102. Starfinder by John Marco

Starfinder by John Marco
The Skylords, Book 1

Pages: 326
Ages: 13+
Finished: June 4, 2009
First Published: May, 2009
Genre: YA fantasy
Rating: 4.5/5

First sentence:

Moth was flying his kite near the aerodrome when he heard the dragonfly crash.

Reason for Reading: I was initially drawn to the fantasy world of airships as I've read other books of airships and enjoyed them immensely and the publisher's write up of the plot had me extremely eager to read the book. I received a review copy from the author.

Comments: The setting is a town on the far reaches of a world. This town has an atmosphere of a 19th century American West feel to it. Right beside the town of Calio is the Reach, a sea of fog that stretches forever and that tales are told of about people who have entered but never returned. Moth is sent on a mission by his guardian's dying words to cross the Reach and enter the world of the Skylords and he is accompanied by his friend Fiona. The other side of the Reach is a new world full of danger for the Skylords know Moth is there and they are after him. It is a world full of mermaids, centaurs, dragons, harpies, the god-like Skylords and their hideous once-human slaves.

I have to admit it took me a couple a chapters to get into this book but once I got hooked I stayed hooked permanently. A fabulous and ingenious plot that starts out going in one direction and swiftly turns into another direction before you can see it coming. Moth and Fiona are exciting, interesting characters with realistic dialogue and a non-romantic relationship that feels right. Once the story gets going this is a book you just can't put down; a page-turner for sure. I loved all the different creatures the teens met on their quest, especially the centaurs.

Being the first book in a series, the story does have a complete ending, no cliffhanger, something I am very particular about. It does however have many threads left to explore and foreshadowing of events to come in the next book of the series. But one can feel complete satisfaction upon reaching the ending. I do recommend the book for teens though as, while the majority of the book is suitable for younger ages, the battle scenes are long, descriptive and very violent and bloody; most definitely suited for a teen audience.

A highly readable and enjoyable book. I am attached to the character Moth and can't wait to find out more about his character in the next book. He has a mysterious background and I've already got some ideas rolling around in my head. I can't wait for the next in the series to find out what happens next.