FRENZY TPC (Dreamhouse Kings, 6)

1. Family - The bond between the kids and parents is huge. While Mom (Gee) and Dad (Ed) both hold reasonable parental roles, they at times seem to have a good grip on their own youth when it comes to adventuring with their kids. And those kids, Xander (15), David (12), and Toria (9) are siblings the way kids should be. Sure they can get on each others nerves at times, but they stick together through thick and more thick (because there is no 'thin' in the Kings lives). Additional characters like Jessie, Nana, and Keal (some of which aren't even related by blood) easily become a part of the King family once introduced into the story. This is a loving family, welcoming with open arms. Even though you sense this awesome bond early on, by the end of the series it couldn't be more evident. This clan are not just family, they're best friends too.2. The Villain - Is truly evil. From start to finish. There's no moment of pity for this villain, no redeeming quality like is sadly so common with villains these days. This villain is sinister and dark and you want nothing more than the worst demise for them. It was refreshing to truly hate a character and hope for them to fail. There aren't enough real villains in stories anymore.3. History - If you're someone who's intrigued by the past, the time travel and walking into the past will be enough to entertain you. While most of the steps in time the Kings travel are dangerous and intense, the historical aspect of these trips makes the story hold a more intelligent plot, weaved around actual events in a magical way.4. Religion - If you're not a religious person, don't let this deter you from reading the series. I promise it's not overwhelming. But for me, I really enjoyed the subtle mentions of going to church, or the kids praying for strength. The Kings believe they're doing something good in God's eyes and by the last book their purpose had me shedding happy, surprised tears.5. Perseverance - You know what it feels like when you're sicker than you've ever been, miserable beyond belief, but then you stumble into the children's cancer ward and see all these kids very aware that they may die, enduring the torture that is cancer treatment, with all the hope in the world and still have a smile on their face? Suddenly your problems mean nothing and it empowers you against your own pity party. That's what it feels like watching the Kings face near death experiences over and over again with hardly or sometimes no rest at all. If a 12 year old can look fear in the face and start swinging, you need to re-assess how you handle your own fear.6. Pacing - These six books span across such a short period of time, something like 8 days. The chapters are marked by the date and time to really drive home how much can happen in such a short period of time. Sometimes it felt like I held my breath for an entire chapter completely in shock over all that happened in just 15 minutes time. I'm certain the speedy nature of the story itself is partly why I was able to read it so fast.This series has easily climbed the ranks as one of my favorites. I'm so baffled by how difficult it was to find some of the books in hardback so quickly after it was released. I highly recommend these books for anyone (MG, YA, Adults like me). It won't be an adventure you regret or forget.

The Kings are back, and just where the story left off in the tale of their adventurous time-traveling week. Well . . . sort of. The beginning fast-forwards a bit, with Xander visiting their distant relative Jesse in the past, finding it difficult to share the news that his brother David is dead, and asking Jesse to warn them before it happens. The news eventually gets to present-day Xander and David. Without giving too much of the plot away, the brothers realize that unless they truly can change the future, David is facing certain death, and soon.I was hoping that all the mysteries of Taksidian, the evil man following and attempting to "do in" the Kings, would be solved. However, there's very little more that's revealed about this evil character and what specifically he has been doing to wreak havoc throughout time. I also feel that there is so much more that could happen to the Kings. The good news is that an interview with the author in the back of the book reveals that there will be three short stories of the Kings in an upcoming unrelated trilogy of books by Liparulo, and that he will then return to the family to take up their other adventures in full-length books. Of special interest is the plan for them to spend longer lengths of time in each setting.As with the other five books, _Frenzy_ is one that's tough to put down. The characters and storylines seem to just be getting off the ground, and it's a relief to find out that the author hasn't decided to abandon them somewhere in time. While _Frenzy_ does a good job of summarizing and ending the Kings' exhausting, yet thrilling, week, it's exciting to know that there's more to come!

This is supposed to be the last book in the series and I believe it is, in this series. However...**Beware of Spoilers Below**The books ends with this "The End....?" The King family will finally all be reunited in this book. But it's a struggle. Poor David is just turning into a punching bag. He's hurt pretty bad in this book and killed. The family is going to meet famous people as well; like Arnold Schwarnegger, and most importantly Jesus himself. The meeting with Jesus is brief. It's in his time Mom is finally rejoined with her family. Jessie will walk again, David will be good as new, and Dad's wounds are healed. Upon arriving back at the house together then encounter the villain. And he's here to kill David finally. They didn't change the future after all....or did they? By learning some tricks from  A Fistful of Dollars (2-Disc Collector's Edition) , David will live to see another day.As this book progressed I begin to wonder if they'd ever see Mom again and wasn't happy with the fact that David was dead at the beginning. It's very fast paced, the love the family shares is clearly felt. I did like the meeting of people; this was a nice change from the other books. It's clear once Mom is back this family is unstoppable. It's an excellent series and well worth reading a couple times.

This is a great adventure series, especially for boys!I am a 78 year old woman and I enjoyed this series! The author must have a fantastic imagination! As I was getting close to the end of one book in the series I made sure that I had the other one so that I could just keep reading about their adventures! I would recommend this series to any reader of any age.

Is more to come I will miss the lovely king family nd the adventures through time and different worlds. Excellent.

Just as good as the previous books in this series