Wizards, good vs evil, a boy to adult, a quest with good friends to save a country
579943
Warrior Mage (book 1 of The Chains of Honor Series)
I was given this book in trade for an honest review.
I loved this story!! I loved the characters and the detail given to each person of interest. It's nice because the author gives us a lot of insight into their character but it leaves you wanting more, which I'm fine with because she gives us so much up front. The storyline runs along that same premiss, giving us plenty of action, emotion, adventure and clear cut storyline but definitely leaves us wanting to know more and what's going to happen next. In this book you'll encounter wizards--good & bad, pirates, rebels & much more. Of special interest is the young boy, or young adult as he insists so much in the book because he's 18 years old; he's a wizard in training and unfortunately hasn't had any magical school training so he's not nearly as proficient as others his own age. Yanko is a shy, quiet, selfless, full of self doubt and a young boy on the brink of manhood; all of these traits will be tested and bested on this adventure with the help of a couple of old and new freinds. These freinds are really good at helping Yanko to not take himself so seriously all the time which really adds that key personal interaction, and humor always helps a story. I love the witty ones.  Yanko, is pitted against evil magic wizards and wizard hunters in the middle of a civil war and a quest of profound importance to his country and its people. He's determined to succeed. This is a series and the writer states the next book is soon to follow. Can't wait!!
This book is well edited and for ages 13+.

Sent from my iPhone
3790842
This is the first in a series.  It introduces us to Lange, a soldier of fortune and his world.  It is a dangerous world, full of monsters, sorcery and conspiracy.  There are many layers to the story. The main plot follows him as he starts out on what he thinks will be a simple favor for a woman he likes.  This favor quickly changes into an epic quest to find her kidnapped brother, his wife and an artifact stolen from a sorcerer.  He agrees to take on some young people on the trip with him thinking it will be an easy trip, but that doesn't happen. They face many creatures, villains and dangers, and then when you think they are finally safe, something else happens.  I like that it ends on a positive note setting up for the next book.  Which I hope will include the team for this one plus his girlfriend Marlia.

The subplot revolves around him coming to grips with what he wants and helping the students to gaining confidence and work as a team by learning to accept themselves and others.
1671550
Trying to save their son from the horrors of the Nazi invasion into Prague, his famiy wants him to flee to America.  He does so through an amazing escape that includes magic, a golem, and immense determination and courage.  His life in New York opens the history of the American love of comic book characters, and fans of such will find this adventure as thrilling as the comics themselves.
2245203
I have always been a fan of fantasy, paranormal books and this Orphan Army by Jonathan is a mish-mash of it. As an adult, I have no trouble following the plot of Witches, Bugs, Aliens, Wolf girl, a jewel - Heart of Darkness and such but as a younger reader, I may find that the mix of all-in-one can make the story a little hard to follow.

The Orphan Army is about a young boy, Milo who has dreams of The Witch of the World telling him that he is destined to be the hero, after surviving the Bug Invasion of the human world. He then joined the Nightsiders, which are magical creatures - i.e. Evangelyne (Wolf Girl), Oakenyal (Oak Teen), Mook (Rock Boy), that are fighting back (at the Bugs).

Overall, a fast-paced exciting adventure plot that keeps a reader intrigue.
2243646
Treachery is afoot in the realm and the possessors of the elemental powers must seek each other out, join forces to develop their powers and work towards discovering their common enemy. This quest/fantasy novel is the first in a series of books exploring themes of friendship, collaboration and bravery. The story dives right into the action, while managing to avoid descriptions of extreme violence (a positive thing in a book designed for young people). The book is written by a father-daughter team (nice to see) and will appeal to tweens and young teens (10-15 years).

My only complaint about the book is that it is written in present tense. I find that this pulls me out of the narrative, disrupting the flow of my reading. This is a personal dislike of mine (except when I am reading plays and scripts which have to be in present tense) and may not be of concern to other readers.
4508773
A tale of a prince, Trystan, coming of age and never having known magic in his kingdom, Dreach-Sciene. Magic was taken from the nation on the day of his birth, during the war between nations, by the Tri-Gards. Magical beings who should have saved mankind, but instead took a side and condemned the other side to live without magic and for crops to fail and weather patterns to go haywire.

The prince has a loyal companion, part of the royal household, added from a meeting of his father with a Seer years ago. The king was given a prophecy of the future, by the seer, and understood that this young boy would keep his son safe and that his son would be responsible for bringing magic back!

Trystan, his sister and some other friends gather, to seek out the Tri-Gard and try to re-unite them to have them reverse what they did twenty years ago. Enemies of his father, have spies in his nation and know their every step. Some of the kings own men and trusted allies have been turned by the power of the evil King Calis, of Dreach-Dhoun. A new war seems to be on the horizon.

