Book Review: The Storm Runner (The Storm Runner #1) [GIVEAWAY ENDED]

Release Date: September 18, 2018
Author: J.C. Cervantes
Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents
Length: 448 pages
Source: Review ARC from Publisher

A contemporary adventure based on Maya mythology from Rick Riordan Presents!

Zane has always enjoyed exploring the dormant volcano near his home in New Mexico, even though hiking it is challenging. He'd much rather hang out there with his dog, Rosie, than go to middle school, where kids call him Sir Limps a Lot, McGimpster, or Uno—for his one good leg. What Zane doesn't know is that the volcano is a gateway to another world and he is at the center of a powerful prophecy. A new girl at school, Brooks, informs him that he's destined to release an evil god from the ancient Maya relic he is imprisoned in—unless she can find and remove it first. Together they return to the volcano, where all kinds of crazy happens. Brooks turns into a hawk, a demon attacks them in a cave, and Rosie gives her all while trying to protect Zane. When Zane decides to save his dog no matter the cost, he is thrust into an adventure full of surprising discoveries, dangerous secrets, and an all-out war between the gods, one of whom happens to be his father. To survive, Zane will have to become the Storm Runner. But how can he run when he can't even walk well without a cane?

Feisty heroes, tricky gods, murderous demons, and spirited giants are just some of the pleasures that await in this fresh and funny take on Maya mythology, as rich and delicious as a mug of authentic hot chocolate.

    

Review:

Protagonist: Zane Obispo was born with one leg shorter than the other, thus he has to use a cane and limps around. Still, he likes going hiking on the volcano in his backyard with his three-legged dog Rosie. That is until one day he meets a girl named Brooks who tells him that he's the catalyst for an ancient prophecy that will lead to the release of Ah Puch, the Mayan god of death, darkness, and destruction. From there, Zane is pulled into a world of magic, gods, and secrets as he tries to make sure that Ah Puch doesn't end up destroying the world and those he loves along with it. I really love the character of Zane. He's not your run into danger first, ask questions later kind of protagonist, in fact, he asks quite a lot of questions, even when he probably shouldn't. He's apprehensive to go into danger, but he's kind and loyal and would face down any number of villains to protect those he loves. He can get a bit angsty and broody as the story unfolds, but it never felt unwarranted or forced in any way, it all felt like a natural extension of the story.

World Building: So, I'm just going to level with you, I knew next to nothing about Mayan mythology going into this story. Still, the world built in this story, the mix of modern day with ancient Mayan lore, felt so rich and vibrant. I'm not going to sit here and claim to have learned a great deal of Mayan mythology from this story because at the end of the day that's what it is, a story, and the mythology was used to enhance the story, not the other way around. There's still a lot to learn about Mayan gods, monsters, and magic and I loved every minute of it, but I can still feel there's a lot more to learn. In regards to the pacing of this book, well that's the only place I personally had a problem, and it's not even a big problem, see the pacing and story structure for this book ended up being very different than I had expected and so when things weren't unfolding at the rate I had expected them to, I had to adjust and get used to it, which took a little time, but in the end was completely worth it. Again, that might only have been a problem for me.

Predictability: As I said, since the story structure and pacing were different than expected, well, things didn't exactly go how I thought they would regardless. Looking back on the book as I whole, I can't remember predicting many of the twists that happened, save one or two that weren't that big. There are some mysteries that had a lot of build up, like who Zane's father is, maybe those with more knowledge of Mayan mythology could have guessed it before the reveal, but I certainly didn't know, and those mysteries were a lot of fun because you know a reveal is coming and having those questions finally answered is always so satisfying.

Ending: The ending of this book is pretty evil. The final climax didn't quite go down how I expected it to, but it was a very intense scene brimming with excitement and action, then there's the cooldown period before the epilogue/postscript, which would have included a very, VERY evil cliffhanger if not for the epilogue. The epilogue plays out as a final cooldown, tying up quite a few loose ends while hinting at, and sometimes straight up announcing, how the sequel will be set up without leaving a whole lot of room for that need for the next installment.

Rating:

I love this book so much, even with the pacing/story structure issue I faced, once I got a feel for the story everything was as right as rain and I could barely put this book down. If you're looking for a fun Middle-Grade adventure, a story with a disabled (Differently abled? Seriously, can someone help me out I'm not sure of the correct terminology) protagonist, and a rich and vibrant mythological tale, then look no further!

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1. THERE WILL BE ONE (1) WINNER, WINNING ONE (1) ARC COPY OF THE STORM RUNNER (THE STORM RUNNER #1) BY J.C. CERVANTES

1. THIS GIVEAWAY IS OPEN TO INTERNATIONALLY.

1. THIS GIVEAWAY IS OPEN FROM JULY 18, 2018 AT 12:01 AM PST TO AUGUST 1, 2018 AT 12:01 AM PST

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Blog Tour Book Review: Death Island + GIVEAWAY!

