Jude Watson

Cahills vs Vespers Book 2: A King’s Ransom by Jude Watson

March 31, 2014 by Daniel Johnston Leave a Comment

After a great start to Cahills vs Vespers series, I was super excited to read A King’s Ransom by Jude Watson. This book reveals a lot more about the Vespers, and gives us an interesting historical trip through the world.

For those of you who don’t know, The 39 Clues is a multi-author series in which Amy (14) and Dan (11) Cahill learn that they are members of the most powerful family in human history.

The source of their families power is hidden throughout the world, and Amy and Dan need to find it first to make sure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.

The first arc of The 39 Clues deals with the clue hunt and Amy and Dan fighting off against their vicious relatives (who want the clues first), and learning more about themselves and their family branch.

The second series, Cahills vs Vespers, is about a rival family named the Vespers who want the clues for themselves, along with a mysterious ring that Amy was given by her grandmother Grace. It also takes place two years later so all the characters are older.

Learn more about The 39 Clues

In the first book, most of the Cahill family was kidnapped by the Vespers, and Amy and Dan are now forced to do Vesper One’s bidding or else he’ll kill the hostages.

Summary

Amy and Dan learn from Vesper One that they have to retrieve something for him in Lucerne, Switzerland. They don’t like it, but it’s not like they have much of a choice with their loved ones in danger.

Unfortunately, Interpol (the international police) is after Dan and Amy for stealing the “Medusa” from the Uffizi museum, and they are constantly having to dodge them.

Vesper 6 lets Amy and Dan know that they need to get their hands on the de Virga map. They don’t have a lot to go on, but they sneak into an auction house to try and find it. They have to flee, but come up with some leads.

Meanwhile, Dan is trying to construct the clues so he can take the serum if necessary. He knows that the Vespers are a huge threat and that even though the serum will completely mess him up, it may be worth it to prevent them from destroying the world.

Amy and Dan realize that they have to locate a book in the Czech Republic, but unfortunately they are unable to get it without a reference. Fortunately, Amy and Dan happen to run into Jake and Atticus Rosenbloom. Their dad is a famous professor, and Atticus is a genius even though he’s only 11 years old.

With Atticus and Jake’s help it looks more and more likely that they will find the map, but time is running out. Will they find the map in time, or will the hostages die? Or will another close confidant of Amy and Dan be murdered? And could Arthur Trent really be still alive?

Review

A King’s Ransom is a very good book and really completes the transition into the new series. We meet Atticus and Jake, who end up being crucial characters for the rest of the series.

Although there is a serious death in this book, it ends with suspense and Amy and Dan not even knowing. I definitely think it could’ve been done better so that we could have gone through some of those emotions.

Amy and Dan are more on their own than ever and they have to face that cruel reality in this book. It gives me some comfort to see how they move from the old and familiar and adapt to new circumstances with new people.

Overall, this book is very good. It’s not an earth-shattering book or one of my favorites in the series, but it moves the story along with lots of action. If you haven’t read the first book in Cahills vs Vespers series yet, I’d read that. If you have, this book is a must.

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Vespers Rising (The 39 Clues) Review

March 17, 2014 by Daniel Johnston Leave a Comment

Amy and Dan thought that when the clue hunt was over they could relax and be normal kids again. They thought that when they beat the vicious Isabel Kabra and secured the serum, things were going to be better.

So did we.

But Scholastic wanted more money.

For those who don’t know, The 39 Clues is a multi-author series in which Amy and Dan Cahill are surprised to learn that they are members of the most powerful family in human history. The source of their families power is hidden throughout the world in the form of 39 special clues. Unfortunately, their family members are also after the clues, and they’re willing to kill to get them. This is a great series for kids.

Learn more about The 39 Clues.

Even though The 39 Clues was originally supposed to be only ten books, they have kept the series running due to the success. I was pretty excited at the time that there would be another series because I just absolutely loved it.

The new series has to do with a rival family to the Cahills known as the Vespers. The Vespers are pure evil and will stop at nothing to steal the clues (and some other secret stuff) from Amy and Dan.

This book bridges the gap between the clue hunt and the fight against the Vespers.

Summary

The way this book is written is that it’s split up into four parts. As the series was multi-author, they also made this book multi-author. The first section is written by Rick Riordan, the second by Peter Lerangis, the third by Gordon Korman, and the last by Jude Watson.

The different authors travel through time and reveal different things about the Cahill family. It’s interesting to learn more about old secrets we’ve been wondering about for the whole series.

Riordan opens the book by telling us about what really happened at the time of Gideon Cahill. We learn about the Vesper founder, Damien Vesper, how Gideon’s kids got the clues, and what really happened when his lab was burned. We also learn about the mysterious ring.

The next story, written by Peter Lerangis, tells us about Madeleine Cahill, the founder of the Madrigal branch. Not many people know it, but Gideon and Olivia Cahill had a fifth kid named Madeleine. Madeleine was taught by Olivia to try to bring the warring family together. This is very well written and it tells us a cool story about how the Madrigal branch and the M started.

