The Quantum Door by Jonathan Ballagh - Book Review
Synopsis
Discover what lies beyond the Quantum Door.
The mysterious woods behind Brady and Felix's house have been deserted
for years. But things change when a fence goes up and the brothers
notice strange things happening at night. From the moment they dare
cross the fence, the brothers enter a world of dark technological
secrets that will rock the foundation of everything they know to be
true. And once they enter, there's no turning back. Some places are better left alone...
Buy Links
My Review
The Quantum Door is a middle-grade fantasy/sci-fi type story
that, while written for kids around the ages of 8-14, can be enjoyed by
adults as well.
The story definitely reminded me of an episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark, even though I'm not sure why. The episode I'm remembering had to do with aliens and a TV set that kept turning on. It also reminded me of something you might see in an episode of Doctor Who. But one of the scarier episodes, not one of the campy ones. And, like, if the Daleks had tentacles and stuff. Yeah...
Anyway, The Quantum Door has two brothers who are very relatable. They argue. They tease one another. They hang out together like siblings do. The boys notice some strange things going on in the woods near their home, and being typical boys, they decide to investigate. What they find is something neither of them was expecting. Their discovery is what sets the story in motion, and it will keep you rushing through the pages, eager to find out more.
I really enjoyed the other characters in the story. Nova was pretty cool, especially when more of her backstory is revealed. And her doggy companion is definitely a fun addition to the story.
The plot is paced quite nicely, and I can't recall a dull moment anywhere in the story. It was, at least for me, a quick read, and it kept my curiosity piqued all the way through.
The world building was great, as well. There's the main world where the boys live, the world Nova is from, and another world that Nova sends the brothers to that leaves them wanting to stay there forever.
The only thing I really detracted a star for is the wording used. I felt some of the things mentioned were a little advanced for the age range the book is marketed to. It gets a little tech-y at times. That's not necessarily a bad thing, especially because kids nowadays are all about technology, but I do think some readers may have a harder time understanding it. I, as an adult, occasionally had to stop and try to figure out what was being explained or talked about. I'm not very tech-knowledgeable. Or techno-logical, if you will. lol
Overall, I rather enjoyed The Quantum Door, and I'd like to read more stories involving Felix, Brady, Nova, and Achilles. I'd rate the story 4 stars, and I'd definitely recommend it to everyone, but especially parents with kids in the age range. You never know; they might just discover a love of reading if they haven't already.
The story definitely reminded me of an episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark, even though I'm not sure why. The episode I'm remembering had to do with aliens and a TV set that kept turning on. It also reminded me of something you might see in an episode of Doctor Who. But one of the scarier episodes, not one of the campy ones. And, like, if the Daleks had tentacles and stuff. Yeah...
Anyway, The Quantum Door has two brothers who are very relatable. They argue. They tease one another. They hang out together like siblings do. The boys notice some strange things going on in the woods near their home, and being typical boys, they decide to investigate. What they find is something neither of them was expecting. Their discovery is what sets the story in motion, and it will keep you rushing through the pages, eager to find out more.
I really enjoyed the other characters in the story. Nova was pretty cool, especially when more of her backstory is revealed. And her doggy companion is definitely a fun addition to the story.
The plot is paced quite nicely, and I can't recall a dull moment anywhere in the story. It was, at least for me, a quick read, and it kept my curiosity piqued all the way through.
The world building was great, as well. There's the main world where the boys live, the world Nova is from, and another world that Nova sends the brothers to that leaves them wanting to stay there forever.
The only thing I really detracted a star for is the wording used. I felt some of the things mentioned were a little advanced for the age range the book is marketed to. It gets a little tech-y at times. That's not necessarily a bad thing, especially because kids nowadays are all about technology, but I do think some readers may have a harder time understanding it. I, as an adult, occasionally had to stop and try to figure out what was being explained or talked about. I'm not very tech-knowledgeable. Or techno-logical, if you will. lol
Overall, I rather enjoyed The Quantum Door, and I'd like to read more stories involving Felix, Brady, Nova, and Achilles. I'd rate the story 4 stars, and I'd definitely recommend it to everyone, but especially parents with kids in the age range. You never know; they might just discover a love of reading if they haven't already.
Author Bio
Jonathan Ballagh is the author of the new Sci-Fi thriller The Quantum
Door. He has been writing software since he was five, created his first
online game at fourteen, and has a deep love of all things A.I. and
robotics. He currently lives in Virginia with his wife and three kids.
Follow him on twitter @JonathanBallagh.
0 Comments
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