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120th out of 133 books
—
258 voters
Circle of Heroes (The Familiars #3)
by
Adam Jay Epstein (Goodreads Author),
Andrew Jacobson (Goodreads Author), Greg Call , Peter Chan , Kei Acedera
Can the familiars bring magic back to the queendom?
Vastia is in a state of war. Led by the evil Paksahara, whose command of the Shifting Fortress gives her nearly unstoppable power, an army of undead animals is wreaking havoc on the queendom. With human magic still gone, it's up to the three prophesized familiars--Aldwyn, Skylar, and Gilbert--to capture the fortress and br...more
Vastia is in a state of war. Led by the evil Paksahara, whose command of the Shifting Fortress gives her nearly unstoppable power, an army of undead animals is wreaking havoc on the queendom. With human magic still gone, it's up to the three prophesized familiars--Aldwyn, Skylar, and Gilbert--to capture the fortress and br...more
Hardcover, 336 pages
Published
September 4th 2012
by HarperCollins
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When the humans have their magic taken away, it falls to the prophesized familiars--Aldwyn, Skylar and Gilbert--to put down Paksahara, the villainous rabbit who is terrorizing Vastia through her control of the Shifting Fortress. In the second volume, the zombie army resurrected by Paksahara advances. This book opens with that army already destroying everything as it grows in size and moves across the landscape. (To be honest, the adult-me doesn't care much for this army of animal zombies. I'm t...more
I had a bit of a shaky start with this one because it'd been so long since I read the "Secrets of the Crown" and I couldn't remember how it ended off! That said, I like and have great respect for stories that don't have to start off with "Once upon a time..." but can jump right into the middle of a story and this one did that.
I think this book is better than the others. It really seems to be coming together! I love that the characters are growing and that they are flawed, rather than perfect. Th...more
I think this book is better than the others. It really seems to be coming together! I love that the characters are growing and that they are flawed, rather than perfect. Th...more
This series follows three magical animals on a quest, a Hermione-ish bluejay, an orphaned street cat, and a tree frog who is insecure about his magical talent. The writing is very good, given the target audience, as are the pacing and plot. The anthropomorphic characters, despite being a bit stereotypical, are well rounded; learning, growing, and building a closer friendship as they do so.
The 1st grade me would have adored this series. I read every fiction and non-fiction animal book in the scho...more
The 1st grade me would have adored this series. I read every fiction and non-fiction animal book in the scho...more
Apr 02, 2013
Dolly
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
children starting to read longer chapter books
This is the third book in The Familiars series by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson. Our oldest has really taken to this series and finished all three books (published so far) rather quickly.
I thought the story was dramatic and entertaining and we enjoyed talking about the human and animal characters. The story is full of drama, danger, wonder, and magic. The beginning was a bit abrupt, with little introduction, so this story really wouldn't stand alone - the first two books really have to b...more
I thought the story was dramatic and entertaining and we enjoyed talking about the human and animal characters. The story is full of drama, danger, wonder, and magic. The beginning was a bit abrupt, with little introduction, so this story really wouldn't stand alone - the first two books really have to b...more
Circle of Heroes is a very good fantasy novel. The most clear theme is teamwork. On their quest, Skylar, Gilbert, and Aldwyn have to find a way for all the glyphstone animals to work together, especially Naven and Maravi. Anura needs to feel like the others aren't using her for her natural luck. And last but not least, the animals need to be able to work well with the only human, Galleon. Of course, that's no problem for Banshee. I think what Adam is trying to say about this theme is this: alway...more
Very good book. There was lots of action and magic to keep the young reader's interest engaged. This did end the trilogy and hinted at more adventures for the Firmiliars in the future, (the next book).I would prefer a one book adventure as opposed to a trilogy. I was amused by some of the names of places and characters.If you reversed the name you'll see it is a proper name. Even one of the authors used his name in reverse. As fun as the story was to read, the multitude of characters might be a...more
I enjoyed the new quest that Aldwyn (alley cat), Skylar (blue jay) and Gilbert (tree frog) went on. These animals are familiars or animal assistants to wizards. In this case, wizards in training. Paksahara (hare) is trying to take over the area called Vastia. She feels that the humans should not rule the area and that animals should rule. The hare is hidden in a Shifting Fortress so no one can try to stop the hare unless they can stop the fortress from shifting.
