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Treasures of the Forgotten City
Three priceless star jewels. A century-old, cryptic journal. Using only the resources left by your grand-uncle, it's up to you to find Atraharsis — the legendary lost city beneath the sands.
But the way won't be easy. Raging sandstorms, sinister traps, and a whole host of mysteries stand between you and your Ultimate goal.
Can you solve the riddles, and recover the fabled star gems in time?
Or will you — like so many who've gone before — become the next permanent resident of the forgotten city?
YOU choose your own path in this treasure-hunting adventure! Ultimate Ending lets YOU pick the story. YOU make the decisions, solve the riddles, avoid the traps and gather the clues. It's a mystery and adventure book that YOU control!
But the way won't be easy. Raging sandstorms, sinister traps, and a whole host of mysteries stand between you and your Ultimate goal.
Can you solve the riddles, and recover the fabled star gems in time?
Or will you — like so many who've gone before — become the next permanent resident of the forgotten city?
YOU choose your own path in this treasure-hunting adventure! Ultimate Ending lets YOU pick the story. YOU make the decisions, solve the riddles, avoid the traps and gather the clues. It's a mystery and adventure book that YOU control!
180 pages, Paperback
First published April 4, 2016
46 people are currently reading
405 people want to read
About the author
Danny McAleese
15 books13 followersDanny McAleese started writing fantasy fiction during the golden age of Dungeons & Dragons, way back in the heady, adventure-filled days of the 1980's. His short stories, The Exit, and Momentum, made him the Grand Prize winner of Blizzard Entertainment's 2011 Global Fiction Writing contest.
His most recent project includes the Ultimate Ending book line; a series of "Choose Your Own Adventure" type novels that lets the reader choose the story direction while giving them an immersive, interactive experience. Check out the full line of Ultimate Ending books over at www.ultimateendingbooks.com.
He currently lives in NY, along with his wife, four children, three dogs, and a whole lot of chaos.
His most recent project includes the Ultimate Ending book line; a series of "Choose Your Own Adventure" type novels that lets the reader choose the story direction while giving them an immersive, interactive experience. Check out the full line of Ultimate Ending books over at www.ultimateendingbooks.com.
He currently lives in NY, along with his wife, four children, three dogs, and a whole lot of chaos.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
February 10, 2017
Treasures of the Forgotten City is my second read in the Ultimate Ending series, the first being Mystery in the Murky Deep. In this Indiana-Jones-inspired installment, you play as an explorer on an expedition to find the three star jewels of a lost underground civilization, along with your loyal companion who saves your butt and nearly dies on multiple occasions.
The puzzles mainly involve solving riddles and flipping coins (a move reminiscent of rolling dice in D&D). Your path is also dependent on what items you acquire and the information you gather. In order to prevent “cheating,” the authors implemented a clever alphanumeric key that requires you to input a specific item name or answer, and when the letter-to-number amount is totaled, the needed page number is revealed. In addition, the characters subtly explain the reasoning behind the right answer once you get to that page, so you can double-check that your logic is correct.
I regret not bookmarking the map at the beginning, as that would have allowed me to make more educated directional decisions later on. Without the map, you will feel like you’re making random right-or-left decisions without much guidance. There are many different rooms and features to explore, and knowing the map is crucial to finding them all. I should have also taken better notes during the riddles, because I ended the story early three times while trying to find the Hall of Kings. After overcoming that obstacle, however, I found myself at the Ultimate Ending.
Although it’s nice that the action begins immediately, I wish more had been done in the beginning to establish the characters, particularly Waif. The dialogue could’ve been snappier and more engaging. I did not enjoy this one as much as Mystery in the Murky Deep, perhaps because the plot of Treasures of the Forgotten City felt less original and there were fewer puzzles.
Even so, the Ultimate Ending series is highly worth reading for adventure lovers and puzzle masters. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
The puzzles mainly involve solving riddles and flipping coins (a move reminiscent of rolling dice in D&D). Your path is also dependent on what items you acquire and the information you gather. In order to prevent “cheating,” the authors implemented a clever alphanumeric key that requires you to input a specific item name or answer, and when the letter-to-number amount is totaled, the needed page number is revealed. In addition, the characters subtly explain the reasoning behind the right answer once you get to that page, so you can double-check that your logic is correct.