In the third section, written by Gordon Korman, we track the movements of young Grace Cahill. Grace realizes that the Vesper’s have stolen the ring from her father, James Cahill, and goes on a mission to Casablanca to recover it. Grace manages to get a pilot to take her there encounters George S. Patton. Patton tells her about the Vespers, but later learns that he may have tricked her. But Grace isn’t about to let the ring fall into the wrong hands.

Finally, Jude Watson takes us back to the present with Amy and Dan. They have returned home and are trying to start a normal life. However, they learn of the ring and are told that Grace wanted them to protect it. Amy starts wearing it, but soon after they are attacked while on the way to school. Luckily Amy knows jiujitsu, but the message is clear; the Cahill family better get ready for perhaps their toughest battle yet.

Review

This book is really good and interesting. I enjoyed learning secrets that I had wondered about for the two years since the series started, and also having the story moved forward. The adventures are very exciting.

If you haven’t read The 39 Clues, yet, though, then don’t read this book. This is a transition book for people who have already finished all ten books in the clue hunt series and are looking to tie up loose ends as they move on to the fight with the Vespers. Otherwise I’d recommend just starting with the first book of the current arc.

For obsessed clue hunters, however, this is a great book. After it they’ll be obsessed Vesper hunters 🙂

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The 39 Clues Book 6: In Too Deep by Jude Watson Review

February 10, 2014 by Daniel Johnston Leave a Comment

With the sixth book of The 39 Clues series, In Too Deep by Jude Watson, the series was moving into its second half. We were moving into more secrets, getting closer to discovering secrets such as the identity of Amy and Dan’s branch and what really happened the night Amy and Dan’s parents died.

Note: Little did we know, of course, that there would be a second and now a third arc.

In The 39 Clues, young Amy and Dan Cahill learn that their family contains a secret powerful enough to make the owner of it the most influential human in history. The secret is scattered across the world in the form of 39 clues, or chemical elements.

Of course, Amy and Dan aren’t the only ones looking for the clues. Their relatives will do anything to get the clues first. In fact, we meet the worst one for the first time in this book.

Although Jude Watson’s earlier addition to the series was mostly mediocre, this book is much better, mainly because of its well-crafted character development.

If you haven’t read The 39 Clues series yet, then I’d advise starting with the most recent book and then working your way backwards from the first book. You probably you won’t read all of them, but you’ll thoroughly enjoy the ones that you do.

If you’re familiar with the series, though, then read on.

Summary

At the end of the last book, Amy and Dan decide to head to Australia to meet with their dad’s cousin Shep. Their parents were very involved in the clue hunt, and Amy and Dan want to figure out what they discovered.

The trouble starts immediately, however, when someone steals Amy’s necklace. Grace, Amy’s late grandmother, gave her the necklace, and it is very important to her. She runs after the thief, only to fall into a trap set by Isabel Kabra.

Ian and Natalie, Isabel’s kids, were bad enough. They had tried to kill Amy and Dan more than once. But their mother? She is the leader of the Lucian branch, and probably the most evil person in the entire series.

Isabel tells Amy, however, that she can help Amy learn who killed her parents. She also tries to manipulate Amy by telling her how Ian has a crush on her. Amy knows that Isabel is trying to trick her, but the chance to learn about her parents is just so tempting.

In the meantime, they learn about Bob Troppo, an Ekat who was close to discovering all of the clues. Amy and Dan spend their time in Australia trying to track him down.

Amy is in a terrible emotional state throughout the book, having flashbacks about the night her parents died. Ian calls and informs Amy that her parents were murdered. Then Irina, an ex-KGB agent who is supposed to be working for Isabel, tells Amy that she shouldn’t trust Isabel because she is the one who murdered her parents. Isabel, however, says the same thing about Irina! Amy is totally confused. She tries to keep it away from Dan, however, because she doesn’t want to him to have to feel the pain, too.

Unfortunately, Amy allows Isabel to lure her into a boat and then threatens to murder her if she doesn’t share which clues she’s found. Amy is in a tough spot, but Hamilton Holt comes and saves her. Even though the Holts called off their alliance at the end of the last book, he obviously still feels like he owes her.

While following Bob Troppo’s footsteps, Amy and Dan are lead through the desert and discover a clue that their mom left. That leads them to a mine, but Isabel drops poisonous spiders and a venomous snake down the mineshaft. It is yet another very close call, although Amy and Dan are once again able to escape.

We are able to identify a lot more with Irina this book. In past books we thought she was just a ruthless killer, but here we learn that she has some heart. In fact, she makes a serious sacrifice to help the Cahill kids, to avenge for her own child dying at Isabel’s instructions.

We also grow more suspicious of Nellie, Amy and Dan’s au pair. Before they had just kind of trusted her, but now they suspect that she might be up to something. After all, what kind of au pair knows tons of languages, can fly planes, and can do all kinds of other crazy stuff?

Who will die at the hands of Isabel? Will Amy and Dan go, or will someone else pay the ultimate price for them? Will they find the clue?

Review

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The parts about the clue hunt weren’t super great or clear, and I don’t think I remember any historical information from the book at all (I’m not even sure if there was any). Either way, Jude Watson does a masterful job of dealing with the characters in this book.

