Review of ARKO

[Anaïs Quesson]

[Following is a volunteer review of "ARKO" by U.W. Leo.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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ARKO: The Dark Union follows a group of twelve-year-olds on wonderful adventures to save the planet.
Ariel, Amir, Abigail, Ben, and Gaia are all children of scientists —respectively Daniel (historian/archeologist), Nilakantha (paleontologist), Lilia (doctor), Isaac (physics and computer scientist), and Gustav ((crazy) microbiologist).
The team travels to Mexico to research the Mayan civilization. Kids being kids, the five children wander in the forest while their parents work. They soon discover a concealed door in a rock wall. They randomly trigger the mechanism to open it and decide to explore the dark path it reveals. Deep in the bowels of the earth, they discover a piece of ancient, yet futuristic, machinery they call the Lightrino. Naturally, they (and by they, I mean Ariel) will decide to explore further.
Scientific stuff ensues, resulting in five preteens riding dinosaurs to save humanity from extinction.
What could go wrong?

It sounds cliché, but it did not disappoint. I don't want to be hard on the stereotypes; all YA books are full of them, and overused tropes don't make bad books.

Bonus point for the perfect editing: no typos or formatting errors to report. I noticed a few wordy sentences that were hard to understand (especially for a non-native English speaker), but this is just the author’s writing style.

Overall I had fun. It was a pleasant and refreshing read. I did not see the ending coming: it makes me want to read the sequel!

It took me some time to care about the characters. Initially, the children sound arrogant. They’re smart, even more intelligent than their top-scientists parents. Ariel was particularly excruciating at first.
On the other hand, most of the time, the parents act like children. They touch everything without thinking and draw fast conclusions that could endanger them all. They experiment on their kids and treat them like adults, not caring about their safety whatsoever.
This feeling passed with time, and around halfway through, some good dynamics bonded all the characters together. I cared for them and their adventures.

Many plot details are somewhat unrealistic. Some of the characters are shallow. And a few of my questions remain unanswered.
But it's a kid's book with flying dinosaurs and futuristic technologies, so who cares about realism? I enjoyed reading. Teens and young adults keen on science will too.

If I could, I would rate this book 3.5 stars —I’m rounding it up to 4 out of 5 stars.

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ARKO
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[The Keeper Jr]

Seems like a lot of mysteries and secrets are hidden within this book. I do like the fact that it's related to science and It's a children's book as well. I'm curious though and would like to find out. I liked your review too, it's very clear and well-written. Looking forward to reading more from you. Thanks a lot!

[Anaïs Quesson]

Seems like a lot of mysteries and secrets are hidden within this book. I do like the fact that it's related to science and It's a children's book as well. I'm curious though and would like to find out. I liked your review too, it's very clear and well-written. Looking forward to reading more from you. Thanks a lot!

I really recommend this book. The scientific facts are clearly stated and explained in a way anyone can understand. The mysteries and plot development take a long time to unravel, but this is a truly promising series.
Thank you for your comment!

[Sarah Zain]

I liked the way you presented the book's strengths and weaknesses and explained them.The book seems full of information and adventure, despite the negatives. I think it needs some modification to be a book that deserves the full five stars. Well done Anais.

[Anaïs Quesson]

I liked the way you presented the book's strengths and weaknesses and explained them.The book seems full of information and adventure, despite the negatives. I think it needs some modification to be a book that deserves the full five stars. Well done Anais.

Thank you a lot for your comment, Sarah.

[Cara Wilding]

[Following is a volunteer review of "ARKO" by U.W. Leo.]

What could go wrong?

It sounds cliché, but it did not disappoint. I don't want to be hard on the stereotypes; all YA books are full of them, and overused tropes don't make bad books.

Bonus point for the perfect editing: no typos or formatting errors to report. I noticed a few wordy sentences that were hard to understand (especially for a non-native English speaker), but this is just the author’s writing style.

Overall I had fun. It was a pleasant and refreshing read. I did not see the ending coming: it makes me want to read the sequel!

