'I knew the world was out there. I just didn't see a place for myself in it. And even if there might be, I had no idea how to go about finding it.
It never occurred to me that the world might come find me - and that without me lifting a finger to make it happen, one day my life would change, completely and forever.
But it did. And this is the story of it.'

Growing up in Deadweather, Egbert (although he prefers 'Egg') always thought that life outside of Deadweather would be more civilized and more respectful. Growing up with his brother Adonis and sister Venus who treated him like an unwanted brother and his father who he couldn't even be sure really loved him, Egbert didn't have the easiest of lives. But when Egbert gets a taste of what other people are truly like, even on the illustrious island Sunrise, he realizes that his family may not be as bad as he originally made them out to be. When his family goes missing after his father makes a mysterious discovery, Egg begins to suspect that he had actually found evidence of the Fire King's treasure (which was a supposed myth) and that it's somewhere back on his home in Deadweather.

This book was an immense amount of fun and I had trouble putting it down because I was so enthralled in the story. The story was told from the point-of-view of Egg which was different as it seems most books I've read are from the point-of-view of a female so it was an interesting but fun perspective shift for me. Guts was my favorite character though, he cracked me up. Guts mopped the decks of a pirate ship but was not a pirate himself. He refused to wear shoes, his hair hung in his eyes so much you couldn't be positive he could actually see, and he was quite a wild little animal.

"He'd never use that knife."
"He would, actually. He's quite violent. And not well in the head."
"What kind of 'not well'?"
"The kind that stabs people! Look at this." I opened two buttons on my shirt and pulled it far enough off my shoulder to give her a good look at the blood-crusted bite mark on ym shoulder.
"Oh, that's awful! Does he have a dog?"
"No, that was him."
Millicent's eyebrows jumped. "Right, then. Good to know. Thanks for the tip."

One of my kids asked me what the story was about so I told her the basis. Her immediate response was 'How long until you finish so I can read it?' She snagged it just as soon as I was done. I found it to be a bit violent but was satisfied that it was kept to a minimum. This is a series/trilogy that I will definitely be keeping an eye out for in the future. The ending sets up Egg and Guts' next adventure perfectly. Funny and definitely entertaining, this one is a true 'middle-grade' gem.