Jon S. LewisRecensioni

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Sixteen-year-old Colt McAlister is living the dream in San Diego, surfing by day and playing guitar with his friends by night, when his parents are killed in a freak car accident. The youngest of eight, several of his older brothers offer him a home, but recognizing the demands they face with their own young families, he chooses instead to join his Grandpa McAlister in Phoenix, AZ. The only person he knows at his new high school is Danielle Salazar, a childhood friend, but he quickly meets and becomes friends with Oz Romero--whom he's sure he's never met before but who seems oddly familiar.

This is a fast-paced and mostly tightly plotted novel, so it's not long before we know there's something fishy about the accident that killed Colt's parents--and about Trident, the company that his investigative journalist mother was investigating. We also learn that Colt's grandpa has a fascinating history of his own: A World War II veteran, he's believed to be the basis of the comic book superhero the Phantom Flyer, who played a key role in defeating the Nazis' alien reptilian allies...did I forget to mention that? Yes, it seems there are gateways between our world and others, and some pretty startling beings have come through them, including the reptilian Thule, who want to wipe us out and take Earth for themselves.

So when Colt overhears his grandpa and Sen. Bishop discussing the fact that his parents' accident wasn't exactly an accident, and he and his friends decide to investigate, it doesn't take long before they're in very hot water. Trident is controlled by the Thule, the reptilian invaders behind the Nazis, and is the major threat that the secret government agency, the Central Headquarters Against the Occult and Supernatural, a.k.a. CHAOS, exists to fight. Colt, Dani, and Oz quickly find out just how much of a beating they can take and keep on ticking, and how tough, smart, and resourceful they can be when their own and the world's survival depends on it.

I really did enjoy this book. It's a solid young adult science fiction novel, firmly in the camp of the "Heinlein juveniles" of cherished memory (and still available in your local library and bookstore, by the way.) It does have a couple of oddities and weaknesses, though. One is that, although the female characters are in fact presented as tough, smart, and resourceful, it certainly appears that there are no female CHAOS agents. This seems terribly unlikely, and maybe the next novel in the sequence will reveal that that appearance is not correct. The other problem is an annoying plot hole. We're told that the biochips that make it possible for Trident to control unwitting sleeper agents, and which cause their eyes to glow red when the chip is activated, were invented in the past few years by a minor character whom we do meet. Unfortunately, we're also told that the Thule and Nazis were using the same control technology during WWII. Can't have it both ways!

But those are minor issues, and this is a solid, enjoyable YA science fiction novel.

I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

This is the second volume in a fun little series about teenagers who are The Only Hope for Earth's resistance to alien invasion. No, that doesn't make much sense, but, really, it doesn't have to. Lewis gives us an engaging group of teenage friends, a secret government agency that's supposed to be the main line of defense but may be compromised, secret heroes and villains, and a fast pace with neat stuff happening on nearly every page.

The intended audience is young adult readers, but if you can let go and enjoy the ride, it's entertaining for older readers, too.

Colt McAllister is the youngest of a large family of boys, and in the previous volume, his parents were killed right around the time he got accepted to the same Virginia military high school all his brothers attended. He's now living with his grandfather, a World War II veteran, while waiting to go off to that academy--which is the school for the secret force which is fighting the aliens. While he's waiting, he's hooked up with a few friends who'll also be going off to the academy.

It's not a quiet, restful time, though. Colt is, for various reasons, a Major Threat to the aliens, and they're out to get him before he can be trained and groomed for his destined role. Colt and his friends spend the time avoiding assassination attempts, which is really tricky because the aliens are shapeshifters and have a dandy little multinational medical devices corporation at their disposal. Of course, the teens also have access to some cool stuff; Colt's grandfather, World War II vet, is really the Phantom Flyer, a World War II hero who is believed to be just a comic book superhero. Colt and his friends get to practice with old, out-of-date versions of the modern equipment they'll be using at the school, and it's a good thing: it helps them keep Colt alive.

When they get to school, things get even more dangerous, as they discover that they can't assume anyone is trustworthy, because they can't assume anyone is who he seems to be.

