Avalon by Mindee Arnett, Balzer + Bray, 2014. 415 pages.
Reading Level: Young Adults, (ages 12-14) and up
Maturity Level: 6 (ages 15-18) and up
Readers meet Jethro Seagrave and his band of Malleus Shades in the middle of stealing a spaceship. Jeth and his friends live in a futuristic world of planets and spaceports, most of which are overseen by the all-powerful ITA, Interstellar Transport Authority. Between Jethro’s exuberant younger sister—and computer genius—Lizzie and a group of talented teens, the Malleus Shades have gained quite a reputation.
When Jeth is offered a deal by an ITA agent, he realizes that his crew’s next mission will be their most hazardous and dangerous. Still, if completed, it might bring Jeth and his friends freedom from crime lord Hammer Dafoe. Jeth and his crew are to enter the Belgrave, space’s equivalent of the Bermuda Triangle, and retrieve a lost spaceship that is carrying a valuable cargo. The only stipulation: they are not to board the spaceship. Soon the mission becomes more complicated when Jeth and his crew come upon two other teens and a little girl, all on the run from the ITA.
Jeth is a leader, driven and motivated by love for his family and his crew. While he maintains a strong front, he struggles with grief over the loss of his parents and the desire to do the right thing while protecting his crew. Avalon is similar to Andrew Klavan’s Mindwar in its ability to examine deeper moral issues, but it includes enough violence, sensuality, scary images, and language to make it inappropriate for younger readers. Given these precautions, teen lovers of sci-fiction should enjoy this adventure. Avalon is filled with action, suspense, double-crossing and triple-crossing, not to a mention a dash of romance. While part of a series, the book concludes well and stands on its own as an enjoyable adventure for a winter evening of reading.
Cautions: Language (recurring, but no profanity), Visually Problematic (grotesque spaceship damage), Sensuality (girls distract guards)
Overall Value: 3.5 (out of 5)
- Moral/worldview value: 3.5
- Artistic value: 3.5
Categories: YA, Science Fiction, Adventure/Thriller, Boys
Cover image from Amazon
Stay Up to Date!
Get the information you need to make wise choices about books for your children and teens.
Our weekly newsletter includes our latest reviews, related links from around the web, a featured book list, book trivia, and more. We never sell your information. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Support our writers and help keep Redeemed Reader ad-free by joining the Redeemed Reader Fellowship.
Stay Up to Date!
Get the information you need to make wise choices about books for your children and teens.
Our weekly newsletter includes our latest reviews, related links from around the web, a featured book list, book trivia, and more. We never sell your information. You may unsubscribe at any time.
We'd love to hear from you!
Our comments are now limited to our members (both Silver and Golden Key). Members, you just need to log in with your normal log-in credentials!
Not a member yet? You can join the Silver Key ($2.99/month) for a free 2-week trial. Cancel at any time. Find out more about membership here.
2 Comments
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Just a little confused when you say that bad language is recurring but no profanity…the third chapter featured the s-word, so I’m just wondering if you could let me know what counts as profanity to you guys.
Thanks!
Hey Robyn, I’m sorry for your confusion. Within our cautions, by no profanity, I’m distinguishing between profanity and bad language/vulgarity. Profanity would be irreverance for a holy thing, like misusing the Lord’s name. Vulgarity/bad language would be, in the words of one of our team, “applying private functions to everyday conversation”, like the s-word. I hope that helps clarify your question, and again, I’m sorry for causing confusion.