The Dark Hills Divide (The Land of Elyon: Book 1)

by Patrick Carman
The Dark Hills Divide (The Land of Elyon: Book 1)  
published 2005 by Scholastic
binding Hardcover
isbn 0439700930   (isbn13: 9780439700931)
pages 272
characters Alexa Daley
description Elyon is a land of dark hills, enchanted forests, and great walls that connect and encircle the cities of Lathbury, Turlock, Lunenburg, and Bridewell ...more
date added
02-08-07



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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 579)



Bix
Bix rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
05/14/08

bookshelves: childrens-fantasy-chapter
Alexa, a spirited, independent twelve-year-old growing up in a complex of walled villages, longs for adventure and a chance to see what lies beyond the walls' boundaries. When she discovers a secret passage, she gets her wish, and more adventure than she bargained for in the process. For Alexa has been chosen to save her home from dark forces which seek its destruction, and she must act quickly to unravel the mystery that lurks inside the walls and threatens everything she holds dear. This fi...more
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  2 comments

Amanda
Amanda rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
10/11/07

Read in September, 2007
I love starting a new series and having the first book really, really make me want to read the second book! I really enjoyed this book and believe, though similar to many other fantasy type stories, the author has a real winner of a series on his hands.

The Dark Hills Divide by Patrick Carmen, is the first book in the Land of Elyon series. It begins with Alexa and her father, the mayor of Lathbury, heading to Bridewell for their annual summer trip. Alexa loves spending time in Bridewell, exp...more
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Kit
Kit rated it: 1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars
05/28/08

Read in May, 2008
I was hoping that this would be a series I could recommend to voracious middle-grade fantasy readers, but no such luck. There are the seeds of a good story here, with at least one good character and the possibility of a suspenseful plot. As it stands, though, they are overwhelmed by vast info-dump and the feeling that it doesn't matter if anything the characters do is something a real, sane person would do - if the author needs it to happen, it's going to happen regardless of how m...more
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Amber
Amber rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
05/07/08

Read in January, 2005
Twelve-year-old Alexa lives in a city surrounded by twenty-foot walls. The only way out is through a massive gate and down a road also lined on both sides by towering walls. There are a total of four cities connected this way, in the shape of a wagon wheel with one in the center and three forming a circle around it, and all of them contain only a few square miles of land crowded with buildings and houses no taller than two stories—else you could see over the walls. Alexa yearns to know what li...more
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Turdlemary
Turdlemary rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
12/17/07

bookshelves: advisory
Read in September, 2007
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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Wanda
Wanda rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
12/29/07

Read in September, 2007
recommends it for: intermediate fantasy fans
This is a fantasy series for 4th-6th grade students. Alexa escapes from a walled city to explore the world beyond and is able to communicate with animals who help her in her quests.

I have read all three of the Land of Elyon books. Patrick Carman's writing improves and becomes richer in each book. These are popular books with intermediate students so the imagery of the fantasy world portrayed must overcome the uneven writing and spotty plot development. I find it curious that he spend so mu...more
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nicole
nicole rated it: 2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars
09/26/07

bookshelves: 7up, unfinished
Read in January, 2007
Cool concept, but a bit of a boring read. Elyon is a completely closed society (think "The Village"). No one's ever been outside its walls, except one man... and he's just kicked the can. Alexa, 12 years old and precocious, is there during Warvold's (yes, it's that kind of book) final moments, takes the key she finds on his COLD DEAD BODY and uses it to, DUN DUN DUN, go outside the walls. I stopped reading when she started carrying on conversations with a fox or a gopher or both becaus...more
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Joanna
Joanna rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
08/10/07

bookshelves: faeries-and-fantasy-etc
Read in June, 2007
recommends it for: believers in magic
Ever wondered what a Jocasta stone was? The answer lies herein!

I was immediately drawn into the world of Elyon. It has a medieval feel to it, which I love. The story concept is original, and the theme is haunting and timeless: the loss of magic as a result of human "progress."

