#Review: EMERALD TABLET by Joshua Silverman

3 of 5 stars

THE EMERALD TABLET is a mixture of fantasy, science fiction, adventure and mythology telling the story of Leoros, an Earth boy, who is prophesied to be the one to save the distant planet Potara. From the moment he steps through the Portal of Hermes, Leoros is challenged by his teacher Pythos, an Amun priest, and the other Gifted teenagers as he tries to understand his role in saving Potara. His only friend is a slave girl, Atlantia, and he clings to her in desperation against the loneliness he feels since leaving Earth. Can a 13-year-old Earth boy save Potara against an evil, the likes of which they have never seen in a thousand years?

I was excited to read this book when I read the description, but the beginning introduced too many characters with too much exposition. It definitely bogged down the story. On top of that, the review copy I received was badly formatted with headers appearing in the middle of a page. It made a confusing book even more confusing.  The author clearly did his research into Egyptian mythology, but the story is difficult to get into. It's hard to know who the intended audience is - adult or YA - because of the horrific abuse scenes early on. The action doesn't pick up until the second half of the book when war breaks out. The ending of the book was unsatisfying. I understand that this is the first in a series of multiple books, but I won't be reading any more from this author.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.