Magisters, Magic, Students and Dragons...
596720
Well written, amazing characters, surprises in every character, and corner. A fantastic coming of age book with deep characters you can relate to. Mystery, Surprises and Dragons,  cross blend of many other planetary characters!
Please, Parents, read this as a pre-read for your child. I did for my 10 year old Granddaughter, I loved it , you won't believe how fast you remember their age.
640554
Isabelle feels awkward in her school, as it is for some teens.  Her best friend Bianca does her best to stand up for her because she sees something special in Isabelle.  They discover how special she is when a gym class accident brings about pink dust and a silver strand.  In attempts to remove the strand that makes her feel freakier than usual, she finds out that it is the source of her magical power within.  Now that it is damaged, she has five days to complete three tests or else she loses her powers and her life.  This is an interesting book about learning about magic you were born with (think Harry Potter), but developing your identity in a journey of self-discovery.  Each setting during her tests are creative and imaginative as she is prepared for the dangers she faces.  The characters are often funny with their banter.  This is an engaging and exciting book for Tweens and teens.  Looking forward to the next books in the Mastermind Academy series.
2881821
This book was amazing. It is filled with action and adventure. There are great wizards with cool powers and abilities. A girl who wants to join a magical guild meets a boy who was raised by a dragon (and taught secret dragon magic!). They team up and become... If you like magical battles, betrayals and complicated spells, you do NOT want to miss this book!
1599950
Vampire Boy is a creative and fun book that will draw young readers into a mystical world. As the first in a series, be prepared to leave this book with more questions than answers, wanting to know what is going to happen to Alex and his friends next!

At Carpathian Academy, young students meet other magical beings (druids, gargoyles, pixies, elementals, etc.) unlike themselves for the first time. Students are quick to realize that where their new friends are concerned, assumptions are off and knowledge is incorrect or incomplete. This forces the students to stay curious and open as they grow and learn with one another. This aspect of the book is not at all heavy handed, and serves as a great opportunity for young readers to think about the harms of stereotyping and the benefits of embracing diverse perspectives, talents and experiences. As an educator, I am excited to see this kind of content. I would recommend this book for 3rd-5th graders interested in fantasy and mystery.
3381640
Just when Lace and her fellow students are settling into a routine at the Academy and starting to get a handle on their magic all hell breaks loose and one of the key figures in the rebellion is found murdered.  The students must race off to beat the King's centurions arrive to clean up any incriminating evidence and get justice all at the same time.  And they only have a matter of hours.

This book is a little bit Agatha Chistie and a little bit Andre Norton.  I really enjoyed the fact the both books so far in the series have had an element of mystery.  Ross also gives us more tantalizing clues to the mysterious instructor Bahir and his life before the rebellion.  Lace also gets tasked with the most onerous assignment of all amidst the murder investigation by Bahir, befriending her rival in the group, Delia.  It was a pleasure to see her sparring and seeing how the other half thinks.

There was a certain painful reality to our MC learning that Delia's evident prejudice came from just never considering there was any other way than what she has been taught.

I also liked that though Lace is definitely the main focus, nearly all the characters get some amount of development with the exception of poor mute One Eye who gets stuck guarding the portal in the event of the Centurions arrival.

Despite appearing as a typical YA/ New Adult series, Ross's Magic Academy series is deeply nuanced with social themes that resonate with every day life while still giving us a rollicking fantasy novel with a fair share of wit and humor.

Honestly a must read.
4835873
Let's see... two young boys and a young girl, magical places the public can't see, a school, famous parents for the main boy, lots of mythical and magical beings and creatures, a dark forest, an evil plot to take over....

No, it's not Harry Potter and not Hogwarts. Or Lord of the Rings. In fact, the two boys do not attend the school, only the girl (in this book). but it has some neat differences like a train engine replaced by a dragon. Many trains, in fact. There are 'Muggles' that can use spells.  Well, they have to buy them and learn how to use them, but you don't have to be a magical creature to use magic.  Cool.

With lots of other reviews about this good book, no need to go into more details here. If you like magical settings with several twists on most stories of this genre, you will enjoy this one. I would say its audience would be ages 8 - 88 (or even older); for the young and young at heart that like a story that will keep you turning pages.

As for my idiosyncrasies, (1) the book is well edited (except for a Saturday issue I emailed the author about), and (2) it has a satisfying ending instead of a cliffhanger.

So Book 2 is definitely on my radar to read in the near future.
856822
This book has all the components of an old fashioned fantasy.  Good vs. evil, magic, fairies, Pirates, sea monsters, a sea dragon, true friends, and an epic struggle to save the world from those who would abuse all else in the search for more power.  It even  has an internal struggle for the hero against his own worst desires.

