She already lost her mom, now her father is missing . . .
Maddie Jonesâ dad has been kidnapped. The only way to save him is to uncover the mysteries behind the ancient terracotta warriors of China. But the mysteries reveal a 2,000-year-old curse and a plan to unleash the soul of a malicious emperor. Whatâs a teenage girl to do? How about enlist the help of her seriously annoying brothers and stow away in a crate of mummies . . . then begin a very dangerous quest.
An ancient evil is awakening. Terracotta warriors are coming to life. And worst of all for Maddie, sheâll have to recruit one if her plan is going to succeed. Maddie and her brothers will do anything to find and save their dad . . . even if they have to fight a mummy who has been plotting revenge for thousands of years.
Some tombs shouldnât be opened.
Maddie Jones is an edgy Nancy Drew meets the Goonies with a voice like Percy Jackson.
She already lost her mom, now her father is missing . . .
Maddie Jonesâ dad has been kidnapped. The only way to save him is to uncover the mysteries behind the ancient terracotta warriors of China. But the mysteries reveal a 2,000-year-old curse and a plan to unleash the soul of a malicious emperor. Whatâs a teenage girl to do? How about enlist the help of her seriously annoying brothers and stow away in a crate of mummies . . . then begin a very dangerous quest.
An ancient evil is awakening. Terracotta warriors are coming to life. And worst of all for Maddie, sheâll have to recruit one if her plan is going to succeed. Maddie and her brothers will do anything to find and save their dad . . . even if they have to fight a mummy who has been plotting revenge for thousands of years.
Some tombs shouldnât be opened.
Maddie Jones is an edgy Nancy Drew meets the Goonies with a voice like Percy Jackson.
THE STRANGE POTION SWIRLED IN the goblet like liquid silver.
I studied the potion before looking up at the alchemist. A young man with hair as dark as his silken robes. A white scar marred his cheek. His face seemed familiar, but I couldnât place him in my memory. He stepped back from the marble pedestal he had set the goblet and knelt to plant his face on the ground.
âMy Liege,â he bellowed from the floor. âI offer you the drink of immortalityâthe Elixir of Life!âÂ
I shifted the hem of my golden robe. My hand came free and I grasped the goblet. The silver potion stirred. It moved unnaturally as if in slow motion. I brought the goblet to my nose and sniffed. Nothing. No trace of a smell, but invisible fumes wafted up my nostrils and I suddenly felt dizzy and lightheaded. I saw my image reflected in the mirrored liquidâwrinkles, thinning hair, and a jawline that blended with my neck.Â
Time had not been kind.
âCoffâcoffârise servantââ my voice sounded gravelly from the hacking cough Iâd been plagued with for months.
The alchemist climbed to his feet.
I set my elbow onto the armrest of my throne, a magnificent chair of black obsidian inlaid with gemstones and jade. âWhere did you come by this?â I asked, admiring the silver drink as I swirled it around inside the cup.
A bead of sweat ran down the alchemistâs brow. âShambhala,â his youthful voice bounced off two monumental red pillars and echoed into the throne roomâs cavernous ceiling. âBeyond the Gobi Desert. High in the mountains amongst the Buddhist monks.â
âWhat did youâcoff, coffâmix it with?â
âSalt and cinnabar, My Liege. But the secret ingredient was the blood of a pixiu.â
âPixiu blood,â I repeated. âSo the creature is real?â
The alchemist inclined his head.
My gaze darted to a pair of royal guards standing watch near the entrance. They seemed to take no notice of this revelation, instead staring forward like lifeless marionettes with spears gripped tightly in their hands.
âDid you drink it?â
âI would not dare,â the alchemist said. âYours is the only life worthy of eternity.â
I sniffed the potion again. Another bout of dizziness distorted my vision. It must truly be a godly drink to have this effect on me. I started to ask why its fumes caused such lightheadedness when a scratch at the back of my throat made me cough. The physicians said I need not worry, that the cough would subside, but the blood on my handkerchiefs told me otherwise.
Death would come for me soon.
