The Lost Code
Book I in the The Atlanteans series
Genre; YA, Dystopian, Paranormal/fantasy
Published May 22nd 2012 by HarperCollins Children’s Books
copy received from publisher
format: Hardcover, eBook
Rating:
WHAT IS OLDEST WILL BE NEW, WHAT IS LOST SHALL BE FOUND.The ozone is ravaged, ocean levels have risen, and the sun is a daily enemy. But global climate change is not something new in the Earth’s history.No one will know this better than less-than-ordinary Owen Parker, who is about to discover that he is the descendant of a highly advanced ancient race—a race that took their technology too far and almost destroyed the Earth in the process.Now it is Owen’s turn to make right in his world what went wrong thousands of years ago. If Owen can unlock the lost code in his very genes, he may rediscover the forgotten knowledge of his ancestry…and that less-than-ordinary can evolve into extraordinary.
There was always something mysterious and magic about the saga of Atlantis. When reading the synopsis for the Lost Code I instantly knew I had to read this one! I love a good mix of Genre and here we can find Dystopian and  Fantasy mixed with Paranormal. So I was eager to dig into this world…
Dystopian meets Atlantis
The world Owen lives in, is long in the future. The Ozon layer  is utterly damaged and the world is otherwise completely damaged. People have to live under the earth or if they are lucky enough, they canlive in one of the dooms where you can live relatively normal apat from the fact that all is fake.. Owen is going on a sumer camp in of of these dooms since he normally lives poorly with his father. There, he discovers something utterly stunning and he suddenly changes and has abilities that leave him not only speechless but totally confused.
The setting of the dystopian world was easy to grasp, but anyways the main focus was always on the mystery behind Owens changes and of course the promise of the involvement of Atlantis. Slowly in the beginning, we are waiting patiently  (or not) for this involvement to be revealed. When it is, its full of magic truly unique and captivating.
Owen – shy and silent.. lacking the hero material
The main problem this story has are the characters. No matter how desperate I wanted to love this story I just couldn’t connect with any of the characters in this story. Owen, starts as a shy reticent boy who seems uncomfortable among the other kids. He does change however along with the story and he slowly grows and feels more comfortable in his own skin. The Problem was? The damage was already done when we finally meet a stronger Owen. When Owen finally discovers his own potential and becomes the hero the story needs, there was no way to win my love back at this point…
No Spark….
Moreover, the secondary characters weren’t that flashy either and non of them captured my interest. The characters felt very flat and there is nothing that annoys me more, and saddens me more. When there is no character you can connect to, the magic of the story just cannot evolve. There was a hind of romance, but sadly also there I didn’t feel the spark and I never got why the girl fell in love with Owen in the first place….
Bewitched Rating
Bottom Line
I was hoping for more in The Lost Code and was eventually disappointed as I couldn’t connect with the characters at all. The Atlantis story line is absolutely great and I wished I would have loved this book more. If I would have just to rate the storyline and the idea? It would be most definitely much higher. However, the final execution together with the lack of spark disappointed me in the end…
 
 
 
Additional Info
Although it wasn’t for me. There are of course people who loved this book. Check some 5* Reviews: Books with Bite, who said:  “The Lost Code is a rich, fantasy adventure that anyone can read.” And 4* from Wendy – A Cupcake and a Latte who said: “The Lost Code by Kevin Emerson was a complete and total breath of fresh air.”
So, what do you think? Love the Atlantis mythos? Intrigued by The Lost Code?
Much Love,
The following two tabs change content below.
Latest posts by Danny (see all)
- INTENSITY by Sherrilyn Kenyon – Excerpt & Giveaway - September 8, 2017
- Locked in Temptation – Q&A withBrenda Jackson & Giveaway - August 4, 2017
- Locked in Temptation by Brenda Jackson – Exclusive Excerpt & Giveaway - July 26, 2017
How disappointing. I find Atlantis fascinating. But no matter how good a plot is, if it doesn’t have that indescribable spark, it’s not worth reading. Too bad.
Alison (AlisonCanRead) recently posted..Bookish Recap
Reply »
Atlantis is super fascinating and I was so excited for this story!! I mean mix Dystopian with Atlantis? This was an idea I thought would be awesome!! And sadly, there was no spark all the characters were just .. flat and boring…
Danny recently posted..Review: The Lost Code by Kevin Emerson, The Atlanteans series
Reply »
Knowing how much you love romance, if you say there isn’t any spark, there isn’t any spark. You’d find it if it was there. Too bad, I LOVE Atlantis almost as much as I love Merpeople and selkies and sirens!
