Reviewed by Lex Allen for Readers' Favorite

I was pleasantly surprised to see Scepter: The Emerald of Phaunos by Scott Collins turn up on Reader’s Favorite list of available books. It hasn’t been that long ago since I read and reviewed the first episode of Scepter. This is a great YA story about four kids with unusual abilities pitted against the evil king Argyle. In the first episode, Argyle had long since destroyed the Scepter and enslaved everyone in his kingdom over the age of twelve. These slaves work night and day to produce a substance known as “cinnabar” that Argyle needs to produce his magic; one spell of which is to keep him young! Daniel, with the ability to run and move lightning fast, and his brother, Aidan — a changeling who can assume the identity of any animal, saved the lives of two girls whose parents had been abducted into slavery in the first episode. Olivia, whose talent is an uncanny ability as a sharpshooter and her sister, the blind Lilly — who can find anything without sight - join the brothers in the search for the jewels that give power to the Scepter, a tool/weapon that can overthrow Argyle and restore peace and prosperity to the land.

Now, in The Emerald of Phaunos this valiant group of warrior children has the Scepter and one of the jewels. There are three more to be retrieved before the final showdown against Argyle. Obtaining these jewels is not easy as Argyle’s deadly creatures, the diegylis — half werewolf, half human - are hot on the trail, as well as other deadly creatures lurking along the routes they must follow in order to obtain the jewels. Let’s not forget, too, that the jewels are not easy to find and their current holders aren’t necessarily eager to give them up. Fortunately, there are also friendly creatures that aid and assist the children in their quest, in particular the Fairies, a clan of Centaurs, and a she-Dragon that Aidan has befriended. Mr. Collins does an excellent job of narrative detailing without telling; he shows what’s going on, and that makes for a quick and enjoyable read. The characters are engaging, life-like, and I cared about them. The plot and sub-plots are well thought out and executed. The Emerald of Phaunos, in fact the entire Scepter series to date, is an excellent YA fantasy adventure that I can, without the slightest hesitation, recommend to all fantasy adventure fans, regardless of age.