jbronderbookreviews

The Wrong Side of the Grave (Mothman Mysteries – 1) by Bryna Butler

When Eric Jansen takes a seat behind his drums, every girl in the place takes notice. Not that he’s surprised. He’s had decades to practice. The guy is almost perfect. Still, there’s that one tiny thing…

Eric Jansen is an alien. Offworlder. Take me to your leader, fall from the sky, space invading, phoning home, UFO jockey. A swipe of the tattoo on Eric’s arm will reveal his true form which locals call Mothman, a winged creature formed of ashen gray skin and glowing red eyes. Eric is one of the last of his kind.

So when the recently deceased of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, start walking and talking, the Men in Black mark him as suspect number one. It will be up to Eric and his inner circle to solve the mystery before the black suits lock him up and throw away the key.

A fun read, Wrong Side of the Grave is a fast-action Teen Sci-Fi Mystery with a paranormal twist.

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Author’s Bio

Butler’s young adult mystery novels feature strong female leads and are woven from elements of horror, suspense, comedy, and mystery, all in a modern, small town setting. She is best known for her Midnight Guardian Series (YA Paranormal Mystery) and Mothman Mysteries (YA Sci-Fi Mystery).

Butler is inspired by writers like Cassandra Clare, Jennifer Armentrout, Rachel Caine, Joss Whedon, and Patricia Briggs. Her work contains no profanity or explicit scenes, making it appropriate for pre-teen as well as teen readers.

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My Review

5 stars

Eric Jansen is one heck of a drummer that always draws a crowd. But he has a secret, he is an alien. He is what the locals call the Mothman. But the thing that gets attention is when the local dead start rising from the ground. It seems the Men in Black think it is Eric’s fault. Eric is going to try to figure out what is happening with his best friend Bridge.

Eric is an alien that eats vampires, another species of aliens. I love the fact that vampires are a whole new creature as opposed to what we traditionally think of a vampire. I really like that they are food for another bigger, badder alien. Bridge was a little kick in the pants and I loved how eager she was to solve the mystery of the rising dead.

This is a great new series with a well-developed world. The ending left me a little off balance but that just means that I can’t wait to see what happens next with this series. I also see that Bryna Butler has another series, Midnight Guardian that I can’t wait to read too.

I received The Wrong Side of the Grave from eBooks for Review for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

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The Magician’s Workshop, Volume One by Christopher Hansen and JR Fehr

Everyone in the islands of O’Ceea has a magical ability: whatever they imagine can be brought into existence. Whoever becomes a master over these powers is granted the title of magician and is given fame, power, riches, and glory. This volume of books follows the journey of a group of kids as they strive to rise to the top and become members of the Magician’s Workshop.

Layauna desperately wants to create beautiful things with her magical powers, but all she can seem to do is make horrible, savage monsters. For years she has tried to hide her creations, but when her power is at last discovered by a great magician, she realizes that what she’s tried to hide might actually be of tremendous value.

Kai just wants to use his powers to have fun and play with his friends. Unfortunately, nearly everyone on his island sees him as a bad influence, so he’s forced to meet them in secret. When one of the creatures they create gets out of control and starts flinging fireballs at their town, Kai is tempted to believe that he is as nefarious as people say. However, his prospects change when two mysterious visitors arrive, praising his ability and making extraordinary promises about his future.

Follow the adventures of Kai, Layauna, and a boatload of other characters as they struggle to grow up well in this fantastical world.

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Author’s Bios

Christopher Hansen

The first glimmering Chris Hansen had that there was far more to reality than he had ever imagined occurred six days after his ninth birthday.
“Christopher!” cried a wise, old sage. “Life is full of deep magic. Miraculous things happen all the time and all around us, if you know where to look for them.”
Full of expectation and childlike optimism, Chris began searching for this magic, prepared to be surprised and amazed by it. And he was: he found Wonder! Now he’s chosen to write stories about it.

JR Fehr

When J.R. Fehr popped out of the womb, he knew there was more to the world than the four boring hospital walls that he was seeing. “Zango!” his newborn mind exclaimed as he saw people appear and disappear through a mysterious portal in the wall. As a child he found life wowtazzling, but as he grew older the cold water of reality hit him, and the magic he once knew vanished. After spending some wet and shivering years lost in a joyless wasteland, he once again began to see magic in the world. He writes because the Wonder of true life is far grander than anything he ever thought possible.

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My Review

4 stars

In the world of O’Ceea everyone has the magical ability to project anything they can imagine to enhance or create objects. But with any power, there are rules and those that do not have permission can be punished for projecting. But when someone becomes 16, they can take part in the Color Test to find a guild or magician. Kai, Weston, Layauna,Talia, Kaso and Kalaya all have their own abilities and weaknesses. They will learn that what they think is a weakness is not necessarily that bad. Follow along as they learn to use their abilities individually and together all in the hopes that they will have color inside of them.

This is going to be a series of books about these kids and their abilities. In volume one we learn about the kids as they prepare for the Color Test. I loved learning about the kids and their different abilities. I love how they think they are failing yet they just have to find their place in this world.

I admit that I was a little confused with different things in this world but many of my questions were answered if I was patience. There are something that were not so I am hoping they will be answered in Volume 2. But I loved the description of this world and watching the children grow into young adults.

This is a wonderful start to a new series and I cannot wait to get my hands on Volume 2.

I received The Magician’s Workshop, Volume One from eBooks for Review for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

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The Existence of Pity by Jeannie Zokan

Growing up in a lush valley in the Andes mountains, sixteen-year-old Josie Wales is mostly isolated from the turbulence brewing in 1976 Colombia. As the daughter of missionaries, Josie feels torn between their beliefs and the need to choose for herself. She soon begins to hide things from her parents, like her new boyfriend, her trips into the city, and her explorations into different religions.

Josie eventually discovers her parents’ secrets are far more insidious. When she attempts to unravel the web of lies surrounding her family, each thread stretches to its breaking point. Josie tries to save her family, but what happens if they don’t want to be saved?

The Existence of Pity is a story of flawed characters told with heart and depth against the beautiful backdrop of Colombia.

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Author’s Bio

Jeannie Zokan grew up in Colombia, South America, where she read almost every book in the American school she attended. Her love of books led her to study Library Science at Baylor University then to attend The George Washington University in DC. When the chance came to head south, she took her motorcycle to Florida’s Gulf Coast to write stories for the local newspaper.

She now lives ten minutes from the beach with her husband, two teenage daughters, and three pets, all of whom keep her inspired and just a little frantic. She enjoys aerial yoga, tennis, and holding NICU babies as a volunteer. But there’s always writing. Writing to relive, writing to understand, writing to remember, writing to renew.

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My Review

4 stars

Josie Wales lives in Cali, Columbia with her missionary parents in the late 1970’s. Josie is 16 and starting to test out the waters to find her own beliefs and thoughts. A lot of this is different from her parents Baptist beliefs. As she start exploring her world she starts keeping secrets from her parents about things like her boyfriend and looking into other religions. But she is not the only one keeping secrets. Her parents are keeping secrets from her and each other. Secrets that could destroy the whole family.

Being a missionary’s kid is tough. You get forced into a box and are supposed to live it. I felt for Josie as she is trying to find her own place in the world. But she is balancing on a knife trying to be the girl her parents want but trying new things that appeal to her. But things are going to explode when secrets come out as Josie start digging into them.

This is a great story. I had moments where I was laughing and others where I was crying. This is a captivating story and one that I think everyone should check out.

I received The Existence of Pity from the author and Red Adept Publishing for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

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