Allyra, and are hiding in the shadows. Unfortunately, the Elven Lords are also being hunted by dark forces bent on their destruction. Curse of the Spider King is what YA Fantasy Fiction is all about. It's well-paced, richly developed, and irresistibly enthralling. The language is beautiful without getting too caught up in itself. And while we discover more about The Seven, Allyra itself remains mostly a mystery. The scene is set for book two in The Berinfell Prophecies, Venom and Song. Check out more reviews at my blog, Pages of Discovery: [...]

Well, yuck! What can be worse than a room full of spiders? A book full of giant warrior spiders and their Gnar riders. Totally gross and a very good story. I enjoyed this book tremendously. I live in a basement (I call it my Hobbit Hole) and deal with bugs, usually centipedes. I wasn't sure I wanted to read a book with a Spider King in it. But the story captured me. There are quite a few characters to keep track of, but that was only a minor problem. Each of the 7 Elf lord children have distinct personalities, and the adult Elf Sentinels added rather than subtracted from the lengthy roll call. My favorite character is Kiri Lee, who plays wildly beautiful music on her violin and walks on the wind. I'd like to do both. The bad guys are really evil. The good guys are realistically drawn young teens. Their goal is impossible yet worthy of attempting. The whole thing comes together as an exciting read. I only wish the second book was here for me to read.