Penumbras by Braden Bell – Countdown to Christmas 2013

 Posted by  Countdown to Christmas
Dec 052013
 

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20 days until Christmas

 

BradenBellBraden Bell grew up in Farmington, Utah and graduated from Davis High School. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in theatre from Brigham Young University and a Ph.D. in educational theatre from New York University. He and his wife, Meredith live with their five children on a quiet, wooded lot outside of Nashville, Tennessee, where he teaches theatre and music at a private school. An experienced performer, Braden enjoys singing, acting, reading, gardening, and long walks with the dog. He loves every single second of Christmas.

Please take a minute to visit Braden at one of the links below:

WEBSITE | BLOG | TWITTER | FACEBOOK 

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LDSWBR: What is your favorite Christmas song/hymn? Does it have special meaning to you?

BRADEN: “Oh Holy Night.” I have ended up performing this song at different stages and points in my life, each of which had a great deal of meaning. It’s rewarding to sing, and the line, “Chains shall he break, for the slave is our brother” is a beautiful distillation of Christ’s mission and the charge he gives his disciples.

LDSWBR: Do you get together with friends/family to play board games on Christmas or New Year’s? What games do you like to play? Do you have a favorite game from your childhood?

BRADEN: We used to play Monopoly on Christmas Eve. It helped pass the seemingly endless hours. One year, my grandparents came and stayed with us and we played “Pit.” That’s not my favorite game, but those memories are so warm and I cherish them so much that the game makes me happy anytime I see it.

LDSWBR: If you could recommend only one book from those you read this year, what would it be and why?

BRADEN: Oh goodness, I am so bad at these questions! I should probably say The Bible or The Book of Mormon and leave it at that. However, the book that left the biggest impact on me was “The Reluctant Blogger.” I stayed up all night to read it, laughing and crying so hard that I shook the bed and woke my poor wife up several times. It challenged me, entertained me, and made me think and the characters seemed so real to me. Another very compelling read was “Wall of Faith” by Jason Lloyd Morgan. Okay, I need to stop now!

LDSWBR: Thanks, Braden!

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Penumbras (Middle School Magic #2)

BRADEN’S WEBSITE (Discounted Price) | AMAZON | KINDLE | BARNES & NOBLE | NOOK 

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Conner, Lexa, and Melanie are back! Just when they think life is normal again, a dangerous shadow creature begins to hunt them. The trio must develop their powers in order to conquer this new peril and protect their school. Filled with action and even more magic, this book continues the exciting adventure in the Middle School Magic series.

 Are there any games that remind you of a specific person?

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**To enter the LDSWBR Countdown to Christmas 2013, leave a thoughtful comment below.**

Because this is a raffle-style drawing, commenting on each Countdown to Christmas 2013 post will give you more chances to win. Please click through to the website as only comments submitted directly on this post will be accepted.

Prizes include a $50 Amazon gift card and the author-donated books listed below. This is raffle-style drawing where all entries throughout the contest period are entered into the same “hat” for all prizes. US only. 18 years and older please. See all contest rules and restrictions below.

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If one of our LDSWBR reviews has ever helped you find a book you enjoyed, please consider helping us spread the word about the LDSWBR Countdown to Christmas 2013. A link posted to your friends and family either in email or on your favorite social network would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

By leaving a comment and entering the Countdown to Christmas 2013, you agree to the contest rules below:

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY; entrants must be 18 years or older; open to residents of continental US only; giveaway begins December 3, 2013 and all entries must be received by 12:00 Midnight December 23, 2013 Mountain Time; to enter, complete the required entry on each post and any additional entries of your choice if listed; LDS Women’s Book Review reserves the right to determine what is considered a thoughtful comment as per each post’s required entry; giveaway prizes include a $50 Amazon gift card and a variety of book prizes donated by featured authors; the number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning; LDS Women’s Book Review is not liable for technical problems which may affect entry into the giveaway; winner identity will be verified by email address; winner will be selected December 28, 2013 by use of a sequence generator on random.org; winner will have until January 4, 2014 to claim their prize; if any prize winner forfeits or does not claim prize, prize will be re-awarded to next winner in sequence; all prizes will be awarded; limit of two prizes per entrant; this contest/giveaway is not associated with Facebook, Twitter or any other entity unless otherwise specified; by entering the giveaway you give LDS Women’s Book Review the right to publicize your name on the LDS Women’s Book Review blog; winner agrees to release LDS Women’s Book Review from any liability as a result of winning; email comments and questions to LDS Women’s Book Review – ldswbr (at) gmail (dot) com; giveaway subject to Utah regulations; VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