Call it a guilty pleasure, call it light entertainment, but it's a lot of fun.

Recommended.

I received a free electronic galley from the publisher via NetGalley.

Why I have chosen this book:
Of course, the cover drew my attention. But also, I wanted a young-adult read which is not all about romance, vampires or other superdupercreatures stuff. (now alien stuff is much more intriguing! lol).

My impressions:
First off, I am not into science fiction (or at least I wasn't), so I was quite skeptical about me enjoying this book...but I did like it :)
It is an easy read for older kids and teenagers (though I bet my mother would have loved it, too). Invasion is very vivid, with LOTS of action and at times it seemed like watching a movie rather than reading a book. J. S. Lewis sure did a great job on keeping a reader interested. This book is not stuffed with romance as most books now are, just with some traces of it, and this was one of the reasons why I liked it. All characters are appealing (especially my compliments go to Danielle, who is just as strong, brave and awesome as the main character Colt and his friend Oz!). This is one of those books which involves you and.... when it leaves you waiting for the second book which will only be released in 2012 *groan*!
All in all, I had a good time reading this book and as long as you keep yourself open for hard-to-believe-when-thinking-sober things you should be entertained as well.

I think I would give this book 3.5/5.

Can be a bit slow at times, but still interesting. Different than I thought it would be, but not in a bad way.

My Opinion: I've enjoyed this series so far and had high expectations for the conclusion, Domination, and boy was I right! This book had some really bad ass action scenes - the descriptions were so intense you really did feel like you were there!

At the beginning of the book you can tell that the Thule have continued their invasion of the Earth as the setting is dark and desolate. You jump right into the action as Colt and Danielle are out on patrol and encounter one of the Thule. Since Colt was injected when he was only 6 years old with Thule blood in an effort to create "super soldiers" who would be better equipped to fight the aliens, he is faster and stronger than his fellow cadets but he worries that along with the good comes the bad - he fears he is turning into a Thule himself.

I really, really enjoyed this book. It was a very fast read, as were the other two books in this series. The almost nonstop action keeps you glued to the pages, and most of the characters are very likable. The ones who aren't were purposely written that way so that is in no way a complaint. The ending was everything you would hope for and leaves you breathless. Colt changes from a scared boy at the beginning of the book to a young man who finally accepts himself for who he is and works with what he has.

As a last point, my teenage son, who isn't much of a reader, actually read this whole series and loved it as much as I did. It not only got him reading, which is always good, but it gave us something to talk about and discuss.

In summary, in case you can't tell by now, I loved this book and highly recommend it for YA lovers of sci-fi, action, romance and suspense. I give it a very enthusiastic 5 stars :D

I received a copy of this book free of charge through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love books that are like this. That hold so much promise for the future of the series and yet keep the reader wanting for more. The author has completed a well-written novel and well fleshed out characters that capture the reader from the beginning. It starts out in the middle of the action which enchanting in so many ways. Often when books have a lull in the first chapter or two, it loses readers almost immediately and so I was happy to see that this wasn't the case at all. The plot is very interesting, entwining a lot of qualities and items that fascinate a lot of people which only makes it that much more interesting. I really liked this book.


Colt was a character that I wasn't too sure about in the beginning as I was trying to grasp how his character would be in this story. His voice as a character grew a lot within the first chapter and I began to really like him as a character. I felt like I could relate to his original feeling about monsters because he really wasn't too certain about it at first, which is something that I could truthfully relate to. I feel like I would claim that there is no way possible for this to happen. Yet after he is introduced and acquainted to the idea, he seems to flourish in the situation, proving that he is not only knowledgeable about things but also that he is a strong fighter. In that chapter he proved to be more than a surfer and continues to throughout the story. But sadly he forgets everything that occurs and all that remains is a vague ideal of everything he did. That certainly didn't make his life any easier though once everything begins to get worse.