I regret not bookmarking the map at the beginning, as that would have allowed me to make more educated directional decisions later on. Without the map, you will feel like you’re making random right-or-left decisions without much guidance. There are many different rooms and features to explore, and knowing the map is crucial to finding them all. I should have also taken better notes during the riddles, because I ended the story early three times while trying to find the Hall of Kings. After overcoming that obstacle, however, I found myself at the Ultimate Ending.
Although it’s nice that the action begins immediately, I wish more had been done in the beginning to establish the characters, particularly Waif. The dialogue could’ve been snappier and more engaging. I did not enjoy this one as much as Mystery in the Murky Deep, perhaps because the plot of Treasures of the Forgotten City felt less original and there were fewer puzzles.
Even so, the Ultimate Ending series is highly worth reading for adventure lovers and puzzle masters. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
February 23, 2017
"You are Donovan Young, entrepreneur, explorer, and most recently, would-be treasure hunter." Reading the first line of the book immediately took me back to my middle-school days and the absolute treasure my mother found for my birthday present - a set of 4 Choose Your Own Adventure YA Fantasy books. I devoured those books over and over and over again ... which is exactly what's happening now with Treasures of the Forgotten City.
With 26 possible endings, I've stumbled upon 8 so far and I still haven't made it to the Ultimate Ending! In fact, I'm reading this book whenever I can steal a moment in my hectic day--not only am I committed to the character, Donovan, and his/my quest but now that I've started, I have to keep reading until I make it to the Ultimate Ending. I'm addicted and it only took the first line to hook me.
What keeps me reading is not only the hunger to succeed, but the innate desire to learn more about this lost city, Donovan's strange guide, and about the "book" Donovan's Grand-Uncle gave him. Each path I take leads me somewhere new as I uncover secrets about these people (both the main characters and those who ruled the lost city all those thousands of years ago).
This is a "guilty pleasures" book for me, in that it's like cotton candy--oh, so good and yet it disappears oh, so fast. Each time I "die" or leave the city without the treasure, I yell out loud in frustration. ARGH! I love the complex-simplicity of the plot and the devices Kristoph & McAleese build into the book--it's like a fantasy card game or traditional RPG magically imbued into book form: decisions are based not only on the discovery of items and information, but via the flip of a coin, the role of the dice, and so much more. The interactive nature of it, mixed with motivation and chance, does not guarantee anything for the reader, except that it'll be different every time.
The story is well written, the plot enticing, the language clean, and the fun/frustration never ending or ... at least until I've finally discovered the Ultimate Ending! I can't wait to introduce this series to my son.
Review by MJ Moores, Author. Editor.
With 26 possible endings, I've stumbled upon 8 so far and I still haven't made it to the Ultimate Ending! In fact, I'm reading this book whenever I can steal a moment in my hectic day--not only am I committed to the character, Donovan, and his/my quest but now that I've started, I have to keep reading until I make it to the Ultimate Ending. I'm addicted and it only took the first line to hook me.
What keeps me reading is not only the hunger to succeed, but the innate desire to learn more about this lost city, Donovan's strange guide, and about the "book" Donovan's Grand-Uncle gave him. Each path I take leads me somewhere new as I uncover secrets about these people (both the main characters and those who ruled the lost city all those thousands of years ago).
This is a "guilty pleasures" book for me, in that it's like cotton candy--oh, so good and yet it disappears oh, so fast. Each time I "die" or leave the city without the treasure, I yell out loud in frustration. ARGH! I love the complex-simplicity of the plot and the devices Kristoph & McAleese build into the book--it's like a fantasy card game or traditional RPG magically imbued into book form: decisions are based not only on the discovery of items and information, but via the flip of a coin, the role of the dice, and so much more. The interactive nature of it, mixed with motivation and chance, does not guarantee anything for the reader, except that it'll be different every time.
The story is well written, the plot enticing, the language clean, and the fun/frustration never ending or ... at least until I've finally discovered the Ultimate Ending! I can't wait to introduce this series to my son.
Review by MJ Moores, Author. Editor.