Heather
Thanks for being honest. Book money is hard to find, I hate to be led astray!
hrose2931 recently posted..Review-My Vampire Summer by Elle Casey
Reply »
Yes I do love romance… even if it’s just a little it doesn’t need to be the main focus, but please a little!!! And nope – I didn’t feel anything between Owen and the girl ( forgot her name.. Kate?). Their love made no sense to me…
And YES I was soo excited for an Atlantis story ;((
Danny recently posted..Review: The Lost Code by Kevin Emerson, The Atlanteans series
Reply »
I agree with all your points.
The book had huge potential in my opinion, but the poor characterization ruined things for me as well.
Great review, Danny 🙂
Reply »
Yes it did and I think it still has… I might want to read the next one just to find out how the story goes on and if maybe the characters are just more … sparky lol:)
Danny recently posted..Review: The Lost Code by Kevin Emerson, The Atlanteans series
Reply »
Aww, that’s too bad that this one disappointed you! My number one fault with a book is usually because of the main character, and Owen doesn’t seem like the kind of swoon-worthy, heart-stealing, totally commandingly awesome boy that we both throw ourselves at! But I’ve always loved Atlantis too (because of The Little Mermaid) so I’m glad that at least that part is captivating. :’)
Beautiful honest review, Danny! This may not have been the book for you, but you were still really gracious with this review and even linked up to some more positive ones. Thanks so much! <3
Mimi Valentine recently posted..Review: Shadow and Bone
Reply »
Yep we are pretty similar here, focused on the main character and … damn it: Swoon Worthy Boys full of AWESOME that made us faint and just giddy with excitement right???? Owen was just an awkward kid and there was nothing swoon worthy about him.. which made me soooo sad!!! I mean I need a boy to swoon over and fall for…
Thanks so much Mimi, you know how hard it is to write about a book you don’t like, basically the review is more difficult to write than a good one…
*hugs*
Danny recently posted..Review: The Lost Code by Kevin Emerson, The Atlanteans series
Reply »
It’s a shame you couldn’t invest in the characters, Danny. I can see why that might have made it difficult to truly engage with the book. Still, great review! Despite not enjoying it much, you have made the story line sound intriguing enough. I’ll give this a go one day. 🙂
Sam @ Realm of Fiction recently posted..Review: City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare
Reply »
I still love the premise of the story and I think it could have been pretty awesome!! If the characters would have been more likeable this story could have been epic! It would be interesting to see how the next book is…
Danny recently posted..Review: The Lost Code by Kevin Emerson, The Atlanteans series
Reply »
Awww, it’s disappointing you couldn’t connect.
I plan on still checking it out eventually, but thanks for the heads up!
Reply »
I hope you’ll like it much more than I did!! I’m sure there are many people who’ll like this book. Looking forward hearing your thoughts in this one!
Danny recently posted..Review: The Lost Code by Kevin Emerson, The Atlanteans series
Reply »
Thank for the incite ful review. I am not to sure that this book is my cup of tea. I like my plots captivating , drawing me into the story. I want to feel that I am a part of story identifying in the role of one of the characters. This one just did not do it for me. Thank you , I really apprecaited your sharing.
Hannah recently posted..The Best Cold Sores Remedy
Reply »
yes I know how you want to feel and I do want the same from a book! I was never in this story here, there was no character I could connect to, none of them could totally pull me in…
Danny recently posted..Review: The Lost Code by Kevin Emerson, The Atlanteans series
Reply »
And another addition to the list of negative reviews I read about this book. Everybody seems to have the same problem: no connection with the main character (or any other character at all) What a shame, especially when you were looking forward to it! I think I’m going to leave this one. I haven’t read any positive thing so far and no connection with a character is a no go for me. Thanks for your honesty 🙂
Mel @thedailyprohecy recently posted..Short review 5. Victoria Schwab – The ash-born boy.
