A Dream Within A Dream: Mesopo Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Mesopo
Author: Eva Dietrich
Illustrated by Ingrid Kallick
Publisher: Independently published
Ages 9+ | 338 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1731518217

Publisher’s Synopsis:

Twelve-year-old Ankido is on a quest to save his missing father through the magical realm of Mesopo.

Mesopo is the land where all fantasy originates, a land whose words and language are in peril. Can Ankido save his father and restore all these words in time?

It was a red velvet box, the size of a school book. Ankido lifted the lid, revealing an old-fashioned quill made out of a reed. It smelled remote and otherworldly. Ancient. And for a reason he couldn’t explain, everything felt all right for a moment.

He thought he caught a sound flowing out of the quill, a word maybe. He wasn’t sure and he shook his head. This was ridiculous. No, he surely must have been mistaken. But there! There was the sound again. This time Ankido was sure of it.

“Mesopo” … whispered in a way that slipped around the room like the warm breeze of the desert.

Mesopo is an action-packed middle grade fantasy that fans of the genre are sure to enjoy. The characters were pretty well-rounded, especially the main character Ankido. He's brave, tough, smart, and a loving son willing to do anything to find his father. I enjoyed watching Ankido journey through Mesopo and having to overcome all of the obstacles and problems he runs into. The plot itself wasn't wholly original but I honestly don't think you can find anything that is anymore. The author did a great job making the story her own with lots of attention to detail and interesting twists. The writing was well done and flowed smoothly so it was easy to get swept up in Ankido's quest and the strange world he finds himself in. The book is written in the third person point of view, which is my personal least favorite, so I didn't get to connect as deeply with the main character as I wanted. That's just a personal issue of mine and other readers definitely won't have the same feeling. I recommend this book for fans of middle grade fantasy, action and adventure, and coming of age stories related to family.

Eva Dietrich is the author of The Great Rainbow Hug (Le gros câlin arc-en-ciel, from Samir Editeur, 2011), recognized by La Revue Des Livres Pour Enfants in 2011 as their annual selection. Eva holds Masters’ Degrees in Children’s Literature from the University of Surrey, London, and Creative Writing from the Metropolitan University of Manchester, UK, and is the founder and director of Aladdin Books. She is equal parts Spanish and German, and currently resides in Madrid with her three kids, three dogs, two cats, three rabbits, and lots of hens.

For more information, visit https://www.aladdin-books.com/

Purchase Links:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3rCz7Ts
Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/2078/9781733367103