Book Review: The Emerald Tablet

Title: The Emerald Tablet (Legends of Amun Ra #1)
Author: Joshua Silverman
Genre/s: Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Synopsis:

Do you wish you could have the power of a god? Would you use it for good…or for evil?

When an archeologist discovers the mythic Emerald Tablet buried beneath Egypt’s desert, her son decodes the ancient text leading him to a distant world.

On that world, a slave girl begins a journey towards a destiny she cannot imagine. But when an ancient foe rises from the ashes, they will be brought together

by forces neither understands.

Leoros, who dreams of being like the heroes in the comic books, must fight to unlock the secrets of the universe to save a people he never knew existed.

Atlantia, whose bloody visions wake her in the night, senses the darkness coming.

Together they will face an enemy with the power of dark energy, lose a mentor to the assassin’s blade, and be betrayed by someone they trust. Their fight for the future is just beginning, and before it is over, a final sacrifice must be made. When the darkness comes, will they stand and fight or will they join it?

There is darkness in everyone.

My Thoughts:

The Emerald Tablet was a nice young adult sci-fi adventure novel with a John-Carter-meets-Greek-Egyptian-civilization feel to it. I wasn’t in love with it, as much as I wanted to, but it was still an okay read.

The clash of Greek and Egyptian mythology made it hard for me to adjust in the beginning. I guess, it’s just  a bit weird for me to see two of the ancient civilization, living together in a single planet but after that, it all went well.

Leoros was a really cool kid. I'm actually jealous of him because he has an archeologist mom and a scientist dad. He has a lot of adventure and experiences in foreign places before he even came to Potara and I think that gave him an advantage in coping with his new surrounding. Anyway, just like every other child of the prophecy, he has a big responsibility and a high expectation to maintain which often frustrates and pressures him. 

On the otherhand, I really thought Atlantia was the kid in the first chapter but unfortunately I was wrong. She was actually an oracle and she can talk to Athena (which I think is awesome because other than Artemis, Athena is my favorite Greek goddess). She's beside Leoros all the time and she helped him fulfill his prophecy.

I really don't like the other characters. They're inconsistent and illogical. And as for the plot, there were a lot of things happening to it and to be honest, it was action-packed. But I guess, what’s not working for me here and what stopped me from loving this book is the pacing of the story. 

I don't like it when the scenes in Potara, especially the exciting part, is being cut off  just to show what is happening on Earth. I mean, I sort of understand the need of the author to show what is happening on both worlds and it adds a bit of cinematography to it but it didn't really work for me. That kind of pacing would only be effective if the level of excitement on both side is parallel in order to maintain the momentum of the story. But in this case, the progress is a bit fluctuating. 

Overall, it was nice book but it could have been better. I would recommend it to Greek and Egyptian Mythology fanatics and to those who like sci-fi adventure books.

My Rating