Anais, another great review - your description of why you didn't like the kids initially had me laughing out loud! I've read a good amount of YA books, and they are like you said..."fun" to read. I think quite a few adults enjoy them as well - I know I do. The language is usually very simple to read, making the pages flow quickly without having to "think" too much. Sometimes I appreciate a book that makes me think, but sometimes I just want to surrender to a book and bid farewell to reality!

[Anaïs Quesson]

Anais, another great review - your description of why you didn't like the kids initially had me laughing out loud! I've read a good amount of YA books, and they are like you said..."fun" to read. I think quite a few adults enjoy them as well - I know I do. The language is usually very simple to read, making the pages flow quickly without having to "think" too much. Sometimes I appreciate a book that makes me think, but sometimes I just want to surrender to a book and bid farewell to reality!

Thank you for taking time to read a couple of my reviews, Cara.

I do agree with you on this! Sometimes YA is the only thing I need to soothe my brain between heavier reads.
For example, I'm reading the Harry Potter books for the first time! I started book one three years ago, actually. I just read another book every other month, whenever I feel like my brain needs a break from serious stuff. I think I'll start the Half-Blood Prince right after my current read!

Do you have any favorite series or recommendation?

[Cara Wilding]

I do agree with you on this! Sometimes YA is the only thing I need to soothe my brain between heavier reads.
For example, I'm reading the Harry Potter books for the first time! I started book one three years ago, actually. I just read another book every other month, whenever I feel like my brain needs a break from serious stuff. I think I'll start the Half-Blood Prince right after my current read!

Do you have any favorite series or recommendation?

Yes! My brain needs a break from the serious stuff! I just got done reading "Project Tau" - it will be my next review, but it was a really fun and easy read - super entertaining as well! Jude Austin is the author and she has 3 of the 5 planned books written. I would definitely recommend those if you wanted to use the books available here. My "favorite" series, is the Mark Greaney "Gray Man" books - not sure if that's something you would enjoy or not, it's more of a CIA driven spy thriller series. You could always read the "Game of Thrones" series, but you'd probably be reading for six months,

[Anaïs Quesson]

Yes! My brain needs a break from the serious stuff! I just got done reading "Project Tau" - it will be my next review, but it was a really fun and easy read - super entertaining as well! Jude Austin is the author and she has 3 of the 5 planned books written. I would definitely recommend those if you wanted to use the books available here. My "favorite" series, is the Mark Greaney "Gray Man" books - not sure if that's something you would enjoy or not, it's more of a CIA driven spy thriller series. You could always read the "Game of Thrones" series, but you'd probably be reading for six months,

I will definitely check all of these out, thanks! I can't wait to read your next review and learn more about Project Tau. (And I've read A Game of Thrones already ahaha, in May. Book two A Clash of Kings has been sitting on my bookshelf for months now but I'm not in the mood for long books lately )

[Gerry Steen]

[Following is a volunteer review of "ARKO" by U.W. Leo.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Share This Review

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ARKO: The Dark Union follows a group of twelve-year-olds on wonderful adventures to save the planet.
Ariel, Amir, Abigail, Ben, and Gaia are all children of scientists —respectively Daniel (historian/archeologist), Nilakantha (paleontologist), Lilia (doctor), Isaac (physics and computer scientist), and Gustav ((crazy) microbiologist).
The team travels to Mexico to research the Mayan civilization. Kids being kids, the five children wander in the forest while their parents work. They soon discover a concealed door in a rock wall. They randomly trigger the mechanism to open it and decide to explore the dark path it reveals. Deep in the bowels of the earth, they discover a piece of ancient, yet futuristic, machinery they call the Lightrino. Naturally, they (and by they, I mean Ariel) will decide to explore further.
Scientific stuff ensues, resulting in five preteens riding dinosaurs to save humanity from extinction.
What could go wrong?

It sounds cliché, but it did not disappoint. I don't want to be hard on the stereotypes; all YA books are full of them, and overused tropes don't make bad books.

Bonus point for the perfect editing: no typos or formatting errors to report. I noticed a few wordy sentences that were hard to understand (especially for a non-native English speaker), but this is just the author’s writing style.

Overall I had fun. It was a pleasant and refreshing read. I did not see the ending coming: it makes me want to read the sequel!

