Oracles of Delphi Keep

I was digging around for something to read the other evening and stole this from my 12-yr. old while she was busy doing homework. It never even crossed my mind that this was a "Potter wannabe" till I read some of the reviews here. I've found it an engaging, fun, page-turning read. I love the characters, and I especially love that unlike many orphan stories, there are actually several adults who actively support the kids along the way.

Young adult fantasy enthusiasts with sold reading skills will also relish Victoria Laurie's ORACLES OF DELPHI KEEP, telling of a castle's old keep which is an orphanage for lost and parentless children. Delphi Keep has seen many kids come and go and Ian and sister Theodosia are happy to be there - until one day their explorations uncover a mysterious silver box containing a three-thousand-year-old prophecy that their world will change. Overnight Delphi Keep changes and it's up to Ian and Theo to find the clues to thwarting evil in this fine fantasy.

My 9-year-old son adored this book, and has passed it on to his best friend, who similarly enjoyed it. With the qualification that my son thinks that nothing is quite as good as Percy Jackson, this books gets highest marks for entertainment value.

During a raging storm a curious stranger brings a two-year-old girl he found wandering alone in the fields to an orphanage. The foundling comes only with a stunning necklace and a note from her vanished mother saying the child is not safe with her, and asking that she be delivered to the care of the mistresses at Delphi Keep. Young Ian Wigby, another orphan, is designated as her big brother. While playing in the caves along the Dover coastline eight years later, Ian, now thirteen, and his sister, Theo, now ten, are drawn into an ancient mystery that threatens their lives and those of everyone at Delphi Keep. Once you start it is hard to put the book down until you have run out of pages. You will not find protagonists more charming and clever than Ian and Theo as they lead you through unexpected terrors, confrontations with demons from the dawn of myth and into perils far from home. The only problem is that when you reach the end of this story, you want to immediately start the next. I don't recommend buying a copy of this one, however. You should probably buy two: one to read and one to save. This feels like the launch a major new series that will appeal to adults and children alike for a very long time.

When I first got a Victoria Laurie book, it was a gift. Now she is giving us the gift of this new series. I was absolutely blown away by this story. The characters are well written and the story progresses as she builds to the conclusion of this start of the series. I found this novel as engrossing as the first Harry Potter book. She has done a masterful job of making characters that are interesting with a story that pulls you along to the end. What else can I say but, read this book. You will not be dissapointed. She has another amazing series on her hands to go along with Abby and MJ. Keep writing and we'll keep reading.