Voices in the Dark
by Catherine Banner
The Last Descendents
Random House Books for Young Readers
ISBN-10: 0-375-83877-5
ISBN-13: 978-0-375-83877-4
Publication Date: September, 2009
List Price: $16.99
Review: Have you ever dreamed of having powers? The book Voices in the Dark (By Catherine Banner), the second book in The Last Descendants Trilogy, deals with magic and many more surprises. In Voices in the Dark, the main character Anselm, a boy who is obedient and kind, is trying to find out things about his real father, when he didn’t even know his father’s name! But when Anselm discovers the truth, it takes him on a rollercoaster of danger that he didn’t see coming.
Once, a long time ago, a boy of 16, Anselm, was riding in an old carriage to find his family. During that ride Anselm meets a mysterious old man named Mr. Hardy and starts telling him the story of his life before he had met him. He had been living in his hometown of Malonia, a small kingdom north of England, with his mother Maria, whom had given birth to him at age 15, his step-father Leo, whom owns a second-hand shop, his 6 year old little sister Jasmine, who's got magical abilities, and his best friend next door, Michael. Suddenly, the city’s only known magic teacher, Aldebaran (who had been training Jasmine) is shot and killed. Michael flees the country because Alcyria is invading in the north. Unfortunately, Leo’s past has caught up with him, and he also gets drafted into war. During this time the family doesn’t have enough income to pay their rent, and Maria just happens to be pregnant. Will Anselm be able to find clues linked to his real father? Will the baby be born safely? Will the war ever end?
Voices in the Dark is an action packed book with war, magic, and a family coming together when times get tough. When Alcyria invaded, I couldn’t put the book down! This book was fantastic! If there was a 5-star rating, I’d give it 5 stars! I could tell that the author took a lot of time composing Voices in the Dark, and with great effort. Voices in the Dark seems to be carefully written with an incredible amount of detail; “I walked quickly until I was lost among the ancient tombs, and stopped. I stood there watching the dark beyond the far gate. Alcyria was over those mountains, the army’s machine guns trained on all passes, their armored vehicles rolling slowly across our soil.” I felt as though I were living in the story. This book is appropriate for ages 11-14 (because of some minor cursing) boys & girls who really love a great mystery. I can’t wait to get my hands on the first and third book in the series, and I’m sure you won’t be able to either!
Review written by Lynnea (6th grade student).
We would like to thank Random House for providing a copy of Voices in the Dark for this review.
Have you read Voices in the Dark? How would you rate it?
Your review made me interested in reading the book myself. I am not a big reader of fantasy books, but you made it sound exciting and I appreciated that you provided a sample sentence to show the writer's style. That helped me know that I might enjoy the way the book is written. As a parent I was also very grateful to see the age levels you recommend the book for and why. Thanks for a very helpful review.
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