A Book Addict's YA Palace: MG

Review Dreamwalker by Rhys Bowen and C.M. Broyles

Morning Addicts! It's a busy week and I'm trying to keep it rolling through Friday. Hump Day! Hehehe.

Okay, seriously, on to business. I have had this one in my library for a hot second and am finally ready to put out my review of DREAMWALKER by Rhys Bowen and C.M. Broyles. Read on Addicts, read on.

Dreamwalker (The Red Dragon Academy #1)

by Rhys Bowen

Seven children. Seven special powers. One enemy.

Addy is a typical California surfer girl until her mother dies and she is sent to a strange boarding school in Wales, where one hallway leads not to another part of the school but to another universe. Addy has always had vivid dreams. Now it seems this power to dream has made her the enemy of the powerful ruler of Gallia.

How can Addy and her new friends be any match for the powerful Grymur who calls himself The One in a world where nothing makes sense.

If you loved Harry Potter, this is for you.

By New York Times bestselling author and her daughter.

GOODREADS

MY REVIEW:
DREAMWALKER by Rhys Bowen and C.M. Broyles was a cute read. It was definitely more middle school grade than I was expecting. I can see the Harry Potter references in the book – which I didn't mind because the authors have built a really cool, fun and interesting universe for this series.
This is the first in the red Dragon Academy series and as far as firsts go it was OK. The mirror portals that took Abby – our heroine – to a different dimension was pretty cool - even if she was on the stupid side for not realizing walking through a mirror would take her to another world. There was a great bit of detail, and I loved the history and culture of Wales. I've never been there myself, so I can't say for certain, but I can easily imagine Wales being nearly the same as it was in the book. The pacing was good, and the bad guy was a particularly devilish one.
The downside to this book, for me, was the characters; all of our seven main characters. DREAMWALKER's blurb promised us seven kids each with unique powers (Dream Walkers, Travelers, Whispers.....) that all attend the same Red Dragon Academy. And we got them: Addy, Raj, Pippa, Celeste, Sam, Kobi and Gwylum. Sadly all but two, maybe three of the main characters were very one dimensional and in need of a lot of character development. Then again, this is a middle grade book and only the first in the series. I can make some exceptions for those facts.
This first book is from Addy's POV so I'll be interested to see if the next books are from the other characters points of views. I also want to add, because this was in Addy's voice, it really only felt like her story not the story of seven different main characters.
My other big problems with the characters was the stereotyping that went on. Yes we had a worldly and diverse Cass, but really: a brick who loves writing, an Indian who is super smart, a French girl all about the fashion, the typical foster child, a shy poor kid and so on........ I got really frustrated by the blatant stereotyping then I remind myself this is a middle grade book. It doesn't excuse the fact, but it makes it tolerable. Plus you can possibly look past the fact, but I am really hoping to see a lot more growth and development in the next books.
Overall I would recommend DREAMWALKER to young readers who like fantasy, Harry Potter, Percy jackson and fun quick reads.
Thank you to Rhys and C.M and Netgalley for gifting me a copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

~Dynomoon

3:30 AM
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Book Blitz THE TRUTH: DIARY OF A GUTSY TWEEN

book blitz

Hey Addicts, we've got a fun, lighter blitz today for Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein and her book THE TRUTH: DIARY OF A GUTSY TWEEN
This is very different from the norm for me but it's worth checking out. Read on Addicts!
~Dynomoon

The Truth, Diary of a Gutsy Tween

by Barbara Becker Holstein

"I hate Angela and I wish she would move away tomorrow!" "I get so worried when I hear my parents fighting at night." "My mother thinks my crush is silly. I know I am in love!" "I have so many questions about growing up. Who will answer them?" "I feel so awful when Jake makes fun of me." "When I grow up I going to remember how to have fun with my kids and never look away." Growing up is tough. Adults don't always understand you (even though they were once kids), and children today face increasing pressure to be, look, or act a certain way. Written in the voice of a girl on the cusp of becoming a teenager, The Truth provides young girls with an opportunity to see how a girl, who is in many ways like themselves, handles her toughest problems and most personal thoughts. Each new page brings forth a discussion to help girls handle everyday problems: How do you survive a bully? How do you handle a crush on a boy? What can you do about relentless teasing by your peers? What really matters as you grow older?

In a positive and supportive diary-entry format, Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein encourages tween girls to carry the most precious parts of themselves into adulthood. A great book for mothers and daughters to read together, The Truth is aimed to improve communication, understanding, and self-esteem for young girls as they enter the rocky road of teenager-dom.

EXTRAS:

Date: June 27

Dear Diary,

I can’t believe it. Today we moved, and I feel like I’m in a dream. I just keep walking around our new house and wondering when we will go home. It feels so different and strange. Everything is on one floor (that’s called a ranch house). The floors are all bare wood. My mom said our rugs would look terrible here so she let the people who bought our old house keep them. I think she was probably right. They were a dark maroon and the walls here are a light cream. I don’t think that would look good. I went to the bathroom three times since we got here and every time I used a different bathroom. I can’t believe it. Three different toilets in the same house! Only my friend Susan, my rich friend, had more than two bathrooms in her house. And four bedrooms! And a family room. I can’t believe we have this much space now.