This shifting can only be stoppe...more
This shifting can only be stoppe...more
Though better than the second Familiars, Secrets of the Crown, I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the beginning or the end of Circle of Heroes. First off, I found it strange that certain characters introduced in the last chapter of the second novel – characters I thought were supposed to be vital to the plot – were suddenly dead within the first few chapters of the Circle of Heroes. It didn’t make sense to me. I wasn’t even sure why they were introduced in the first place if they were just to be kil...more
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
This book seemed like it would be really interesting and entertaining. I wanted to like it. However, it is part of a series and unfortunately I have not read books one and two yet. As a stand alone book, it was hard to follow. So much had already happened and so much was still going on that I had trouble keeping up. I'm sure if I had read the other two books everything would have been clearer. I really liked the animal characters. Tons...more
This book seemed like it would be really interesting and entertaining. I wanted to like it. However, it is part of a series and unfortunately I have not read books one and two yet. As a stand alone book, it was hard to follow. So much had already happened and so much was still going on that I had trouble keeping up. I'm sure if I had read the other two books everything would have been clearer. I really liked the animal characters. Tons...more
This continuation of the story of the three familiars--Aldwyn, Skylar, and Gilbert--follows them as they try to survive treachery, war in Vastia, and Paksahara, whose lust for power, more power, leaves her almost out of control. Readers will enjoy the humor and affection among the animals and those with whom they are allied and look for even more adventures. They'll also love those savory, descriptive zombie scenes.
I finally understand how great these books are for explaining prejudice and intolerance. Now that I've read this, I think it'll be easy to use this book as a reference when talking about prejudice in our real world.
The tale itself -- of three animals trying to save the world and wrap up a trilogy where book 2 ended with a cliffhanger ending -- isn't terribly original, but I do like the fact that the adventurers (and, in fact, many of the characters along the way) are animals. Gilbert adds a lot...more
The tale itself -- of three animals trying to save the world and wrap up a trilogy where book 2 ended with a cliffhanger ending -- isn't terribly original, but I do like the fact that the adventurers (and, in fact, many of the characters along the way) are animals. Gilbert adds a lot...more
The final book in the series. Aldwyn, Skylar and Gilbert have set out to retieve the seven descendants in order to save their queendom. It leads to a final confrontation with Paksahara and her zombie army.
Some of the action described is very similar to Dealthy Hallows.
Some of the action described is very similar to Dealthy Hallows.
Well. First thought was "I'm a little lost. Guess it's been a while since I read books one and two."
Second thought was "Kids will either love or be grossed out by the zombie animal army."
Third thought was "What will they do with the movie?"
Second thought was "Kids will either love or be grossed out by the zombie animal army."
Third thought was "What will they do with the movie?"
Oh dear..Sadly I had to drop from 5 to 4 stars for this volume. This book is smaller than the others in the series; and its not as action packed as the others. But very good series otherwise! ;)
Satisfying conclusion even with book 4 on the horizon. We really enjoyed these stories! Looking forward to more.
Mar 12, 2013
Familiars3
marked it as to-read
I read the first and second books and I NEED to read this one!
Amazing. This book rounds off one of the best trilogies I've read recently. Excellently done.
I want to know what Gilbert saw.
May 03, 2013
Eric
added it
it was pretty good
BEST BOOK EVER!!!!
Gilbert still cracks me up. I love that tree frog!
I won this book in a free giveaway. I have not read the first two books of the series.
That being said I enjoyed the book. While I am certain the book would have been even better had I read the first two in the series, I had no problem picking up the storyline and following the characters on their journey.
I would recommend this book.
That being said I enjoyed the book. While I am certain the book would have been even better had I read the first two in the series, I had no problem picking up the storyline and following the characters on their journey.
I would recommend this book.
Really good book nice conclusion
I recommend this series to adventure loving warlords, just kidding... but I would if they were real. This book series is one of my favorites my 2nd favorite to be exact. I recommend this book to fantasy loving adventurers
Gilbert the tree frog continues to get the best lines in this series. This is number three, but it doesn't seem like the end for this trio of magical animals. Yay!
This was a good book in the series. It is the further adventures of Aldwynn, Skyler, and Gilbert as they try to stop Paksahara from taking over the world.
great end to a wonderful series! i hope gilbert is right and there will be more adventures for everyone! i can't wait, write faster please.
FINALLY!! after waiting TWO whole months to get this book from my library it was FINALLY shipped!!
My 10 yr old daughter LOVES these books and gives them all 5 stars!!! :)
Nov 05, 2012
Bluebrennan
added it
it is great and I want to read MORE
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I grew up in Great Neck, NY loving all things fantasy and science fiction - from Dungeons and Dragons and the Legend of Zelda to Star Wars and Dr. Strange. I created and imagined new worlds and stories from an early age but never knew that I had the talent to be a writer until seventh grade, when my English teacher assigned our class to write the first ten pages of a sequel to The Good Earth. Afte...more
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Sep 01, 2012 07:43pm