Gr 3–7—At a market, Shinji is thrust into the adventure of his life when he finds a figurine of a Coatl, a feathered
serpent creature from Mesoamerican Lore, and strives to return the figurine to Mexico before its curse takes effect.
This Indiana Jones meets Percy Jackson adventure touches on respecting and preserving cultures instead of taking
from them.

Thirteen-year-old orphan Shinji is traveling around the world on a boat with his aunt, picking up antiques and other curiosities for his aunt to later sell in her shop. But one statue that Shinji finds in a dusty shop immediately garners the attention of two nefarious-looking men who kidnap Shinji and bring him to an undisclosed location. He learns the statue is an idol from a magical place that has now cursed him. He barely manages to escape his captors and must team up with the secretive Society of Explorers and Adventurers to stay one step ahead of an evil corporation who wants the idol to satiate their greedy need for power, shake the curse of the idol, and return the statue to its rightful place – an ancient Aztec temple that no one knows exactly where it’s located.

This book is for those who like adventure stories; I could definitely see readers of Rick Riordan enjoying this book that also blends contemporary settings with ancient mythology. One thing I didn’t realize right away was that the Society of Explorers and Adventurers (SEA) is not something of the author’s imagination – it’s apparently an invention of Disney theme parks with an entire backstory tied into several of their attractions. The author does run with it and creates a more modern version of SEA, one that actually confronts issues of colonialism and vows to protect the environment and local rights to artifacts in their adventuring. I find it funny that a big villain of the story is a giant worldwide corporation interested in making more and more power for itself regardless of who gets hurt; I don’t know if this is the author being subversive or clueless. However, there is also a larger villain in the story who shows up in an eerie way for the prologue and disappears until towards the conclusion, by which time the readers may have forgotten about this menacing figure.

I liked Shinji as a character; his snark is not only very typical of a teenager but it makes for funny quips. His new friend Lucy is also interesting in her own way, although it was extremely easy to guess her supposedly mysterious background (at least for me as an adult). The SEA characters aren’t that super fleshed out at this point; Oliver Ocean has the most personality and I did find him compelling enough if a little cliched. As this book is the first in a series, it’s possible the other SEA members will get more character development in future installments. There is definitely diversity among the characters, both with ethnicity and physical (dis)abilities.

All in all, this is a relatively fun, relatively quick read. That being said, I also didn’t feel like it was ‘write home about’ worthy. There’s a twist at the end that some readers (especially young ones) might find quite unexpected but I predicted enough of it to not really find it that surprising. ( )

* I got this book for review*
I thought this book was a really fun read. It reminded me so much of the 39 clues series and i loved that series alot. I also liked this book also tackled many mythologies and not just one. it was a really fun action and adventure read and one that i did not want to put down. It also was one that i loved all the travel elements. It had a many elements that remidned me of other book series I have enjoyed but put it own twist on it!! So it was really fun read and i am excited to see how this series progresses in the future! ( )

* I got this book for review*
I thought this book was a really fun read. It reminded me so much of the 39 clues series and i loved that series alot. I also liked this book also tackled many mythologies and not just one. it was a really fun action and adventure read and one that i did not want to put down. It also was one that i loved all the travel elements. It had a many elements that remidned me of other book series I have enjoyed but put it own twist on it!! So it was really fun read and i am excited to see how this series progresses in the future! ( )

This novel is a 2023 Lone Star selection. It was my first Julie Kagawa book.

Shinji's parents die in the prologue, and a mysterious spider crawls about. Years pass while Shinji is raised by his aunt; they travel the world. They're in some foreign location, so his aunt gives him some money to buy some relics, as that's what they always search for. He finds an interesting object, which immediately sends some goonies after him. Thus, the adventure begins! Shinji mysteriously develops a tattoo on his arm. Come to find out, this object represents the guardian of a god. This object must be returned to its location.

This adventure introduces Shinji to new friends. It begins with his kidnapping. When he wakes, he finds himself in New York at the Hightower Corporation with a girl staring at him, impatiently waiting for him to wake up. When Mr. Hightower arrives, he expresses his anger at Lucy's presence and sends her away. Mr. Hightower needs Shinji. This is NOT good. Thankfully, Lucy is pretty resourceful; she wakes Shinji up and sneaks him out of the building because they're going to need help. Lucy tells him that they need help from The Society of Explorers and Adventurers. Shinji just wants his aunt back; he doesn't know if she's okay, as the last time he saw her, the kidnappers hit her and she fell. He also doesn't understand the tattoo on his arm. He and Lucy get on a bus and head to California. They meet a mysterious man who fights the Hightower henchmen. Come to discover, he is there to help them find the Society of Explorers and Adventurers. They are there to help him and Lucy.

The adventure may cost them their lives. They get a group together and they must get the guardian back to its home before the tattoo drains the life from Shinji. The Hightower goons are hot in their pursuit!

I felt like I was listening to an Indiana Jones movie. I found this novel a great story to listen to. There's always something happening. This novel is book one, so the adventure will continue! It's quite good--you'll enjoy it! ( )