The Five Worlds Series COMPLETE REVIEW

 by evie

quick intro

5 worlds is a book series that I like a lot, for the art and stuff. In this post I'm doing a short review of each book in the series. Go read them pls they are very cool. sfdfhgjhkjkhjhgfdzxfgfhgjh blurb stuff filler text.

Book 1: The Sand Warrior

Summary: Here are our main characters- Oona Lee, a clumsy sand dancer (she has a sister who ran away and was really good at sand dancing), An Tzu, a boy from the slums who likes plants and music, and Jax Amboy, a famous starball player who acts kinda weird. The five worlds overheating and someone needs to light these giant pillars called beacons because of an ancient prophecy, but only a special person can light a beacon and no one knows why. Not everyone wants to light the beacons though, so there's an attack on beacon lighting day. What does the beacon do? Will Oona be able to figure out why her sister left? Find out in the book.

Opinion: My favorite things about this book are the settings. The environments are natural and none of the characters are out of place, and the art is very nice. Even though I do like the pretty worldbuilding, it does feel like a lot of stuff crammed in one book. Like relax, there's four other novels. It has a lot of character introductions, and I don't like how there are some random characters that are introduced and then never seen again. Also, Oona jumps to conclusions that seem unnatural. Does she just decide to move the plot along or?? Overall my least favorite of the series, mostly because I was constantly trying figure out what was going on. 

Book 2: The Cobalt Prince

Summary: The trio of friends (Oona Lee, An Tzu, and Jax Amboy) are back in the second book, and are on the planet Toki. One of the ancient beacons has been lit and now they have to find a way to light the 4 others. Toki is a site of the mimic (main antagonist of the series) and it's heart is trapped in the core of the planet, making a toxic wasteland around it. Along with trying to light the second beacon, Oona and co. are also trying to rescue her fellow sand dancers from where they've been captured. Oona finds her long lost prodigy sister, An Tzu is really sick and also going insane, and Jax fell off a ship and might actually be dead. 

Opinion: I like this book more than the first, because there's story progression. Oona is less 'all-knowing chosen one' and the newly introduced characters are fleshed out and developed (they're more like people than objects to make the plot move along, and they even appear later in the series). Speaking of the plot and story, I think its pretty good. It's interesting and has enough going on that it keeps the reader engaged without being overwhelming. The pacing is even enough that you can understand what's going on. When I go back and read it, I'm like "Oh yeah that connects to this thing later" which is also cool. Overall, very nice book.

Book 3: The Red Maze

Summary: On board a spaceship heading for Moon Yatta (and the third beacon), Oona and An Tzu are reunited with Jax, who is human and not dead. Moon Yatta is the most powerful of the five worlds, and is the epicenter for the mimic's evil influence. The moon's beacon can't be reached because the place is completely covered in pipes and protected by the mimic's government head, Stan Moon. Shortly after arriving on Yatta, Jax gets captured by one of Stan Moon's lackeys, and turned back into a robotic starball champion. While on the run from Stan Moon, Oona and An Tzu find a group of rebel shapeshifters who know secrets about how to light Moon Yatta's beacon, and also, portals?? 

Opinion: This book is my second favorite in the series, for story reasons and because the art and colors in this one are amazing. I really like the setting of Moon Yatta, and also how there's a fleshed out government that has an entire agenda separate from what Oona and gang are doing. I just think it's neat. They also give some character backstory in this book (including stuff that was mentioned in the previous novels), which I appreciate. Overall, I liked this one and am probably going to read it again.

Book 4: The Amber Anthem

Summary: Off to another world, this time it's Salassandra, a main place for religion and home to beacon #4. The yellow beacon is inside a great pyramid, and encased in amber. The first attempt to light it failed because amber is too thick. Oona, An Tzu, and Jax have to find a song called 'The Amber Anthem' and get 10,000 people to sing it with them. Also An Tzu might be a god? and the mimic is related to him?? Speaking of the mimic, Stan Moon is back and in pursuit of Oona, trying to stop her from lighting the yellow beacon. The mimic has got less influence on Salassandra than on Moon Yatta, but now it has a killer robot that looks exactly like Jax. Maybe the mysterious singing weavers can give Oona a clue to finding the amber anthem, and lighting the beacon?

Opinion: THIS ONE IS MY FAVORITE!! I love the art during the felid god scenes and all of the different kinds of people in the setting, and the designs?? fcgfhgjhkj. Though, like the first book, Oona seems to know a lot more than she should about how to solve problems to conveniently move the plot along. Also, there's some character inconsistencies (like how An Tzu keeps running off on his own BUT WHEN HE DID THAT IN THE FIRST BOOK HE ALMOST DIED SO WHY IS HE DOING IT AGAIN????) Other than that, this book is pretty cool and my personal favorite in the series.

Book 5: The Emerald Gate

Summary: Last book, last giant beacon to light. This time Oona, An Tzu and Jax are on Grimbo (E), looking for the beacon, but it's not on the planet? They can't find it, and the people who live there are convinced there isn't a beacon on the planet. Grimbo (E) is covered in crazy green ocean moss that can and will eat everything it touches, except for the sentient pea pod people who can walk on it. An Tzu is almost invisible at this point and also might betray Oona?? He doesn't want to light the last beacon, since he's been infected by the mimic. Speaking of the mimic, it actually wants Oona to light the beacon now. I wonder what it's up to.

Opinion: This one, I don't really know how I feel about it. The art is amazing as always, the pace is pretty even throughout, and the plot isn't bad. I don't know if I like the ending (spoilers incoming), it feels rushed and.. forced? It seems as if Oona defeated the mimic because she was the main character chosen one. Like, nowhere in the books did I see 'absorbing the light of the beacons and power of planets' as being an actual thing that anyone could do. I just feel like there wasn't a lot of explanation for that. Anyway, my overall opinion of this book is that it's okay. It's not my favorite in the series, it's not my least favorite, it's just the end. 

(the end of review)