Sky Raiders: Five Kingdoms, Book 1

(Please note - I am reviewing the Five Kingdoms series as a whole, so I will post the same review for each of the five books; Sky Raiders, Rogue Knight, Crystal Keepers, Death Weavers, and Time Jumpers.)I first heard of Brandon Mull from the editor of my story,  Ethan and the Key , who told me that she felt my story would appeal to many of the same readers. So my high-school daughter and I read the whole series together, and we both found all five books to be very enjoyable. This series does a terrific job of hooking you right away; what higher stakes could there be than a group of middle-school trick-or-treaters being kidnapped to a world called the Outskirts and sold into slavery? The overriding question of the series is, will Cole Randolph (the POV character) and all his friends make it back to Mesa Arizona? You are left wondering, right up until the end, how it will all turn out.The characters are very well developed; by the end of the series, you feel like you went to middle-school with them. The only problem I had with the series is that there is a lot of exposition. There are many long passages and even whole chapters, devoted to conversations in which various characters explain to Cole how things work in the Outskirts. If you like learning about how new worlds work, this won’t bother you and may even add to your enjoyment of the stories. However, I get impatient with exposition.Overall, this series of books is a very entertaining adventure. So, if you like stories with fun characters and imaginative new worlds, I highly recommend this series of books.

Cole Randolph was at one of those cooler times in life. He and his best friend Dalton had entered sixth grade so they were the cool "seniors"...It was Halloween and he had a super-cool costume...and most importantly, he was going to be trick-or-treating with a group of friends that included his long time crush Jenna. Could life get any better?But that all changed in an instant as his friends were swept away to a strange and dangerous land, thrown into slavery, and cast upon the winds to the five kingdoms. Cole, himself, becomes a sky raider who's life is on the line with each breath. And his problems are as nothing compared to the actual princess who has been lost for six decades and now needs Cole and his new friends to find her way home.Following on the heels of his two previous wonderful series - FableHaven and The Beyonders - Brandon Mull tosses his readers into a new(ish) universe where the world is full of magic and the dangers are around every corner. As is his creative MO, Mull's protagonists are young and inexperienced yet, that youth and their acceptance of what, to an adult, might seem impossible, gives his readers another fun group of characters that younger readers and more "experienced" types as myself (cough, cough...65) will enjoy and wrap their arms around. Mull has always had the ability to make his characters both young enough to see the world as a new adventure each day, while giving them the strength to face up to, and to overcome, new problems and new hurdles.The FIVE KINGDOMS is exciting and this, the first book, is an amazing kickoff to a fun and wonderful new journey.

Amazing how much I liked this book despite some glaring faults. I go into detail here and give away a few spoilers. Beware.1, why would Mira's protector send her and Cole back to the Sky Raiders when the sky raiders thought the two slaves dead? He planned on them escaping a day later. Why not just send them to a different place entirely? Is it because the author needed to include Jace and Twitch on the journey? Is it because BMull had to show the messenger and army chasing Mira?2, It was obvious they were supposed to use the shawl to subdue Carnag. Duh. No, it only took the characters several extra chapters, several pointless conversations with the beasts, and several fights before thinking of it.3, Why didn't they put the shawl on, like, the giant snake? Or the cyclops?4, Why is jumping up with the sword a death sentence? Why can't you just jump back down?5, Do we have to have a half dozen conversations about the dangers of the quest and "are you sure you want to keep going?" talks? The old Shaper, Liam, and Mira I think all asked Cole, Twitch, and Jace why they were following Mira and if they were sure and didn't they know it was dangerous. Too much. The reader understands the characters have good reasons for following Mira. This is overkill.That's all I can think of right now. Despite these, I enjoyed the book. The characters are fun, the plot is all over the place, and the setting is restrained with semi-defined magic. History is glossed over, and the government is mentioned. Conflicts abound between every element.

It’s a really creative and fun new world. The plot is also not the norm. The characters are vibrant and easy to imagine. I would recommend this this, especially to elementary and middle school kids.

Let’s go to #2 this is one of the best books I have read (seconding Fablehaven) love you Brandon!-Sam

This book as any Brandon Mull book is really cool, but the true is that this series is like Beyonders a bad king good heroes that want to overground him just the same.

Awesome. I want another book to come out badly. Hope a movie is soon to follow.I have all the brandon mull books . .and I love them.Any child should have this book!

This was a great stores that had its own conclusion in this book. The story carries on in the next book but without a cliffhanger. Wick paced and an interesting premise.

I read this over 4 evenings and now my kids have started it as well. The world is well described and I look foward to reading the next one.