Release Date: December 31, 2017
Author: Kelsy Ketch
Publisher: Self-Published
Length: 726 pages
Source: Review Copy Provided by Good Choice Reading Promotions

Her family name tainted by her great-grandfather’s crimes of piracy, Meriden Cummings is far from the typical 18th century woman. A social outcast, she works in a carpentry shop in a small village, where the people barely tolerate unconventional behavior.

However, her life takes a turn after a gang of pirates attack her village and her blood reveals an ancient map adorned with Mayan glyphs leading to Death Island. An island legends say is ruled by the Mayan god of the underworld, Ah Puch. Her great-grandfather had sought after the island before he vanished without a trace. Now, Meriden is about to journey across the sea to understand her family history.

There are only a few problems: her growing feelings toward a mysterious stranger linked to her great-grandfather’s past; a greedy band of pirates after her great-grandfather’s legendary treasure; and a contract she has unwittingly signed in blood with Ah Puch himself.

    

Review:

Protagonists: This story is told from two points of view. The first being Meriden, the daughter of a carpenter, and a girl with fire in her veins. She isn't one to be told what to do, and she'll turn and give society the finger for trying to force her to someone she isn't. The second is Gregory, who upon meeting him is being held captive and tortured by pirates, which include his own brother. After said pirates attack Meriden's town, the two meet and go along on an epic seafaring adventure to find the lost and mythical Death Island. I really enjoyed both characters a lot, in fact, their backstories and characterization made them fascinating to read from. As the story progresses, despite some rather annoying events, their characters grow and develop even further. I appreciated how these two broken souls learned to not only lean on each other but, their friends and fellow crew members over the course of the story.

Romance: One of my biggest pet peeves is what I like to call the "True Love Rebound" trope, where you have one, or two individuals, who have been in serious relationships only to have those end horribly and for them to, almost immediately, or at least it feels that way to the reader, find their next romance to be their "actual" true love. It does give reason to why they wouldn't be chomping at the bit to find another romantic partner, but in the end, it just sort of feels like a rebound. This was the case for both our protagonists as they fight their growing feelings for one another. I say growing, but it's sort of handled like an insta-love held back by the previous hurt of their failed relationships and that was what made this romance hard to stomach at first. Over time it was easier to feel their bond and to really start to root for them as a couple, but it took some groaning on my part.

World Building: Now, I'm not expert on the linguistics of early eighteenth century England or Colonial America, but at least toward the beginning of this story, I found some of the phrases and idioms to be too modern for the era. Again, I could, and just might be, ignorant to when these phrases and idioms were first introduced, but they really pulled me out of the story whenever I came across them. As the story went on I noticed them less and less, but much like the romance, it felt like a bit of a slog to get through. The rest of the world building was amazing. I can't speak to how well the author incorporated Mayan mythology into the series, but as someone who doesn't know all that much about Mayan mythology, it was fun to see it incorporated into this series. What I was really excited about was the sailing and pirate aspects of this tale and it was glorious. There were so many great swashbuckling scenes and pirate-y action in this book and I loved every minute of it.

Predictability: On the whole, this story was pretty predictable. The foreshadowing was a tad heavy at times, it wasn't as though the author bashed me over the head with it like I've felt in other stories I've read, just that there a plenty of clues that if you pick up on them could tip readers off the twists well before they happen. There are a couple of twists to this story that I didn't predict that caught me off guard and really threw me for a loop, but those were the twists that didn't have any clues leading to them.

Ending: Going into this book I was expecting a standalone, and for as long as it is I wouldn't have minded this being the only book in a series, however, the epilogue of this tale seems to indicate a possible sequel, and while I'm not sure if I need a sequel, other than a few ends left loose at the end of this tale, I'm interested to see where this author goes next. The ending of this tale is fantastic. The final climax is fraught with tension and action and I savored every second I could get of it. As the story wound to a close, we didn't really get a cooldown period and there were a few things I would have liked to see wrapped up, even if this is the first book in a series.

Rating:

Despite loving the swashbuckling action and adventure this book contains, plus all of the magic and myth that are woven into the story, there were a few things I couldn't get past, the romance's rocky start, the possibly too modern text toward the beginning, and the fact that some of the time things felt a little too safe for even the secondary characters.

About the Author:

Kelsey Ketch is a young-adult/new-adult author, who works as a Wildlife Biologist in the state of North Carolina. During her free time, she can often be found working on her latest work in progress or organizing the New Adult Scavenger Hunt, a biannual blog hop. She also enjoys history, mythology, traveling, and reading.

Twitter: @kelseyketch

Facebook Page: Kelsey Ketch

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