**Book Prizes (as of 12/5/13 – more to be added to this list!)**

  • Rocky Road by Josi S. Kilpack (personalized copy)
  • Shannon’s Hope by Josi S. Kilpack (personalized copy)
  • The House at Rose Creek by Jenny Proctor (signed copy)
  • Penumbras by Braden Bell (signed copy)
 Previous Countdown to Christmas 2013 posts:

Penumbras by Braden Bell — Blog Tour/Giveaway

 Posted by  Book Reviews
Jul 102013
 

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Author: Braden Bell

Publisher: Sweetwater Books

Published: July 9th, 2013

ISBN13: 9781462112203

Paperback: 304 pages

FTC FYI: Received a PDF copy in exchange for a honest review.  Plan on purchasing a copy.

Reviewed by Mindy

Book Blurb

Conner Dell didn’t meant to blow up the school bus.

Or the bathrooms.

In fact, he only wanted to go to sleep and possibly dream about Melanie Stephens.

But explosions had a funny way of happening when Conner and his friends were around.

Conner Dell wants to be good–he really does. But he is terrified that he might be turning into a Darkhand, especially when new powers start to surface. What’s worse, the Stalker is following Conner, but no one else seems to be able to see him. The Magi think he might be hallucinating, the guilt of what happened in the Shadowbox keeps weighing on him, and his relationship with Melanie Stephens is complicating things. Even for a Magi, Conner knows his life is anything but normal.

My Review
I love being able to review books like this.  Penumbras is a fun, adventurous book with heart, humor, and action.  I love this Magi world that Braden has created.  The Darkhands are evil, evil, evil.  But one has a secret, and I really enjoyed the twist to that.  I loved how the plot twists and the action scenes come about.  Braden has created characters that you will care about instantly and worry about.  The action starts right away and doesn’t let you go until the end.  *Possible Spoiler* There is a scene at the end that broke my heart as much as it broke when Dumbledore died.  The ending is beautifully written with a lovely surprise.
4 out of 5 stars.  Penumbras is a Book 2.  Although Braden does a great job of recapping what happened in Book 1, I would read The Kindling first.
Author Links
Purchase Links
There is also a Rafflecopter giveaway with Braden’s Blog Tour.  It is running now through August 10 at 12:00 am.
Here is the first chapter for you to get a sample of this fun book.

CHAPTER ONE

SHADOW PUPPETS

Conner Dell didn’t mean to blow up the school bus.

Or the bathrooms.

In fact, he only wanted to go to sleep and possibly dream about Melanie Stephens.

But explosions had a funny way of happening when Conner and his friends were around.

It all started on the annual seventh grade science trip to the Sea Lab at Dauphin Island, Alabama. Fifty-four thirteen-year-olds on a five-day field trip. What could go wrong?

Especially when three of them happened to be Magi.

For a fraction of a second, Conner thought he saw shadows slithering along the base of the cinderblock walls. Tensing, he blinked and looked again.

Nothing. He was alone in the darkness of his dorm room.

Well, except for his friend and fieldtrip roommate, Pilaf.

Across the room, Pilaf disturbed the darkness by turning his flashlight on and digging through a giant floral print suitcase. Fishing a book out, Pilaf hunched over, tucked the flashlight under his chin, and read.

“What are you reading?” Conner asked.

“Sorry. Did I wake you up?” Pilaf squeaked. “I couldn’t sleep. I guess I slept too much on the bus.”

“No worries.” Conner burrowed into his sleeping bag. He didn’t like messing with sheets on these trips. The springs of the ancient bed creaked beneath him. “I’m not sleepy either.” Lexa? Can you hear me? Conner reached out in his thoughts, wondering if his twin sister was awake in her room on the girls’s floor. Head-talking was a cool benefit of being one of the Magi—a secret group of warriors who used the power of Light to battle evil.