July 7, 2016
4.5 STARS
Growing up I knew that there were Create-Your-Own-Ending books but they never really appealed to me (I can wholeheartedly blame Nancy Drew for keeping my undivided attention). But now that I've read this Ultimate Ending book I'm wishing I had jumped into this unique genre as a child.
In this first book of the Ultimate Ending (UE) series young readers are given an Indiana Jones-esque adventure and are quickly pulled into a story involving lost treasure, sand storms, tomb raiding, puzzle solving, hidden cities and a few creepy creatures. Armed with only an old mysterious journal and a side kick, readers try to uncover the lost city of Atraharsis and its famous jewels.
As this was my first foray into the Create-Your-Own-Ending universe I had my preconceived ideas of how things would work but the authors went over and above my expectations. They start off by clearly and briefly describing how the book works for the new-to-UE reader making it easy to jump right in. I have to say that I loved being able to decide how things would pan out for my character. Oh the power!!
I thought the 'one Ultimate Ending' that readers strive to achieve is a great idea and while I didn't make it to that ending ending it was a fun ride. Yes, I succumbed to one of the perilous traps and even backtracked (because I kept a bookmark in my last page) and tried a different route which helped me last a little longer the second time around. Needless to say, the possibilities of re-reading this book are practically endless due to the addition of randomized coin tosses and dice rolls that readers can use to make some of the decisions.
My only reservation for young readers (I'd recommend this book for 9-12 year olds) is that some of the words used may be a little over the heads of some younger readers (glyphs, portcullis ...) so it would have been nice to have some of those harder terms underlined and a glossary of terms at the back of the book for those readers.
This is a great way to add a healthy dose of excitement to reading (and a great way for parents who enjoyed Create-Your-Own-Ending books in the 1980's to be nostalgic). By giving the decision making over to the child it really engages them and the options for the story's path are practically endless. There are MANY cliff hangers throughout this book that is filled with short chapters. Even reluctant readers will be eager to get back into the adventure and see if they can bypass the many fatal traps that are sprinkled generously throughout. This is a roarin' good twisty read that puts tween readers at the helm of the story. Now THAT'S an adventure!
Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the authors for providing me with a complimentary paperback copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Growing up I knew that there were Create-Your-Own-Ending books but they never really appealed to me (I can wholeheartedly blame Nancy Drew for keeping my undivided attention). But now that I've read this Ultimate Ending book I'm wishing I had jumped into this unique genre as a child.
In this first book of the Ultimate Ending (UE) series young readers are given an Indiana Jones-esque adventure and are quickly pulled into a story involving lost treasure, sand storms, tomb raiding, puzzle solving, hidden cities and a few creepy creatures. Armed with only an old mysterious journal and a side kick, readers try to uncover the lost city of Atraharsis and its famous jewels.
As this was my first foray into the Create-Your-Own-Ending universe I had my preconceived ideas of how things would work but the authors went over and above my expectations. They start off by clearly and briefly describing how the book works for the new-to-UE reader making it easy to jump right in. I have to say that I loved being able to decide how things would pan out for my character. Oh the power!!
I thought the 'one Ultimate Ending' that readers strive to achieve is a great idea and while I didn't make it to that ending ending it was a fun ride. Yes, I succumbed to one of the perilous traps and even backtracked (because I kept a bookmark in my last page) and tried a different route which helped me last a little longer the second time around. Needless to say, the possibilities of re-reading this book are practically endless due to the addition of randomized coin tosses and dice rolls that readers can use to make some of the decisions.
My only reservation for young readers (I'd recommend this book for 9-12 year olds) is that some of the words used may be a little over the heads of some younger readers (glyphs, portcullis ...) so it would have been nice to have some of those harder terms underlined and a glossary of terms at the back of the book for those readers.
This is a great way to add a healthy dose of excitement to reading (and a great way for parents who enjoyed Create-Your-Own-Ending books in the 1980's to be nostalgic). By giving the decision making over to the child it really engages them and the options for the story's path are practically endless. There are MANY cliff hangers throughout this book that is filled with short chapters. Even reluctant readers will be eager to get back into the adventure and see if they can bypass the many fatal traps that are sprinkled generously throughout. This is a roarin' good twisty read that puts tween readers at the helm of the story. Now THAT'S an adventure!
Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the authors for providing me with a complimentary paperback copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
June 8, 2016
Here's how the books work...
UE (short for Ultimate Ending) books lets you be an author. The books contain riveting plots, rich characters and stories, riddles, puzzles and fulfilling endings. The best part by far is that in each book there is one ULTIMATE ENDING!
The reader is invited to grab a coin, some dice, paper and a pen to record clues and you are off. Interaction and fun are on tap big time in every book. You get to participate in the narrative and problem solve to your heart's content, resulting in hours of enjoyment.
If you complete a book and actually luck out and reach the ULTIMATE ENDING you can enter a code you are given on the final page and unlock a trophy as your reward. If you want your very own ULTIMATE ENDING bookmark you can review any of the books on amazon.com and receive one. All you do is send the authors a screenshot of your review after you've posted it to: bookmark@ultimateendingbooks.com and it will appear in your mailbox. How cool is that?
My take on the books...
I am thrilled with the return of this style of book. As a former teacher I would want the complete set in my classroom and a set in the school library too. Techie kids who are more into video games than print would be enthralled with them. It is like a live-action video game presented in print.
Kid's love to drive stories and interact with the plot. It would be a great challenge in a classroom setting to see who could get to the ULTIMATE ENDING first. I also like the fact that some illustrations are included in the books. Me, being a visual learner appreciates that fact and I know kids will too. Who doesn't like to madly flip pages, make personal choices and have control of where the story takes you. Kids will have fun reading and participating in these wonderful stories (especially kids who might be reluctant readers). I highly recommend the series.
UE (short for Ultimate Ending) books lets you be an author. The books contain riveting plots, rich characters and stories, riddles, puzzles and fulfilling endings. The best part by far is that in each book there is one ULTIMATE ENDING!
The reader is invited to grab a coin, some dice, paper and a pen to record clues and you are off. Interaction and fun are on tap big time in every book. You get to participate in the narrative and problem solve to your heart's content, resulting in hours of enjoyment.
If you complete a book and actually luck out and reach the ULTIMATE ENDING you can enter a code you are given on the final page and unlock a trophy as your reward. If you want your very own ULTIMATE ENDING bookmark you can review any of the books on amazon.com and receive one. All you do is send the authors a screenshot of your review after you've posted it to: bookmark@ultimateendingbooks.com and it will appear in your mailbox. How cool is that?
My take on the books...
I am thrilled with the return of this style of book. As a former teacher I would want the complete set in my classroom and a set in the school library too. Techie kids who are more into video games than print would be enthralled with them. It is like a live-action video game presented in print.
Kid's love to drive stories and interact with the plot. It would be a great challenge in a classroom setting to see who could get to the ULTIMATE ENDING first. I also like the fact that some illustrations are included in the books. Me, being a visual learner appreciates that fact and I know kids will too. Who doesn't like to madly flip pages, make personal choices and have control of where the story takes you. Kids will have fun reading and participating in these wonderful stories (especially kids who might be reluctant readers). I highly recommend the series.
June 24, 2016
If there's one thing I miss more than any other about raising my children, it's bedtime. Because with pajamas and bedtime kisses always came story time. We read every sort of children's book imaginable, sometimes hours beyond what should have been lights-out, and we always acted out the character voices, and I always made sure to leave my boys with a cliffhanger to dream about every night, though they begged for, "just one more chapter".
This brand new, thoroughly clever book series, Ultimate Ending, would have surely been favorites (my grown children probably would not appreciate me appearing beside their beds tonight to enthrall them with books, but they would if they'd let me read them one of these).
The Ultimate Ending books are full of tomb-raiding, mystery-solving, puzzle de-crypting, and your-guess-is-as-good-as-my-guessing. Any parent who doesn't know how to spin a fresh new adventure story for their children from scratch each night will love these books, because the excitement is built right in. And the added value is that there are multiple tracks each story can take you on, several of which lead to disaster, some of which resolve satisfyingly, but there is only one Ultimate Ending in which you solve every riddle and achieve every goal. Try again and again, with your children, to make the right choices (should the book's character turn left or right?) and save the day.
