Passages Volume 2: The Marus Manuscripts

3.5 stars

This is the second and last volume of the Passages series, containing books 4, 5, and 6. I felt very similar about these books as I did about the first volume. It was fun reading about kids transported to another world, and it was fun looking for the biblical parallels. But I also felt that on the whole, the land of Marus wasn't “fantasy-like” enough. That's just my opinion, however, and I'm still glad I read this series.

Book 4: Glennall's Betrayal - 2.5 stars
James ends up in Marus and finds himself sold into slavery with a young man named Glennall, who is set on getting revenge on his brothers. He gets a chance when he rises in power, but has to learn about forgiveness. This is a retelling of Joseph from the book of Genesis. This was also my least favorite of the series. The whole story focused on revenge until literally the last page, and I thought Glennall (Joseph) was portrayed in a very negative light, more so than I see in Scripture.

Book 5: Draven's Defiance - 3.5 stars
Scott gets sent to Marus to become the apprentice of the prophet Draven, who is in the middle of a power struggle with a weak king and evil queen. This is the story of Elijah and King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, and the showdown on Mount Carmel. I thought the ending was a little rushed, but I liked this one quite a bit.

Book 6: Fendar's Legacy - 4 stars
Danny, Wayne, and Michelle wind up in Marus, only to find themselves separated and each playing a crucial role in freeing an entire people group from slavery. This tells the story of Moses and the plagues, leading up to the Exodus and crossing the Red Sea. I loved this last story, and thought it did a great job of showing God's power on behalf of His people.

So, even though I had mixed feelings about some aspects of these books, I did enjoy reading them. And if you are an Adventures in Odyssey fan, or if you like middle grade allegorical fantasy, then this is a great series for you!