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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
what a terrific end to the potion masters series! does not disappoint and leaves no questions unanswered.
Lovely conclusion to the series! Good character growth and a fun plot arc.
Frank Cole is one of my favorite authors and for good reason. He weaves a wonderful story. His books are always full of adventure, heart, humor, and great characters. I was sad to see this series come to an end, but what a wonderful series it was! This book starts off with a bang and I turned the pages fast, eagerly (and not so patiently) wanting to see what could possibly happen next. I agree with other reviews, you will need to read the other two books first to appreciate the scope of what is taking place. Gordy is a favorite, but as always, the "secondary" characters in this book are just as solid and help deliver a great story. Adilene is fantastic. I love how Frank writes kids in his books to be capable and smart. This book (series for that matter) is a great example of that.
THE SEEKING SERUM by Frank L. Cole is the third and final book in the Middle grade children’s fantasy Potion Masters series. I rated this one 3.5 stars and rounded down to 3 stars. The only reason that I rounded it down is that this is the only book in the series that I have read and I was completely lost in the beginning of the book. There are terms and categories of people that are unique to this fantasy world that were not initially apparent. As the book goes on, the reader gains the necessary knowledge, but it was somewhat bewildering to someone that had not read books one and two.
Our main protagonist is Gordy Stitser, an eighth-grade student with the ability to make potions. He and his family are hiding since his evil grandfather stole the Vessel which is the source of power for all potion masters. So, this is a fight of good versus evil with Gordy and his school friends playing major roles in the effort for good.
The plot is interesting and the goals of the characters are clear. Their interactions and motivations are believable and well-drawn. The battle scenes are described well and are mind-boggling. The scenes progress in a compelling manner with effective transitions.
Overall, this book was unique and interesting and I enjoyed it. The mechanical inventions and potions not only played a major role in the story, but were original and even somewhat strange. I would definitely recommend this book to those that enjoy this genre with the caveat that they read the series in order.
Thanks to Shadow Mountain Publishing and Frank L. Cole for a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
Our main protagonist is Gordy Stitser, an eighth-grade student with the ability to make potions. He and his family are hiding since his evil grandfather stole the Vessel which is the source of power for all potion masters. So, this is a fight of good versus evil with Gordy and his school friends playing major roles in the effort for good.
The plot is interesting and the goals of the characters are clear. Their interactions and motivations are believable and well-drawn. The battle scenes are described well and are mind-boggling. The scenes progress in a compelling manner with effective transitions.
Overall, this book was unique and interesting and I enjoyed it. The mechanical inventions and potions not only played a major role in the story, but were original and even somewhat strange. I would definitely recommend this book to those that enjoy this genre with the caveat that they read the series in order.
Thanks to Shadow Mountain Publishing and Frank L. Cole for a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The last in an adventure fantasy trilogy! Gordy Stitser and his friends Max, Adilene and Sasha have to save the world from Gordy's evil grandfather Mezzarix...again.
Mezzarix is on a mission to take down B.R.E.W. and establish a new world order where Elixirists are powerful and in charge.
Gordy expands his knowledge of potions as well as discovers new abilities. Max is a trusted side-kick and reliable friend. Adilene wants desperately to be a part of the potion community. Sasha is determined to help her mom get back her brewing ability.
The four friends face life-threatening danger and crazy convicts, people who can turn invisible and people who skirt the edge of the law.
If you or your children like page-turning excitement and adventure, then this is a fantastic read that will engage your imagination and make you think, 'What if?"
Mezzarix is on a mission to take down B.R.E.W. and establish a new world order where Elixirists are powerful and in charge.
Gordy expands his knowledge of potions as well as discovers new abilities. Max is a trusted side-kick and reliable friend. Adilene wants desperately to be a part of the potion community. Sasha is determined to help her mom get back her brewing ability.
The four friends face life-threatening danger and crazy convicts, people who can turn invisible and people who skirt the edge of the law.
If you or your children like page-turning excitement and adventure, then this is a fantastic read that will engage your imagination and make you think, 'What if?"
I received a free copy of the ebook from Netgalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
Another great read in this trilogy! This book is the final in the trilogy, and I do think you need the first ones to understand it all. It was fast paced and action packed. I was continually surprised with how different events played out. I loved how the friendships grew, and the relationships between adults in his life. I would definitely recommend this to children who love magic and potions and a little bit of mischief making.
Another great read in this trilogy! This book is the final in the trilogy, and I do think you need the first ones to understand it all. It was fast paced and action packed. I was continually surprised with how different events played out. I loved how the friendships grew, and the relationships between adults in his life. I would definitely recommend this to children who love magic and potions and a little bit of mischief making.
This left me feeling happy. This book was a wonderful and satisfying conclusion to the potion master master series. I enjoyed all of the unique characters and and the growth and experiences they had throughout this series. This series had a unique and fun way of portraying magic.
I think a really strong point this series had would definitely be the unique nature of all the characters from Aunt Pris to Max and everyone else involved, the characters really stood out.
The story had similar vibes to other middle grade fiction books which led to a trust that the content would never stay too dark or inappropriate and it held that trust throughout. I think this was a satisfying ending to a fun series.
I think a really strong point this series had would definitely be the unique nature of all the characters from Aunt Pris to Max and everyone else involved, the characters really stood out.
The story had similar vibes to other middle grade fiction books which led to a trust that the content would never stay too dark or inappropriate and it held that trust throughout. I think this was a satisfying ending to a fun series.
Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Shadow Mountain Publishing for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.
Oh man this was such a fun adventure. Like, I know this is the third novel in the series and I really should have remembered to read the rest of the books first but I was pulled in to this one from the beginning that I don’t even think I was too worried about it. I think people need to really give some more props to Middle Grade novels, because those ones have been some of my favorite books lately, and I think people just think that “well it’s young.” or whatever, and yet THEY GO THROUGH SOME CRAZY STUFF okay?!
It’s such a bummer that this book is also the final book in this series, but I think that Cole ended it perfectly. The craziness that Gordy and some of the other swigs have to deal with, how Gordy isn’t alone in this and actually has his family – most especially his mom – to be there and guide him during this journey, just really made me feel like this book was wholesome. Yes, things got intense for Gordy and the swigs, and wow, I can’t imagine how stressful this could have been for an eighth-grader to deal with, but man was it a fun ride.
I will say read the first two novels first, especially since this is the final book and a lot of what happened in the first two won’t be explained in detail in this one. You need to know what happened so you aren’t completely lost, but you may be able to infer. Either way, I recommend this one.
Oh man this was such a fun adventure. Like, I know this is the third novel in the series and I really should have remembered to read the rest of the books first but I was pulled in to this one from the beginning that I don’t even think I was too worried about it. I think people need to really give some more props to Middle Grade novels, because those ones have been some of my favorite books lately, and I think people just think that “well it’s young.” or whatever, and yet THEY GO THROUGH SOME CRAZY STUFF okay?!
It’s such a bummer that this book is also the final book in this series, but I think that Cole ended it perfectly. The craziness that Gordy and some of the other swigs have to deal with, how Gordy isn’t alone in this and actually has his family – most especially his mom – to be there and guide him during this journey, just really made me feel like this book was wholesome. Yes, things got intense for Gordy and the swigs, and wow, I can’t imagine how stressful this could have been for an eighth-grader to deal with, but man was it a fun ride.
I will say read the first two novels first, especially since this is the final book and a lot of what happened in the first two won’t be explained in detail in this one. You need to know what happened so you aren’t completely lost, but you may be able to infer. Either way, I recommend this one.