Goodreads Summary: Just when they thought they were safe, Amber Trendon, and their classmates get yanked back into the action. With the Tebah Stick in enemy hands, Amber becomes a target, and it seems even her closest allies can’t be trusted. Now the gang will have to travel through enemy territory to protect a deadly ancient weapon that could cause the earth’s utter destruction.
This thrilling tale ups the action and doubles the danger. Bestselling author Frank L. Cole delivers an addicting read for adventurers of all ages.
My Review
Amber just celebrated her 15th birthday, and the gifts are still coming in. One in partiuclar is puzzling to her. There is no note telling who is was from. It was a box with two old leather books inside. The 1st and 2nd book of Kings. Why was someone sending her books from the Bible. Amber has her suspicions as to who sent it. To top it all off, Amber keeps having dreams, nightmares really that come every night. In these dreams, she feels that someone or something is haunting her.
This book picks up right where the first ended, and it’s just as exciting with non-stop action as in The Guardians of the Hidden Scepter. I really, really enjoyed this. Amber finds out some information that is shocking, and she doesn’t really know who she can trust. Old friends and foes are back in the book, and I loved her journey. Amber has a power, one that she isn’t sure how to use.
4 out of 5 stars. This is a great series for kids and adults.
FTC FYI: I received a PDF copy in exchange for an honest review.
Reviewed by Mindy
Goodreads summary: “Jacob Clark has just returned from the world of Eklaron, where he frustrated the evil plans of the Lorkon and returned the magical Key of Kilenya to its rightful owners. His quest is far from over, though–Aloren is trapped in Maivoryl City by the Ember Gods, and Jacob can’t return to save her until he receives the potion that will protect his team from the corrosive influence of the Lorkon.
Balancing between this new world and his own proves tricky. Not only has he started his first year of high school, but his magical abilities are bringing him too much attention. He feels pulled by both sides, hoping he’ll figure out his special powers to save Aloren in time.”
This engaging sequel picks up right where The Key of Kilenya stops. Jacob has only been back from his adventure for a short time. He is coping with his new abilities, all while starting high school. Many frustrating things happen for Jacob on his first day. Most difficult for him is having his journal taken away, and he won’t get it back for the rest of the week. That was Jacob’s assignment from the Makalos. Read that journal, it will help answer his questions. He and Matt get home from school and right away are summoned back to help the Makolos. There is an army coming. He and Matt rush to help.
What was hard for Jacob during this book was his wanting to help and rescue Aloren. The Fat Lady wants to wait until all of the rescuers can have the protection of a potion. One that takes a very long time to make. His concern for Aloren has him not using his best judgement. Jacob and Matt sneak and use the key to try to save her.
I really enjoyed this book! I loved the action scenes. Especially near the end. I did think that the basketball playing was a little distracting. I know basketball is a love of Jacob’s, but it took me away from the story a bit. I thought the Ember Gods were really cool though, and I wanted more from them. Really great villains. As always, the characters are well written, creative, and enjoyable. I love this world Andrea has created. There is an awesome surprise at the end, and I’m very excited for Kilenya Book 3, August Fortress, to see where this new information will take the characters.
4 out of 5 stars. A great action/adventure story. Find out more about Andrea Pearson here. Here is the purchase link for The Ember Gods on smashwords.
Published: in full November 2011. The first third is available now under the name The Fairy Godmother Dilemma
ISBN: 2940012988300
FTC FYI: I received a PDF from the author which did not affect my review
Reviewed by Mindy
Goodreads summary: “Sixteen-year-old Breena never thought anything could be worse than being forced to leave the faerie realm. Then she got stuck with a fairy godmother. But if she has to choose between the two, she’d leave the Faerie Realm over getting bossed about by a faerie with a pointed stick any day. Unfortunately, her attempt to evade her fairy godmother gives her growing pains in the form of fur, whiskers, and a tail.
Turning into a cat is the least of her worries, though. The potion wasn’t meant to bring out her inner feline, it was meant to put her to sleep. Forever. If Breena wants to make it to her Happily Ever After, she’ll have to accept that sometimes a fairy godmother really does come in handy, after all.”
Nerissa is a fairy godmother. She has just returned from helping a DID (Damsel in Distress), and gave her her HEA (Happily Ever After), but she is frustrated.