I cleared my throat to smother the cough. I couldnât risk waiting for another alchemist to bring the Elixir. This mysterious drink must be it. So I raised my goblet. âTo immortality,â I bellowed, and I put the goblet to my lips and drank deeply.
The drink was bitter-cold and thick. It tasted metallic with hints of salt and a strange sweetness I could not place. I swallowed the last drop and slammed the goblet down. My itchy throat no longer tickled. The liquidâs healing powers must already be working.
âNow,â I rasped, my voice suddenly hissing instead of its usual grumble. âLetâs discuss your rewardââ
A sharp pain pierced my stomach. Vomit curdled in the back of my mouth âWhat is this?â I demanded, but no sound escaped my lips. Spittle dribbled onto my chin. I dabbed at the wetness with a silken handkerchief and pulled away fresh droplets of blood mixed with liquid silver. I looked up at the alchemist with wide eyes.
He drew a hidden blade from his robes.
âGuardsââ I tried to shout, but instead I retched onto the floor. Dizziness engulfed me. I felt myself falling forward. The world seemed to spin. The next thing I saw was the alchemist standing over me with his dagger pressed to my throat. My insides writhed like an army of soldiers fired a volley of arrows.
âH-help!â I stammered, but my words failed again.
âQin Shi Huang,â the alchemist spoke my name. âYour reign of terror is over. No longer will you slaughter the innocent.â
âWhoâwhoâ?â
âWho am I?â he asked. âYou donât remember?â
I tried to scream for help, but all that came out was a strangled gasp.
The alchemist grabbed a lock of my thinning hair and forced me to look him in the eye. âThatâs it, take a good lookâyou know who I am.â
I did. That white scar across his cheek. His brown eyes and black hair. He was the spitting image of . . .
âYes,â he breathed. âYou killed my fatherâGeneral Li Fei. You damned his soul when you cursed his men. Now I curse you. The potion you drank will give you eternal nightmares. Your soul will not rest, just like my fatherâs.â
The guards were running now. I could see them out the corner of my eye rushing to seize my attacker. But they wouldnât make it in time. The alchemist drew his blade across my neck. Fire lanced across my flesh. My lifeblood poured out from my veins and the roomâs temperature turned to ice. The last image I saw before darkness swallowed me was the smirk on my assassinâs face.
Then the nightmares began . . .
When the police come to Maddie Jones's school, she thinks they're going to arrest her for one of her many pranks. But the truth is much worse: her archaeologist dad has been kidnapped (Or dadnapped?). Maddie is certain this has something to do with the shipment of Qin dynasty terracotta warriors that just arrived at her dad's museum from China. With the help of her two younger brothers, Maddie will face untold dangers and unravel ancient secrets to get her dad back. And she thought climbing the rock wall in gym class was tough...
Curse of the Terracotta Warriors is an action-packed book that moves quickly. Almost every chapter ends in a cliffhanger, which keeps the reader tuning pages. Unfortunately, much of the action sequences in Part One can feel repetitive, and the novel would have benefitted from tightening up the first third of the book.
Maddie is, far and away, the star of the novel. She's bold, a natural troublemaker with a snarky personality that will instantly endear her to readers. Told from Maddie's first-person point of view, her clear voice and colorful narration will leave readers cheering for her through the most dire situations.
There are a few writing pitfalls throughout the book. Capitalization is occasionally inconsistent, with some character's names or the start of sentences not being capitalized while common nouns are. Another instance sees Maddie "hurtling" over an obstacle rather than "hurdling" it. These aren't major issues, and nothing that another proofing wouldn't fix.
The Chinese setting of Xi'an is bland and feels shallow and poorly researched. Characters refer to "Chinese letters" and the "Chinese alphabet" when it's common knowledge that Mandarin does not have an alphabet. The characters also watch CNN in their hotel room in Xi'an and use Wi-Fi at a Starbuck's to do research, despite the fact that Chinese media is heavily censored. The Chinese setting doesn't pop enough, and these inaccuracies show through.
Even so, Curse of the Terracotta Warriors is a fun, entertaining romp with a vivacious protagonist that's tough to put down. It's short, action-packed chapters make this a great pick for reluctant readers, and middle-grade kids who love adventures.