The Labyrinthians

*I received a free ecopy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

8 things you need to know about The Labyrinthians:


1. The plot is really neat, kinda like Ready Player One and The Westing Game had a baby. If you haven't read either of those books, you should. If you have read/enjoyed one, or both, of them, then this may be the book for you. In The Labyrinthians, Kim and her family move into an old farmhouse her mom has inherited from a long, lost great-uncle, only to discover that the uncle built a huge labyrinth under the home that contains a precious jewel worth millions of dollars. Ah - MAZE - ing shenanigans ensue. 

2. Tired of YA books being about teens who hate their parents?  If so, then this is the book for you. The teens in this book are nice, which actually IS a little refreshing (especially after reading the Hunger Games Trilogy staring "Panties up her Butt" Everdeen). Kim and her brothers, Nate and Elliot, are adopted. Kim, whose point of view is the main focus of the book, loves her adopted family and is grateful to them for all they have done for her. Shocking, I know. I also just realized there is little to no bad language in the book. So, it's a good, clean read for anyone who tends to shy away from sex, drugs, and foul-mouthed hooligan teens.

3. There is a sweet love story. Even though it is predominately an action/adventure book, Kim begins to developing feelings for her foster brother Nate. It isn't Lifetime Movie "I'm in Love with My Brother" icky, because her family has only recently taken Nate in after his parents died in a car crash. She's only known him a little while, so the relationship feels fresh and new. It doesn't go very far in this first book, but you can tell it is going to happen. Again the book is very clean, so the window steamer factor is extremely low. Just some smooching.

4. The rooms in the Labyrinth are really cool! Okay, Okay, so what if this Labyrinth doesn't contain David Bowie singing to a baby? It still has some really unique puzzles to solve and creepy things to get past. It's really imaginative, almost to the point that you are thinking, "Wow, I wish I could come up with that." There's a chainsaw room, a video game room, a jungle room, and a carnival room, just to name a few. It was really nice to turn the pages while wondering what will she think up for them to conquer next...

5. ... which leads me to a tiny negative ... The Labyrinth can get really confusing. I'll admit it, I'm blonde. With that being said, I think that redheads will also be left scratching their brains a few times while reading this book. The maze has a design that is so intricate, you are sometimes forced to reread sections just to try to keep up. I think it would actually be beneficial if each chapter contained a small map of the labyrinth that would show readers where the kids are. Hey, it's just an idea. I'm sure the author plotted, planned, schemed, and spent hours working on the details of the labyrinth. It shows in her work. But without all of that visually mapped out in front of you, it can become confusing. I'm telling you ... Maps ... they would love the book like I loved it.  

6. There's a pretty creepy villain. The man behind the maze is pretty twisted, but not too twisted. The book does, therefore, contain some graphic violence *think chainsaw room*, but nothing a teen (or tween) couldn't handle. 

7. It made me want to try the Great Escape game. I know these maze places seem to be popping up all over the United States, and I've really wanted to try one for a while, now. This book made me want to try one even more. There's one opening up about an hour from my house this summer, so I'm going to go try it out with some friends in June. Excited!

8. It's a good book. I liked it enough to try the second book. I suggest you give it a try. It would be a great summer read. :-)