The story lost momentum a bit towards the middle, and the clues became a little too convenient and simple. But, I had to remind myself that this is a children's book, after all. The conclusion pulle...more
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Cassi
Cassi rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
05/02/08

Read in April, 2008
Not too shabby. I listened to this book on CD and was enthralled. I thought it was going to be a all fantasy-istic, but instead it surprised me by being a multi-genre young adult literature piece. There were elements of mystery, of fantasy, of possible dystopia, and adventure all packed into one very descriptive and interesting read. I was actually even surprised a little at one point, though there are also juvenile moments where it is very easy to tell what will happen or when a climax is r...more
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Gabby
Gabby rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
11/20/07

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in January, 2007
I Really enjoyed this book and have read it twice. I think it has a very interesting storyline and the adventure Alexa (the Main Charachter) was put into enough detail that you could almost go along with her. The book is very well writen and it had a very exiciting start to it, most books start slow and get exciting during the end but this one brings you in at the very beginning. The Clifthanger ending made me want to go buy the seccond book right away.
So overall I would give the book 4 stars...more
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Tia
Tia rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
03/01/08

bookshelves: fantasy
Jonah and I are reading this next. I went ahead and read all three books, wanting to check them out. LOVED them! They were a very fast read, certainly young adult or youth appropriate. I was thrilled to find alot of Christian overtones, creationism, etc. It was tender, and moving and interesting. Jonah is going to love it...he loves symbolism and this book has plenty. I highly recommend it..it is fantasy, but with plenty of very modern themes in it.
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MsThomas
MsThomas rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
08/29/07

bookshelves: ks3years7-9
Read in August, 2007
I'm on the hunt for a good series to hold my interest after Harry Potter. I'm a couple chapters into this one, and I'll let you know what I think at the end.

...................

I finished it late last night, and I really liked it! It was very suspenseful and a good mystery, and the main character is likable and smart. It's not HP, but it's a good magical series to start reading if you're regretting the end of Book 7.
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Tina
Tina rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
06/30/08

bookshelves: youngadult
Read in June, 2008
Not sure if this is quite a 3 -- maybe 2.75? I liked the main character and the premise, but I thought both could be explored much more fully. The author writes like children are idiots and can only grasp the most obvious symbolism. And writing it in the first-person was a mistake.

Still, a fairly enjoyable read. But nothing great, and I doubt I'll ever get around to the rest of the series.
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Jody
Jody added it
07/03/08

I'm actually listening to this one on CD. It's a kids book but it gives me something to listen to in the car that's not to deep. Plus, I'm continually trying to appear cool to my nieces. So far I have them fooled. When I can talk about books they like, I score double cool points. I'll let you know what I think when I'm done.
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Kaitlin J
Kaitlin J rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
01/11/08

I really liked this book. It was very different, in the way it had magic and talking animals. Reading this book, I could visualize all of the things that are going on. That is very important in a book to me. I know a couple people who have also read this and liked it.
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Jackie
Jackie rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
06/16/08

At first, when i looked at this book, i thought it was going to be a bad book. But when i started reading it, it got really interesting. The plot of the story was really well thought out. I also liked how it used pictures during some part of the story.
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Liz
Liz rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
05/18/08

Read in May, 2008
Charmingly enough written but essentially forgettable. Usually YA fantasy (and most fantasy, really) needs to be more life and death/fate of the world, rather than unite a family of wolves. Not sure if I'm going to pursue the rest of the series.
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Femmy
Femmy rated it: 2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars
05/25/07

bookshelves: children, fantasy, my-translations-orig
Read in August, 2005
This book is okay, I guess. The setting is interesting enough (a walled city with unknown creatures outside), with a curious girl (who else?) as the protagonist. The conflict... meh... it was all a bit too much-ado-about-nothing for me.
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Chrystal714
Chrystal714 rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
01/25/08

bookshelves: childrens, sci-fifantasy
This is a good story. I enjoyed it and plan to read the next 2 books. The writting is not the best though. The plot has holes you could drive a truck through. So even though it is a good story that is why it only got 3 stars.
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Sarah
Sarah rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
06/09/08

Read in June, 2008
recommends it for: Young fantasy lovers
I read this book to prepare for writing a story about the author. It was very enjoyable. If I'd read it as a kid, I know I would have LOVED it because it's a fun fantasy with a young person as the heroine.
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book data (includes all editions)

avg rating (all editions): 3.83 (454 ratings)
avg rating (this edition): 3.82 (436 ratings)
number of reviews: 81






other editions

The Dark Hills Divide (The Land of Elyon)
The Land of Elyon, Book I: The Dark Hills Divide (Land of Elyon)
Land of Elyon Book 1, The: The Dark Hills Divide (Land of Elyon)









quote

"If bringing down the wall would require you to fly, you must believe you can fly. Otherwise, when the decisive moment comes, you will surely discover you ahve no wings." more quotes »