Review - James Clyde and the Tomb of Salvation

James Clyde and the Tomb of Salvation by Colm McElwain

Independently Published 1st November 2018

Star Rating - ***.5

Goodreads Challenge - 18/50

I was gifted a copy of this one from the author in exchange for an honest review. 

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Picking up shortly after the events of the first adventure, James Clyde returns with his best friends Ben and Mary Forester to his grandfather’s house in search of a map that will lead them to the Tomb of Salvation – an ancient shrine, where the three diamonds of Orchestra must be returned with the promise of immortality. 

James and his company of adventurers journey through treacherous lands fraught with danger and meet many obstacles along the way – dangerous assassins on board a train, the dastardly Gilbert, also known as the ‘man in black’, and even an unlikely encounter with a fabled lake monster. 

If they reach the Tomb of Salvation, James knows they will then face their greatest threat, for the tomb is said to be home to a terrifying demon – an entity that has shown no mercy to anyone who has ever entered its lair.

The second novel in the James Clyde series will lead you on an action-packed adventure full of mystery, suspense, danger, hope – and, yes, salvation.

My Thoughts

This is the second book in the James Clyde series, which I received from the author in exchange for review. This series is a fun middle grade fantasy series which follows a group of children as they go off on an epic adventure to save the land from an evil queen. The author did say to me when he offered me these books that this one could be read as a standalone however, I would really recommend reading the first in the series beforehand otherwise I think you might struggle to understand the story. 

My thoughts about this one are fairly similar to the first in the series. We pick up the story right where the first one left off and continue on the fun adventure filled with magic and mystery. The writing continues to be quite simple and easy to read but as before this didn't stop me from enjoying the story. The plot continued to intrigue me and at times I was really compelled to keep reading as I was keen to find out what happened next. 

The characters continued to be just as fun. The children continued to support each other and there was a lot of fun and humorous moments amongst this group. The children continued to feel and act like children, rather then all of a sudden becoming older than their years. They laughed, joked and were scared throughout this book but we also saw them step up at times and begin to think like adults. This character development was a nice touch. I also liked how the children weren't left to their own devices and were supported but the adults in this world upon their quest however, the adults didn't overshadow the children. I also really liked learning a bit more about Queen Abigail and where she had come from in this book. 

The ending of this book wrapped up quite nicely. We had a great build up to the climax and then there was quite a nice 'happily ever after' ending. However, I do think it wrapped up quite quickly and I would have maybe liked a little bit more conflict before the resolution. Based on this ending I think this is the final book in the series however, the author has left it open enough for the group to go off on another adventure and I think this would be really fun to see. 

Overall I enjoyed this one just as much as the first one. I think its a really fun middle grade fantasy series that I can see lots of children really enjoying. If you have any budding young readers amongst you I would recommend picking these books up. 

Overall Rating (3.5*)