Thomas Destiny by Jason King and Jon Grundvig
Genre: MG contemporary fantasy
Rating: 3/5 stars
While on a Scout camping trip, Thomas accidentally releases a demon from its prison and then gets sucked into another dimension while in pursuit of it. To get back home, Thomas must embark on a journey to find a shard of creation, relying on a ragtag group of unusual friends to help him along the way.
This is a really fun, light-hearted read with nonstop action and a lot of banter. I am not the intended audience, so Thomas Destiny didn’t keep me engaged, but I know my tween boys would love it.
What I liked: I love a good portal fantasy! The supporting characters are very unique: a druid who chronically lies, a baby giant, a ghost-shaped green blob, and a teen wizard. The cover art is fantastic.
What I didn’t like: This book felt bizarre and rambling and dream-like. Similar to when I read Alice in Wonderland, I felt like I needed to be high on opium to truly enjoy it. Sometimes the plot felt shallow and the emotions didn’t hit as hard as they should have because the comedic asides from the narrator interrupted powerful moments. The story doesn’t have a very satisfying conclusion.
I recommend this book for boys from ages 10-13. (I’m sure some girls would like it too, but there are zero female characters besides Thomas’ mom who is left behind in the opening pages.) Read if you enjoy Alice in Wonderland, Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, or the Pendragon series by D.J. MacHale.
Staci Olsen, Author/Editor 