The people of Dreach-Sciene are poor, starving and weak. No real chance of opposing the army of King Calis. If Trystan and his allies cannot find the Tri-Gards soon, it will be too late for his people. They know that one of the Tri-Gards, Ramsey, has been held prisoner in the dungeons of King Calis and been tortured for the location of the other two for some twenty years. It is not expected to be an easy journey.

An interesting story of disbelief of magic, friendship, love, enemies and traitors.  The after effects of war on the two different nations and how they are coping. It was a quick read as there is lots going on to keep your attention and interest. This is book one in the series and I would love to see what happens with the characters next.

I received an ARC copy of the book from the author and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
1036063
'The Book of Night with Moon' is a side-story to the Young Wizards series, and is really interesting for that change in perspective. The most obvious is that from focusing on human wizards to cats, and seeing the cultural differences there, but also because where the Young Wizards books focus on a pair of kids learning their wizardry and going on adventures, this book is about a team of adult wizards with a dedicated 'job' dealing with disruptions to their usual focus... and the problems of a near-kitten, challenges of mythological scale, and the threat of dinosaurs invading New York, since it's never just one thing in these books. I'd highly recommend this new edition of this book, especially if the Young Wizards books sound intriguing but possibly _too_ young; it's a great entry to Duane's Wizardry, and a welcome return for those of us already familiar with the series.
578045
This is clearly the beginning of a larger book or series. The three brothers named in the title are princes, sons of the king, and they
must go off on a quest up explain some mysterious happenings at the castle. There is a failed truce with a dragon kingdom and some helpful assistance from a creature who may be gnome, forest witch, or Oracle. Plenty of excitement for young readers, and plenty to empathize with the young heroes, who are well described by the author. It will be good to see what happens next.
933190
The Enchanted Skean by Vonnie Winslow Crist is full of adventure that will appeal to anyone who likes fantasy. The main character, Beck, encounters dragons, goblins, dwarves, and magic. He transforms over the course of the novel, from a weak, uncertain boy into a young man who takes control and wields magical power. He is joined by his friend, who is the faithful sidekick, who also becomes more certain as he faces more challenges experiences. I can see a number of young readers, especially boys, easily connecting to Beck and his friend. The adventure is fun as more magical creatures and elements enter the story. This book is action-packed with adventure. I definitely didn't anticipate some creatures, such as dragons and goblins, entering the story, but when they did, I was right there in the action and wanted to know what happens next. This ends with the potential for a sequel. When the next book is released, Ill be sure to read it so I can follow the adventures of Beck.
1138078
Tilly Greenway has weird dreams.  She has been having them for years.  She doesn't understand these dreams but they are about events that will happen in the future.  This "gift" has marked her as someone to watch.

  An emergency contrived by the organization ISIS, a shadow government headed by the English Anti-Terror Agency Director Cordelia Leer, causes London to be evacuated so ISIS can carry out their plan to control the population of London and eventually the world.  This emergency sends Tilly and her stepbrother Zack to a manor in the Wales countryside where they meet several of the Guardians of the Earth.  The Guardians are a small group who have watched the human race since the beginning of time and are dedicated to stopping evil from destroying life on earth.

  With the help of the Guardians Tilly and Zack begin a quest to find the first of the Ancient Keys which will help them stop the plans of ISIS.  What follows is a grand adventure involving dragons, a unicorn, beings from other planets, genetically modified creatures and a bit of magic and mystery.

Tilly and Zack are ages 12 and 13 respectively, which seems to be a good age for readers of this book.  Younger readers or listeners could enjoy this book also as there are no really gross or gruesome events to frighten them and the vivid imagery will keep them involved and engaged.  Adults could also enjoy the book as the evil has its basis in modern day political controversy with the Director of Terror using bio-metric ID cards, CCTV cameras on every street and in every television and the use of fear to control the population.  The desire to control the population to "creat and efficient, orderly society, whilst at the same time making us even wealthier than we already are."

  Watchers, the title of this book, is the first in the series Tilly Greenway and the Secrets of the Ancient Keyes.  This book melds fantasy and modern day political science in a way that shows good versus evil without being preachy or highbrow allowing the target audience, young teens, to see evil as evil and giving them the opportunity to root for good in the form of children their own age.
4601393
Well written and imaginative story. The characters are well developed in the story, and the plot is pretty good. It is a good vs evil style of book, but the plot makes it work. The beginning of the story gives background on the world and the way it is.