As mentioned above, we get to see Amy grow more mature and deal with her trauma of the past. We see a softer side of Irina, Amy and Dan worrying about the only person they thought they could trust, and the first death of the clue hunt. While most of the books are mainly focused on action, this book is about understanding the characters better, something that is very important to the series.

Would I recommend it? Definitely. Writing this review, I almost feel like I want to read this book again. Just some of the emotions of the characters in it were fascinating. Clue hunters will love it.

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The 39 Clues Book 4: Beyond the Grave by Jude Watson Review

January 28, 2014 by Daniel Johnston Leave a Comment

When Beyond the Grave by Jude Watson came out, I was super excited. It was the fourth book in The 39 Clues, an exciting multi-author series in which two orphans, Dan and Amy Cahill, learn that they are members of the most powerful family in the world. The source of their families power is hidden throughout the world in the form of 39 clues (or chemicals). Whoever finds all the clues will become the most powerful person in human history.

Amy and Dan, of course, are not the only ones going after the clues. They have tons of competition in the form of their venomous relatives, who will stop at nothing to win the clue hunt. Literally. In the last book, The Sword Thief by Peter Lerangis, Amy, Dan, and their Uncle Alastair were nearly killed by their rich cousins, Ian and Natalie Kabra.

Up until this book, I had been reading this series together with my friends. None of my friends ended up actually reading the fourth book, however. A couple of them started, but then gave up. The reason for that I attribute to the poor writing in the previous book, which you can read about in my review here. It’s a shame, because Beyond the Grave is a rather good addition to the series.

Summary

At the end of The Sword Thief, Amy and Dan learned that the next clue was hidden in Egypt, so they fly out to Cairo. Unfortunately, Irina Spasky is already there, an ex-KGB agent who means business. She disguises herself as a vendor and tries to trap Amy and Dan, but they manage to outsmart her and get away.

Along the way they find a Sakhet that they think they might be looking for, but a tour guide named Theo convinces them that it’s merely a fake.

They find themselves at a fancy hotel. They originally don’t want to go there because of how expensive they know it’s going to be, and there is a sense someone is directing them to be there. When Dan accidentally says his last name is Oh, however, they get a huge discount and a suite that takes up an entire floor.

Things seem too good to be true, but Amy and Dan manage to sneak their way into a secret Ekaterina stronghold hidden inside the hotel. Dan is fascinated by all the inventions, but Amy is scared. To her the inventions of things like the nuclear bomb represent death and destruction.

Soon, however, there is a far worse threat to Amy and Dan than destructive inventions; Bae Oh is in the stronghold with them, and he traps them. Bae Oh is the uncle of their Uncle Alastair and is the ruthless leader of the Ekaterina branch. In The Sword Thief, we also learned that Bae Oh murdered Alastair’s father.

Although Bae Oh does a good job of trapping them, Amy and Dan are able to escape with the help of their Au Pair, Nellie. They book it out of the hotel and travel with a person named Hilary Vale, who apparently used to be good friends with Amy and Dan’s beloved grandmother, Grace Cahill. Grace was the one who started the whole clue hunt in motion, and Amy and Dan are still shocked at her death. The thought that Grace may still be helping them “beyond the grave” comforts both of them.

Hilary, acting according to Grace’s instructions, give Amy and Dan a letter and one of the Sakhet statues. A map is hidden inside the Sakhet statue, leading them to the tomb of Queen Nefertari. Theo, who ends up being Hilary’s grandson, is able to help them sneak in.

In the tomb, they are attacked by Irina and then trapped on a crocodile-filled island by their famous rap star cousin, Jonah Wizard. Dan and Amy have faced tough things before, but how they can defend themselves against a pack of hungry crocodiles? And are Hilary and Theo really acting on Grace’s behalf, or do they have a secret agenda? Worst of all, what if the mysterious Madrigals don’t want Amy and Dan to find the clue?

Review

Beyond the Grave was a fairly good addition to the series. I was glad while reading because it was, for me at least, a big improvement on The Sword Thief.

Beyond the Grave, however, is not written quite as skillfully as books one and two, or as the rest of the books of the series, for that matter. Book six, In Too Deep, by the same author was one of the best books of the series, with great character development. Parts of this book were hard to understand, however, especially towards the end.

As for the historical value, I remember some historical information in this book, but I don’t really think a lot was included. Besides some basic info about Egypt that everyone already knows, you’re not likely to learn much historically.

Besides that, though, this book is good. I view the main value of the book as being in ethical questions. Were the Ekats inventions good or bad? All the emotions that come with being betrayed by people claiming to act on behalf of a dead person who you trusted the most. A fake romance that ends up knocking Amy off guard. There is certainly a lot to think about after reading this book.

For dedicated readers of The 39 Clues, this is a must read. I’d recommend starting with the most current books and then, if the reader is really interested, starting with The Maze of Bones and then going through the series. Unless you or your kids are really prolific readers, you’re unlikely to read all the books, but they’ll definitely be an exciting series as you read them. I now consider them a major part of my childhood.

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