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3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 An Entertaining Page-Turner for Young and Old Sep 04, 2008
A mystery, a secret, prophetic dreams, and a threat to the planet's existence. Sound like a good beginning? It is. But there's more, and it starts when young archeologists Alex (Alexandra) Logan and Mitch Carver stumble across an artifact while part of an excavation team working near the Great Sphinx. The pair don't know what they've discovered, but they suspect it's significant. They also know they can't trust the professor they report to. Meanwhile, 12,000 years earlier, a race of people called the Kierani are dealing with their own secrets, betrayals, and threat of destruction.
This all makes for a dynamic page-turner as the pressure mounts for both ancient and modern characters. There's a lot going on in this multi-faceted story as intrigue and tension mounts in gripping climaxes. Plot aside, what's especially appealing about Secret of the Sands is the way authors Rai Aren and Tavius E entwine both stories using multiple viewpoints and short, engaging chapters. Their simple writing style is also suitable for younger readers.
While I've certainly enjoyed my share of novels, few of them have left me wanting to rush out and by the sequel as much as this one does. The story leaves some big questions unanswered, and while that strategy might irritate some, it sure didn't hurt the Star Wars movies. Nor should it hurt this entertaining novel.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 A Mesmerizing Story Sep 01, 2008
Have you ever wondered how old the Sphinx really is? Have you been intrigued by the mysteries swirling like the desert sands around this awesome ancient monument? Rai Aren and Tavius E. have written a mesmerizing story in which two young archaeologists discover an artifact that could provide all of the answers. But they are not the only ones who are interested in this relic, for it holds a power unlike anything seen on Earth before...
Secret of the Sands takes us back 12,000 years to the origins of the artifact and the people who created it. Their story is interwoven with the lives of the archaeologists studying it in the present. Both sets of characters are so well-drawn that I could swear I heard them breathing!
This novel is packed with adventure and suspense, and the style is fast-paced and filled with vivid description.When I got to the end I thought "oh no!" I wanted more, more, more! But I'll have to wait for Destiny of the Sands to get it. Rai and Tavius, please hurry up with that sequel!
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
MY HEAD WAS IN THE SANDS SECRET Aug 23, 2008
The Feathery
RAI AREN & TAVIUS E. IN SECRET OF THE SANDS HAVE MADE A SMOOTH LEAP FROM PRESENT DAY SUSPENSE AND INTRIGUE FOR MORE OF THE SAME IN THE YEAR 10,000 BC. THE CHARACTERS MITCH AND ALEXANDRA(ALEX) ARE PART OF AN EXCAVATION TEAM NEAR THE PYRAMIDS AND THE GREAT SPHINX IN EGYPT. THEIR LEADER PROFESSOR ABNER DUSTIMAINE DOES NOT TRUST THEIR WORK EVEN TO THE POINT OF ASSIGNING SOMEONE TO WATCH THEM CLOSELY. HIS ANGST TOWARD THEM IS MOTIVATED BY JEALOUSY. ABNER HAS GOOD REASON FOR HIS SUSPICIONS FOR MITCH AND ALEX HAVE FOUND SOMETHING IN THEIR DIG THAT COULD BE A LINK TO PROVING THE MYTH THAT AN ALIEN CIVILIZATION HAD INHABITED ANCIENT EGYPT AND MAY HAVE BEEN THE BUILDERS OF THE PYRAMIDS AND THE GREAT SPHINX.
FAST BACKWARD TO 10,000 BC. AND TROUBLE WITHIN THE ROYAL FAMILY OF KING TRAEUS. THERE'S A SECRET HIDDEN WITHIN THE SANDS OF THAT KINGDOM. IT DWELLS AMIDST DECEIT AND ADULTERY. BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER UNTIL A WAR BETWEEN THE INOCENT SETTLES NOTHING.
A GOOD READ WITH A PACE THAT MAKES ONE HANG IN UNTIL THE VERY END. I DID THINK THE LAB CHARACTERS BOB AND JACK WERE TRITE AND COULD'VE BEEN REPLACED BY ONE NERDY SCIENTIST CALLED SIGMUND. BUT I'M NOT THE AUTHOR..JUST THE READER. MY WIFE,BARBARA, WOULD NOT RELEASE SECRET OF THE SANDS TO ME UNTIL SHE FINISHED AND WAS CAPTIVATED BY THE ORIGINALITY AND INTRIGUE WITHIN THOSE PAGES THAT SHE TURNED SO QUICKLY WITH CURIOSITY AS TO WHAT WOULD COME NEXT. WE BOTH AWAIT THE SEQUEL. PERHAPS RAI AREN & TAVIUS E. WILL TAKE US TO THE HOME PLANET OF THOSE WHO BUILT THE PYRAMIDS AND THE GREAT SPHINX.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Mind-turning ideas and all of a thriller novel Aug 23, 2008
This is a nicely written novel. Of course, it's fiction, but cleverly handled. Anyway, I think nobody has nor can have the authority to deny what's proposed here. Humankind past has still too many mysterious things, for which History and historians have tried to find "clever" explanations.
We try to find explanations for everything, although there are many things, that simply can not be explained. The Sphinx is one of them, sitting there, awaiting for God knows what, and since when.
The authors play with an interesting idea, and they knit a beautiful story around it.
A book to be read in no more than 4 days, at most. You keep turning and turning pages until they end. And then, you feel you'd like to go on reading more about the same.
Let's wait for the Destiny to enlighten us ...
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Hard to put Down! Aug 17, 2008
Because I love books about Egypt, I saw a link and purchased this book on a whim. Boy, was I surprised! Secret of the Sands is well written with some nice historical references and abviously, a lot of planning and research. It's not often that you find new authors that make you want to find their next work, but this one did. The story is fast paced with nice links to past events in a format moving from past to future very seamlessly. I'mlooking forward to the next in the series and would encourage you to pick this book up. It's an enjoyable read that leaves you wanting more.
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