You have 2 protagonist, one who was not supposed or destined  to be the hero, and another from another world. Their interaction in the plot development is wonderful, as they go on the quest that was meant for another. Two different personalities that mesh to determine the fate of the next millennium/phase of the world, and their trials to accomplish this.

Good read, well worth picking up
4811880
Harry Potter is a 14 year old wizard who attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  When he was just and infant, he amazingly escaped the wrath of the most feared wizard of all; Lord Voldermort and sent him into hiding.  Ever since Voldermort has wanted revenge.
At school, Harry's best friends are Ron Weasly and Hermoine Granger.  This year, everyone finds out that a Triwizard tournament is to be held at Hogwarts this year.  In this tournament, three schools choose one champion who compete against each other in three tasks.  Although the age minimum is 16 and only three people can be chosen, Harry is somehow picked along with Cedric Diggory from Hogwarts as well.  Each of the four champions have to successfully complete three tasks in order to win.  Harry completes the first two tasks with flying colors along with his other opponents.  The last task is to navigate through a meandering laberynth and fend off dangerous creatures. To find out what happens in the last task and find out who is the winner, you will have to purchase this book and read it for yourself. This book has many shocking twists and turns that make is worthy of my recommendation to anyone of any age.  It is an epic tale of adventure and is easy to comprehend.  I definately recommend it to anybody who likes to read.
3145978
The Magic Kings is a humorous and touching story about loss, love, hope, and friendship. It's about a ten year old boy, Alan, whose mom is an alcoholic. Alan copes with this through stories of magic and fantasy provided by his best friend Zak. But circumstances change in a way that their lifelong friendship is jeopardized. Pre-teens will enjoy it as will readers of all ages.
1605627
A tale of a young wizard getting ready to head into his third year at hogwarts.  He once again has to overcome his past but this time by someone trusted by his parents.  Read to find out more.
3085166
The plot is acting in a fictional world in the future, where the people -tired of wars and diseases- live in such called "communities". Small villages. They where able, because of scientific development to use "climate control" and "terraforming", to build the world, like they wanted to. In their community, they abolished things like, weather (because of bad weather), hills and mountains (because of the risk of falling down), colors (because they wanted to get all thing unitary). The people in the community, have to stick to a lot of rules. The main character Jonas, a 12-year-old boy, was chosen for the most important job in the whole community. He is going to get the new Receiver of Memory, who is reminding all the thing of the past, the other people don't want to know. During the process of his training by the Giver of Memory, all the dark secrets of the community were revealed to them. He and the Giver make a plan to change the life of the people again, to the way it was in the past.
The book is good to imagine. The world that is described, has a lot of good sides, but the dark sides of that way of living are very scary to us.
1861241
As I was reading "Prince Andy and the Misfits: Shadow Man" by Karen Gammons, I thought to myself that I was reading a fairytale with attitude! An all American, baseball loving sixteen-year-old boy finds out that the woman he thought was his mother is actually an elf from a different world. While she lives in our world, she looks like a normal human woman. That's not all; it is revealed to him that he is born of royalty in this other world. It is a fantastic place filled with magic, wizards, fairies, goblins, elves, giants, dragons, and a host of other strange creatures. Andy and his foster mother are recalled to Filligrim because it is on the brink of war. The queen of the Misfits, Andy's mother, has been taken, and as heir to the throne, Andy is recalled home and given the task of finding out who is behind this traitorous act. In this first installment of the series, Andy must learn his way around his new reality, get a handle on how things work in his birth world, try to understand how he fits in, earn the respect and trust of the people, and try to fulfill his responsibility of discovering the identity of the enemy within. It's a pretty tall order for a sixteen-year-old American kid. Will he be up to the task? The book is heavy on political intrigue, sleuthing, and builds to a rousing battle and a cliffhanger ending. The book is well written. Even though it is geared to the junior and teen audience, adults who read fantasy will find this book an enjoyable read. Steve Groll author ~ "Beyond the Dead Forest"
4317630
This is an action packed story about a boy who is everyday average:  he's not the fastest, smartest or most athletic.  What he does have is a team of friends and advisers.  He learns how to trust himself and forgive himself for not being the super hero.  He learns that  the power that comes from a group dedicated to the same goal amplifies the power of the individual.  The story explores taking a stand, dealing with loss and disappointment, and doing what's necessary just because it's the right thing to do.  Now all that being said, you don't really notice one of these things as you go from adventure to adventure in trying to save the world from evil.  At the end of the story you realize you have a much clearer understanding of these things because of sharing the adventure of the kids and their angels and their allies.  It's a great story for all age kids and equally a good read for adults.  I look forward to the next adventure.