Thursday, January 3, 2013

Review: The 13th Sign

Info:

Title: The 13th Sign
Author: Kristen O'Donnell Tubb
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Publication Date: January 8, 2013

Blurb:

What if there was a 13th zodiac sign?

You’re no longer Sagittarius, but Ophiuchus, the healer, the 13th sign.

Your personality has changed. So has your mom’s and your best friend’s.

What about the rest of the world?

What if you were the one who accidentally unlocked the 13th sign, causing this world-altering change—and infuriating the other 12 signs? 

Jalen did it, and now she must use every ounce of her strength and cunning to send the signs back where they belong. Lives, including her own, depend on it.


My Thoughts:

The 13th Sign starts off with an interesting concept. What if everyone's personality shifted? Would it be chaos? Political leaders suddenly indecisive? Surgeons suddenly squeamish?

However, the 13th Sign fell a bit flat for me. While there was quite a bit of action and Tubb spelled out the lessons in the book pretty explicitly, it lacked the spark that makes a book great.

I'm fairly indifferent towards the main character, Jalen. There was nothing in particular that I disliked about her, but I just didn't feel a very strong connection with her. My favourite thing about her is how much she loves her Nina (which means Grandma). I appreciated the emphasis put on the importance of family, especially since family is so important in my own life.

Middle grade readers will enjoy all the action in this one, as Jalen and her friends Ellie and Brennan battle the 12 signs of the zodiac. The last few battles felt a bit rushed compared to the first ones, but they were still fun to read about.

I'd recommend this one to anyone who loves astrology and wants an adventure inspired by the signs of the zodiac.


On the Cover:

I like the cover. I like the little astrological pictures decorating the numbers.

Rating: 3 hearts



Source: An advantaged copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Find the Book: Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository

Find the Author: Goodreads | Website

1 comment:

  1. I only found out recently that this was an MG novel but I had my eye on it before it sounds really neat. A great premise for a book, anyhow, but it's a shame that it didn't completely work for you. I have a hard time truly enjoying a book when I can't connect to the characters as well.

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