The story drew me in the page couple of pages and I was really getting into it, when suddenly it turns out Martin, a teen boy, is actually writing a comic book... Then just as suddenly, a girl with dyslexia appears.... Then she's going horseback riding as some resort out west with her mom! Hey! Pick a story line and develop it! This book was all over the place in my opinion and it just went to fast without going anywhere...does that make sense? The characters in the first chapter could have been fleshed out a bit more, but the comic book story sounded worth developing into a book in itself! After a few chapters I gave up, I'll probably finish it at some future date, but I have really read enough for now. This is for ages 9-13 , I'm thinking and they will likely be far more forgiving. It's an easy, quick read and has characters they will enjoy,. Boys will love the comic book characters/story.
Sorry I couldn't give a better review. I had high hopes for this story.

An incredibly interesting premise (narnia/wayward children vibes) but the execution was lacking with the story jumping around far too much and not sticking with and developing one section. This made is hard to form a connection with what was happening on page and left me feeling disappointed..

An engaging fantasy for young readers! I enjoyed reading Ledigo's debut novel. Her complex multi-world story was well-paced and intriguging. I appreciated her optimistic caring voice and look forward to reading more about Ledigo's characters and worlds.

The title of this book sounded intriguing and the premise drew me in. However, overall this was a boring read. The characters were boring and the writing did not make this any better. I feel like this was a 1st draft published and editing was needed. I do not recommend this book.

I liked the ideas around Emajen and I think it had great potential to be something great however it all just fell a little flat. I feel like overall the book needed at least one more draft and round of editing. The chapters were awkward appearing in the middle of scenes, pacing was clunky, world-building was half-baked, for example why did diamonds cause copper scales? Also why did animals need different names? I'm disappointed we never got a true description of the Natorqua, what we got made them sound like horses with fangs that can purr. What else was cat-like?

I liked the characters but they seemed a little flat and Destiny and Anthony's backstory was a bit hasty and mostly pointless. Once it got going the story's middle progressed fairly well considering how tricky middles are but then the ending was very rushed until it just stopped.

Did the kids ever hear Saddler's story? We the reader certainly didn't. It's implied that his memory is wiped but then suddenly it's not and he's in the middle of everything. Also what happened after Destiny and Anthony got home? Did they ever go back? A few too many plot holes and poorly explained plot devices, the stone that Anthony used comes to mine, it was just there and automatically the solution to everything.

2/5 stars

Sigh. Okay, I tried to start this one three times, but it just wasn't for me.
I LOVED the opening with the whole meta thing, where a character in the book has created a character who is excited to be becoming more aware and making his own decisions. I just couldn't connect with the sudden segue into a completely different story.

The synopsis had me really excited about this book but I unfortunately the book did not live up to it. The characters felt very flat and I did not feel invested in them. The atmosphere was bland and it could have been much more vibrant with details of Emajen. The writing style was disjointed, before an idea was completed another one started. I would have liked to have more details and smoother transitions. I loved the idea of the plot but was disappointed by the execution. Overall I was not intrigued by this book, by the end I lost all interest.

I really hate writing negative reviews but I didn't find this book enjoyable, but I loved the synopsis.

An engaging fantasy for young readers! I enjoyed reading Ledigo's debut novel. Her complex multi-world story was well-paced and intriguging. I appreciated her optimistic caring voice and look forward to reading more about Ledigo's characters and worlds. This particular book would appeal particularly to young readers, ages 9-12, who are horse-lovers as horses are spotlighted in this fantasy! My criticism lies in the prose itself. My own personal choice is to be shown information rather than told. E.B. White and his Charlotte's Web are a good example, in my mind, of a masterful narrative. I found myself bogged down by clichéd word choices and bland dialogue.. Again, this is a personal opinion. but many reluctant young readers may turn away from the novel. Overall a good debut.

Sorry, but I really didn't like this book at all. It was just boring, the characters names ridiculous, and the story was weak and poor. Even my 5 year old self would not have liked this book. Sorry....not for me. My personal comments have gone back to the publisher.