jbronderbookreviews

The City of Souls (Starchild – 2) by Vacen Taylor

A gripping forest adventure full of mystery, betrayal and courage.

When a new sealer boy joins the journey, Mai, Long, and Akra are confident their challenges have come to an end.  But as they embark on their journey once again, they find themselves having to escape from the clutches of dangerous enemies.

They travel to Naroan – the forest lands of the soulbankers, the regulators of life and death. Against the backdrop of rules and suspicion, the children are challenged with unravelling the mystery of the Silvershade, which has been calling to Akra from the moment he arrived in the forest city. But Long is tormented by his doubts – he must face a deadly power from the Underworld before it takes him into the darkness.

Will the dark pebble take Long along a road of no return? Or will his friends find a way to help him?

Oyssey Books     Amazon US     Amazon UK     Goodreads

About the Author

Vacen Taylor is a children’s author with a portfolio of screenwriting and stage play achievements.  A selection of her poetry has been published in Art and Literature Journals. One of her plays was selected to be part of the Playwrights Program 2017 and then directed and performed as a performance reading at HOTA (previously the Gold Coast Arts Centre).

Her feature film script received a special commendation for Best Unproduced Screenplay titled Grandfathers at the British Independent Film Festival in 2018.  The logline can be found under Special Commendations for Unproduced Screenplays here.

Her TV pilot for a series (teleplay) was selected as a semi-finalist in the Hollywood Just4Shorts Film and Screenplay Competition in Los Angeles, CA. This pilot was listed in the top 50 for the Cinequest Screenwriting Competition in 2018.

She presented the first mental health panel at OZ Comic-Con in 2017. This panel was a fantastic opportunity to discuss openly and honestly about artists and their mental health to help support wellbeing, foster connectivity and provide a culture of support.

In 2018 she presented the panel, ‘An artist’s guide to creative happiness: How to strengthen your creative performance’ at Oz Comic-Con in Brisbane. Her panels are extraordinary opportunities to explore ideas with people who are currently working in the industry. She aims to discuss subjects like individualism, the community, mental health, wellbeing, happiness, creativity, co-creating and self-awareness which often leads to interesting questions from the audience.

What else does she do? Vacen is also a creative workshop facilitator and proficient in, teaching, speaking and concept creation. Guest Speaker. Workshop Presenter. Creative Panel Facilitator. Mentor. Support Worker. Counsellor. Social Welfare Advocate.

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My Review

5 Stars

We return to this wonderful fantasy world as the children are trying to finish their original quest to the Valley of a Thousand Thoughts. But they get trapped by sand slavers and barely escape. As they kids try to get to the Chamber of Souls to retrieve the Silvershade. But they are not alone in their quest. Dark and evil forces are also trying to find the Silvershade to use it for their own purposes.

Where to begin? I love how we jump right into the story from the end of the first book. I do recommend reading this series in order. This world just keeps getting bigger and better as the kids are on their quest. We discover many new people and creatures, not all of them good and helpful. We also find out someone is not quite as dead as we first thought.

This is an amazing series that is geared towards midgrade readers but anyone will enjoy. I think this book/series would be a great addition to any kid’s shelves. I was kept on the edge of my seat as I read The City of Souls and now I can’t wait to read the next book in the Starchild series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

Enter to Win all 4 books of the Starchild Series by Vacen Taylor (Open INT)

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*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

I would like to thank Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to read and share this book.

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Who’s There? By Kerena Swan

Appearances can be deceptive…

Arnold Eastwood is thrilled when social services allocate him a flat all of his own. Independence hasn’t come easily to a young man with Downs Syndrome but now he has the chance to live free from his mum’s nagging, find a girlfriend, watch endless movies and make new friends.
Meanwhile a London drug gang is setting up a supply line in Arnold’s town. They’re looking for someone to deliver drugs for them and somewhere to set up a base of operations.
Soon Arnold and his flat are in the drug gang’s sights. Drawn into the dark underworld of crack cocaine and modern slavery, Arnold soon discovers that friends can in fact be deadly enemies.
The question is: can he break free?

Amazon      Goodreads

About the Author

Kerena Swan trained as a Social Worker and worked for Social Services for over 25 years. For the past 14 years she has owned and managed an ‘outstanding’ rated agency for children with disabilities.  Following serious illnesses she decided to fulfil her long-held ambition of writing a book and getting it published. ‘Dying to See You’, published by Bloodhound Books, was her debut novel.

After many years of writing professionally in the course of her work, Kerena has discovered the exhilaration and deep joy of writing fiction and can be found at all hours in front of her computer. Her second novel ‘Scared to Breathe’ is now available and her third book, ‘Who’s There?’ will be released on December 13th 2019.

Kerena lives with her family in a small village in Bedfordshire, UK and her books are set in the surrounding areas.

Drawing on her extensive knowledge and experience of the problematic world of social work and social studies, Kerena adds a unique angle to the domestic noir and crime genre.

If you would like to hear more about new releases, read Kerena’s blogs and download a free short-story – the prequel to Dying to See You – then visit here and join her mailing list.

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My Review

5 Stars

Arnold Eastwood wants to get out on his own and is overjoyed to get his own flat from the council. Of course his family worries for him because he is not in the best neighborhoods and he has Down Syndrome. But with his sister out of work and returning home and his mother slowly getting sicker Arnold starts to worry about being out on his own without someone there to help him.

We also learn of Chip, a young man that has become almost a son to a local drug dealer. The dealer gives Chip the change to branch out in the suburbs. Chip falls in with Saskia, Arnold’s neighbor and things quickly go from bad to worse when the drug dealer comes to stay and wraps Arnold up in his dealings.

Where do I even begin with this story?!? Arnold is one of those pure souls that you want to wrap up and keep his innocence safe. Of course someone is going to take advantage of that and had me biting my nails hoping that things would work out for Arnold.

I also felt for Chip and Saskia. Poor Chip was just looking for someone and although not the best person, the dealer did he best to “help” the boy. Saskia has her own demons and is trying to straighten her life up but gets sucking into the mess all the same.

This is a captivating read and one I strongly recommend checking out. I loved it and can’t wait to read more from Kerena Swan.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

I would like to thank Sarah at Book on the Bright Side for the opportunity to read and share this book.

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