The Heart of Pangaea

“I'd follow you anywhere, Robyn, though mostly out of morbid curiosity.”

Witty, adventurous, and full of laugh-out-loud moments, The Heart of Pangaea is perfect for readers who love dinosaurs (and dimetrodons, which are definitely NOT dinosaurs). I really enjoyed reading about Robyn and Ed's adventure through Pangaea. There are heartfelt moments, pulse-stopping suspense, brilliant ways of breaking the 4th wall, and just an overall good time!

“Look, I had a more intricate trial planned, but the beta readers didn't like it.”

The dialogue is top-tier sarcasm and deadpan, making it an amusing book for readers of all ages. On the more meaningful side of things, Robyn's search for a cure for her mother is heartfelt and makes for many emotional conversations. In a few ways, Ed's comments about his desire to be “real” paired with the heartstring-tugging motivation, I wanted to compare The Heart of Pangaea to The Velveteen Rabbit; though obviously with dinosaurs rather than stuffed animals. It's not a great comp (and certainly a strange one), but the thought crossed my mind several times as I read. 

Overall, I had a great time reading this book and will certainly keep my eye out for future works from this author. I give it 4.5 stars out of 5!

Content disclaimers: There is a bit of light cursing sprinkled throughout the book, somewhere between a high PG rating and a low PG-13. There's not a lot of gore, considering the theme of the book, but there is some action and scary scenes where we aren't sure who's going to make it to the next chapter (appropriate for a middle grade audience, in my opinion). And finally, it is about dinosaurs, so you can expect evolution to be a prevalent topic, so if this bothers you, maybe pass on this one.

I received this book from the author. All comments and opinions are entirely my own and this review is voluntary.