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Reviewed by Karen Pirnot for Readers' Favorite
The Bene Lumen Chronicles: Samhain School of Ancient Knowledge is an exciting young adult book by author John R. McCormick. It details the ongoing battle between the Bene Lumen (the forces of good) and the Illuminati (the forces of evil). Sixteen-year-old Kiernan and his younger brother Liam live a sheltered life in Maine with their widowed father Brian CuCullen. Brian makes the abrupt decision that the family will be moving so that the boys can attend a special school in Scotland. The school is one which trains children in various forms of supernatural skills. Although reluctant to leave their friends and school activities, the boys soon learn that both their father and their deceased mother, Siobhan, attended the school and were considered the best students ever. Furthermore, the school has several past celebrities which were thought to be fictional characters, Merlin and Sir Arthur among them.
Character development in The Bene Lumen Chronicles is great and young adults will certainly develop a sense of identification with both male and female characters. Even with their superhuman qualities, Liam and Kiernan have normal adolescent fears and anxieties as well as the ongoing need for socialization via games of physical and mental skill which help to build a sense of personal identity. Brian CuCullen initially appears as a somewhat weak parent figure, but we later learn he just may well be the strongest of the entire group assembled at Samhain. When the forces of evil decide to launch an all-out attack to destroy the CuCullen family, author McCormick puts everyone into action mode. Futures will be determined in a single act of bravery or cowardliness. This is a great book for teens who need to discover some sense of identity through exploration of diverse ways of thinking and acting.