When I look out of the windows I expect to see the shrubs and the Hudson’s house who were next to us on the left, but I don’t. Instead, I see a big open field that will probably have houses built on it by next year. That’s what my dad said anyway. And when I look out to the right I expect to see our clothesline and the Dixon’s driveway, but instead I see rose bushes and a wooden bench under a tree that the last owners said we could have.

Tonight, we had to eat supper off paper plates and use plastic forks, knives, and spoons because our boxes are still packed. My aunt made us a big picnic basket full of food and that’s what we ate for supper. It was delicious. There was fried chicken, potato salad and potato chips, cupcakes for dessert, and fruit salad. And at the bottom of the basket under the ice was a whole package of Hershey Kisses. Yum!

My brother already started to play with a kid next door who’s about a year older than he is. He’s so lucky. I have no new friends yet and that’s the truth!

Ten Things I Would Never Do Again and Why

Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein

1. I would never go up in a small plane for two again because it scared me to death! The windows were gigantic and I felt like I was in a free fall situation. I realize that I have spatial limitations.

2. I would never take a cruise around Hawaii again. I found it dissatisfying as we spent too little time on the islands and also it was rainy and muggy. I realize not all cruises are on track.

3. I would not travel by the back roads from Connecticut to Pittsburgh again. It was interesting, but once was enough. I realize that not all back roads are worth seeing.

4. I would never leave anyone out of a celebration that I give if I thought they would be hurt or wanted to come. I had left a few people out of one of our family celebrations years ago and they felt bad. I have never fully forgiven myself.

5. I would not turn down an invitation to a family member's wedding, no matter how inconvenient it was, unless I was sick. I did turn down an invitation years ago and still regret it. The time together with certain cousins never happened again. I realize I was the one who lost out.

6. I would not turn down an invitation to beautiful week in the countryside of Provence with some women, only one of which was a dear friend. That turn down was a big mistake. I have yet to make it to see that area of France. I realize that I should push myself harder when opportunity knocks.

7. I would not camp in New Jersey when the green flies are out and there is lots of pollen. I realize that my body has limitations and some situations are just beyond what I can handle.

8. I would not start out in a snow storm. My husband and I have made that decision a couple of times and we are lucky we are alive. Once we were snowed in to a stop on a parkway and fortunately the police stopped and took us to someone's home that we knew. The second time we always collapsed in snow drifts after we abandoned our car to walk the rest of the way home. I realize that some decisions are just the wrong decisions and we are all capable of poor judgment.

9. I would not loose touch with some friends from the past. I realize that all the people who have been in my life in significant ways are still important to me and I would have worked harder to stay in touch. I plan to still try!

10. I would not try to learn to smoke. What a stupid effort that was! The only good thing was I learned that smoking made my throat hurt and my glands swollen.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

I have been a positive psychologist in private practice for the past thirty years. In the course of working with my clients, I originated the idea of THE ENCHANTED SELF(R), a positive psychology therapy where I teach people how to recognize and utilize their strengths, talents, skills and even lost potential. I have developed a number of methods, including using our memories to rediscover what is right about ourselves and our lives, rather than what went wrong, helping people to overcome adversity, experience positive emotions and live the good life!

Since developing this concept, I've been able to use many tools to bring the Enchanted Self to everyone, particularly women and girls. I've written many books, starting with THE ENCHANTED SELF, A Positive Therapy, and then Recipes for Enchantment, The Secret Ingredient is YOU! My books for girls are very popular, as they are great fictional reads and also help deal with many of the questions that trouble kids as they move into the tween and teen years. The Truth, Diary of a Gutsy Tween and Secrets, Diary of a Gutsy Teen are the first two books in this series.

I really love to teach and educate about happiness and how to benefit from positive psychology in ways that let us lead lives of meaning and happiness. You can find me all over the place on the web. In particular, www.enchantedself.com, www.thetruthforgirls.com, on Facebook at Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein: Psychologist & Author, on Pinterest at http://www.pinterest.com/barbarabeckerho/ and on You Tube. Just look for me on You Tube via Barbara Becker Holstein.

Amazon: www.amazon.com/Barbara-Becker-Holstein/e/B001JXEZ8U/

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/barbara-becker-holstein/2493846

7:22 AM
9 Comments

Review Ennara and the Fallen Druid by Angela Myron

4.5 star

Title: Ennara and the Fallen Druid

Author: Angela Myron

When a mysterious curse threatens to transform everyone into shadowy demons, a magical eleven year-old girl must travel to a sunken city ruin—fighting pirates, monsters, and an undead sorcerer along the way—to find a weapon that can save her world.

Warning: the story contains bad guys that younger kids might find scary. Suggested age is eleven and older (upper MG/young YA)

The book will be free on Kindle from December 25-30, so get your copy while you can!