Many fun family memories will be made enjoying these books together with your children or grandchildren, and any wise teacher knows that books like these, read to the classroom, will inspire her students to love reading for a lifetime.
This is the sort of book that children will remember fondly when they are grown, and want to share with their own children someday. Children and adults alike will be compelled to follow every storyline, experience every peril, overcome every obstacle, until the Ultimate Ending is successfully reached.
This brand new, thoroughly clever book series, Ultimate Ending, would have surely been favorites (my grown children probably would not appreciate me appearing beside their beds tonight to enthrall them with books, but they would if they'd let me read them one of these).
The Ultimate Ending books are full of tomb-raiding, mystery-solving, puzzle de-crypting, and your-guess-is-as-good-as-my-guessing. Any parent who doesn't know how to spin a fresh new adventure story for their children from scratch each night will love these books, because the excitement is built right in. And the added value is that there are multiple tracks each story can take you on, several of which lead to disaster, some of which resolve satisfyingly, but there is only one Ultimate Ending in which you solve every riddle and achieve every goal. Try again and again, with your children, to make the right choices (should the book's character turn left or right?) and save the day.
Many fun family memories will be made enjoying these books together with your children or grandchildren, and any wise teacher knows that books like these, read to the classroom, will inspire her students to love reading for a lifetime.
This is the sort of book that children will remember fondly when they are grown, and want to share with their own children someday. Children and adults alike will be compelled to follow every storyline, experience every peril, overcome every obstacle, until the Ultimate Ending is successfully reached.
June 27, 2016
One of my most popular posts on this blog was about the classic “Choose Your Own Adventure” series, which have been a favorite choice for millions of boys over the past thirty years. I think it’s clear that today’s generation has another new favorite on its hands with the “Ultimate Ending” series of books by up-and-coming author Danny McAleese.
The first book in the series, “Treasures of the Forgotten City”, will have you searching for the ruins of the lost city of Atraharsis, using only your wits and a cryptic journal left behind by your grand-uncle. Danger awaits at every turn, and it’s up to you to find the fabled star gems by uncovering the clues within each riddle. The second book in the series, “The House on Hollow Hill”, is set in an allegedly haunted house scheduled for demolition. Will you and your friends survive the former occupants’ ghastly tricks, or will the house’s secrets remain lost forever?
Both of these books are very fast-paced, and boys young and old will appreciate the adventurous settings. As I write this post there are already six books in the “Ultimate Ending” series, and I’m sure Mr. McAleese is hard at work on a number of sequels. I actually read “Treasures of the Forgotten City” as an e-book, and one neat feature was the fact that I could quickly tab backwards if I made a mistake. (I’m not giving away any spoilers but yes, there are a number of fatal traps and other ends in these books!)
If you’re looking to turn a reluctant reader on to the next big thing, then I’d definitely recommend the “Ultimate Ending” series. With their short, action-packed chapters, one of these books will be like a condensed Dan Brown novel for kids!
The first book in the series, “Treasures of the Forgotten City”, will have you searching for the ruins of the lost city of Atraharsis, using only your wits and a cryptic journal left behind by your grand-uncle. Danger awaits at every turn, and it’s up to you to find the fabled star gems by uncovering the clues within each riddle. The second book in the series, “The House on Hollow Hill”, is set in an allegedly haunted house scheduled for demolition. Will you and your friends survive the former occupants’ ghastly tricks, or will the house’s secrets remain lost forever?
Both of these books are very fast-paced, and boys young and old will appreciate the adventurous settings. As I write this post there are already six books in the “Ultimate Ending” series, and I’m sure Mr. McAleese is hard at work on a number of sequels. I actually read “Treasures of the Forgotten City” as an e-book, and one neat feature was the fact that I could quickly tab backwards if I made a mistake. (I’m not giving away any spoilers but yes, there are a number of fatal traps and other ends in these books!)
If you’re looking to turn a reluctant reader on to the next big thing, then I’d definitely recommend the “Ultimate Ending” series. With their short, action-packed chapters, one of these books will be like a condensed Dan Brown novel for kids!
