Author: Kaza Kingsley
Reader: Simon Jones
Extra: Introduction by author Kaza Kinglsley in which she shares her inspiration for Erec and his quests.

Short Review: Strong second installment in Kaza Kingsley’s Erec Rex series combines imaginative adventures with some solid life lessons. Simon Jones is still a fabulous reader.

Long Review: The Monsters of Otherness begins with Erec back at home with his family, far from the magical world we got to know in the first installment of this series (The Dragon’s Eye). Never fear, we quickly find a reason to go back to Alypium. Once there, Erec finds himself faced with a choice. Either he can take on the quests required of him to become King or step aside to let the evil Stain brothers take the thrown unchallenged.

There are a lot of things afoot in this story. We have missing baby dragons, rioting crowds who seem to hate Erec and an assortment of new monsters. Kingsley has done a nice job of pulling Erec (and the rest of us) back into the Kingdom of the Keepers. Erec still has his friends along for most of the ride, but as we get deeper into the book – more of the challenges rest squarely on Erec’s shoulders. Erec is not greeted with the adoring fans he expected – but rather brainwashed mobs who think he is a fraud. He has remember that he has people who believe in him, perhaps most importantly himself.

I like the way Kingsley sneaks in lessons about not judging others by either their appearance or by what others tell you. While I don’t appreciate heavy-handed morality in stories, Kingsley has truly woven the message into the fabric of her tale.

My six year old son loved this book – plowing through it faster than I could keep up with him.  He did warn me that something sad happens near the end. When I asked him if it made him cry, he replied with ‘almost’.

Jones delivers another beautifully read story with distinct voices and an appealing style of narration. I think I would listen to him read just about anything, judging by how he handles this series. I recommend you join him for this fabulous fantasy.

Audio sample available.

Author: Kaza Kingsley
Reader: Simon Jones
Extra: Introduction by author Kaza Kinglsley in which she explains how she got the idea of Erec Rex and some of her process of creating the first book.

Short Review: Entertaining fantasy in which a 12 year old boy discovers a parallel but hidden world of magic. Fun characters plus a great reader makes for a captivating audio book.

Long Review: Kingsley has created a rich tapestry of a world which our protagonist Erec and his new friend Bethany must learn to navigate in order to find and rescue his mother. There are many mysterious things going on, and Erec and Bethany make a great team (along with a few other new friends) to unravel what must be done while finding their proper place in this new world. There are some nice messages here about taking advantage of your own gifts and doing the right thing for others. Jones is a great reader with distinct voices for each character and good pacing.

While some may look at Erec Rex and only see a Harry Potter clone, I found an inventive, fun story about a young man discovering a magical world in which things are not quite right. Yes, Erec is twelve and has to go through a magical competition in which he must compete with much more advanced magical children (some of whom are mean bullies), but there is plenty to this story to distinguish it from the world of Hogwarts.

The best plug I can give for this book is that my six year old son absolutely loved it. He was willing to sprawl on the floor of the living room for hours listening intently. Attempts to turn off the book were greeted with tears and pleading for more. One thing to note is that my son rated The Dragon’s Eye as ‘less scary’ than Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (which in my son’s world was a good thing). While he only got a few chapters into the 2nd Harry Potter book before setting it aside – he flew through the next 2 Erec Rex books. When I catch up to him I will post reviews of them here of course!

The Dragon’s Eye is also available from Audible.com