I got this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. I don’t usually go for apocalyptic fiction, but in this case the description that it was a “blend of history, myth, and science” sparked some interest.

Ancient Mayans predicted that the world is going to end on December 21, 2012. Now, a few years before that date, there may be a way to prevent this from happening – all in the form of one blue crystal skull. The blue skull comes into the posession of Stella and Kit, a newly wed couple, who have found clues as to it’s location in journals left by Cedric Owen – the skull’s previous owner who had died trying to hide it. Along with the skull comes not only the job of trying to save the world, but also the fact that there are many people who would kill to own this skull and possess the power it has, and at least one of them knows that Stella has it.

It was written so that half of it takes place in the present, and half of it is the story from Cedric Owen’s point of view, during the sixteenth century. I liked the way this was done, because we work with Stella and Kit to uncover the clues to the blue stone at the same time that Owen is discovering magical properties of the stone, or figuring out where it needs to be hidden, or even when Owen is learning what Stella will need to do so many years after his own death to prevent the end of the world.

Scott has taken Mayan mythology, and paired it with the crystal skulls to create an entertaining and riveting read. It was well researched, action-packed, and there wasn’t a dull moment. The characters left a little to be desired – I didn’t find them as detailed as they could have been – but overall, I enjoyed this book quite a bit.

Looking back on it, it reminds me of a cross between an Indiana Jones movie and your typical hero’s journey novel. Best thing about it, though, was that I didn’t even realize that it was the hero’s journey until three quarters of my way into the book, so it wasn’t predictable at all. In fact, even after I realized what it was, there were still a few surprises at the end. It was definitely a good read, and well worth jumping into apocaliptic fiction for.