Seven Wonders Journals: The Key by Peter Lerangis

Ever since their mother died, Aliyah has watched her family fall apart. She lives in a hovel with her twin brother, Osman. Their treasure hunting father is rarely around, let alone sober. And since their mother's death, their father has been working for several shady men. When their father is commissioned to search the ruins of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus for treasure, the twins decide to go with him. But their search turns into a nightmare when the twins and their father run into the zombie of Artemisia.

Lerangis creates an intriguing novella where readers follow the courageous, but desperate Aliyah as she tries to hold her family together through any challenge: alcoholism, criminals, treasure-seeking ferrets, backstabbing business partners, sibling stupidity, or crumbling zombies. Aliyah's character seems incredibly real and tangible from the words she writes in her diary. Lerangis proves he is a master writer in composing such an emotionally rich story in less than eighty pages. A great supplemental read to Seven Wonders Book 3: Tomb of Shadows.  

   

Seven Wonders Book 4: The Curse of the King by Peter Lerangis

After the Loculus of Healing is smashed, Jack, Cass, and Aly think that their quest is over. So the three tweens return home to live out their last months. But when Jack and Cass’s Loculus shards fuse together, they realize their mission is still possible. However, the Massa took the remaining shards back to their headquarters on Karai’s island. To get the Massa’s attention and be returned to the island, the three friends pursue the Loculus of Strength held by the statue of Zeus in Olympia. But it is far from being a simple snatch-and-grab. The statue comes to life and fights the tweens to keep the Loculus. After a humiliating defeat, Jack, Cass, and Aly are kidnapped by the Massa.

Warning! The Curse of the King may cause readers to stay up all night due to the book’s addictive plot and adrenaline-pumping action. Fans were left speechless when Jack destroyed the Loculus of Healing at the end of The Tomb of Shadows. But hope blooms in The Curse of the King when the Loculus’ shards heal themselves. This revelation jump-starts Jack, Cass, and Aly’s commitment to their life-saving mission. With time quickly running out, the threesome take greater risks in gaining an upper hand against the Massa. However, their risks come with grave consequences. Even though the books say “Seven Wonders”, Lerangis is graciously writing five novels to complete the series. The final book, The Legend of the Rift, will come out March 2016.

Seven Wonders Journals: The Select and The Orphan by Peter Lerangis

The Select:

Burton Friedrich Wenders is dying because, like many before him, he is a Select. Through his father’s research, they have learned of an island that could unfold the mystery of Burton’s condition. But disastrous problems plague their voyage, especially when they set foot on the island.

The Orphan:

Daria will do anything to keep her friends, Frada and Nico, safe. But with Frada dying and Nico arrested, Daria must tap into her courage, intelligence, and Select abilities to keep her friends alive.

Going along with the Seven Wonders series, Lerangis will publish supplemental journals written centuries before the Jack, Aly, Cass, and Marco enter the picture. The Select shows the discovery of the mystical island before the Karai Institute was founded. The Orphan gives Daria’s backstory before Jack, Aly, Cass, and Marco come into her life. These journals are fast-paced, suspenseful reads that add more clarity and richness to the Seven Wonders world. The next journal, The Key, will be released February 2015. 

Seven Wonders Book 3: The Tomb of Shadows by Peter Lerangis

Jack, Aly, Cass, and Torquin arrive at the Karai Institute to witness a Massa invasion. Working together they rescue an injured Prof. Bhegad, reclaim the two Loculi, and escape the island. With no one left to trust, Jack convinces his friends to seek his father's help. After a bumpy and nail-biting trip, Jack is reunited with his father to help hospitalize Bhegad. But Bhegad’s survival lies only with the Loculus of Healing located in the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. Thus the quest must continue for the four tweens, not only to save their own lives but to also save the life of Prof. Bhegad.

Seven Wonders Books 3: The Tomb of Shadows will reeve readers up for a wild ride blazing across the globe and careening into the underworld. Readers will unlock clues to the world’s past as they follow Jack, Aly, and Cass through many unimaginable dangers. In this book, Jack faces some of his deepest fears: the possible betrayal of his mother, the demise of his new home, the unpredictable reunion with his father, the loss of Prof. Bhegad’s steadying influence, and the probable end of finding a cure. But in each case, Jack can only trust his amazing intuition to carry him through each of these trials. The fourth book, The Curse of the King, will be released March 2015.

Seven Wonders Book 2: Lost in Babylon by Peter Lerangis

Marco’s tracker takes Jack, Cass, and Aly to the ancient remains of Babylon. Once they locate Marco, he takes them through a time-travel portal to a thriving Babylon and its famous Hanging Gardens. As they remove the Loculus at the gardens, Babylon is hit with massive earthquakes. The friends leave Babylon and return with Shelley—an electronic orb invented at the Karai Institute that will harness the power of a Loculus. But Massarene monks follow the tween's back to Babylon, thanks to a traitor within the four friends.

The roller-coaster ride of adventure continues in the second book of Lerangis’ Seven Wonders series. In the midst of the non-stop action and nail-biting suspense, Lerangis takes the time to explore the newly formed bond between the four friends. After getting to know one another from their first quest, Jack, Marco, Aly, and Cass have accepted each other as family. And as a family the four tweens are able to accomplish amazing feats together. Yet, what would happen if one of them strayed from the others? The shock of losing a friend to the Massa makes the other tweens question the true purpose behind the Karai Institute. The third book in the Seven Wonders series is The Tomb of Shadows.

Seven Wonders Book 1: The Colossus Rises by Peter Lerangis

While on his way to middle school, Jack McKinley blacks out. After a spell at the hospital, Jack wakes up at the Karai Institute and meets three other tweens—Aly, Cass, and Marco. The Karai Institute’s purpose is to study the tween’s genetic abnormality caused by their Atlantis ancestry. This abnormality gives them superpowers, but it will cost the tweens their lives. To save themselves, the four tweens must restore seven powerful orbs—called Loculi—back to the remains of Atlantis. The Loculi were hidden at each of the seven wonders of the ancient world, but only one of the seven wonders still exist today. Only by tapping into their newfound powers will the tweens have any chance of finding the Loculi and saving their lives.

Lerangis creates an unpredictable thrill ride with the Seven Wonders series. Readers will see the world through Jack’s humorously insightful narrative as he discovers his new life as a Select. Jack’s “super ability” is to see the big picture when facing outlandish odds—like a hundred-foot bronze man and a ferocious griffin. Then he finds creative solutions to conquer those odds by successfully utilizing the skills of his friends. Yet, Jack cannot see easy solutions to his own problems—like the separation from his father or his impending death. This is an ideal series for fans of Percy Jackson, Fablehaven, or Harry Potter. The next book in the series is Lost in Babylon.