“Eragon” kohtub “Vendade Lõvisüdametega”
Tegemist on järjekordse lapsautori üllitatud teosega, mis tekitas lugemisel äärmiselt vastuolulisi tundeid. “Kuninga silmad” tegevus toimub riigis nimega Maloonia, mis asub kusagil meie paralleelilmas, ja on seotud Inglismaaga. Maloonia on sünge varauusaegne paik, kus hiljuti on kukutatud kuningas, prints pagendatud ning käib sõda. Raamatu peategelane, 15-aastane Leo ja tema väike vend, kelle eest hoolitseb vanaema, käivad mõlemad sõjakoolis. Lugu läheb käima kui Leo leiab tänavalt salapärase tühja raamatu, kuhu hakkab jupikaupa ilmuma lugu nende maa ja tema perekonna omavahel kokku põimunud ajaloost.
Lugu on kirjutud kogunisti kolmekihilisena, mis on keerukas ettevõtmine isegi kogenud autori jaoks. ja käib Catherine Bannerile ilmselgelt üle jõu. Süžeeliinid on segased, venivaks ja raskesti jälgitavad, eriti alguses. Alates raamatu teisest poolest muutub lugu veidi tempokamaks. Probleemiks läbi raamatu jäävad siiski ka tegelased, kes on pinnapealsed, isikupäratud ja räägivad kõik täpselt ühtemoodi. Veidi rohkem on välja arendatud peategelane, kelle mõttekäigud on kohati täiesti nauditavad.
Väga huvitav on raamatu maagiakäsitlus – Maloonias on maagia olemas, kuid see on mitte eriline anne, vaid pigem tahtejõupingutus, mida mõned suudavad paremini kui teised ja mida on püsivalt tööd vaeva nähes võimalik endas arendada – nagu iga teist oskust. Siiski ei ole maagial raamatus väga suurt rolli.
Sisuliselt ilmselt rohkem nooremale lugejale (8-13) sobiv raamat suudab endas siiski väga hästi ühendada huvitava seiklusloo ning keerulised igapäevaprobleemid, millega peategelane Leo kokku puutub – vägivald koolis, venna surm, elu sõjaolukorras, nälg, kohustuste üleküllus ja piiratud vabadused. Võrdluse “Lõvisüdamete” raamatuga tõin just sellepärast, et autor on oma nooruse kohta erakordselt hästi suutnud edasi anda Leo leina, kui sureb ta vend – sündmus, mis heidab loo niigi süngele õhustikule veel täiendavalt masendava varjundi –, ning tema hakkamasaamist hulluse piiril kõikuva vanaema, teismelisest emast kena naabritüdruku ja kooliprobleemidega.
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For strong fantasy readers. This one jumps back and forth between characters, times and locations. Leo North lives in the kingdom of Malonia, which has long been at war. He finds a blank book in the snow, in which words started appearing to tell the story of Ryan, the Malonian heir to the throne who was exiled to England. Leo thought that England was only in fairy tales, so he isn't convinced that this is real -- but the story keeps appearing in pieces in the book, and there are enough details for himto decide that this story could be true -- and if it is, the only hope for saving his country is getting Ryan back to take back the throne. There is Leo's story, Ryan's story, and the story of Ryan's guardian, Aldebaran -- and there are a multitude of other characters whose relationships create a complicated web of a story. Lots to keep track of! For 7th grade and up. ( )

Reviewed by The Story Siren for TeensReadToo.com

Fifteen-year-old Leo North lived in Malonia with his younger brother, Stirling, and his grandmother. When Leo was five years old the monarchy was overthrown by the tyrant Lucien, and his parents fled to save their lives.

One night on his way home, Leo finds a mysterious book. The pages of the book are blank. But t soon the pages begin to fill, telling the story of two people in England, which is thought to be a fairy tale world. The pages only appear a few at a time, but Leo feels as though he already knows the story.

Leo, however, has no idea how much the story will come to play in his own country of Malonia.

THE EYES OF A KING is a book filled with fantasy, mystery, heartache, and love. Catherine Banner realistically depicts the thoughts and emotions of her teenage character, being as she is one herself. Leos' story seems to consist of one main theme -- loss. He is overcome with grief in much of the second half of the book, and it seemed as if empathy will continue to elude him.

Banner cleverly intertwines the stories of Malonia and England, and readers will revel in delight as the two stories come together. THE EYES OF A KING looks to be the beginning of an enchanting trilogy! ( )

Fifteen-year-old Leo North lives in Malonia with his younger brother, Stirling and his grandmother. When Leo was five years old the monarchy was overthrown by the tyrant Lucien and his parents fled Malonia to save their lives.One night on his way home, Leo finds a mysterious book. The pages of the book are blank. But soon the pages begin to fill, telling the story of two people in England, which is thought to be a fairy tale world. The pages only appear a few at a time, but Leo feels as though he already knows the story. Leo, however, has no idea how much the story will come to play in his own country of Malonia.The Eyes of A King is a book filled with fantasy, mystery, heartache and love. Catherine Banner realistically depicts the thoughts and emotions of her teenage character, being as she is one herself. Leos’ story seems to consist of one main theme, loss. He is overcome with grief in much of the second half of the book, and is seemed as if empathy will continue to elude him. Banner cleverly intertwines the stories of Malonia and England. And readers will revel in delight as the two stories come together! The Eyes of A King looks to be the beginning of an enchanting trilogy! ( )

If I hadn't read that Catherine Banner was a teen author, I never would have guessed it. Catherine Banner shows much potential in the writing world by publishing The Eyes of a King, a novel addressing a few controversial topics such as teenage angst, military, deaths, and war.

However, contrary to popular opinion, I disagree that Catherine Banner can be called the next J.K. Rowling just based on this novel. Sure, she shows writing talent at a young age that should be honed before it's lost; I'm also eager to read her next books in this trilogy. However, there are flaws with the book.

Set in a parallel world called Malonia, The Eyes of a King is narrated by Leo North, the protagonist. The novel is actually a memoir of Leo; he describes the events that have happened to him ever from the day he picked up a mysterious, magical book one fateful, winter day. He soon discovers just how enchanting this book is; it not only writes by itself, he dreams about the events in the book when he's not reading it. Through the book, Leo familiarizes himself with the book's characters, including Anna, Aldebaran, and Ryan (the exiled prince of Malonia). The characters in Leo's book all live in England, a place Leo believes to be make-believe. In his own life, Leo has his own obstacles to deal with, and these obstacles eventually become too overbearing for him. As Leo becomes more absorbed in the book (though not by his own will), he realizes how connected he really is to the book.

The first half of this book was amazing. I loved Banner's use of descriptions; they were imaginative and enough for me to visualize the scenes. I also liked the idea about a parallel world and the prophecy about Ryan. However, the mood and tone of the story changes after a tragic event hits. Leo becomes more self-absorbed in his depression; his thoughts become less rational. He does things that seem out-of-character for him, as though he lost control of himself. I thought Banner did a great job of capturing about his feelings and actions, though I did not always agree with them.

What bothered me about the book were some plot holes. For example, Leo did do some drastic things that I thought he should have been punished for. It didn't make sense to me that he just got ran away without retribution and that nobody searched for him. Another thing is the connection between Leo, Ryan, and Anna seemed flimsy when I thought that should have been a strong point of the story. Though Leo knew all about them from his book, they don't seem to be as aware of his story. I did like how everything tied up together neatly by the end; everything was interconnected. ( )