Stargazer is a thrilling and fitting fifth book in Patrick Carman’s Land of Elyon series. It picks up where the two previous books leave off – with Alexa Daley on board the Warwick Beacon sailing the Lonely Sea with her companions. The book effectively makes use of the previous installments of the series, particularly those of Into The Mist. This is the story of a final showdown with evil, and of finding your destiny. Once again, Carman manages to weaves a fantastical tale, filled with youthful wonder, excitement and adventure.

The real joy of the book comes from the exploring the setting created by Patrick Carman – who has a real talent for conjuring up worlds that are fresh and unique. In this case, the Five Pillars (essentially a strange kind of archipelago) that Alexa discovers on her voyage across the sea, are a wonderful construct. They allow for some familiar ideas (such as a simple farming), more exotic ones (such as a village which can only be reached by gliding down vines), to the deeply mysterious (such as the tallest pillar, which is shrouded in enigmatic shadows).

Plus, the constant threat of the evil spirit, Abaddon, now morphed into a hideous sea-monster, makes for a tale filled with suspense.

Admittedly, though, the main character of Alexa Daley is, once again, more often carried along by events rather than being an agent of change herself. But because this story focuses on her discovering her true love an purpose – that of flying an air balloon, aptly named the Stargazer – the relatively light work done with her character is minimized. Put simply, it’s quite a bit of fun to watch someone grow into what she was meant to do in life and, presumably, should there be any more Elyon books, we ought to see Alexa take more control over the events surrounding her.

Ultimately, that’s the point of this story. In a sense, it’s a coming-of-age tale in which a young girl leaves her childhood behind and begins to understand and accept that not only is she influenced by the wide world around her – but that she can exert her own will on that same world (if only you can find your true purpose). Everything else makes the story entertaining and easy to read.

Overall Grade: B+

There may be other books that readers will enjoy more, depending on personal taste, but on the whole, Stargazer represents the best installment of the Land of Elyon series to date.

Land of Elyon – Book 5 – Stargazer – Book Review5.051

Topics: Book Reviews, Fantasy
Filed under: The Land of Elyon

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