Ennara and the Fallen Druid on Amazon

Ennara and the Book of Shadows on Amazon, iBooks, B&N, and Kobo

MY REVIEW

Ennara and the Fallen Druid, by Angela Myron, was an interesting pick for me. I requested it to review for two reasons: 1- a friend of mine knows the author and thought I’d like it. 2- I am trying to help my younger cousins and nephew find a new series to get into now that they’ve all burned through Harry Potter and Percy Jackson.

I was NOT disappointed!

It may seem unfair to compare a series to H.P or P.J because both series have reached iconic stature and it’s hard to measure up to that. While this book wasn’t perfect, thus the 4 ½ star review, but I still decided to buy it in paperback as gifts for my cousins and nephew.

Ennara was a fun character to relate to. She’s already pretty responsible for being so young: i.e. helping out her family and not being tempted to use her crazy powerful magic, even though she’s been tough theories for using it. Then Tork showed up, a family friend, and told her that he needs her help to get to the Sunken City and retrieve a mystical sword to counter a curse that was cast by the “big bad” of this series. Enter Kithe (aka Kit) who is a longtime friend on Ennara. He thought she was being kidnapped and got pulled into the adventure as well. Fate works like that sometimes. He’s quite the young hero, that Kit. Along the nonstop adventure they lose Tork and meet Gavin and a sea-cat named Smoos. I totally want her for a pet! The young hottie Gavin and the Smoos join Ennara and Kit as they continue to the Sunken City on their terrifying, magical, fantastical and perilous quest to save their world!

The world Angela Myron built for her Ennara series is amazing and descriptive and very believable. I easily imagined it in my head like a video game—al a Kingdom Hearts or even in cartoon form. That’s how easy ti was for me to imagine everything and place in this book. The monsters, the magic, the character and the plot all flowed together almost seamlessly.

Despite her magic and knowing how speciale she is, Ennara has a strong, good heart and manages to keep her slightly innocent view of the world intact despite all the hardships and trials she and her friends barely survive.

Clearly this is a good series for younger readers (9+ years) I think they will easily fall into Ennara’s world. I will warn you, it does get a little dark at points, but no more than H.P. or P.J.—in my humble opinion. Just be forewarned.

This was a great start to a new series I am excited to get into! Here’s my top 5 list of favorite things about Ennara and the Fallen Druid by Angela Myron

1. Nonstop adventure

2. Ennara and Gavin-so cute!

3. Smoos

4. Zombie chickens

5. The strong friendships

Thanks to Enchanted Book promotions and Angela Myron for gifting me a copy of Ennara and the Fallen Druid in exchange for an HONEST review.
Now we also have a character interview from Ennara and her crew! Read on for some more greatness.

1- Ennara: How did you feel when you found out you had to save everyone from this curse? Especially with a magic you had never used.

When my mentor, the wizard artifact-hunter Tork Vossen, took me on the quest to get the sword, I wasn't supposed to save anyone from any curse. I was just coming along to help with the ocean voyage because as a caul, I was supposed to be some sort of lucky charm on the seas. But when Tork fell under the curse of the remnant in the sunken city of Ililsa, we'd come too far to turn back without the sword. Everyone at home was counting on us, and the sword was close. Finding the sword seemed like the simplest thing to do.

2- How long have you know Kithe? How did you guys get mixed up in all this?

Kithe and I have been friends for as long as I can remember. It's probably because he and I are the same age. And he's fun to hang out with.

3- What did you think of Gevin when you first saw him?

I didn't like him. I thought he was a bossy kid who thought he knew more than he did. But he was strong and smart, and saved us more than once.

4- Gevin: what did you think of Ennara when you first met her?

When I first heard we were getting a caul on the ship, I thought she'd be one of the spoiled royal brats from Galdlan, like the ones my father hated. But when I saw she was a girl the same age as my younger sister, I was excited. A girl on ship! I was so tired of hanging out with the crew. And she didn't have the snobbishness of my older sisters, or the brashness of the kids who live in the ports. She was special. And kinda pretty.

5- Everyone: what all do you know about this sword you're supposed to retrieve?

Gevin: Oh, everyone knows about the Sword of Gisilfrid. It's a famous legend.

Ennara: I only know what Kithe has told me.

Kithe: I've heard all about it from travelers at my mom and dad's inn. Bits of the story here, a bit more there. Everyone knows how King Gisilfrid used the magical sword to defeat the Fallen Druid Ardewynn. But there's a much cooler story of the origin of the sword, and the ordinary page who the Druid Triskelion sent to forge the blade. I want to hear the full story of the page Eogan

AUTHOR BIO

Angela Myron was born in Vancouver, Canada and lives in Los Angeles, California with her husband and twins. She grew up in the piney forests of southern British Columbia, studying tiny blue bells, dodging cacti, and creating fantasy worlds in her back yard.
Angela studied biology and professional writing at the University of Victoria in Canada and at San Francisco State University. She wrote grant proposals for nonprofits, computer software manuals, and freelance journalism before writing fiction.

Links

www.angelamyron.com Goodreads
That's it for this review Addicts! I hope you enjoyed the review and that you'll go and grab your copy of Ennara and the Fallen Druid while it's on sale! Totally worth the read!

~Dynomoon