Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Ria

From the very beginning, Alexander Cold has a frightening nightmare, the beginning of his adventure. When his mother is very ill, the family separates, sending Alex to live with his eccentric grandmother, Kate. He boards a plane to NYC from a small, Californian town. In NYC, Alex has to fend for himself when his grandmother failed to show up. He meets a girl who ultimately dupes him and steals his possessions.

Finally, Alex makes it to his grandmothers. But he soon realizes that his adventure through NYC was easy compared to what Kate had in store for him. Kate is a writer for the National Geographic magazine, and she is sent to the Amazon to write an article about the mysterious Beast living there.

Without even a day to fully recuperate, Alex is flown to South America and begins the journey of his life. In Manaus, Alex meets the other members of the expedition, including the self-centered archeologist Ludovik LeBlanc. In Santa Maria de la Lluvia, they are joined by their guide, Cesar Santos, his daughter Nadia, and Dr. Omayra Torres. Nadia and Alex begin their friendship and together, they hear of a plot to destroy the natives of the Amazon.

Slowly, the members move up the Amazon River to where the Beasts are located. Unfortunately, Nadia and Alex were kidnapped by the People of the Mist because they were going to aid the natives. Nadia and Alex each had a special power; Nadia had the power of the eagle and Alex had the power of the jaguar. Using their powers, they learn the ways of the natives and realize that they had to do everything they could to protect them.

They are taken on a mini journey to El Dorado, the city of gold. There, they see a community of Beasts and learn more about them. Then, both Nadia and Alex had a special journey. Nadia went up to the top of the city to retrieve 3 large eggs and Alex ventured down to the water of health.

With the task completed, the group goes back to the Eye of the World. There, the two were reunited with the rest of the crew. But they receive some unnerving news. Someone in the expedition is out to kill the Indians. They have to everything they can to save the natives.

I thought that this book was surprisingly good. I wasnt pulled into the story until Alex was in the Amazon. Allende described the Amazon with such great details that I could picture the setting in my head. I could see this book being turned into a good movie. The story was a bit long, but not boring. The twists and turns kept me wanting to read more. The ending was good, but it ended in the Amazon and didnt finish Alexs story. I wanted to know what happened to his mother. But City of the Beasts was a good read and I cant wait to start Kingdom of the Golden Dragon.