The premise of The Guardians of the Hidden Scepter by Frank L. Cole is a group of college-aged archeology students on a quest to save a precious artifact, although you may not guess that by looking at the cover. My first impression was this was a kids’ book. Upon reading it, it seems more like a cross between Nancy Drew and Indiana Jones with junior high school boys’ humor mixed with an adult-themed quest. That mixture doesn’t always bode well for the story, lending itself to silly humor in the midst of an intense action scene, or dialog that becomes a little boring. Although some might like that break from the seriousness of an action thriller, I felt it detracted from the superb writing and well thought-out plot. Some of the villains and story lines seemed a bit artificial, and the ending came somewhat abruptly. With this plot, details seemed lacking and the story underdeveloped. With such excellent writing, I kept waiting to be educated a little more along with being entertained. Overall the book was intriguing, and a fun read. This book would be great for teens, but I will also being hoping and looking for something geared toward adults by this author.

This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Cedar Fort

Content Analysis:

The book seems geared toward older teens, although younger teens could enjoy this book. The violence was mainly centered around chases, a car accident, shooting, explosions, and a few creepy “monster-like” animals going in for an attack. Nothing was gory or gruesome or even offensive. Younger children might find a few of the instances scary, but even older children could read this book without parents being too squeamish, although the theme is definitely more mature.

Mature Subject Matter:

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Alcohol / Drug Use:

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