Balance of March 2016

During the month of March, 2016, I reviewed the following:

Books:
- "A Forge of Valor" by Morgan Rice. Read my review.
- "Spirit Ascendancy" by E.E.Holmes. Read my review.
- "Oliver and Jumpy - Stories 37-39" by Werner Stejskal. Read my review.

Book "Oliver and Jumpy - Stories 37-39" by Werner Stejskal

About the Book: Oliver is an elegant tuxedo cat, who is full of himself. As a matter of fact he says: “I love myself!”, quite often. Naughty, isn’t he? But his best friend Jumpy, a kangaroo lady, is aware that he has a soft heart and will always want to help others. The great thing is Jumpy’s pouch, which Oliver loves to ride in! He calls her his kangaroo taxi! These little bedtime stories with their lovely illustrations are great for small kids. A parent can read the text and tell the child in his own words. These animal stories have sufficient text to keep early readers happy and provide some educational value. Depending on your device, there is pop-up text available. Love you all! Meow!

About the Author: Born in Vienna, Austria, Werner is now living in the paradise of Perth, Australia with his wife, two married children and three grandchildren. He worked many years in the printing industry and later for the United Nations in Vienna. His wife had been a pen-friend, whom Werner visited in Hong Kong and finally got married to. After an eventful life, now retired, he began to write children's stories, had them illustrated through Odesk, narrated them himself for YouTube and finally published the ebooks on most platforms. Werner's dream is to see "Oliver and Jumpy" animated as a TV series.

There are lots of fairy tales and bedtime stories around and many of them quite violent. This made Werner decide to write something different. On a flight from Europe to Australia he watched the movie Magic on Belle Island with Morgan Freeman, where Freeman teaches a little girl to have imagination and write her first story. This inspired Werner as well and the first stories with his two characters Oliver, the elegant tomcat, and Jumpy, his kangaroo lady friend, made their appearance. Some very capable illustrators have helped to create this picture book series.

Author Peter Frederick sums it all up!

Here are books created by Werner Stejskal, an author who has a wonderful sense of adaptability into the world of a child. Movements, sentiments, expressions and ideas are being visualised, that enthral and win over the little reader. Plus, his terminology is perfectly matched to the mood of each self-contained story. The author also displays amazing sensitivity and is able to transport even adults back into long-past childhood. All good virtues are being emphasized, like friendship, loyalty, determination and civility, giving the fascinated reader the right signals for spiritual development. The main characters, Oliver and Jumpy, are the masters of a variety of situations that draw the reader into the stories. But one of the main reasons for the success of these children's books is the artwork! The graphics, outstandingly created by the artist, have their hues and shapes completely adapted to the respective situation and so contribute to the emotional absorption of each picture. Text and message. sombre feelings and cheery situations are being created and masterly entertain the little readers. One can only recommend this series of children's books to all adults who wish to keep their little ones occupied in a positive, entertaining and learning environment!

My Review: This book is part of a series called Oliver and Jumpy. This particular volume has stories 37 - Rescue in the Picture, 38 - Wet Cat, and 39 - Down River. It is an excellent gift for parents with children under 8 as suggested by the author. The book is beautifully illustrated by Maycee Ann Reyes (story 37), Yon Rifa'i (story 38) and Mario Tereso (story 39) and that is a very important plus, as its main audience will rely on the images to follow the stories, as many will not have reached the age to start reading by themselves. In "Rescue in the Picture", Oliver paints the place he wants to go on vacation and the painting on the stand let him enter into this magic land, where adventures are waiting for him to explore with his friends Jumpy and Joey. In the "Wet Cat", Oliver is rescued by dolphins after falling from a boat. Finally in "Down River", Oliver, Jumpy and Joey go down a river in a raft and dangerous adventures are close to be lived! All stories are very sweet and even touching and the characters are always showing good behavior. No violence, nothing too scary or too exciting, it will keep your toddler entertained (but not excited) during that critical bedtime period. They will love the stories and soon enough Oliver and Jumpy will be in their hearts forever.

In my kindle fire the story was presented in landscape orientation. No option to have it in portrait orientation, but this is far away from being a problem. I just thought it was worth mentioning.

If you read this review, feel free to leave a comment.

Book "Spirit Ascendancy" by E.E.Holmes

About the Book: In the wake of their terrifying escape from Fairhaven Hall, sisters Jess and Hannah Ballard find themselves on the run, pursued by the two most powerful groups in the history of the spirit world. On one side, the Durupinen, determined to capture the girls and prevent their role in an ancient prophecy that promises to destroy them and unleash the spirit hordes on the earth. On the other side, the Necromancers, ancient enemies of the Durupinen, hellbent on bringing the same prophecy to fruition. When the girls are betrayed and one of them falls into the Necromancers’ hands, both face decisions with cataclysmic consequences.

Will the lure of power prove too great to resist, or will the bond between the sisters survive this last, most crucial of tests?

Spirit Ascendancy is the much anticipated third and final installment of E.E. Holmes’ award-winning Gateway Trilogy.

About the Author: Email subscribers receive a complimentary copy of "Milo's Story" by signing up with the link below!

http://eepurl.com/XqMYL

E.E. Holmes is the internationally best-selling author of the paranormal series, "The Gateway Trilogy". Her novel "Spirit Legacy (The Gateway Trilogy Book 1)", was named a first place category winner in both the Paranormal Awards and the Dante Rossetti Awards for Young Adult Fiction by Chanticleer Book Reviews and Media, and received a National Category Silver Medal in the 2015 IPPY Awards.

