Bryan Davis

NOOOOO!!! My book just ended and I wasn't ready for it to be over yet! This was another outstanding book by Bryan Davis. Each book I read by him is as impressive as the one I read before. He has a way with creating the world he puts the characters in that brings the story to life. The characters are people you want to know, and when the book ends....I can't believe the book ended!! I have got to get my hands on the next book and fast, I MUST know what happens.

This book brings together show more fantasy, religion, heroism, chivalry, bravery, love and friendship together, and before you know it, 400 pages have flown by and it honestly hasn't seemed like you have been reading that long. I am now, more than ever, a fan of Mr. Davis.

This book has me guessing at every turn. Who really is on the right side, who may have alterior motives? Great authors have this ability, and Davis has shown he is fantastic at this twist. At the end of this book, I know the characters well, and I know who I like, but am I liking them for the wrong reasons? Could they be working some hidden angle? These characters are definitely 3 dimensional, and once I catch up on a few books that I have to read, I'm diving right back into this amazing world created just for us by Mr. Davis. show less

…” This morning might hold my last chance to escape execution.” What? Ok, that has my attention. Megan Willis is a strong, determined soul, caught in an impossible situation. She is willing to do what it takes to be reunited with her mother.
She has seen horrors, not even grownups have witnessed. (Like trafficking of human children, and villains that are doing experiments on kids. It was not a graphic discussion, just mentioned.) Megan races against time, because today could be her show more last.

The stakes are high, Megan is forced to make hard choices in doing what she believes is right. Things have changed and shift into high gear facing challenge, after crazy challenge. I appreciated how the author showed this young one’s inner struggle with “kill or be killed.” Life was a gift. Does there have to be killing? Could things be handled another way? Do the ends justify the means for the greater good?

The author is brilliant and imaginative as he does a beautiful job of taking readers on a fast-paced adventure that has themes of compassion, forgiveness, family, and shows how they are learning what is right and/or wrong for themselves. I like what the author said about love, and strong family bonds with people God puts in our path and those connected to us by blood. I enjoyed how Megan learns about real love, …” Real love sacrifices. It shows mercy. It heals. “

There is a plethora of evil villains out to get Megan and her team. They can’t run away from them fast enough. I could visualize the Star Wars/Star Trek feel of this space opera, I mean going places they’ve never been before, and meeting all types of creatures with a variety of languages being spoken. I adored the authors’ well-timed humor in some heavy situations. It was fun to see kids could just be kids when they had a chance to. I loved seeing this story played out through children and what they learned & watched their parents do. They don’t do everything exactly as their parents would, because they see things differently now that they had to make hard choices.

This is a wonderful, fascinating, absorbing summer read. It’s a fun escape and one that would work well for your next book club pick. I hardly noticed how long this book was, I was caught up in the adventure, and couldn’t put it down.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I requested and received a copy of this book by the publisher/NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins!
The Book Club Network blog https://psalm516.blogspot.com/ show less

It's not a bad fantasy adventure, but lots of it just isn't all that amazing. Aside from Arxad, most of the characters aren't all that interesting and full of depth. I do like Jason and Koren, and Elyssa's not bad, but they are rather one-dimensional. Tibalt and Randall are too, but they're so much fun and awesome that it's okay. Besides, they're secondary characters, so I can cut them some slack.

Lots of the adventure and puzzles and stuff seemed kind of...pointless. I didn't really follow show more all the mess of them falling down the hole and the river and the portal and everything. It all felt very far-fetched, and I guess I was expecting a little more realism from the book.

The character interactions are also a little strange. Most of the time they don't seem very smart, like when Elyssa sends Jason out to die and yet has a plan to stop the flooding. Why not wait until she tried her plan? Little things like that get me, where the solution seems so simple and instead of doing it all the characters make things more complicated instead.

That's basically what the book was: complicated, when the solution could've been simpler. The problems seemed too easily solved and yet it was a complicated mess.

I will say that the Black Egg gives me the creeps. There were times when I was unsure if it was good or bad, and then I would reassure myself as Koren reassured herself. That was very well done. show less

Really, 3.5 stars.

This YA fantasy grabbed me, sucked me into the story, and didn't let go. Jason, being the main character, was most fully realized and developed, but I enjoyed Koren, Elyssa, Randall, Tibbets, and the others, too. The dragon Arxad was most intriguing as well.

What I liked about this book is that it didn't follow a predictable pattern. The dragons have their own sophisticated culture, with humans as slaves. Humans on both worlds were mostly serfs or slaves and that didn't seem show more likely to change. The arrogant and somewhat bratty son of the governor becomes part of the solution instead of staying part of the problem. Story-telling can be a powerful weapon. Young men and young women can both be brave leaders.

This book is the start of a series, and while part of the adventure wraps up, there are many unanswered questions and unresolved issues. The author has a lot of story left to tell.

The author's style makes for easy and enjoyable reading--enough description to allow the reader to see the action, lots of dialog, and fast-moving action. show less