Official Review: The Quetzal's Skull by Margaret Gill

[e-tasana-williams]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Quetzal's Skull" by Margaret Gill.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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In The Quetzal's Skull (the sequel to Narwhal), award-winning author Margaret Gill continues the story of Gray Edmund as he learns more about his connection to the spirit world. This young adult novel opens with Gray travelling from his home in the Isles of Scilly to Winchester, England to start his first term at St. Alfred's College. When his friend Julie Heatheringay is not at the airport to pick him up, Gray agrees to have a coffee with a mysterious but friendly stranger while he waits.

The stranger is Juan Paseo and he befriends young Gray. Juan has similar abilities to Gray and takes him under his wing to teach him more about his gift. Gray reluctantly accepts the offer and agrees to be trained as a shaman. Meanwhile, Julie has been kidnapped by members of the notorious Condor drug cartel who are using her as bait to get closer to Gray. Unbeknownst to him, he has a key role in an indigenous Costa Rican prophecy linked to the ancient god Quetzalcoatl. From here the story is a fast-paced adventure including international travel, cat-and-mouse chases and black magic.

The Quetzal's Skull is a good read. It is entertaining and thought-provoking. Ms. Gill uses the story to dramatize social issues that plague much of Central and South America--endangered rainforests, drug cartels more powerful than national governments, and indigenous ways of life threatened by mainstream cultures. She has done her research and presents the complex problems in a way young readers can understand.

Readers who enjoy fantasy/adventure stories will like this one. Ms. Gill quickly whisks her audience into the heart of this magical tale and maintains a swift pace until the very end. It is easy to see why it earned a Global e-book award in 2011.

Readers from some religious backgrounds may not enjoy this book, as it is filled with animism, spirit guides and black magic.

This book is a sequel but it can stand alone, as the reader can easily grasp the background. There are some grammatical errors and editorial oversights in the text. Gray's parts of the story are told from the first person perspective, while the rest of the book is written in third person omniscient; there are some segments that mix the two perspectives and are a bit confusing.

I rate The Quetzal's Skull 3 out of 4 stars. It needs some editing, but overall it is an entertaining novel that raises important real world issues.

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The Quetzal's Skull
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Like e-tasana-williams's review? Post a comment saying so!

[AA1495]

Wish it was edited better. Thank you for your great review.

[Scott]

Great review, @e-tasana-williams !! You do a great job of naming both the good and the opportunities for improvement.

Editing is extremely important. With over 2 million new books published each year alone, and thus so much competition, it is very important that any manuscript is thoroughly professionally edited prior to publication.

[kimmyschemy06]

Sounds like a great read and a well researched book. Too bad about the errors. Good job on the review.

[e-tasana-williams]

Thank you for the responses I really enjoyed the book; hopefully edits will be made and the book will get higher ratings.

[MarisaRose]

This is a great review! I enjoy YA books, especially those that are fast paced and magical. I think I may be able to overlook some of the grammatical/editing issues for this one. Thanks for the honest review!

[gali]

Sounds like a cute tale. It is good that it scan be read as a stand alone. Who can resist adventures, cat-and-mouse chases, and black magic? I hope the errors were fixed by now, though. Thank you for the review!

[Heidi M Simone]

A young adult fantasy that involves a narwhal tusk with magical symbols, a gang of deal dealers, and an ancient god sounds perfect for me. I think I read somewhere that the editing has been fixed, so that'll make this an even better read! Thank you for sharing!

[tarafarah7]

Thank you for mentioning this book's editing has been fixed. I feel more readers will be drawn to it! Thanks!

A young adult fantasy that involves a narwhal tusk with magical symbols, a gang of deal dealers, and an ancient god sounds perfect for me. I think I read somewhere that the editing has been fixed, so that'll make this an even better read! Thank you for sharing!

[kandscreeley]

Sounds wonderful. I like young adult books that raise important issues. Plus it helps if they ate enjoyable at the same time. This is a win all the way around. Thanks for sharing.

[tarafarah7]

You did a very nice job reviewing this book, and I like that it can stand alone, in case some missed the first book. Thank you!

As for the book, itself, I wish it was set someplace other than Costa Rica. I see that Ms. Gill was a teacher, herself, but there are many who teach that Costa Rica is considered the one of the happiest and most peaceful places in the world, despite its location being smack dap in the middle of the world's not so safe trafficking corridor. Claiming you leave a better person than when you arrived, many that visit Costa Rica come to realize the true meaning behind the Ticos phrase "Pura Vida." With the absence of a formal military since 1948, people also begin to see the benefits of the country's emphasis on education and health, rather than tanks and war.

Perhaps a better place for the story to take place would have been Central Mexico, since Quetzalcoatl occupied many of the ancient myths of that area much more so than Costa Rica, though it wasn't at all unheard of. This being said, kids ages 8-16 could have also learned about the Mayan and Aztec cultures while reading this book, if set in Mexico. Obviously, these are just my own opinions, and since I haven't read this book, I might be totally off base. Sorry, if so.

Just a quick question...wasn't it Margaret Gill's book Narwhal that won the Global ebook award, rather than The Quetzal's Skull? I see on her site, she says both books won the award, but on the actual Global Ebook Award site it states Narwhal was a winner, but The Quetzal's Skull was longlisted in 2011. Just wondering...

I did download my free copy. Thank you. Keep up the great work, @e-tasana-williams! I appreciate your helpful, honest review and I'm looking forward to more in the future.

[LivreAmour217]

Too bad about the lack of editing, because this sounds like an interesting story. Great job on the review!

[pobox]

You did a very nice job reviewing this book, and I like that it can stand alone, in case some missed the first book. Thank you!

As for the book, itself, I wish it was set someplace other than Costa Rica. I see that Ms. Gill was a teacher, herself, but there are many who teach that Costa Rica is considered the one of the happiest and most peaceful places in the world, despite its location being smack dap in the middle of the world's not so safe trafficking corridor. Claiming you leave a better person than when you arrived, many that visit Costa Rica come to realize the true meaning behind the Ticos phrase "Pura Vida." With the absence of a formal military since 1948, people also begin to see the benefits of the country's emphasis on education and health, rather than tanks and war.

Perhaps a better place for the story to take place would have been Central Mexico, since Quetzalcoatl occupied many of the ancient myths of that area much more so than Costa Rica, though it wasn't at all unheard of. This being said, kids ages 8-16 could have also learned about the Mayan and Aztec cultures while reading this book, if set in Mexico. Obviously, these are just my own opinions, and since I haven't read this book, I might be totally off base. Sorry, if so.

I second your observation about Costa Rica. When I read a review I thought it will be 4/4. It sounds interesting

[AA1495]

Wish the book was edited better. I'm glad you enjoyed reading the book though. Thank You for the honest and well written review.

[ReadtoLive]

This sounds like a really fun book that I'd enjoy. I like the fact that the author used a kind of magical adventure story to talk about some real problems. That will make it even more interesting to read the book. I'm definitely going to add this one to my list. Thanks for the great review!