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Tomb of Truth (Marina's Secrets, #1)

Courtney Anz (Goodreads Author)

4.05 · Rating details · 19 ratings · 9 reviews

"It can grant life to someone in great need,
Or power to someone of great greed.
I trust you to protect it."

If your "crazy" grandfather left behind a gorgeous treasure with that kind of warning, how far would you go to protect it? Would you abandon your family? Forever?

Exciting for all ages, "Tomb of Truth" is the first in an adventure fantasy series by Courtney Anz. Ful ...more

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Paperback, 364 pages

Published July 2nd 2015 by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (first published June 30th 2015)

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4.05 ·

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· 19 ratings · 9 reviews

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Sep 26, 2015 Alexis rated it liked it

I won a copy of this book from Goodreads Giveaway. First one I've ever won!!
So I will start by saying that 3 stars is still a good review for me. I did like this book, and it definitely was good. I feel like this book is great for a younger audience, more mid-grade or younger young adult. One of the reasons I say this is because the dialog felt a little too bubbly for my taste and the adult characters were a little flat and generic. But I still really enjoyed the read! The book really kept me in ...more

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Aug 10, 2015 Robert Hargesheimer rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Greateat read with fun characters

I enjoyed the book. It was recommended by a friend and I am glad I picked it up. It reads very well for a young adult book. I am always intrigued with Chinese culture and history and would love to visit th
e and see the sites described in the book. I liked the characters in the book and hope to read more about Morina's adventures. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting a nice read with a fun plot.

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Dec 05, 2016 Maddie D rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Lovers of adventure

Recommended to Maddie by: The author came to my school and told us about it

"it can grant life to someone in great need, or power to someone of great greed. I trust you to protect it." This is a thrilling novel about a true Chinese mystery. If your so-called crazy grandfather left behind a mysterious treasure after saying that, would you try to protect it? This novel takes ancient myths, and makes them come alive. Everyone reading will have a roller coaster ride of ups and downs with Marina and her sidekick sister Iris, as they uncover their families hidden ties with th ...more

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Oct 17, 2015 Kate rated it really liked it

Shelves: first-read

I won this from a goodreads giveaway! woohoo!

This book is great for the middle school audience, and although I'm way past that age, I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It's a good dose of adventure infused with some history. I recommend it for the middle school audience or anyone looking for a light read. Thank you to the author and Goodread for the book!

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Oct 18, 2015 InD'tale Magazine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015-holiday-issue, genre-ya, rating-4-5-star, rating-crowned-heart, steam-1

4.5/5.0

This was a thrilling trip! "Tomb of Truth" is definitely one worth taking.

Read full review in the 2015 Holiday issue of InD'tale Magazine.

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Jan 08, 2016 Lashaan Balasingam (Bookidote) rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, read-in-2016, young-adult

Fun, it was. Short, it was. Recommended for a more middle-grade audience, it was. While reading this novel, I had to put myself in a younger mentality. Only then was I able to truly see the creativity and humorous adventure that Courtney Anz has written and given for her audience to dwell in. Tomb of Truth is the story of Marina, a young teenager with fiery passion for seeking the truth; and also for fencing. After accidentally uncovering a hidden treasure among her mother's belongings, Marina, Fun, it was. Short, it was. Recommended for a more middle-grade audience, it was. While reading this novel, I had to put myself in a younger mentality. Only then was I able to truly see the creativity and humorous adventure that Courtney Anz has written and given for her audience to dwell in. Tomb of Truth is the story of Marina, a young teenager with fiery passion for seeking the truth; and also for fencing. After accidentally uncovering a hidden treasure among her mother's belongings, Marina, unknowingly, set a course straight into Chinese history. However, she doesn't know that this journey is bound to teach her valuable lessons about lying, friends and family. Her decisions, as reckless and care-free they were, blasts her into the depths of Xi'an, as well as the very dark corners of her families past. Will Marina and her family come out of this grand trip out of their homes untouched or will the past contaminate a family living in ignorance?

Tomb of Truth is filled with various events that will definitely invite readers to a bubbly world of teenagers. It's only after realizing how long it took the book to reach its climax that I understood that I wasn't the target audience. Nonetheless, I'll give credit to the author in depicting a great protagonist that managed to keep me entertained throughout her wild, wild actions. Marina was without a doubt a character with a sense of justice and who wishes only to seek the truth. Be that as it may, every other character felt very flat or stereotypical. There was no real character development and they essentially served a more practical role, whenever they had a moment to shine. In fact, I never felt attached to any of the characters, but I still managed to laugh at some of the more far-fetched moments. Coming back on my previous point, Tomb of Truth did feel like it started off slow. I had the feeling that the author wanted readers to connect with the characters more than to focus on setting up the climax. It really did take almost half the book before things started to spice up. If anything, Cuki (one of the antagonist) was definitely a burden to read about. A huge focus was put on her relationship with Marina's sister, yet this very relationship was quickly destroyed to bits without ever taking the time to take into consideration any of the consequences (especially psychological).

This debut novel to a series (Marina's Secrets) is a fantastic novel for middle-grade to very young adults. Essentially funny, Tomb of Truth still had its moments where the author attempted to have readers question Marina's decisions and reflect on the idea of lying. Courtney Anz even manages to tackle pollution in China discreetly. Kudos on that. Marina and friends also reserve great potential for the author to exploit in her future novels and I'd definitely love to see what direction she'd take upon reflection on feedback's received. What was quite stunning, but very comprehensible when you take in the idea of entertaining your readers, was how the book dramatically shifted into a realm of fantasy towards the ending. It felt like every character, specifically villains, had a quick transformation; within seconds they all removed their masks and portrayed personas that you couldn't have expected, ever. It was like seeing little mouses running around before they transformed into dual-wielding ninjas with bazookas on their backs. Even one of the plot twists had this humorous tone to it that you couldn't help but giggle at the thought of it. Tomb of Truth is a great book and should definitely be read to kids. They'll be craving for another chapter. And another one. And another one. And another one.

You can find a picture and quote-filled review right here: https://bookidote.wordpress.com/2016/...

Yours truly,

Lashaan

Lashaan & Trang | Bloggers and Book Reviewers
Official blog: http://bookidote.wordpress.com ...more

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Oct 09, 2016 Clara C rated it really liked it

Shelves: first-9-weeks

Tomb of Truth is a good book about a girl named Marina, one day in her mother's office she finds a journal and a artifact hidden by her grandfather who her mother calls crazy. Marina is lead to a two thousand year old tomb that her mom is opening in China and discovers the truth about what happened to her grandfather. This is a great action mystery book, it's makes you want to keep reading every page! This book made me feel excited while reading it. What I liked about this book is that it spread ...more

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Jan 05, 2016 Beth Lee rated it it was amazing

This book is geared for a middle school age person but when I read the back it was so interesting I had to have it! It did not disappoint! My New Years Resolution was to read for an hour a day. Well I finished this book in 2 days lol. The story of Marina is well laid out, interesting history of China, a family feud, and some wonderful friends. Best off the hero is a teenage girl who is both thoughtful and caring. She loves her family and is a good person and role model. My understanding is that ...more

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Aug 30, 2016 Will rated it it was amazing

The author of this book came to our school, and I won a free copy!
I though the book was very good but I wish it were a little longer. Highly recommend!

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