Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos

Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos by R. L. LaFevers

It was that time again. We were out of books to read at bedtime. Forget the fact that I had forty plus books stacked beneath my bed representing the cream of the crop. I had Caudill nominees and Newbery winners, but nothing that looked or felt like family story time. There was nothing that fit the bill – no fairy tales, dragons or comedies that I could see. What they wanted was another Beastologist and that was the one thing I couldn’t provide.

I remember the day I set out to find something new. Something similar. Something appropriate. There wasn’t anything close to the Beastologist that I could find that didn’t have something wrong with it. Too old. Too scary. Someone dies. And, confidentially, I wanted something new myself. Something I hadn’t just read. Something I wanted to read when I had time. And what I finally chose, the only thing I actually brought home, was Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos.

In the end, I chose it because it is written by the same author who wrote the Beastologist series. I adored the character’s name… my middle name is Theodora. And I had begged for a reason to read it. I was still concerned however. While I was relatively certain that my younger daughter would relish it – she grows to be more like me every day, I was also fairly confident that my older daughter would shy away from it. It is everything she doesn’t like.

You see, Theodosia can see black magic and ancient curses. She practically lives in a museum where sinister forces lurk in dark hallways. Her mother, an archeologist, brings an artifact back to the museum that is cursed more and worse than anything Theodosia has ever witnessed. And of course, it is up to Theodosia to remove the curses and return the artifact to its resting place… in Egypt. If she fails in her task, Britain will fall into chaos and the rest of the world will follow.

So I am completely and utterly stunned, although thrilled beyond all measure, that this book received a resounding SIX THUMBS UP! And there are already three more in the series! They are begging to begin book two! I’m completely flummoxed. Theodosia can be every bit as dark and sinister as Harry Potter, especially the latter volumes of the series. People are attacked and killed. Theodosia herself works Egyptian “voodoo” magic to slow the villains down.

Theodosia is an Hermione Granger from the 1920’s. Although she should be in boarding school, she has chosen to stand her ground and stay home. She teaches herself hieroglyphics. She reads ancient Egyptian tomes, studies Egyptian magic and creates magic amulets to protect herself and her loved ones from evil. When a recipe for an antidote doesn’t exist, she takes her quite substantial knowledge to create her own antidote from scratch!

Despite the fact that Theodosia has a gift as well as a natural talent for the art, her parents and their colleagues view her as a child without much to offer. And that irks and irritates her. It isn’t until she discovers a secret organization on the side of good against the Serpents of Chaos, that she is finally seen for the asset that she is. It is a blooming shame that she has to keep the organization and her ties to it a secret!

Recommended to girls 5th through 8^th grade. The protagonist is young, eleven-years-old, but the book reads older in my opinion. I am guessing there will be a large dash of World War I conflict added to the mix in the future!