Reply »
Yep, I also read a lot of reviews with had the same feelings that I did… sadly so because ATLANTIS! Damn it, I was so excited when I read the synopsis… I do get why the author portrayed Owen the way he did. He gave him room to change… but.. all he did for me was making him boring and I couldn’t manage to care for him:((
Danny recently posted..BEA2U – Final Preparations & Giveaway of Awesome
Reply »
Well, shoot! I was hoping for a high rating from you on this one! You know characters are the most important element to me, so the fact that you couldn’t really get on board with any of them is problematic. I like that Owen eventually does come into his own, but it’s disappointing that it came after the point of no return for you. I think I’ll wait on this one!
Reply »
Yeah me too, and I was debating hard with me how to rate this book in the end… The idea was awesome, still is and the plot was great but the characters didn’t made me feel anything and this is just a no-go for me, so I ended up with 2.5.
Maybe he will flash out the characters more in the next book..
Danny recently posted..BEA2U – Final Preparations & Giveaway of Awesome
Reply »
Atlantis! That sounds awesome. I am sad though that the characters weren’t richer. Guess you can’t love them all. Thanks for the honest review, Danny
Heidi recently posted..Dark Frost (Mythos Academy #3) by Jennifer Estep
Reply »
I know right? There is something so mysterious, ancient and awesome about Atlantis and there is so much room for awesomeness… too bad Owen wasn’t as swoon worthy as I hoped..
Danny recently posted..BEA2U – Final Preparations & Giveaway of Awesome
Reply »
It’s too bad this one wasn’t for you, but I guess every book can’t be the one for you, right? I wasn’t planning on checking this one out, but I enjoyed reading your review! (:
Tabitha @ Tabithas Book Blog recently posted..Fallen by Lauren Kate
Reply »
Nope, not for me but I know someone else might love it :)) Thanks for your feedback!
Danny recently posted..BEA2U – Final Preparations & Giveaway of Awesome
Reply »
Wow we realy share the same opinions today! 🙂 I didn’t love this one either and I felt the exact same about Owen. I felt like I didn’t know him at all except that he was self conscious. And his technician internal dialogue creeped me out. I,m a bit character reader so like you, if i don’t feel it, I won’t really enjoy the plot (which was super slow paced anyways).
Reply »
Yep today was definitely a day we had pretty similar feelings on the books we reviewed. I remember reading your review and truthfully, I’m glad I’m not the only one being disappointed with this book. Characters are the most important thing for me, I saw it more clearly when reading this book and felt so conflicted about a great plot but with such boring characters…
Yeah, it was slow paced and slightly awkward, it picked up pace at the end, but the damage was done already..
Danny recently posted..BEA2U – Final Preparations & Giveaway of Awesome
Reply »
This was one I chose to pass on and after reading your review I am glad. When the characters fall flat and you cannot connect or feel anything for them ..then game over.
kimba88 recently posted..Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Reply »
Sadly I have to say that you do not miss out on something here… If at least there would have been another character to connect too, but nope… nothing even the secondary ones were flat ;(
Danny recently posted..BEA2U – Final Preparations & Giveaway of Awesome
Reply »
Aw no! The dreaded no spark:/ I always hate when that happens, especially when it’s a book your so looking forward to dive into! I thought it sounded fantastic as well, but was still for some reason cautious to pick it up… I’ve seen many I follow feel the same way about this one lately as well, which sucks. I’m still not sure if it’s a read worth picking up for me, but maybe I should check out the good ones. Great review!
Rebecca (Kindle Fever) recently posted..Review: The Hunt by Andrew Fakuda
Reply »
Ouch! Sorry you didn’t enjoy it. I’m going to be reading this book in the coming week so we’ll see how it goes for me.
Shane @Itchingforbooks recently posted..BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE~Something Strange & Deadly by Susan Dennard
Reply »
Aw I hate when a story has such a unique concept but the execution is lacking. There are some books out there where the story sounds so awesome but the author just didn’t pull it off.
Sorry this one wasn’t for you.
Alexa recently posted..Guest Post: Self Published vs. Major Publishing Houses
Reply »
Awww, sad you didn’t like this one better. It looks SO good. May still have to try it. I guess when we read as much as we do, they can’t all be our exact taste. But wouldn’t it be grand if they were? 😉
Reply »
I started to read this and was really into it…then it fell flat for me too. I was so disappointed. It’s, actually, a DNF for me. The world and the idea is super cool…but the characters were blah. I didn’t connect with anyone either.
Reply »