Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi Books 01-06 (2008-2014)
Comic Review - The Stonekeeper’s Curse (2009); The Cloud Searchers (2010); The Last Council (2011); Prince of Elves (2012); & Escape From Lucien (2014)
Author and Illustrator: Kazu Kibuishi
Publisher: Scholastic
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
Recommended Age: 9+ (Scholastic)
After the tragic death of their father, Emily and Navin move with their mother to the home of her deceased great-grandfather. The strange house proves to be dangerous. Before long, a tentacled creature lures the kids' mom through a door in the basement. Em and Navin, desperate not to lose her, follow her into a fantastical world inhabited by robots, mysterious plants, and talking animals. It's up to Em and Navin to figure out how to set things right and save their mother's life!
Amulet Book One - The Stone Keeper’s Curse
Content Warnings:
Depicted: Death of a Parent, Vehicle Accidents (Car and Air), Kidnapping, Violence, Poisoning, Mind Control and Manipulation, Death
Tags:
Portal Fantasy, Animal Anthropomorphism, Toylike Robots, Mecha, Chosen One, Enemies to Allies,
Review
Amulet with its cast of loveable but flawed protagonists weaves a story that is both whimsical and hard hitting to read about the perils of superpowers and leadership.
Amulet is a series I've meant to read for quite a while. Having read the first volume probably close to a decade ago, I enjoyed it but never read the rest. And now I wish I'd gotten to it sooner.
In Amulet, we follow Emily and her brother Navin. After moving into their great-great-grandfather, Silas Charnon's abandoned mansion their mother is kidnapped and taken to Alledia. Alledia is a magical world once protected by the Stonekeepers, powerful magicians who draw their powers from mystical stones. Now they are no more, and Emily must inherit Silas' stone to get her mother back and stop the nefarious Elf King from taking over Alledia. Helped up by her brother and Alledia's rebellion, Emily fights against the Elf King's forces and the manipulation of her stone.
Like many adventure series, Amulet gives a lot of power and responsibility to its young protagonists, Emily most of all. Emily first accepts the power of the stone because it presents her the opportunity to reunite with her deceased father. But, as the series progresses, she learns that the mysterious voice within the stone may be manipulating her. And Emily must choose between what she knows is right and the power the stone presents her. As the series progresses, Emily loses her innocence as she has to make harder and harder decisions. However, despite the leadership role she is thrust into as commander of the rebellion, her brother Navin maintains it.
Through Navin, we also get to explore the more whimsical aspects of Amulet, such as walking houses, junker aeroplanes, mechs, and toy robots. Each new element a joy for Navin to explore and learn about. Navin's biggest struggle comes from not being taken seriously despite his age. And while, some resistance members hail him as their prophesied commander, others see him as just a kid in the way. No matter how many times Navin proves himself he is often dismissed as inexperienced.
And secondary characters like the cursed fox Leon Redbeard, the traitor son of the Elf King Trellis, and regretful old Stonekeeper Vigo Light, Kibuishi has created a cast of flawed and fleshed out characters that you grow to love throughout alongside our young protagonists.
Another thing I adore about Amulet is the world Kazu Kibuishi has created. It feels like a toy box with its often mish-mash design of elements that incorporate fantasy and sci-fi elements into the series that are inspired by many different franchises. With toy-like robots, castles in the sky, training suits that look like they come straight out of Ultraman, mechs, and flying vehicles. Amulet is both familiar and distinctly its own. And despite adding new elements to each volume, the world never feels overstuffed.
Amulet has also had an over ten-year run, yet its art style still feels cohesive between volumes. Kibuishi and his team at Bolt City Productions honing their skills with each new edition to the series.
As a series, Amulet is beautifully whimsical and hard-hitting emotionally. Taking our characters through various trials as they try to save their mother and the world of Alledia. It is sure to be a delight to readers young and old.