Book Review - The Banished Lands by Benjamin Mester

Photo Credit - Amazon

A prophecy old as time promises that a kingdom will be in grave danger. When the old world has disappeared and only the history of the events remain, will Durian and his friends be able to solve the mystery? Durian and his friends travel across mystic lands and meet a wide array of friends and foes. Will they be able to outwit the mysterious force that is chasing them?

I thought the novel was an action-packed and thrilling fantasy read. It reminds me a bit of "The Hobbit", especially with Durian and friends who have no fighting experience but, they try to battle the evil forces. I enjoyed the fact that the book used a poem to create a puzzle that could help prevent evil from taking over. The novel is the first book in the series and I appreciated that it didn't leave us on a cliffhanger. However, the ending point left readers wanting to read the rest of the series.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**

About the Book

Book Title: The Banished Lands, book one in The Banished Lands Series
Author: Benjamin Mester
Genre: Fantasy
Release date: May, 2015

A kingdom in danger. A prophecy that will change everything. But will they understand it in time? The old world is gone, and barely even histories remain. But something from that time is returning. The closing lines of a farewell poem, written centuries ago by the last great king of the age to his slain wife, might be more than just a poem:
The world and all its light shall fade,
I’ll stay with her beneath the shade
And wait until the world’s remade…

Join us in this epic fantasy adventure as three friends plunge into the great mystery of their age, twelve centuries in the making. A mysterious fog blankets the forest just outside the sleepy town of Suriya. A dark plot unfolds as Durian and his friends discover ties between a strange wanderer and the warlike barbarian kingdom far to the north. Are the mysterious things happening in the forest a prelude to invasion? What happens next will propel Durian and his curious friends into the middle of the oldest riddle in the history of their kingdom, a dozen centuries old.

About the Author

Benjamin Mester is a novelist and poet. He fell in love with the written word and beauty of language at a young age, marvelling at the way a story can transport a person, enveloping their whole mind and heart as they dive into new places and grand adventures. A lover of nature, Mester has spent the whole of his adult life immersed in the study of poetry, often wandering the woodlands of northern Minnesota or the beaches of California.

If asked about his writing, he would say his overarching goal is to inspire people to live with greater passion, often quoting one of his favorite Proverbs, 14:8: The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways. How often do we stop to give thought to our ways, asking ourselves why we live the way we do? What does it mean to live to the full? How can I love more deeply? Mester hopes his writing will build a longing in his readers, that his stories inspire them to want more for their lives than the mediocrity of good enough we so often settle for.

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Benjamin is giving away a grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/d1c7/the-banished-lands-celebration-tour-giveaway

Book Review - Clod Makes a Friend by David J. Pedersen + Giveaway

Photo Credit - Amazon

Clod is a magnet for bullies because he is different than his classmates. He is bigger, clumsy and ugly along with having no magic. In a world where magic makes everything possible, Clod has no friends and has trouble getting along with other people.

Clod lives with his mother, Eidy in a small cottage where they barely have enough to survive.  One day after a visit from his teacher, Learned Yugen about an incident at school, Clod is more discouraged than ever. He takes to building a friend out of clay that his mother brings for him every day. One day, the clay girl, Ada comes to life and becomes friends with Clod but her confidence and courage get them both in trouble. Is Ada the friend Clod desperately needs?

The novel was a quick and fun read especially with the dynamics between Ada and Clod. There were portions of the book where I thought the sassy Ada would become another bully for Clod but I was happy when it turns out that they both needed each other. While I did enjoy the book, I wish the author went into a bit more details especially about the dark war and Clod's family. Overall, it was a fun treat to read and I look forward to reading other books by the author.

 **Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**

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Book Details:

Book Title:  Clod Makes a Friend by David J. Pedersen
Category:  Middle-Grade Fiction, 174 pages
Genre:  Fantasy
Publisher:  Odysia Press
Release date:  March 2018
Content Rating: PG (There is no bad language, but there is one "boss fight" scene.)

Book Description:

Best Friend Ever?

Bullies love to hate Clod. Not just because he’s bigger, clumsier, and uglier than his classmates - he’s also the only student in his school without magic. In a world where all magic is possible and everyone else is born with great gifts to do amazing things, Clod is alone.

Living with his mum in a broken-down cottage on barely enough, the only thing Clod has to play with is the clay she occasionally brings him. Bleak is an understatement. More than anything, Clod wants a friend. The only way that’s going to happen, is to make one himself.

After an angry visit from the worst of the bullies, his teacher Learned Yugen, Clod’s clay sculpture of a little girl comes to life and introduces herself as Ada. For a clay girl barely the size of his hand, she has more confidence and courage than he knows what to do with. Every adventure she leads him on gets Clod into trouble. She may be the friend he wants, but is she the friend he needs?

After many years, and too many pranks, Yugen becomes convinced that Clod is tainted by the evil slowly infiltrating the Kingdom of Pag. Especially when Ada isn’t the only one Clod can bring to life.

Clod Makes A Friend is a bittersweet fairy tale for all ages from David J. Pedersen, author of the Angst series of fantasy novels.

Meet the Author:

David J. Pedersen is a native of Racine, WI who resides in his home town Kansas City, MO. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He has worked in sales, management, retail, video and film production, and IT. David has run 2 marathons, climbed several 14,000 foot mountains and marched in Thee University of Wisconsin Marching Band and written 4 fantasy novels. He is a geek and a fanboy that enjoys carousing, picking on his wife and kids, playing video games, and slowly muddling through his next novel.

Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook 

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review - Murder in Disguise (A Preston Barclay Mystery Book 3) by Donn Taylor

Photo Credit - Amazon

When news of Preston Barclay's beloved friend committed suicide, Preston is unable to believe the news. However, when the evidence points to an open and close suicide case, he decides to let sleeping dogs lie. The victim's wife, Grace, doesn't believe it is a suicide and pleads with Preston to investigate her husband's death. Preston begins to question the suicide, when details are emerging that don't quite add up including the anonymous threats. Will Preston be able to figure out the truth behind his friend's death?

This was the third novel in the Preston Barclay series, but each book looks like it can be read as a standalone. The book was an easy read but a few pages in, the number of musical references was a bit overwhelming to the point of annoyance. I found my eyes glazing over paragraphs with the music reference and found myself too lazy to search what each song was. I also found the dynamic between Mara and Preston to be boring, petty, and unauthentic. Mara is jealous when Preston talking to another female, but she purposely needles him about other men without Preston is saying or doing much. I felt like Mara and Preston made a poor investigator and they seem to be more like, "Let's kick the hornet's nest and see what happens". The author keeps mentioning Preston's Special Ops training, but not once I made it seem like he actually puts any of that to use. If anything, when I think of Preston Barclay, I think of a frumpy grandpa with his pants mid chest along with a pair of oversized glasses.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**