For more information, please visit:

www.eeholmes.com

www.facebook.com/authoreeholmes

www.twitter.com/authoreeholmes

www.pinterest.com/authoreeholmes

My Review: This is the third and final book of this trilogy named "The Gateway". In the first book we were introduced to Jess (Jessica) and Hannah Ballard and we found out about their roles in the spiritual world. In the second book they are headed to Fairhaven to learn how to control and use their abilities. In this third book they leave Fairhaven running for their lives, with both the Durupinen and the Necromancers trying to capture them because the same prophecy. The Durupinen trying to prevent the prophecy to happen and the Necromancers trying to make sure it will happen. And in this particular world, you have all the good ingredients that make this story to be a magnificent end  to this series. This is a very intense book, very well written, with a rich plot developed from the point where the second book finished, and all characters are very well developed. I loved everything about this story. The writing style is wonderful, very well revised and edited, plot flows in high action/thriller style and there is plenty of action that makes you read the book in one weekend, at the edge of your chair. I really recommend this book to the permanent library of any reader that likes action with paranormal activity. But I strongly recommend that you read the first two books of this trilogy before starting this third book, so you can savor all the details of this incredible masterpiece. Very well done! 

 If you read my review, feel free to leave a comment!

Book "A Forge of Valor" by Morgan Rice

About the Book: In A FORGE OF VALOR, Kyra slowly returns from the verge of death, healed by Kyle’s love and mysterious power. As he sacrifices for her, she regains her strength—yet not without a price. She presses Alva for the secret of her lineage, and he finally reveals all about her mother. Given a chance to quest to the source of her power, Kyra must make a crucial choice: whether to complete her training or journey to help her father, who wallows in the capital dungeon, his execution pending.

Aidan, Motley at his side, also strives to rescue his father, trapped in the perilous capital, while in the far corner of the kingdom, Merk, amazed by what he discovers in the Tower of Ur, braces himself against a massive troll invasion. His Tower surrounded, he must fight alongside his fellow Watchers, to defend his nation’s most precious relic.

Dierdre finds herself facing a full-fledged Pandesian invasion in her embattled city of Ur. As her precious city is destroyed all around her, she has to decide whether to escape or to make a final, heroic stand. Alec, meanwhile, finds himself at sea with his cryptic newfound friend, sailing to a land he’s never been, one even more mysterious than his companion. It is here that, finally, he learns of his destiny—and of the last hope for Escalon.

With its strong atmosphere and complex characters, A FORGE OF VALOR is a sweeping saga of knights and warriors, of kings and lords, of honor and valor, of magic, destiny, monsters and dragons. It is a story of love and broken hearts, of deception, ambition and betrayal. It is fantasy at its finest, inviting us into a world that will live with us forever, one that will appeal to all ages and genders.

About the Author: Morgan Rice is the #1 bestselling and USA Today bestselling author of the epic fantasy series THE SORCERER'S RING, comprising seventeen books; of the #1 bestselling series THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS, comprising twelve books; of the #1 bestselling series THE SURVIVAL TRILOGY, a post-apocalyptic thriller comprising two books (and counting); and of the epic fantasy series KINGS AND SORCERERS, comprising six books, concluding with the recent finale NIGHT OF THE BOLD (Book #6). Morgan's books are available in audio and print editions, and translations are available in over 25 languages.

Morgan's latest release is OBSESSED (BOOK #12 IN THE VAMPIRE JOURNALS)--the final book in the 12 book VAMPIRE JOURNALS series.

Morgan's new epic fantasy series, OF CROWNS AND GLORY, will publish in April, 2016, beginning with book #1, SLAVE, WARRIOR, QUEEN.

TURNED (Book #1 in the Vampire Journals), ARENA ONE (Book #1 of the Survival Trilogy), A QUEST OF HEROES (Book #1 in the Sorcerer's Ring) and RISE OF THE DRAGONS (Kings and Sorcerers--Book #1) are each available as a free download on Amazon!

Morgan loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.morganricebooks.com to join the email list, receive 4 free books, receive free giveaways, download the free app, get the latest exclusive news, connect on Facebook and Twitter, and stay in touch! As always, if any of you are suffering from any hardship, email the author at morgan@morganricebooks.com and the author will be happy to send you a free book!

My Review: The book “A Forge of Valor” is the fourth book in the “Kings and Sorcerers” series. The easy and light writing style will hook you up from the very first page. In this book we continue to follow our heroine Kyra, a 15 year old girl, who loves to fight like a warrior. She abandons her training to go in the rescue of her father, against recommendation from her trainer. While badly hurt, she is saved by her mysterious boyfriend Kyle. Her father Duncan was betrayed and is in the Escalon capital's dungeons, waiting for his execution. Other parallel stories are told. Alec is going in a journey with a mysterious man to figure out what is his role in this story and his friend Mark is helping Dierdre and the resistence at Ur, against the Pandesian invasion. Vesuvius leads his army of trolls against Escalon, going towards the Tower of Ur, to capture the Sword of Flames. Merk defends the Tower of Ur against the attacks of the trolls, and at the end, when there is no hope, he is rescued by Kyle. Packed with excitement, I recommend this book to the permanent library of all readers that love to read a well written book, which will allow them to live a fantasy full of action. I can hardly wait to see how the story will develop from here. The author managed again to produce a strong set of characters that make us cheer for them on every page we turn. I received a copy of this book from the author and I was not requested to write a positive review. Opinion expressed here is my own. 

 If you read this review, feel free to leave a comment!