The story is suitable for middle school children, on up through adults.  I do recommend this book, and I can't wait to read the other books in the series.
4764575
Second in The Dragons of Wayward Crescent paranormal fantasy series for middle-grade readers and revolving around young Lucy Pennykettle and her dragon-making mom, Liz.

My Take
I do enjoy these stories. Theyre so cozy with that element of fantasy in the dragons. Lucy is the quintessential child with her curiosity and stubbornness warring away within her, and yet she does know when to be careful. As for Liz, we would all be lucky to have had her for a mom. She's determined that her daughter follow her rules, and D'Lacey has such a fun way of ensuring it *she's says laughing*, yet she's also very easygoing.

Id say the theme is that theres more than one way to skin a cat, lol. That ending certainly was a surprise *more laughter*

The perspective is Lucys using a third-person subjective point-of-view, as we hear her thoughts but no one elses. And shes too typically a kid who can be so easily embarrassed by her mothers actions. Its a major incentive for Lucy to come up with an answer.

The Story
Its embarrassing. Downright embarrassing that her mother is going to get them thrown in jail. Just because the town council wants to tear down some old clock.

We can only hope that a dragon who measures time, a ghost, and Lucy can outsmart the wicked Mr. Trustable.

The Characters
Lucy Pennykettle is nine years old and quite skeptical. Liz Pennykettle is her mother and a potter who specializes in clay dragons, whom she creates in the Dragons Den.

The dragons
There are two types: the ones Liz sells and the special ones she keeps. The special ones include the listening dragon in the kitchen; Gruffen, who is a guard dragon ( Gruffen , 1) who comes with his very own instruction manual; Gawain and Guinevere who have their own special roles; and, Gwendolen is Lucys special dragon.

Gauge is the special dragon in this story who loves to measure time.

Henry Bacon is their grumpy next-door neighbor who works at the library. Miss Baxter is Lucys teacher. Roger Trustable is with the Town Council. Hmmmtrustable? Mr. Higson is his troublemaker. Sir Rufus Trenchcombe is the ghostly Clockmaker to the Crown.

The Cover and Title
The cover is much darker than those pictured on the Internet. The one Im reading is a dark, dark smudgy metalllic green for a background with a silver metallic oval in the center surrounded by a metallic copper outer border and a red inner one. Gauge, a green skinned dragon with scattered scales of gold, fills the center. Wearing a blue velvet vest with lapels, hes hunkered down, examining his special pocket watch connected to his vest pocket with a gold chain. The series information is in a curly gothic font in white at the top while the title is in the same font in copper against a deep cream scroll at the base of the oval graphic. The authors name is at the very bottom in a serif white.

The title is the focus of this story, the time-measuring dragon named Gauge.
2861060
This book has it all.....romance,pirates,Wizards good and bad. This is a glorious tale of an incredible world where time can stand still for some characters, and oh, what characters they are. And the dragons...remarkable, intelligent creatures with a complex society of their own.  These dragons are intelligent and form loving relationships.  I can not recommend this book enough.
3940662
Young adult fantasy with an interesting cast of characters and a fast paced plot. Tristan and Amber go under cover in the third book in the series. They face the seeminingly impossible task of saving the world from a rival magic school run by an evil headmistress. They will have to face their own fears and make new allies to overcome their greatest challenges yet.
1746229
The Story-
Nicole is an Arete, a fourth child with magical powers, unfortunately she can't figure out her focus object to release her powers. She is hoping that her studies at Katon University will reveal them.  She loves her Arete classes and is very interested in the history of the Aretes. She doesn't love her apartment, which fills with spiders nightly and was the scene of several disappearances. And then there is the book that keeps following her around.

Nicole jumps at the chance to go on a research project with her professor, and the hottest guy in school, who just happens to be able to control his magic and then some. But, things are not what they seem in the caverns of Arches National Park, and very old magic is leaking into the world. If Nicole can't learn to release her magic, her entire expedition might die.

My Thoughts-
This is a well written paranormal that touches the very top ages of the YA market. It is an exciting adventure, and one of my favorites, where the main character doesn't know their own potential. Nicole is a wonderful character. She is desperately seeking to understand her Arete powers and their history, and though worried, she is strong and brave. She faces her fears and works on her problems. She finds help when necessary, and she sleeps with hundreds of spiders in her bedroom! Yikes! Those parts of the story creeped me out. The author does a great job with the visuals.

There is a slight bit of romance, which I'm sure will develop throughout the series. The plot is solid, and draws you deeply into the story. As a reader I couldn't help but wonder at why Nicole's magic was blocked, and as she discovers more, I couldn't put the book down. The villains of the story are unique monsters that really had me thinking. They hint at a deeper plot point coming down the line, and the question of the "following" book is high on the list of things I want to know. Things do get a bit gruesome, but not so bad that it will leave the reader stressed. Plus, the deaths really added to the tension and feel of the story. It makes the bad guys seem so much more wrong and scary.

