Rai Aren

Reviewed by Erikka Adams aka "The Bookbinder" for TeensReadToo.com

Alex and Mitch are the outcasts of the archaeological dig site they are working at in Egypt. Their supervisor/Professor, Dustimaine, is out to thwart their every attempt at success. If he misses anything, his underling, Fessel C. Blothers, is there to catch them.

One day, Alex and Mitch literally stumble upon a secret; a secret thousands and thousands of years old, unknown to anyone but them. With the help of their lab tech friends, Jack and Bob, Alex and Mitch soon get snared in uncovering a mysterious power somehow connected to the great Sphinx.

Could this be the biggest discovery in archaeological history -- or just someone's plan to hurt and destroy another society?

Rai Aren & Tavius E. write a spellbinding mix of mystery, history, fantasy, and adventure in this tale of two histories - one told in the present, the other told from the past - telling a story of misused power, learning how to trust, and the fate of civilization. The dialogue is believable and the plot is a page-turner.… (mais)

Let me just say - it's rare I leave reviews. I only do it for books I truly do love. As an author, I understand the destructive nature a bad review can give a book, so I subscribe to the old adage, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."

Secret of the Sands has forced me to break that oath. It's a confounding book that you'd like to love but it makes you work so hard to get there that by the furious end, it leaves you winded and feeling like you worked to hard to see the resolution.

Why is it so hard? Well, for one the writing style of the authors, Rai and Tavius isn't typical to my reading preference. That's not their fault. I enjoy a descriptive narrative told in an active voice, while Rai and Tavius' work is primarily telling, passive. This is not to say they don't paint a nice picture of the imagery of what's going on - but it reads at points like a report rather than a fiction tale.

Secondly, the dialogue between the characters (especially those in present time) seems out of place at points and at times comically bad. Some of the characters are paper thin caricatures of evil villains past, such as the conniving assistant Fessel.

The authors are much better when they flashback to Ancient Egypt, but even then its hard to picture a Queen's son in antiquity calling her "Mommy". Little things like that seemed to break you out of the story.

So that's the negative. The positive and the reason I gutted through is that Secret of the Sands is a fantastic story with action, suspense, and musty dusty discoveries that amaze the mind. As Alex and Mitch sift through the clues to what the Pharom is, you're whisked back to Ancient Egypt where the old story of betrayal is interwoven with the mystical powers of an unknown origin.

As you approach the end you'll notice the writing is better, tighter and at a frantic pace. It makes for fun reading that is a page turner toward the end.

I'd recommend Secret of the Sands to those who love history, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Astronaut theory, or all of the above.

JC De La Torre
Author of Rise of the Ancients - Annuna
http://www.riseoftheancientsannuna.com
http://jcdelatorre.com… (mais)