Book Review: The Colossus Rises by Peter Lerangis

Title: The Colossus Rises (Seven Wonders #1)
Author: Peter Lerangis
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: February 5, 2013

One Boy

Jack McKinley is an ordinary kid with an extraordinary problem. In a few months, he’s going to die.

One Mission

Jack needs to find seven magic loculi that, when combined, have the power to cure him.

One Problem

The loculi are the relics of a lost civilization and haven’t been seen in thousands of years.

Seven Wonders

Because they’re hidden in the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

The first time I saw this book was during the book signing and book launch at the National Bookstore and I just decided to drop by and have my book signed. That was the first time ever and I am so glad I met this awesome author.

The book is like a Percy Jackson series because of the adventures Jack had. I can say that this kind of book is one of the genre I enjoyed reading. I like how the book was written. I like the strong friendship and leadership of the characters. I like the flow of the story and everything it is composed of. I must admit that I got confused at first with their real purpose because of the things that happened but then as I kept reading the book until I've got to know everything.

Honestly Jack (the main character) is still a mysterious one to me so are the other characters. Where did they come from before being one of the team. What happened to their family and who really is the alliance? Who tells the truth and what is the real agenda? So many questions left unanswered and I am curious to know more about it. The more I read the more I don't want to stop. I am honestly excited to read the second book, I am curious what kind of adventure it will bring. 

I've heard things about this book like, "Percy Jackson meets Indiana Jones", but I don't know much about Indiana Jones and this is more like Percy Jackson to me. such an enjoyable and fun book to read. 

The book cover? It's pretty awesome honestly, I fell in love with it right away. It's just so cool and I like the embossed like font in the front cover. Then... I was curious with the title which pushed me more to buy and read the book. Seven Wonders.. does this mean seven books too? I think yes. 

PS: I really can't wait for the next book I need to find time to read.

My Ratings

Lerangis's work includes The Viper's Nest and The Sword Thief, two titles in the children's-book series The 39 Clues, the historical novel Smiler's Bones, the YA dark comedy-adventure novel wtf, the Drama Club series, the Spy X series, the Watchers series, the Abracadabra series, and the Antarctica two-book adventure, as well ghostwriting for series such as the Three Investigators, the Hardy Boys Casefiles, Sweet Valley Twins, and more than forty books in the series The Baby-sitters Club and its various spin-offs.[1] He has also written novels based on film screenplays, including The Sixth Sense, Sleepy Hollow, and Beauty and the Beast, and five video game novelizations in the Worlds of Power series created by Seth Godin.[2] As a ghostwriter he has been published under the name A. L. Singer.[3]

Lerangis is the son of a retired New York Telephone Company employee and a retired public-elementary-school secretary, who raised him in Freeport, New York on Long Island. He graduated from Harvard University with a degree in biochemistry, while acting in musicals[4] and singing with and musically directing the a cappella group the Harvard Krokodiloes,[5][6] before moving to New York. He worked there as an actor[7] and freelance copy editor for eight years before becoming an author.[8]

In 2003, Lerangis was chosen by First Lady Laura Bush to accompany her to the first Russian Book Festival, hosted by Russian First Lady Lyudmila Putina in Moscow.[9][10]Authors R. L. Stine (Goosebumps) and Marc Brown (the Arthur the Aardvark series) also made the trip with Bush.[9]

Also in 2003, Lerangis was commissioned by the United Kingdom branch of Scholastic to write X-Isle, one of four books that would relaunch the Point Horror series there.[11] A sequel, Return to X-Isle, was published in 2004.

In 2007, Scholastic announced the launch of a new historical mystery series called The 39 Clues, intended to become a franchise.[12] Lerangis wrote the third book in the series, The Sword Thief, published in March 2009.[13][14][15] On March 3, 2009, Scholastic announced that Lerangis would write the seventh book in the series, The Viper's Nest.[14][16]

Lerangis lives in New York City with his wife, musician Tina deVaron, and their sons Nick and Joe.[17]