February 1, 2017
I enjoyed the "choose your adventure" books that were briefly popular in the 1980s, though a lot of them were pretty bad. This is something of throwback to those books, but with some randomization thrown in, making it slightly closer to the much more complicated adventure books published in England ("Fighting fantasy" IIRC). The story is pretty typical -- follow some clues to find a treasure. A lot of "choose your adventure" books had very linear paths, where basically you were looking for right set of choices to complete the mission. Here, there are many more possible outcomes, including partial successes, because there are actually three main treasures (and a number of secondary rewards). There are a lot of puzzles, and they are reasonably tricky so that the target audience -- 10-12 year olds, I guess -- will have a challenge. So overall this book is more than just fun nostalgia, the author took care to create a very interactive story line with a lot more alternatives than the old books did. Lots of fun.
*Full disclosure, I won a free copy of this book in a giveaway*
*Full disclosure, I won a free copy of this book in a giveaway*
March 14, 2017
I was really excited to get this book. When my son was little he used to read similar books and he loved them! They were interactive. They encourage readers to engage and become part of the story. I really think it is this type of book that made him the reader that he is today. I am also a gamer, so I love the whole quest and make up the story as each choice is made mentality that goes into the writing of a book like this. I think that this is a good book to introduce children that read on their own to the whole fantasy genre and gaming mindset. It is for a small target age range of reader though, as a little older and they are either on to reader more in depth stories or they missed the entire love of books and are off watching television. This is a wonderful one to keep them headed towards books and not the television. Now the author just needs to team up with a wonderful illustrator and create a 50 page or so version picture book that parents can read to young children and let them help create the adventure too !!
March 13, 2017
You are Donovan Young and you are looking for the lost city of Atraharsis. It is up to you to figure out the clues and puzzles to try to find the lost city. But be careful what you choose, you may not end up where you were expecting.
This book takes me back to when I was a kid. I loved the Choose Your Own Adventure books. I would read these books over and over again always seeing where I would go. Treasure of the Forgotten City has 26 possible endings and I love the puzzles to get there. Plus I want to venture down all roads which doesn’t get me any closer to the end. You do have to pay attention to the clues and takes notes or you will end up starting the story again.
I loved this book and think mid-grade readers will love it to. I’m glad to see that someone is starting to bring back at Choose Your Own Adventures. I will definitely be on the lookout for other books in this series.
I received Treasure of the Forgotten City from Sage’s Blog Tours for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.
This book takes me back to when I was a kid. I loved the Choose Your Own Adventure books. I would read these books over and over again always seeing where I would go. Treasure of the Forgotten City has 26 possible endings and I love the puzzles to get there. Plus I want to venture down all roads which doesn’t get me any closer to the end. You do have to pay attention to the clues and takes notes or you will end up starting the story again.
I loved this book and think mid-grade readers will love it to. I’m glad to see that someone is starting to bring back at Choose Your Own Adventures. I will definitely be on the lookout for other books in this series.
I received Treasure of the Forgotten City from Sage’s Blog Tours for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.
December 30, 2017
It’s heartening to see the multiple-choice adventure gamebook still going strong 30 years on from the genre’s retro heyday. I loved these books in their various guises as a child, and rekindled the flame a few years ago when, travelling the far corners of the Earth, I came upon Joe Dever’s Lone Wolf books in guest house libraries. There wasn’t much sightseeing that week.
This first adventure in the Ultimate Ending series by old-school Dungeons & Dragons veteran Danny McAleese and David Kristoph was written specifically for the ebook format, but time-saving hyperlinks replacing dog-eared page-flicking is its only concession to modernity. It’s otherwise a completely authentic retro throwback in the Stranger Things mould; not trying to outdo its forebears, just doing its best to earn a place alongside Fighting Fantasy and GrailQuest on the shelves of an anachronistic 1985 bookshop.
Full review on Striking13.com
This first adventure in the Ultimate Ending series by old-school Dungeons & Dragons veteran Danny McAleese and David Kristoph was written specifically for the ebook format, but time-saving hyperlinks replacing dog-eared page-flicking is its only concession to modernity. It’s otherwise a completely authentic retro throwback in the Stranger Things mould; not trying to outdo its forebears, just doing its best to earn a place alongside Fighting Fantasy and GrailQuest on the shelves of an anachronistic 1985 bookshop.
