Sunderworld V-01 The Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry by Ransom Riggs

I really enjoyed this initial installment of Ransom Rigg's new series. Leopold is still grieving over his mother's death and doesn't have many people who understand him other than his best friend. And even then, his best friend starts getting worried about his visions.

Leopold "Larry"'s initial denial of his visions helps build up to his incredible awe and joy when he realizes that his favorite TV show, Sunder, is based on a true parallel world and he can actually live all the things he dreamed of. I enjoyed how Riggs detailed certain scenes from the TV and then had them play out for Leopold in real time.

There are so many great action scenes. And the secondary characters introduced are fun and described so well. I know a lot of people love Miss Peregrine's world and the characters there, but I couldn't connect to them as much. Sunderworld has what that one was lacking for me and I love each and every one of these characters, yes even the horrible father plays his part so well!

I was engaged and entertained the entire book and just had to know what was going to happen. The world building isn't too complex and I can't wait to see how things progress in the sequel. There are so many things I want to say about what I enjoyed but unfortunately they would be spoilers, so I hope this gushing, vague review is enough to have you picking up the story as well.

Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Leopold Berry is seeing weird things around Los Angeles. A man who pops a tooth into a parking meter. A glowing trapdoor in a parking lot. A half-mechanical raccoon with its tail on fire that just won’t leave him alone. Every hallucinatory moment seems plucked from a cheesy 1990s fantasy TV show called Max's Adventures in Sunderworld—and that’s because they are.

Not a good sign.

In the blurry weeks after his mother’s death, a young Leopold discovered VHS tapes of its one and only season in a box headed for the trash—and soon became obsessed. Losing himself in Sunder was the best way to avoid two things: grieving his mother and being a chronic disappointment to his overbearing father. But when the strange visions return—at the worst possible time on the worst possible day—Leopold turns to his best friend Emmet for help. Together they discover that Sunder is much more than just an old TV show, and that Los Angeles is far stranger than they ever imagined. And soon, he’ll realize that not only is Sunderworld real, but it’s in grave danger.

Certain he’s finally been chosen for greatness, Leopold risks everything to claim his destiny, save the world of his childhood dreams, and prove once and for all that he’s not the disappointment his father believes him to be. But when everything goes terribly, horribly, excruciatingly wrong, Leopold’s disappointments prove to be more extraordinary than he ever could have imagined.

How do you battle darkness when no one believes in you—not even yourself?