Because every girl–odd duck or not–wanted a Happily Ever After, complete with the deserving suitor, the crown, and the sunset. And for the life of her, Nerissa couldn’t begin to fathom why. page 6
But such was the life of a fairy godmother. She could help the girls spread their wings, fan their tail feathers, and maybe nudge them off the branch, but is was up to them to fly. She couldn’t do it for them. page 8
To top it off, she isn’t feeling well. So, when she receives the “request” from the Fairy Queen’s pesky fire salamander Frax, to help another DID, Nerissa is less then thrilled. This girl, Breena, is unique. She is a mortal that has been living with the fairies. Long ago, Breena’s mother promised Feylinda her first born child in return for as much fruit as she could carry. Breena’s mother didn’t mention that she had an enchanted basket that could hold as much as she put in. Now, years later, the blossoms are finally starting to return. Feylinda has had the girl for 16 years, and wants to be rid of her by pawning her off to Nerissa. Reluntantly, Nerissa has a new DID, but Breena’s HEA is different. What she wants varies from other DIDs.
This book is darling. There were couple mistakes in a chapter with names, and a few phrases that were repeated a bit, but all and all, I enjoyed it. There are many great characters: Myles the mage in training, Baldemar the Prince on a task from his father the King, and Natter the goblin on a task for her mistress, and lots of pesky cats. Each chapter is told from a character’s point of view. My favorite character was Nerissa. She was written with a clever wit and fun humor. I loved reading what was in her head. I thought having many characters was a great way to help time pass, and the author did that nicely. There are many clever lines, and each character is written well. I loved the end when a character (won’t spoil who) was given a chance for their greatest wish, but chose to help against evil.
4 out of 5 stars. The first third is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble for .99 cents under the name The Fairy Godmother Dilemma. Find more about Danyelle Leafty on goodreads and her website.
FTC FYI: I purchased my own copy at Julie and Kevin’s book launch.
A guy who works in his grandfather’s magic shop expects weird things to happen. But Hap Hazzard has never had a day like this. First, a freaky old man in a cape who calls himself “Torval” visits the shop and somehow makes a trash can explode. Then Torval delivers an ominous message to Hap’s grandfather, upsetting the old man so badly that he yells at Hap for the first time ever. Next, this girl Tara shows up to apply for a job, and for reasons Hap can’t understand, his cool magic tricks send her away in tears. But that’s nothing compared to what happens next. Under orders to apologize to Tara, Hap searches for the girl. But he can barely say he’s sorry before three spaceships appear, the biggest of the three looking like a burnt slice of pizza.
The weirdness only ramps up as Hap and Tara soon find themselves aboard the pizza-shaped ship piloted by a pair of aliens. Even though they were accidentally abducted, the two humans are now forced to join an out-of-this-world mission that includes razor-toothed multilingual beetles, a psychic queen bee, manic ape frogs, a coveted crystal, and a hundred other bizarre things that just might make sense-if Hap could only remember and understand Torval’s cryptic message. Join Hap and Tara as they begin a fantastic journey into the far reaches of the universe.
As a 2nd grade teacher I try to read as many books as possible that my students may like reading. Parents always ask me, “What books should I buy for my child?” I never like to answer, “Well I’ve heard that _________ is a good book, but I haven’t read it yet.” Seriously, that is not what they want to hear.
As I read a Middle-Grade book (books written for children ages 8-12), I try to read it from their perspective. In fact, I try to do this with any genre book that I read. I focus in on the target audience and judge/critique from their standards; what they like and would want to read. So, as I read Hazzardous Universe I shifted my thinking to my students. I knew right away that they would love this book! This age group (8-12 year old crowd) is so into space (Star Wars) and aliens. The idea of traveling on a space ship and exploring the Universe is right up their alley. There are great creatures and interesting planets to explore. Wonderful characters, Hap Hazzard and his eventual friend, Tara, learn some good lessons as they take a ride on Nana, the pizza shaped ship. I especially enjoyed the character of Mosh.
I have read books written by Julie Wright before, but this was a new adventure for her writing this Middle-Grade book. It is amazing what she has done with this story. Kevin Wasden, the illustrator, came up with the sketches for Hap and his alien friends back in 1993. When he met Julie, many years later, he knew that she was the one he wanted to write Hap’s story. The illustrations are really wonderful. You can see them by watching the book trailer.
“Kevin and I are in the process of creature creation for book HU3 (that doesn’t sound as cool as HU2, does it? I’ll work on it). This is your chance to get your work in a book! Draw us a picture of an alien creature. It can be as wacky or cool as you’d like. Give us a paragraph of background description on what your creature eats, where it lives, and what its life is like. The contest will run from September 1st through February 14th of 2012. Why February 14th, you ask? Well, because it’s Valentine’s Day, and I LOVE aliens, of course!
