Age Level: 10-18
Grade Level: 5th-12thIn The Edifice, Connor Laurel, a normal boy, lives in a neighborhood with his mother and father and an energetic neighbor, Samantha.
One day before his thirteenth birthday, he receives shocking news that he may have a rare medical condition. Two men from the Greater Coalition visit his happy home and schedule to take him to a hidden facility for treatment. Once Connor leaves home he finds that events unfolding aren’t what they seem. Dr. Ferdinand Finn and his stern ally, Colonel Albert, explain that he has a mysterious ability called Impetus.
Now he will be taken to a large spacecraft named Eden, where the leader of the facility is the dark operator Malinda Marks. Connor is introduced to the facility by receiving an exciting device called an ornament. Once he arrives he is befriended by the comical Liam Hudson and the loyal Natalie Finn who each have unique powers of their own.
Connor is given dark brown robes and soon is assigned to many challenging classes such as combative training and aviation. He soon learns that Eden is a miraculous place full of mysteries. If he is to solve the mystery of his ability and this hidden craft then he must dig deeper to find out the agenda of those around him.
Connor must find out the truth of the Edifice.
Publisher: Self Published, July 17, 2014
Print Length: 304 pages
Review
I gave The Edifice 5 out of 5 stars on Amazon and Goodreads
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
On Amazon, the age range suggested for this book is ten through eighteen. In my opinion, it's probably more appropriate for ages ten through fourteen. I kept the audience in mind as I was reading and deciding how I would review The Edifice. This is the first juvenile book I have reviewed and hope it's helpful to parents and teachers who are considering purchasing this for their child or students.
The Edifice is a great read. R.K. Holliday does a nice job presenting and developing the characters in the story. The main character, Connor, has qualities that make him very likable. He is respectful, thoughtful, unselfish, and loves his parents. At the same time, his emotions and concerns are realistic. The story places high value on friendship, loyalty, and trust. All of this adds up to being a nice contrast to many of the characters young viewers see on television these days.
The story itself is fun and suspenseful. I found myself engrossed in the story, even though my age is not the target audience. There are enough twists and turns to keep it moving, but not so many that the plot becomes confusing. Overall, I think most young readers would enjoy The Edifice. I mean, what kid (or adult) doesn't dream of having a super power?
As former teacher and a current homeschooling parent of the age group this book is suitable for, I would like to make this appeal to the author: please consider investing in an editor or a proofreader. The book is filled with punctuation errors and has a few places where the incorrect words are used. The amount of errors would be the only thing holding me back from adding The Edifice to my classroom or home library.
I would like to see more from this author and hope The Edifice and its sequels find their way into the hands of many young readers.
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