Countryside: The Tears of Adina by J.T. Cope IV
“Luke Rayburn has spent summer vacation running up and down sandy beaches with his family. He’s explored hidden coves, learned how to write invisible letters, and even met an ocean nymph. But his friends write to tell him of strange happenings in Countryside and he’s anxious to get back.
When Luke returns, he finds that much has changed. Mischievous gnomes are spreading chaos across the valley, a lone wolf haunts the forests, and Mayeem, one of Luke’s new teachers, just happens to be a mermaid. And then there’s the hunter, a man with golden eyes, only part of a soul and the belief that Luke has hidden something he wants—something he’s willing to destroy Countryside in order to get.
Hounded by blackhearted men and soulless creatures and with darkness luring him in, Luke must gather his wits and ferret out his true friends. But as he draws close to finding what it is the hunter seeks, he will learn that there is more at stake than he understands. He’ll learn that it’s not the hunter he should be afraid of and that, once done, some things cannot be undone.”
My thoughts after reading this book…
Personally, I really enjoyed this book. Probably even better than the first time. After “getting to know the characters” out of the way, the story was able to pick up not too long after the first book and it kept going strong. I love how the main character is taught respect for adults, and uses “sir” and “ma’am” even if he disagrees with someone.
There are lots of elements of magic even though there were similarities to some Harry Potter. The magic was written well enough to stand on its own. In this book, the students learn about the water discipline as well as trying to keep the Tears of Adina from falling into dark hands. The settings were very easy to imagine with lots of great descriptions without being overly wordy and the magic was very enjoyable. The book is beautifully written.
The book is targeted at fantasy readers, upper elementary and junior high, who enjoy series like Harry Potter, Narnia, and Percy Jackson.
As a middle school teacher, I often read books designed for 4th-7th graders so I can recommend books to my students. This is a book that I will definitely recommend. However, any age fan of fantasy and magic would enjoy this story.
Amazon currently has this book for purchase as a Kindle ebook for $3.99, hardback and paperback also available.
For the Nook Barnes and Noble currently has the ebook also for $3.99 with paperback and hardback available as well..
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