The Dragon's Eye

I picked up this series at a reuzit shop and instantly began reading it. Despite the series being aimed at a younger audience, as a sixteen year old I still enjoyed it and read them one right after the other. If you enjoyed the Adventurers Wanted series or the Fablehaven Series this is a book for you!

I read a lot of young adult fantasy. My wife is an elementary school librarian and I run a book group for grown-ups that read kids' lit. I saw the Erec Rex books on the shelf at a book store recently and was instantly drawn in by Melvin Grant's beautiful covers and was surprised I had never heard of the series before considering how closely I follow the genre. My first thought was there must be a reason that I've never heard of Erec Rex before, that perhaps it was just a cheap Harry Potter knock off and sure the are correlations, but Erec Rex definitely has his own story and it's wonderful and exciting. What's familiar? Erec is 12 years old and has been hidden away from the world of magic and his true place in the world. Upon entering the world of magic he quickly finds himself in a tournament that is supposed to give every young person in the Kingdom of Keepers the chance to become one of the next kings, the kingdom has three rulers; King Piter, Queen Posey, and King Pluto. King Piter's triplets were the rightful heirs to the throne, but they and their mother died at age three. Ten years have passed since then, King Piter has fallen ill and is slowly slipping away , and after almost 500 years of ruling Posey and Pluto are ready to pass on their magical scepters and let somebody else rule. The tournament will definitely draw some comparisons to the Triwizard Tournament from Goblet of Fire, especially considering one of the challenges is underwater. Erec has Bethany the ultra smart math whiz as a sidekick and is competing against Balor Stain who's father is a famous magician, who could be compared to Hermione and Draco Mafloy. It may sound like a lot, but it's not. Erec's life in Upper Earth may be hard because his family is poor and has to move a lot , but he has an adoptive mother and family that love him. Bethany is on the run from her oppressive uncle Earl and is just as new to the world of magic as Erec is. Erec's adoptive mother has been kidnapped and is being held in the Kingdom of Keepers and Erec is only there to find a way to rescue her and bring her home. He's in the tournament because contestants get to stay in the castle with free room and board during the competition and it allows him a place to stay while he searches for his mother. Though he soon learns he has a stronger connection to the magical world than he ever would have guessed and the same dark force that is threatening this new world is also present in Upper Earth and has likely been illegally using magic for personal gain and power in our world. Though the plot stands alone on its own merits, what really sets Kaza's writing aside is her amazing imagination and her brilliantly creative details. You keep thinking to yourself, how does she think of these things, and that's so cool. It's little details such as when Erec and Bethany search out the castle laundry and a surprised when all the washing machines start jumping up and down and coming towards them when they enter

I picked Erc Rex up at Barnes and Noble for no real particular reason. I started reading it after I had finished the last Harry Potter book. Though it took me about three chapters to get into the book, after I did it really flowed. Ms. Kingsley is quite talented and imaginative. I had never heard of someone using remote controls for magic in place of say a wand. When you look at her world she created as a whole it makes a person smile, in her world anyone can use / learn magic. Even though its fantasy its nice to think of such a place. Erec is a boy of 12, and he has 5 siblings. The family is quite poor and has to move around. The day Erec's mother goes missing is the day his life changes and his adventure starts. I look forward to reading the 2nd installment in Erec's adventures this fall.

Welcome to the world, Erec Rex. Your readers have long awaited you. Now for the lowdown on Erec Rex: he's about 13 years old; he has a glass eye, a menagerie of adopted brothers and sisters, and a mother who's on the run for some strange reason. When Erec's mother goes missing, it's up to him to find her. And find her he does--thanks to Bethany, the girl who witnessed Erec's mom being kidnapped. The big problem--Erec can't get to his mom when he does find her; she's locked in King Pluto's dungeon in Aorth, and Erec has ended up IN ALPIUM. Okay, so you're wondering where Alpium is. It's hidden somewhere beyond the Statue of Liberty. Once in Alpium, Erec and Bethany find out they are real LOSERS, but these Losers end up in a contest that will decide the next three rulers--one each--for Aorth, Alpium, and Acaena; these are all kingdoms we regular Losers from Upper Earth generally don't know about. Once in the contest, Bethany and Erec are in it to win. Yet the competitions are often rigged. And Erec still has to figure out how to get his mom out of prison . . . and why she was put there in the first place. And, Erec's mom has told him he was born in Alpium. What the hey? It's yet another mystery for this long-lost Rex to solve. While Erec faces all these obstacles, he must also help the present ruler of Alpium, King Piter, out of a mysterious funk. All the while, evil maligns against the good of the three kingdoms. But who are the culprits of this evil? And what exactly are these baddies up to? Erec's on a mission to find out! Erec Rex: The Dragon's Eye is a fun, fascinating book that makes you want to chill out for a while and just read. Plus, this book's brave new world is chock full of nifty magical gadgets; cute, dorky, and even scary magical critters (fluffy pink kitten, anyone?); and spellbinding people who are mean, magical, or possibly dimwits. These lively creations found a platform all their own. In other words, the Harry Potter books may have inspired Kaza Kingsley in writing The Dragon's Eye, but this book bloody well stands on its own! Strangely enough, the beginning of The Dragon's Eye was its ending. "What? Come again," you say. It's last chapter (the epilogue) serves as a bit of backstory rather than end-of-story and gathers interest like no other ending I've yet read. How horrid, how ingenious, and how dare you, Ms. Kingsley! I hate waiting for sequels! So, you're probably wondering what's up with "The Dragon's Eye" part of the title. Right? Well, don't expect me to spill that detail. You'll have to read the book to find out.

My 10 year old daughter loves to read all kinds of book, especially fantasy books. I bought this book or her and she didn't think she would like it, but she devoured it and is looking for Book Two.

"Erec Rex" is an amazing new book by Kaza Kingsley that was such a fast read, I could barely put it down! With hypnotizing contests, magic, suspense, and a whole lot more, the story made for one of the greatest books ever! I liked it more than "Harry Potter." -- CEJ, Chapel Hill, NC