4 Stars
Publisher: 13Thirty Books
Date of publication: October 23rd, 2016
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Where you can find The Mosaic: Amazon | Barnes and Noble
Book synopsis (from Goodreads):
Secrets. It all started while looking for secret passages. Chloe Tozier’s impulsive twin, Zoe, insisted that all old mansions had them. Grandma denied the existence of any here. Except for the boarded-up service elevator that she conveniently forgot to mention before the girls discovered it, the elevator that didn’t seem to go anywhere. They had been living in this private museum with their grandparents since the death of their parents during an archaeology trip to Egypt.
Mysteries. Why have a museum in a tiny town in the middle of Kansas when what’s on display is nothing unusual? Sometimes packages arrived wrapped in plain brown paper that the girls never saw again. Grandpa disappeared overnight and they haven’t heard from him since. And before going to Egypt their parents had mentioned something about a mysterious mosaic. Maybe Zoe was right about family secrets. Maybe it was time to dig further.
My Review:
When the author approached me to read The Mosaic, I was on the fence with it after reading the blurb. But, something called me to review the book. I am glad that I did because The Mosaic was what I needed to break the boredom of reading YA. This book was a joy to read.
The Mosaic’s plotline is pretty basic. Twin girls find hidden rooms in the basement of their museum/house. In those hidden rooms are pieces of a mosaic. The mosaic is more than what it seems to be. The girls come to find out that their grandmother is more than what she seems. They also come to find out that they are more than what they seem. When an ancient evil threatens to revive a war from before history, the girls have to prove themselves. Can they do it or will this ancient evil win?
I liked Zoe and Chloe. I will admit that Zoe drove me a little crazy at times in the book. Mainly because she reminded me of my 12-year-old daughter who is also impulsive. But I liked her heart. She had a big one and she did not fold under pressure. Chloe took a little more time for me to warm up to. Mainly because she was the exact opposite of Zoe. Where Zoe was impulsive, Chloe was almost too cautious. Like Zoe, Chloe also had a huge heart. I feel that they would be very relatable characters for any young teenagers.
I couldn’t figure out if Severin was one of the good guys at first. I figured that he was one of those characters who were gray. I was kind of right.
The girls’ grandmother did confuse me. I wasn’t expecting her revelation. I also wasn’t expecting what happened to her at the end of the book. I was a little upset about that.
I loved the fantasy aspect of The Mosaic. I loved seeing all my favorite mythical/fantasy creatures. I also loved seeing the author’s creative way of writing some of them into the book. Mr. and Mrs. Tok were my favorite.
I do wish that more time was spent on the girls’ powers. I did feel that part of the book was a little rushed. But in the grand scheme of things, it is a small complaint. I also wish that more time was spent on the mythical creatures. I thought that the author did a great job in giving them a different spin and was a little disappointed that more background was given. I also wish that the battle scenes were a little more drawn out or limited to one person. I felt that having 3 different major battles, as well as the smaller ones, were distracting.
The end of the book was interesting. I will not get into it except to say I was not expecting what went down. The twist at the end was very well done. I also liked how the author left it open for a second book (if there was to be one).
Pros of The Mosaic:
A) Relatable characters
B) A different take on fantasy/mythological creatures
C) Strong storyline
Cons of The Mosaic:
A) Not enough time spent on the girls’ powers
B) Not enough time spent on the mythological/fantasy creatures
C) Battles scenes could have been more drawn out and having 3 different battles along with the smaller ones were distracting
I would give The Mosaic a rating of Tween. This is a book that I would feel comfortable letting anyone of the age of 10 read. There is mild violence. Other than that, the book is clean. No swearing or sex.
There are no trigger warnings in The Mosaic.
I would recommend The Mosaic to family and friends. I would reread this book.
I would like to thank Chris Keaton for allowing me to read and review The Mosaic.
All opinions stated in this review of The Mosaic are mine.
**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**