No answer from Lexa. Her allergy medicine must have knocked her out.

Melanie? He tried Lexa’s best friend, Melanie Stephens—also one of the Magi-in-training. Conner listened for her response, trying to ignore the backflip in his chest that came when he thought of her. No answer. Melanie had taken something for motion sickness on the bus. She must be knocked out too.

Conner jerked up as something skittered across the ceiling right above him. No doubt this time. He grabbed his own flashlight, raking the beam across the ceiling tiles as someone whispered his name.

Coooonnerrrrrr.

“What?” Conner pointed his flashlight at Pilaf, who looked up from his book, blinking behind his thick glasses. Pilaf’s blinks always reminded Conner of the way a light on a computer blinked when it processed data.

“What?” Pilaf squinted back at him.

“Why did you call me?” Conner asked.

“I didn’t.” Pilaf looked down at his book.

On edge now, Conner lay back down, scanning the room for more shadowy movement, his fingers ready to snap his flashlight back on at any second.

Co-n-n-e-r-r-r-r-r-r D-e-l-l-l-l-l.

A whispered, hissing sort of growl sounded in his head as a flicker of movement caught his eye. He whipped his head around in time to see a shadowy tail vanish under Pilaf’s bed. Flipping his flashlight on, he investigated the space under the metal frame.

Nothing there.

“What are you doing, Conner?” Pilaf managed to blink and stare at the same time.

Trying to protect you from slithery shadow monsters that could slurp your soul like a slushie, Conner thought. How could he keep the flashlight on without alarming Pilaf? Out loud, he said, “Uh, it’s a game. Flashlight tag. You’re it.” He shined the flashlight at Pilaf.

“How do you play?”

“Well . . . one person’s it and he shines a flashlight all over the room.”

“That’s all?” Pilaf blinked until Conner wondered if he was broadcasting the telephone book in Morse code. “It seems kind of pointless.”

“Uh, yeah.” Conner said. “You’re right. Lame. How about shadow puppets?” He slipped his hand in front of the flashlight, wiggling his fingers until the shadow resembled a horse.

“Cool!” Pilaf shouted.

A knock at the door interrupted them and a tired-looking science teacher poked his head in, glaring beneath tousled red hair. “What’s going on in here?”

“Sorry, Mr. Keller,” Pilaf said. “We slept on the bus ride, so we’re not tired. Conner’s making shadows with his hands. Look, a horse!”

“Neeeiiiiggghhh.” Conner threw in sound effects as a special feature.

Apparently unimpressed with great art, Mr. Keller frowned. “Get some sleep. We have a full day tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir.” Conner swallowed his depression at the thought of a five-day science class. Five days of plankton, ocean salinity, salt marshes, and beach ecology. Five days of science, 24/7. At least they were close to the beach. That might be fun.

“Do another one,” Pilaf whispered as the sound of Mr. Keller’s footsteps retreated down the hall.

“Okay, but be quiet this time.” Conner opened his fingers, making a snake’s mouth, complete with a flickering tongue.

It seemed so real that Conner thought he heard a hiss. Unsettled, he dropped his hands, but the hissing noise continued, twisting into words.

Co-n-n-e-r-r-r-r-r-r D-e-l-l-l-l-l—

Trying to squash the sound, Conner raised his voice. “Here’s another one.” He cupped his hands on top of each other, stuck his thumb up, and opened his fingers slightly.

“Wow!” Pilaf yelled. “A wolf!” He giggled as Conner opened the mouth and growled. “Little pig, little pig let me come in.” Conner prayed that none of the other seventh-grade boys heard he’d been doing Three Little Pigs shadow plays. That would not be cool.

Co-n-n-e-r-r-r-r-r-r D-e-l-l-l-l-l—

The weird voice came louder. Conner dropped his hands away from the flashlight.

The wolf head stayed there.

Fighting panic, Conner switched the flashlight off, but the wolf head remained, darker than the darkest shadows on the wall.

It stretched and grew bigger, becoming life-sized within seconds. It turned and stared at Conner, a three-dimensional head sticking out of the wall like some kind of freaky hunting souvenir.

The wolf growled, then jumped off the wall, and sailed across the room toward Conner.