Full review on Striking13.com
January 29, 2017
When I was a child, I loved the school book fair where I could save up my allowance and buy the latest Choose Your Own Adventure book. I just got to relive those days with Danny McAleese's Ultimate Ending: Treasures of the Forgotten City. The story is clever with multiple twists and turns, all dependent on your choices. It took me several weeks to finish simply because I would read a few minutes before bed at night, just long enough to make it through one adventure. I never kept notes and next time I am definitely doing that! Fortunately retracing my steps a few times helped me learn the story very well. When I thought I would never figure out my way to the Ultimate Ending, I went to sleep and popped awake with a "light bulb" moment. I applied my answer the next chance I had and found the Ultimate Ending! Bottom line, it's a fun, creative book that will tickle your brain. I really enjoyed it.
July 14, 2017
A great, interactive read to read aloud to your kids or for early chapter book readers.
Parent Rating: G
As soon as your kids are old enough to read chapter books (think Boxcar children length/density) they’ll enjoy these. Even if they can’t read that long, it’s a fun book that you can read together.
My first Choose Your Own Adventure book, and I loved it! I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to read one!
Treasures of the Forgotten City follows you (Donovan Young) and your sidekick Waif, on an Indiana Jones-esque adventure.
Authors McAleese and Kristoph have put together a really fast-paced and fun game of a story, complete with illustrations and clues. No matter what choices you make you’ll have a good time reading this one.
And the stakes are high. You can die, your trip can be cut short, or you can succeed in your quest. Keep trying! It doesn’t get boring with 26 different endings that fully engage you into making calculated decisions.
Parent Rating: G
As soon as your kids are old enough to read chapter books (think Boxcar children length/density) they’ll enjoy these. Even if they can’t read that long, it’s a fun book that you can read together.
My first Choose Your Own Adventure book, and I loved it! I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to read one!
Treasures of the Forgotten City follows you (Donovan Young) and your sidekick Waif, on an Indiana Jones-esque adventure.
Authors McAleese and Kristoph have put together a really fast-paced and fun game of a story, complete with illustrations and clues. No matter what choices you make you’ll have a good time reading this one.
And the stakes are high. You can die, your trip can be cut short, or you can succeed in your quest. Keep trying! It doesn’t get boring with 26 different endings that fully engage you into making calculated decisions.
February 21, 2018
I would imagine the logistics of planning and writing a book in this format are incredibly difficult as you don't know how your reader's mind works. You have to select the logical choices based on each option and then develop numerous consequences on an ever expanding scale. But, this is something that Danny McAleese and David Kristoph did and did very well.
From the very first sentence, Treasures of the Forgotten city evoked memories of reading fantasy YA books and the Give Yourself Goosebumps series which were written in the same format giving the reader a high level of control over the outcome of the story. This was a very nice, nostalgic feeling and I feel that McAleese and Kristoph have found a very good niche in market as there don't seem to be many books in this format for adults.
Treasures of the Forgotten City was written very well, the descriptions were well written and authentic and the occasional use of pictorial clues, maps and illustrations was a nice touch.
From the very first sentence, Treasures of the Forgotten city evoked memories of reading fantasy YA books and the Give Yourself Goosebumps series which were written in the same format giving the reader a high level of control over the outcome of the story. This was a very nice, nostalgic feeling and I feel that McAleese and Kristoph have found a very good niche in market as there don't seem to be many books in this format for adults.
Treasures of the Forgotten City was written very well, the descriptions were well written and authentic and the occasional use of pictorial clues, maps and illustrations was a nice touch.
September 20, 2017
This was just like the Chose your own Adventure books I read when I was younger. A really fun concept and book. It is like reading the book twice. Once trying out all the variable outcomes and then again in order to see if I missed any of the storylines. I'm always amazed that through my multiple back and forth choices I always seem to miss one or two storylines completely. How is that even possible? I do wish the book was a little more adult in that each choice lead to a longer description/consequence and was just more detailed in general. Other than that this was a great blast from the past and I will be reading more of them. Just let me get my scrap paper so I can take notes of what choices I've already made so I can make new ones next time.
