Fast-paced YA fantasy/sci-fi, complex unpredicable plot

Crystal Shards by I.O. Scheffer is book 2 in the Fearghus Academy YA Science Fiction/Fantasy series. In book 1, I met a wide cast of diverse characters and I looked forward to seeing what magical adventures and threats they would endure in book two. I was not disappointed.

About the book: Crystal Shards

The series follows the life of Artesia Addison who, when the story opens, lived in 1864 London in an orphanage as a young teen. When adopted under unusual circumstances, she is taken to another earth-like world where magic is part of life. She attends Fearghus Academy, a school for students gifted with magical abilities. Chrystal Shards picks up where Book 1, October Jewels, left off. It presents a wide range of uniquely flawed characters in Artisia’s life including her best friend Eilam DeForest. Many of these gifted kids carry emotional baggage from life before Fearghus and it adds elements of external and internal conflict that leaves the reader cheering the kids on. 

Book review: Crystal Shards

Crystal Shards delves deeper into the mysteries of the past hinted at in the first book, but the theme is much darker. In some areas, the story may be too troubling for more sensitive readers, as the plot does include the torture of children. It wasn’t super graphic, but I’d say if it were a movie, I’d rate it PG13.

I recommend Crystal Shards to readers who enjoy fast-paced fantasy/sci-fi, a complex plot written with multiple unpredictable threads, and young characters that develop, grow, and change as they learn lessons of life. I think fans of the Magical Arts Academy Series or the Blakemore Paranormal Academy Series will find the mysteries and adventure of Crystal Shards captivating.

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As BookHookup, I am a longtime book reviewer. I received a free review copy of this book from BookTasters and have not received compensation for reviewing or recommending it. Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.

High fantasy at its best -- a must read

I came across a link for the first three Dream Walker Chronicles books and they intrigued me. The blurb sounded like Epic high fantasy with all the elements I enjoy. It did not disappoint. The epic nature of this story’s setting, characters, and plot were both engaging and enthralling. I didn’t want it to end. I have decided to review each of the three books individually and recommend them all to readers who enjoy The Lord of the Rings or Cast of Stones (The Staff and the Sword series). It’s a coming-of-age, hero’s journey fantasy series set in an extensive world filled with a host of well-developed characters including humans, elves, dwarves, dragons, and more. It takes a little reading to get to know who is who with this host of characters, but Patterson does a good job of laying the foundation that makes this story flow and make sense. Each book is a complete story with a satisfying ending, with some open plot threads that lure you to read on. I don’t include spoilers, so while I could say more, I don’t want to risk ruining the experience for future readers.

 

I highly recommend this series to fans of high fantasy. The Dream Walker Chronicles gives birth to a new legend in Erik Eleodum. Fantasy fans will embrace these characters, the world they traverse, and the challenges they face. I’m happy to give all three of these books five out of five stars.

 

Book Review: A Chance Beginning: Shadow's Fire Book 1 (Dream Walker Chronicles Book 1)

In a Chance Beginning, readers meet Christopher Patterson’s protagonist Erik Eleodum. He comes from a farming family in the North, with a life he is content to live. When his older brother, Befel, and his cousin, Bryon, decide to leave that life behind for adventure and fortune in the East in the country of Golgolithul, fate has Erik join them on the adventure, but with plans to return home to marry his fiancée, Simone, and to settle down.

In short order, the trio learns that their adventure is wrought with danger, betrayals, and all kinds of unsavory sorts and that the cost for this adventure is high in more ways than one. They are forced to sell their swords to survive, along with other difficult choices that include joining up with gypsies, thieves, dwarves, and working with mercenaries.

The story is wrought with battles and skirmishes. The fighting scenes are well-written and include swords, knives, fist fights, and plenty of magic. When these three farmers come against dark magic, they experience deadly consequences and I started to wonder if they would survive.

 

Book Review: Dark Winds: Shadow's Fire Book 2 (Dream Walker Chronicles Book 2) (Shadow's Fire Trilogy)

By the start of book two, Dark Winds, Erik has been forced to kill men in self-defense and now suffers haunting dreams. As their journey progresses, he grows apart from his brother and cousin and turns to a man he once detested. This part of the hero’s journey has him face a variety of enemies including dwarves, murderers, slavers, dragons, and the undead. All that he experiences tests his faith and leads him to question his loyalties. While this is a dark part of the story, it is well-written, and while it is violent, in my opinion, it is not excessively graphic.

Erik has grown both physically and emotionally, and his fighting skills have improved. His adventure brings with it terror, political intrigue, and sorcery. His thoughts often return to home and the fiancée waiting for him but his circumstances don’t allow him to return yet because he feels a great evil rising and knows he must do what he can to stop it.

Book Review: Breaking the Flame: Shadow's Fire Book 3 (Dream Walker Chronicles Book 3)

In Breaking the Flame, Book 3, Erik Eleodum has grown into a force to be reckoned with. He’s picked up nicknames like Wolf's Bane, Troll Hammer, and Dragon Slayer, and is challenged to become a Demon Killer as he faces an ancient evil in the demon, Yebritoch.

For this fight, Erik is joined by new allies, along with former partners in the fight to stop the demon before it destroys the world and rebuilds it as his own. Erik must find the missing piece to the Dragon Scroll as well as the Dragon Crown if he is to defeat this nemesis. But this difficult task comes at a high cost and Erik’s confidence wains. He questions whether he can stop the evil and wonders if he will ever see home and Simone again.

This book is fast-paced, emotionally charged, and engaging. I am totally invested and look forward to reading the remaining three books in this series.

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I received a copy of these first three books via a link shared on X (formerly Twitter) and have not been compensated for reviewing or recommending them. Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.