The winner of the contest will get a totally out of this universe T-shirt featuring Hap Hazzard and his cohorts, free copies of HU1, HU2 and HU3 when they are released, and your creature featured in HU3.”
To read more about it, head on over to their website for additional details.
I also want to thank Julie for coming to my school for an author visit. The kids loved her!! She got them excited about her book and about believing in themselves. Julie gave a super presentation!
If you would like to purchase Hazzardous Universe, (and why wouldn’t you?), click here.
Last, but not least, meet Julie and Kevin.
Julie Wright has written over a dozen books, but especially loves writing about the fantastic. She enjoys speaking to writing groups, youth groups, and schools. She loves life and everything life has to offer, except mayonnaise and mosquitoes. She especially loves reading, eating (especially ice cream), writing, hiking, playing on the beach with her kids, and snuggling with her husband to watch videos. Julie’s favorite thing to do is watch her husband make dinner.
Kevin Wasden has an overactive imagination, is unable to sit through meetings without drawing, and tends to be silly at the most inopportune moments. He is an advocate of creativity in education and enjoys speaking to youth, writers, artists, and educators. He studied illustration at Utah State University and has studied figure-drawing and painting from the exceptional figure artist, Andy Reiss, in New York City. Kevin teaches visual art at DaVinci Academy of Science and the Arts.
FYC FYI- I received a free copy, which did not affect my review.
Jeniah is a princess with a secret, she can do magic. She keeps it to herself because she feels like an outcast in her royal family, and magic brings trouble. Jeniah’s power is a blurring power, she can hide herself anyway she wants. Jeniah doesn’t feel important, just a princess that will be married off at her father’s convenience. Her only enjoyment is riding her duocorn. One afternoon on a ride, she meets her destined chayim (a magical creature with power). They are bounded immediately, now deep down she realizes she is special, if this creature choose her. A knight from a distant country, Kai, on his way to her country, thinks she in trouble, and kills the great beast. The two don’t start off on the right foot, but gradually their relationship grows. Later, Jeniah is promised to the Hanoran prince. This troubles her because of the rumors of the gruesome king, dark magic, and torture. Alas, she accepts her fate. Before she is sent off, her country is invaded. She escapes with Kai, and along their journey, Jeniah discovers things about herself, her magic, and her family that change her destiny.
I LOVED this book. The romantic tension between Kai and Jeniah was awesome. There was so much action and suspense, I couldn’t get enough. I read it so fast because I wanted to see what was happening next, but I didn’t want to finish because then it would be over…
5 stars of out of 5. I would read it again, and have recommend it many friends. It was also nominated for a 2010 Whitney Award.
Donna Hatch has written many books. Find out more about her here. I am also looking forward to reading her others books as well.
Sorry, but I’m doing it again. I’m reviewing yet another series book. And, again, it’s not the first of the series. But, I won’t apologize for the books because they are great.
I found the first book of “The Magic Thief” series sitting in the new arrivals section of my dearly beloved library when it first came out. I was drawn by the cover, title, and the word magic. Long story short, I enjoyed the first and the second, which is called “Lost”, but I think “Found” is the best of the series.
To sum up the gist of the stories… Conn is a thief who lives on the streets of Twilight. He has to pick pockets to survive, but that has also made him strong and smart. One night he picks Nevery’s pocket, and it turns out, Nevery is a wizard. He takes Conn in, reluctantly at first, but he and his “housekeeper” Benet, start to love the boy. Conn meets many in the city, good and bad and has a problem with the Underlord. Who also has a problem with him. Conn finds out, he’s a wizard too, and every wizard needs a locus magicalicus to do magic properly. What Conn’s is and how he finds it, and what happens next, I’ll let you read that. But, it’s an adventure.
In “Lost” there’s trouble in another city and it’s up to Conn to help. He gets fixed up in the city’s magic and what’s happening to it (that is explained in the first as well). Conn is misunderstood by many, and many are mean to him. The “lost” part of book is what takes the story on a great turn of events.
“Found”… well, I can’t say what was lost or found. But, it’s no secret that the magic in Wellmet is in trouble and something terrible is coming. Conn needs to find what was lost so he can help. Along the way he finds dragons, which could hold the key to fixing the long-time problem with the cities magic and what it really is.
Great story for kids, or anyone who wants a clever, fun, quick read. I would recommend these books and I would read more from this author.
The Guardians of Elijah’s Fire
