Secret Origins

By: James Riley

Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne

Bethany travels to a new fictional world to rescue her father in this third book in the New York Times bestselling series, Story Thieves—which was called a “fast-paced, action-packed tale” by School Library Journal—from the author of the Half Upon a Time trilogy.

Owen and Bethany have sworn off jumping into books for good. But they didn’t make any promises about not jumping through strange portals that lead to a comic book world.

Jupiter City was once filled with brightly costumed superheroes and villains, but nowadays, there’s nothing left but the Dark. Even the villains are terrified of the Dark’s shadows, and most of the heroes have either disappeared or been lost to mind control. The one hero who might have stopped all of this, Doc Twilight, has been imprisoned by the Dark.

But who is Doc Twilight really? And how can Bethany and Owen defeat the Dark without superpowers of their own? They’ll definitely need the help of some old friends and new allies to bring the light back to Jupiter City, and find out the truth behind the Dark.

It all comes back to Bethany’s own secret origins. What really happened when her fictional father disappeared years ago? Who is Nobody, and why is he writing these Story Thieves books? And what kind of supervillain name is The Rotten Banana?

Is it a paradox?

I’m at a loss where to begin? The Story Thieves series is written, or marketed, as a Middle Grade tale. Perhaps at its most basic, it could be considered as such. However, the way the story is written really makes one think. Riley presents us with an idea, completely far-fetched in our reality, that makes one pause and think, “well, what if ...?”

If you are considering this book (#3 in the series), then what follows shouldn’t be a spoiler. ... so, what if writers actually were get glimpses into other worlds through their fantastic imaginations? And, what if one or more of these “characters” became self aware outside their own story? Would it make sense for them to feel manipulated? Controlled?

Considering what Riley presents in this series brings me to consider a time paradox. Honestly, these books are a lot more thought provoking than I would ever have considered. That said, I recommend to anyone who enjoys a great story, a plot that is intricate and certainly not easy to figure out, and characters that are dynamic (yes, in the literary meaning) this would be an excellent choice.

I listened to the first three on audiobooks and the narrator did a great job. I believe they would be enjoyable either way. The next one that is ready to go is presented as a “pick your plot” story. Now, there is an excellent reason for this choice, but you have to read Book #3, Secret Origins, to find out what it is. That said, I’m not sure how that option would work on audiobooks? It is available however, so it must work somehow. I’m not sure which way I will go yet, BUT, I will go there.

I love it

it's so good but when the people yelled it's to loud but other then that it's amazing

Rating story thevies

I liked it a lot. It met expectations for me. You will proudly like it. It's pretty darn good 😏

Amazing

I loved it and didn't struggle to finish it at all. 🌍 🌎 🌏

I ❤️ the comic theme

I really like the comic book theme because I love comics so it is definitely top ten