About the Author: Christopher Patterson

Christopher Patterson grew up reading The Hobbit and wrote his first fantasy adventures on his grandmother's typewriter. Following a degree in creative writing, he has become an Amazon Best Seller of Fantasy, Christian, and Historical Fiction, crafting detailed worlds, characters you can believe in, and entertaining stories. He lives with his family in Arizona. You can learn more by visiting his website: https://www.christopher-patterson.com

Entertaining YA action adventure fueled by a neurodivergent protagonist

There’s No Basketball on Mars by Craig Leener surprised me. It’s one of my favorite reads for 2023 and a must-read. The protagonist, Lawrence Tuckerman, is a high-functioning autistic teen and the story is told from his POV. The author does a great job of bringing the reader into his head to understand his actions and motivations in this YA action-adventure as he creates a neurodivergent protagonist in Lawrence who is loveable, sensitive, quirky, and a math genius with a dream of manning Earth’s first mission to Mars one day. 

 

 

About the book: There’s No Basketball on Mars

At the start of the book Lawrence’s life is ultra routine. He doesn’t have many friends, and he doesn’t like people asking him questions. In fact, he doesn’t even like talking to people. Instead, he writes notes. His repetitive life goes out the window with a visit from the SFC (Strategic Federation Council) which is loosely affiliated with NASA. They want to include him on a top-secret manned mission to Mars and he accepts.

This is a hero’s journey of cosmic proportions. The mission depends on his mathematical prowess. The rocket science is no problem. It’s actually a strength that plays well with his autism. The question is can he navigate being out of his routine and be a working part of a team that requires communication? 

 

 Book review: There’s No Basketball on Mars

The author’s detailed writing style provides a learning experience that educates readers about people on the autism spectrum through Lawrence’s perspective on life. I recommend this book to young and old who enjoy imaginative action-adventures like The Goodbye Kids. There's No Basketball on Mars is an entertaining read and as I said one of my favorites of 2023 and am happy to give it five out of five stars.

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I received a copy of this book through Blackberry Book Tours and have not been compensated for reviewing or recommending it. Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.

 

About the Author: Craig Leener

Despite being relatively earthbound most of the time, Craig Leener has long maintained a keen interest in space travel. He’s also a big fan of basketball, having immersed himself in the game since his youth as a player, coach, referee, fan and, later in life, as a sportswriter. Craig has an above-average ability to go to his left and maintains a solid perimeter jumper. His free-throw percentage on his backyard home court is an implausible 87%—and to this day, that number remains 100% officially unverified. And what the author lacks in foot speed, leaping ability and defense, he makes up for in court smarts and postgame snacks. Craig is a lifelong opponent of the instant replay in sports. He maintains this contrarian point of view because of the intrinsic value he places on the human element’s potential to influence the outcome of athletic competition, inadvertently or otherwise. Craig holds degrees from Los Angeles Valley College and California State University, Northridge. He sits on the board of directors of CSUN’s Journalism Alumni Association and serves as the organization’s director of scholarships. Although Craig possesses an innate curiosity about what might reside beyond the heavens, he lives in the suburbs of Los Angeles with his truly otherworldly wife, Andrea. There’s No Basketball on Mars is his fourth young-adult novel, following the publication of the Zeke Archer Basketball Trilogy.

https://craigleener.com/

https://twitter.com/CraigLeener

Emotionally charged historical fiction

The Vengeance of Samuel Val by Elyse Hoffman is a suspense-filled, edge-of-your-seat historical fiction that opens in a WWII Russian village at a time in history when the German Army, military, SS, and German police units took an active part in authorized mass murders of Jews in the Soviet Union. The story opens with a young man by the name of Samuel Val, attending synagogue on the Sabbath with his family and neighbors in the quaint Jewish village of Khruvina.

About the book: The Vengeance of Samuel Val

This Historical fiction hits the ground running with action as the normal Sabbath gathering is visited by the Nazi SS led by Viktor Naden, the Beast of Belourussia. Samuel is the only survivor. He witnesses the smells and sounds of his family and friends being burned alive. As a teen, he is shot and left for dead but is rescued by an anti-Nazi group known as the Black Foxes. He joins their tanks but harbors a thirst for vengeance. His true mission is killing Victor Naden to avenge his family. His cares about nothing else.

That mission is put on hold when he must escort a Jewish refugee to a safe house. All is going according to plan until he realizes that the safe house brings him to within reach of Victor Naden. Samuel has decisions to make. At what cost will he fulfill his quest to kill Naden? Will he sacrifice innocents to accomplish his goal?

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Book review: The Vengeance of Samuel Val

This story reads like a slow-burning fuse of suspense and uncertainty. Each emotionally charged chapter hooks and urges the reader to go one more chapter. The unforgettable characters are flawed and easy to care about. I admit I am a fan of Hoffman’s Paranormal WWII fiction including The Book of Uriel, and Where David ThrewStones: A Haunting WW2 Tale of Courage, Love, and Redemption. As I picked up this gripping drama, I wondered if I’d feel the same. This short read did not disappoint. It took me on an unpredictable coming-of-age journey with a conclusion I did not expect. I recommend this book to fans of WWII fiction, historical fiction, and historical Jewish fiction. The Vengeance of Samuel Val is book 1 in a series, and while this story is a satisfying standalone, it left me hungry to find out what happens next. I’m happy to award it four stars.

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As BookHookup, I am a long-time book reviewer and I received a free review copy of this book and have not been compensated for reviewing or recommending it. This review is posted in collaboration with Black Coffee Book Tours. Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.  

 

About the author: Elyse Hoffman

Elyse Hoffman is an award-winning author who strives to tell historical tales with new twists. She loves to meld WWII and Jewish history with fantasy, folklore, and the paranormal. She has written six works of Holocaust historical fiction: the five books of The Barracks of the Holocaust and The Book of Uriel.