It took me some time to care about the characters. Initially, the children sound arrogant. They’re smart, even more intelligent than their top-scientists parents. Ariel was particularly excruciating at first.
On the other hand, most of the time, the parents act like children. They touch everything without thinking and draw fast conclusions that could endanger them all. They experiment on their kids and treat them like adults, not caring about their safety whatsoever.
This feeling passed with time, and around halfway through, some good dynamics bonded all the characters together. I cared for them and their adventures.

Many plot details are somewhat unrealistic. Some of the characters are shallow. And a few of my questions remain unanswered.
But it's a kid's book with flying dinosaurs and futuristic technologies, so who cares about realism? I enjoyed reading. Teens and young adults keen on science will too.

If I could, I would rate this book 3.5 stars —I’m rounding it up to 4 out of 5 stars.

******
ARKO
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

The Lightrino, a piece of ancient machinery that is also futuristic, has me intrigued. I often think that some traditional tools, we no longer use because of technology, might some day be regarded as futuristic in the aftermath of a destructive event to our earth. This sounds like a fun young adult story for those interested in science and fantasy. Great review!

[Stephen Christopher 1]

At 55 years old, my teen novel reading days are behind me. The characters don't appear to have many redeeming qualities. Then again, as you said, it is a children's book!

[Zanne Crystle]

Your review was fun to read. The book sounds very interesting based on everything you wrote. The dynamic between the parents and children sounds particularly excruciating, but the book seems like good fun if you don't take things too seriously.

[Julie Basil]

This sounds like a book that would really be enjoyed by members of the target audience. I am not big on books like this one, but can appreciate how it would be a "lighter" read amidst more adult books that cover heavier topics and themes. Keep up the good work!

[Kshitija Sonawane]

Ooh this reminds me of a Hindi movie they used to constantly stream when I was a child. I think I enjoy such kind of explorative stories and since it has dinosaurs, I'm in.

[Following is a volunteer review of "ARKO" by U.W. Leo.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Share This Review

---

ARKO: The Dark Union follows a group of twelve-year-olds on wonderful adventures to save the planet.
Ariel, Amir, Abigail, Ben, and Gaia are all children of scientists —respectively Daniel (historian/archeologist), Nilakantha (paleontologist), Lilia (doctor), Isaac (physics and computer scientist), and Gustav ((crazy) microbiologist).
The team travels to Mexico to research the Mayan civilization. Kids being kids, the five children wander in the forest while their parents work. They soon discover a concealed door in a rock wall. They randomly trigger the mechanism to open it and decide to explore the dark path it reveals. Deep in the bowels of the earth, they discover a piece of ancient, yet futuristic, machinery they call the Lightrino. Naturally, they (and by they, I mean Ariel) will decide to explore further.
Scientific stuff ensues, resulting in five preteens riding dinosaurs to save humanity from extinction.
What could go wrong?

It sounds cliché, but it did not disappoint. I don't want to be hard on the stereotypes; all YA books are full of them, and overused tropes don't make bad books.

Bonus point for the perfect editing: no typos or formatting errors to report. I noticed a few wordy sentences that were hard to understand (especially for a non-native English speaker), but this is just the author’s writing style.

Overall I had fun. It was a pleasant and refreshing read. I did not see the ending coming: it makes me want to read the sequel!

It took me some time to care about the characters. Initially, the children sound arrogant. They’re smart, even more intelligent than their top-scientists parents. Ariel was particularly excruciating at first.
On the other hand, most of the time, the parents act like children. They touch everything without thinking and draw fast conclusions that could endanger them all. They experiment on their kids and treat them like adults, not caring about their safety whatsoever.
This feeling passed with time, and around halfway through, some good dynamics bonded all the characters together. I cared for them and their adventures.

Many plot details are somewhat unrealistic. Some of the characters are shallow. And a few of my questions remain unanswered.
But it's a kid's book with flying dinosaurs and futuristic technologies, so who cares about realism? I enjoyed reading. Teens and young adults keen on science will too.

If I could, I would rate this book 3.5 stars —I’m rounding it up to 4 out of 5 stars.

******
ARKO
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon