What do you get when a 14 year old boy, whose only goal in life is to make the basketball team, is chased into the woods by two giant wolves? You get a fantasy story about a boy who encounters a realm with as many diverse characters as Harry Potter. Andrea Pearson does an amazing job of setting up the rules for her urban/epic fantasy, The Key of Kilenya. She creates a strong character in Jacob Clark.
Picture this: It's the day before tryouts, and Jacob is certain he will make the team. After being chased into the woods he discovers that he is no longer on earth, but has entered a new world full of creatures who want something from Jacob. The Lorkon want his magic, the Makalos are a race of people who want Jacob to get the key.
Jacob and his new friend, Akeno journey through many lands and exciting adventures. I could hardly wait to see what would happen next. Pearson does a great job of creating believable characters and gripping suspense.
Pearson left the story wide open for a series. There were many questions left unanswered. I can hardly wait to read the next book. Nice work Andrea! I highly recommend this book to teens and anyone who enjoys reading young adult fantasy. I can hardly wait to read the next book!
To purchase your copy click here.
I'm reading books faster than I can review them. I guess that's a good thing in some ways. Recently I read The Sapphire Flute by Karen Hoover. Karen tells the story of two young women caught up in defending their home planet against the dark magi who would like to see the world destroyed. The point of view switches between two young women who struggle to find their place in the world. At first I had a hard time figuring out which was which and how they tied together. Ember is a white magi, (one hasn't been seen on the Rasann in 3000 years). Kayla is the keeper of the sapphire flute, destined to heal their world. I found that as I was reading the points of view of the two girls I couldn't wait to get to the end of each chapter to find out what the other one was up to. Hoover tells an engaging story of self discovery and healing. For a beginning author, she did a wonderful job of
creating believable characters. My frustration with the book was that it ended with a huge cliff-hanger. I guess I'll just have to read the next book to learn more about their quests.Nice job, Karen!
You can download The Sapphire Flute on your Kindle or ebook reader. There are also several soft cover copies available as well.
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| Karen Hoover |
The next book I finished was Hang 'Em High by Tristi Pinkston. Ida Mae Babbitt is at it again with her novice detective skills. This time Sister Babbitt, ex-Relief Society President is sluething out a horse murderer on her son's dude ranch, where no one is above suspicion, even her son. When Keith's prize horse is found dead outside his stall and near a bucket of poisoned grain accusations start flying. Leave it to Ida Mae to get to the bottom of the mystery. Once again, Tristi tells a hilarious tale of intrigue mingled with lots of rompin' good fun. Not only will you laugh at Ida Mae's antics, you will feel deeply touched as mother and son are reunited after years of estrangement. If you haven't read her other books in this series you can purchase them all here.
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| Tristi Pinkston |
