I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Boy A Thousand Years Wide (released Oct 2014) is a YA adventure story. It follows Baxter, an orphan chosen for sacrifice by the twisted Brotherhood. After being helped out of his sticky situation by the enormous Trent, Baxter embarks on a mission to save his friend, find the prophesised Michael Son and possibly save the world along the way!
This book has all the elements of a good YA fantasy/adventure story - magic, a quest, good friends, terrifying monsters and the ultimate bad guy. However it doesn't quite pull it off for some reason. The narrative is choppy and disjointed throughout which left me feeling dissatisfied. I kept waiting for it to smooth out but it never did. While this style of narrative does ensure that the story is fast-paced, it can leave the reader feeling a little confused as to what is going on and where the characters are.
Similarly, I felt the characters were under developed and two-dimensional leaving me with little or no empathy for any of them (with the exception of Alfie the dog... he was great!)
In saying all this the concept of the book was enjoyable enough even if its execution was flawed. It is left a bit open ended so possibly there will be a sequel in which some of these issues may be resolved. I don't think be rushing to get it though.
I'd say this book would appeal to young readers who aren't quite ready for the likes of The Hunger Games and Divergent yet but who are old enough not to be scared by a bit of violence and gore.