March 11, 2017
Treasures of the Forgotten City is so fun!!! Yes it's THREE exclamation points worthy! Seriously, I wish I had this game as a kid. It creates a fun reading experience and adventure! Treasures of the Forgotten City makes reading so fun! I definitely will have to show this to my younger siblings. Make your own adventure books are the best. Mr. McAleese and Kristoph did an amazing job at building theirs. It has clear directions and the end result is so awesome! Overall I give Treasures of the Forgotten City five stars!
March 24, 2017
What fun!! I loved this book and will be purchasing the other books in the series. I was awarded the book in a Goodreads giveaway. I expected a children's book but I have to admit that Grandmothers (me) and other adults will be delighted as well as older kids. Well written and very entertaining. I was actually very proud of myself for (I thought) choosing all the right options until I got to the circular chamber on page 142. I still have not found the exact right path from there, lol, but I have not yet given up!
April 17, 2017
This is the first book of the Ultimate Ending series. This would be enjoyed by junior high students and up who like choose their own adventure stories. A fun book that is well written. You must be skilled and clever or maybe just lucky to reach that Ultimate Ending. I received this book from Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for a review.
May 30, 2016
This book was fun, took me back to when I had similar books as a child. A lot of the choices I really tried to think about the smartest choice, other decisions were completely up to chance. I made it to the ultimate ending! I think this would be a fun book to read along with my 10 year old niece.
December 14, 2016
Exciting, captivating, and engaging. I wanted to go back and make different decisions just to see how it turned out, and then I realized I had more than one book in my hand. You can read it several times with different outcomes. Ingenious!!!
November 7, 2017
This is one of those "choose your own adventure" stories in which the reader makes choices which lead her to other choices in a flexible storyline. I lasted for a while, but eventually managed to kill myself and my partner by inhaling magic mushrooms. Shades of the '60s! Loads of fun.
February 27, 2017
This is such a fun read! Review will be up on the 5th of March on www.booksincharcter.com
March 3, 2019
I came across this book while having a browse and it reminded me of books I had as a teen, where we had adventures in books with choices and fighting using dice. I couldn't resist buying and having a read to see if as an adult I still liked the idea and if modern versions were good. The answer to both was yes! I do not read much fantasy, bar the odd Harry Potter, but I really liked this book. I read it in one evening even taking in a few variations. You are on a quest to find a hidden city in the desert. You do this with the aid of your companion, who saves you more than once. The book starts on the adventure right wy and I was gripped immediately. Its like the old fashioned point and click adventures but of course your mind paints greater pictures than you can ever see on screen. There was a map at the start and although I didnt copy it I managed to find my way round. The book has riddles and clue, and you make choices every now and then that affect the story and direction you go. It was clever and I dont think just for kids! It was light relief from the type of books I normally go for.
Recommended for kids, teens and even adults if you like adventure! Would read more.
Recommended for kids, teens and even adults if you like adventure! Would read more.
April 27, 2019
3 Stars.
I gave it the extra star simply because what the hell... it's a choose-your-own-adventure book and just how many of those do you come across these days.
All in all, this book was okay. Basically on par with the same type of books you read as a kid. Nothing earth shattering but I would say it was worth the $0.99 I spent to get the Kindle version of it.
I died a couple of times, but the best part of the Kindle version is that I could bookmark the pages where I had to make dicey decisions and could go back if I died. :)
I gave it the extra star simply because what the hell... it's a choose-your-own-adventure book and just how many of those do you come across these days.
All in all, this book was okay. Basically on par with the same type of books you read as a kid. Nothing earth shattering but I would say it was worth the $0.99 I spent to get the Kindle version of it.
I died a couple of times, but the best part of the Kindle version is that I could bookmark the pages where I had to make dicey decisions and could go back if I died. :)
April 14, 2019
Choose your own adventure book. So much fun!!!
June 10, 2019
* Read for the '2019 PopSugar (Advanced) Reading Challenge' task: A choose-your-own-adventure book
November 3, 2019
Surprisingly, this was a lot of fun!
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