I really enjoyed this one. 5 Stars!
391839
The series keeps grabbing my attention.  A fun, fairly quick read.  I love the magic and the dragons!
4922749
Recently finishing the Dragon Jousters Trilogy I find this series to be a relatively simple series.  It could use some more excitement and would probably be better enjoyed by young readers but it is very imaginative and I was drawn to loving the dragons.

Anyway, this review here is more for a listing of the character with their dragons.  There are no major spoilers in this list and I am posting it here just to help out new readers to this book.  I love all kinds of dragons but what I found lacking and necessary, specifically in the second volume of the series was a listing of the jousters with their respective dragon because through out the book descriptions of the jouster and dragon jumps around a lot.  At least for me, it's difficult to enjoy a book when it's necessary to keep track of eight to ten dragons all different colors, with new names, and paired with a character (most of which are new characters).  I had to jot down this information on the back of my bookmark to keep them all sorted out.  In the end it helped me keep all the characters listed.

CHARACTER (DESCRIPTIONS)---------------DRAGON (F/M)[COLOR](DESCRIPTIONS)

Vetch/Kiron (serf/dragon boy)----------Avatre (F)[Scarlet]

Huras (baker's son)--------------------Tathulan (F)[Blue-Purple-Scarlet](biggest)

Gan (oldest & a noble)-----------------Khaleph (M)[Emerald]

Menet-ka (shy)-------------------------Bethlan (F)[Indigo-Purple](bold & curious)

Kalen (smallest & falconer)------------Se-atmen (F)[Brown-Gold]

Toreth (one of the twin princes)-------Re-eth-katen (F)[Blue-Black & Silver-Blue](quiet & clever)

Aket-ten (Orest's sister)--------------Re-eth-ke (F)[Blue-Black & Silver-Blue]

Orest (Aket-ten's brother)-------------Wastet (M)[Blue-Beetle]

Pe-atep (cat keeper)-------------------Deoth (M)[Scarlet-Sand](shy)

Oset-re (good-looking)-----------------Apetma (F)[Copper-Red]

Ari (Tian jouster)---------------------Kashet (M)[Blue-Gold](oldest)
1549128
First let me say if you're not a fan of teacher/student stories, don't let that deter you from reading The Dragon's Professor because Mia and Lee are basically the same age. Lee's hoard is knowledge and Mia loves to learn which adds to their mutual attraction, yet no lines are crossed. That is until the college has students disappearing and murders occurring.  Witches grace the scene, Mia is threatened and Lee becomes protective.  This is a fun read full of action, adventure, and paranormal romance. I would recommend.
*I voluntary requested and chose to review an Advanced Reader Copy*
838526
Every ten years a great and powerful magician, known as The Dragon, comes to Agnieszka's village to look over the crop of young women who are of the proper age so he can take one back to his tower for the next ten years. No one knows exactly what he does with them in that time but only that once they are returned to their families they are very different than when they left and never stay in the village. This year Agnieszka and her best friend Kasia are subject to The Dragon's choosing although everyone has always known that perfect and beautiful Kasia will be chosen. To everyone's shock, he looks past Kasia and chooses Agnieszka.  The Dragon is not kind but he's also not exactly the monster she expects.  She's also stunned to find out that she is gifted with powerful, unique magic and the power they wield together is without equal.  Agnieszka must figure out how her brand of magic works and how to work with The Dragon to fight the overwhelming evil in The Wood which threatens her village and all in it.

This is a dark and wonderful fairytale! I was hesitant to start but the characters and plot drew me right in. Agnieszka is so fantastic! She's so far from a fairytale female lead that it's laughable but her discovery of her magic and how it has manifested itself through her life teaches her to have strong faith in herself and her instincts. The Dragon is equally interesting since he's not at all what he seems and is also a flawed human being doing the best he can against the evil of the Wood and the politics of the kingdom. The supporting characters are just as strong and the Wood is a wonderfully evil Big Bad. This is definitely a dark tale with real consequences, loss and sadness but there are also moments of great beauty, hope and strength.  I really didn't want this to end and would happily continue if this is a series or there are additional books in this world.
902633
I think the characters have depth, which is developed more in each book of the series.  I do have to overlook a few type-os, which seem much more common in ebooks.  Overall, I liked the way the author brought so many different types of magic together.  It makes for an interesting and entertaining read.
I am looking forward to the next book.
703360
Such a fun book! ! !  Amazing magical illustrations.  There are dragons and hidden characters on every page to explore, not to mention the fun story line!