YA Fantasy review of Thomas Wildus and the Wizard of Sumeria by J. M Bergen

Thomas Wildus and the Wizard of Sumeria by J.M. Bergen
Format:  E-ARC
Genre:  YA/Fantasy
Publisher:  Elandrian Press
Number of Pages:
Publishing:  May 20th, 2020
Source:  Publisher in exchange for an honest review
Opening line:  "All right, sulkers," said Enrique.  Race you to Akhil's house.  Winner gets first pick from the loot bag."  

Synopsis from publisher: 

In Thomas Wildus and the Wizard of Sumeria, three months have passed since Thomas and Enrique faced off against Arius Strong and prevented an all-out apocalypse. Three long, glorious, summer months – months filled with friends, family, magic, and Thomas’s first real kiss.

Unfortunately, the good times are coming to a rapid end. With a cryptic message from a mysterious hacker, Thomas discovers that his nemesis is pursuing an object even more powerful than the crystals. Arius will stop at nothing to find the treasure and destroy his enemies, and this time he’s not alone. Dark creatures with darker powers are flocking to Arius’s cause: shapeshifters, warlocks, even a sadistic killer in a schoolgirl outfit.

The forces of good are gathering as well, but with so much darkness at Arius’s disposal, the prospects for Thomas and his friends look increasingly grim. Will time run out before he sees through the lies and uncovers the next level of his destiny?

                                                            

                                                         My thoughts: 

In the first book in the series, Thomas discovered the Book of Sorrows, an ancient text that revealed his secret family legacy and Thomas was able to unlock magical abilities he never knew he had.  Thomas also came face to face with Arius Strong, an evil and powerful magician and was instrumental in preventing Strong from achieving his plans to destroy the world by reawakening the powers hidden inside of magical crystals.  

The Wizard of Sumeria takes place three months after the events in the first book.  Thomas and his friends were looking forward to a quiet summer of honing their newfound abilities and a much-needed break with their girlfriends.  Arius Strong had been blinded as a punishment for his quest for power but continued to be a huge lingering threat.  Then a hacker infiltrates Akhil's secure server posting a cryptic message for Thomas and his friends about locating a staff.  Concerned that Strong is searching for a new ancient source of power and amassing an army around him, Thomas, Enrique, and Akhil head to a remote compound in the mountains of China where powerful magicians are pooling resources to aid in the fight.  

This part of the story had a strong Percy Jackson and Breaking Dawn part two vibe for me.  Especially as the magicians start to gather at the compound.  Each of the magicians has their own unique type of magic, there's telepathy, transformation, teleportation, and seers.  Things were defiantly building toward a massive confrontation between Thomas, his allies and Strong.   Thomas and Enrique even began private lessons with their mentor, Scott Alpheus to strengthen their magical abilities with a focus on learning to adapt to new situations and to work as a team or unit.  But when one of their own was taken, their plans change to a rescue mission.  Together they plan to enter Strong's castle, neutralize the enemy, and gather information about the staff.  

This is where Bergen throws in a huge twist to the story.  A new formidable enemy begins to take shape, one who's been quietly orchestrating an attack of their own and I absolutely loved it.  This new foe is smart, technologically superior and seems to be able to deflect all of their magical attacks.  Thomas is in for the fight of his life, a fight where he'll need to be resourceful, determined, and realize strength might not be the answer.  Instead, he will need to utilize the skills that his mentor has been teaching him, to be aware of his surroundings and use it to his advantage.  Magic would not be enough this time.  I enjoyed how Thomas learned to adapt his attacks and how in the end he successfully retrieved the staff, wielding its power.  Even how Thomas found himself aligning with an enemy in order to fight a common foe.   I don't want to give to many details about just who that person is and spoil the fun.  

Each book in the series begins to fill in loose threads of Thomas dad's disappearance and whether or not he's still alive.  I liked the direction the story is going with this.  While Thomas doesn't have all of the answers, he's getting closer.  But his ultimate task is far from over and the fight will continue to Malta, where he once again might find other magicians to help in the battle.  Overall, an exciting story filled with new enemies, and dark magical attacks for Thomas and his friends to contend with.  I look forward to reading the next book in the series.          

About J.M. Bergen: 

J.M.’s debut fantasy/magic series originally started as a bedtime story for his oldest son. The story turned into a saga, and one book turned into five.

When J.M. isn’t working on the Thomas Wildus books, you can find him playing with his kids, napping, or dreaming up new adventures.

If you ever meet him and can’t think of anything to talk about, you might ask about Herman the Shark, the Kai and Eli stories, or why Riddle-Master by Patricia McKillip is his all-time favorite book. Or maybe, just maybe, you’ll have questions and stories of your own (if you do, he’ll think that’s far more interesting).

Readers can connect with J.M. on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads. To learn more, go to https://jmbergen.com/

To request a review copy or an interview with J.M. Bergen, please contact Kelsey Butts at Book Publicity Services at Kelsey@BookPublicityServices.com or (805) 807-9027.