After reading the 39 Clues series I was really excited about this new one (patterned after the former) that also dealt with history but with a time travel element. Perhaps I had too high expectations for this book, though, because it was not as exciting as my daughter and I expected.

Nerdy history lover Dak Smyth and science geek Sera Froste stumble upon a time travel device called the Infinity Ring. These ten year-olds are the only ones who can use it and end up being recruited by a secret society named the Hystorians who tell them that history is broken and they need their help to fix it. With the help of Riq, another young Hystorian they travel back to Spain when Christopher Columbus was about to set sail and a mutiny plot on his ship was going to change history.

Although the characters eventually grew on us, we didn't much care for any of them and I think this wasn't a good start for us. Unlike the brother and sister team of the 39 Clues whom I loved, Dak and Sera were just okay, annoying and rude sometimes and not characters my daughter could relate to. The beginning of the plot was slow (even though there seems to be plenty of action) and the real exciting action happened toward the end of the book, but by that time my daughter had abandoned the book as boring. I was sorry she lost all interest because it did get better. As a matter of fact, my favorite character in the book showed up—a gruff-looking scar-faced seaman named Eyeball with a colorful dialogue that made me chuckle.

Overall, the premise of this series is interesting and fun with visits to the past that will teach youngsters some bits of history. I'm curious to find out more about the Remnants, what happened to Dak's parents, and how the trio will outwit the SQ evil organization. I have the second book in this series and will read it to see how the story continues since the ending is a cliffhanger one. Like the 39 Clues, this is the first title in a multiplatform series that includes a guide and code to unlock an online game.

Note: This book is rated C = clean read.

SIMILAR ARTICLES