Early Review: The Eighth Day by Diane K. Salerni
The Eighth Day by Dianne K. Salerni
Eighth Day #1
In this riveting fantasy adventure, thirteen-year-old Jax Aubrey discovers a secret eighth day with roots tracing back to Arthurian legend. Fans of Percy Jackson will devour this first book in a new series that combines exciting magic and pulse-pounding suspense.
When Jax wakes up to a world without any people in it, he assumes it's the zombie apocalypse. But when he runs into his eighteen-year-old guardian, Riley Pendare, he learns that he's really in the eighth day—an extra day sandwiched between Wednesday and Thursday. Some people—like Jax and Riley—are Transitioners, able to live in all eight days, while others, including Evangeline, the elusive teenage girl who's been hiding in the house next door, exist only on this special day.
And there's a reason Evangeline's hiding. She is a descendant of the powerful wizard Merlin, and there is a group of people who wish to use her in order to destroy the normal seven-day world and all who live in it. Torn between protecting his new friend and saving the entire human race from complete destruction, Jax is faced with an impossible choice. Even with an eighth day, time is running out.
Stay tuned for The Inquisitor's Mark, the spellbinding second novel in the Eighth Day series.
The premise behind THE EIGHTH day was really interesting and unique. I was looking for something completely new and fresh, and this book delivered. Just the idea of a secret eighth day was a great story element, but then you add in the people who only live on that day, and then the people on our side of things that can straddle both "worlds" and things started to really get interesting. But I have to say the coup de la grace for me was the ties to Arthurian legends. I love how that was interwoven in the world and story line, and took things up another notch for me. I have a serious soft spot for legends and mythology done well, and I'm happy to report that this one worked well.
I have to admit that I was a bit leery to read this book due to the main character's age putting him on the high range of middle grade/low range of YA. But the description won me over, and after reading the book, I'm glad it did. Don't get me wrong, it does read a bit on the younger side for my tastes, and at first I couldn't stand Jax due to his petulance and negative demeaner. Sure, his life had been uprooted, but you could really see his immaturity in the way he whined and responded to things. However, I will say that I quickly overlooked that as the story got rolling because it was very fast paced, and his whining did drastically tone down. Sure he still showed a lot of that immaturity in his decisions, but that didn't bother me so much, and I was able to connect with him better.
Personal preferences with the character's maturity level aside, THE EIGHTH DAY was a very good read that I devoured in one setting. It was very fast paced, and flowed well, but I will say I think a little bit more information would have been helpful early on to help solidify things for me as I felt a bit in the dark for awhile. But when it's all said and done, THE EIGHTH DAY is a good start to this new series, and I'll definitely be watching for the next installment.
(Received a copy from the publisher via Edelweiss)
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Other Reviews:
In Time
Le&ndra Wallace
Tales from the Raven
