Reviews for Magickeepers: The Eternal Hourglass (Magickeepers Series #1)

The average rating for Magickeepers: The Eternal Hourglass (Magickeepers Series #1) based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2009-06-06 00:00:00 Amung Pa Much of the YA books I have been reading lately are much darker heavy reads especially for the middle school and high school groups. Magickeepers: The Eternal Hour Glass Book One by Erica Kirov is perfect for those children who are close in that age group but still have a few years to go. Nick Rostov's father is a Las Vegas magician and a very bad one at that. Nick is a typical thirteen year old who is excited for the summer because that means no school, sleeping in, playing video games for hours and fun on his skateboard. Unfortunately for Nick his summer vacation will be very different from his past ones. Nick's mother came from a long line of Russian magicians who have actual powers and not just the skills to do card tricks. His family takes him into the fold and teach him to use his powers he has always had but has never known about. He must be ready to defend himself against the powerful and evil Shadowkeepers, the same ones that killed his mother. The family he never knew are the Magickeepers. The infamous Rasputin wants to find Nick and when he does he strikes a bargain with him. Rasputin wants a most beloved possession, the hourglass which is a powerful tool that can stop time. And it is up to Nick to keep the hourglass safe and out of the Shadowkeepers and Rasputin's hands. Looking for a book that both parents and their children can read and enjoy at the same time? I would say that Magickeepers is the perfect book. Erica Kirkov uses Russian history and even that of Harry Houdini in such a way that is enticing. There are some laughs and eye-popping sequences that will have most children in stitches. Missing the good old days of Harry Potter? Magickeepers is the book to fix that.

Review # 2 was written on 2009-05-29 00:00:00 Suzanne Simcox In short order, young Nick Rostov discovers that he possesses heretofore unsuspected magical powers and that he, as the most powerful sprig of an impressive magical family tree, is in great danger from his family's enemies. This is familiar magical territory, but some refreshing new territory is introduced. To teach him to use his magic - and to protect him from the dreaded Shadowkeepers - Nick is brought to the luxurious compound of his large and eccentric magical family, who are all of Russian descent and quite proud of it. And where is this compound located? In the heart of Las Vegas (although I'm not entirely sure Las Vegas has a heart), in a fabulous hotel, where the family stages a magic show that is so spectacular precisely because real magic is employed, not just tricks and sleight of hand. Being spirited away from his dad to live with a bunch of weird relatives, being forced to eat strange food (caviar blinis and borscht), learning Russian, and dodging creepy oily Shadows isn't Nick's idea of a great way to celebrate turning 13. However, he does figure out a way to turn the tables on Rasputin, the ultimate Bad Guy, by preventing him from stealing a magical hourglass that would have given Rasputin untold power to do evil. Although the setting is colorful and there is lots of potential in the idea of a magical Russian family preventing powerful treasures from getting into the wrong hands, neither the writing nor the plot live up to the promise. My questions began almost at once, when I wondered why Nick had to change schools all the time. Sure, his dad (a mediocre magician) kept losing jobs and so had to work at one seedy Las Vegas hotel to another, but why did they have to live in each of these hotels, rather than in a cheap apartment or with Nick's grandfather, another Las Vegas denizen? And even so, why would Nick need to change schools if all the hotels were located in or around the Strip? These kinds of niggling questions kept popping up over and over as I got deeper into the story. Was it really likely that Nick would know nothing of his heritage or this huge family living just blocks away? And wouldn't have Rasputin and his minions cottoned onto Nick's existence long ago? And how could Nick have all this innate magical power and never have accidentally discovered it? I was ready to thoroughly enjoy Nick's Russian relatives, but unfortunately they never came fully alive for me. Even Nick doesn't demonstrate much spark or curiosity - his magical skills leave him rather cold (he does very little experimenting) and he seems to have no interest in the only other person his age in the compound, a girl named Isabella. What was her childhood like? Why aren't there more children? When did she start learning magic? And why on earth is this powerful family leading this rather pointless and shallow existence performing for a Las Vegas hotel when they could be out using their magic for the good of humanity? The author weaves historical figures and events into the story in a compelling way, but there is simply not enough depth or richness to the characters or the plot to make this fantasy rise above the many other fantasies for young readers.