I found Danielle to be an adorable character. She was the type of friend that Colt needed with out all the emotional complication that comes with most friendships in this genre of literature. It is good that she is there when he faces the loss that no one wants to experience, for sure. They have been friends since they were toddlers, so I suppose that isn't any surprise. Once problems begin to arise though, she proves to be more than just a friend. She proves to be an expert hacker, just the type of person that Colt needs. I liked her character a lot.


Oz is the type of character I think I would have expected to be the main character, simply because of his background. He is the son of the leader of C.H.A.O.S. which makes him the type of person that could either help or hinder the plot as well as the organization. However, he proves to be a worthwhile friend to Colt and perhaps something more for another main character. He is flirty and sarcastic, something that makes his scenes even more entertaining. He was pretty awesome.


It's a good book, so definitely check it out and see if it's the type of book you would like to read!


**This book was received from the publisher via NetGalley. None of the review was influenced by the author or the publisher. This is a completely original review. The thoughts and feelings of the reviewer are entirely her own and have no ties to the publisher.**

This was a great young adult book. Fantastical creatures begin to emerge from a card game played by a group of friends, and they must fight to prevent them from destroying the world. I loved all the mythical similarities and fantasy elements employed in this book, it just felt a little young for me. I recommend this for older children and teens.

Before I got this book, I read the Kindle sample and really loved it. I was completely drawn in by the fast paced writing and just had to know what was going to happen next! So I got the rest of the book and was pretty interested in reading it. While it was good, it wasn't good the whole way through.

I really enjoyed the first half. I loved getting to know Colt and watching him slowly learn things and figure out what was going on. The writing makes it very easy to read and it's quite exciting. It was fascinating getting all the information about the hidden world and I thought Colt was an incredibly strong character, especially considering everything he was going through personally! This book is full of brave and no-nonsense characters.

It slowed down for me a bit though- ironically, it slowed for me as the action sped up! I'm just not into lots of action so that didn't manage to hold my attention very well. Not really a fault with the book- just a preference I have as a reader! So some people will definitely enjoy the action but it just wasn't for me. It picked up again as it was ending though and I very much enjoyed the last pages and they made be eager to pick up the next book.

Overall, Invasion is an action packed, thrilling light read full of well developed characters and I will be reading the sequel as I definitely want to know what happens next.

A little creepy for kids but still an OK read.

The pastry chef boy, Dane, becomes a hero by choice and ends up in Briarwood in search for the Dark Throne Castle. The comic has funny dialogues-lines such as:”Captain: Whatever Happens, do not make any sudden moves. Her guards tend to chop first and ask questions later.” “Dane: No problem. I’m not a big fun of the chopping thing… Especially, when I’m on the receiving end.” The story don’t end here is to be continued into the next comic of the series Free Realms. The comic is an introduction for the kids who just start to read and also it’s a bridge between the cartoons that they are watching and the cartoons that can be read.

I enjoyed this one, but it was a little too young for me. I think it would be much enjoyed by fans who liked the Fablehaven series. Dark fae creatures, 4 friends with a mysterious foe, and adults with a secret identity. Rather predictable, but kids would like it, I think.

I enjoyed this book. It read quickly and I enjoyed the comic book type drawings of the characters and creatures in the novel. The story was entertaining and relatively unique. The story is about a 16 year old named Colt whose parents pass away and he goes to live with his grandfather who happens to be an old war hero called the "Phantom Flyer". The Phantom Flyer was actually a comic book hero and his true existence was more of a myth. Colt's grandfather as the Phantom Flyer fought against the Nazis in World War II. In Colt's era there are mysterious happenings and rumors of paranormal happenings. Can Colt and his friends Oz and Danielle find out what really happened to his parents?
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What I enjoyed? Besides the cool drawings, I liked the many unique creatures written into this book. I loved the beginning of the book where Colt goes to the mysterious military headquarters and is evaluated for duty with the C.H.A.O.S team. (Center Headquarters Against the Occult and Supernatural). I thought sidekick Oz was absolutely adorable and by his description I completely picture him as a Taylor Lautner lookalike. Danielle is has some Hermoine Granger in her. She is smart and sensible and kind of holds the trio together.

What I didn't like as much? First of all I was disappointed because the enjoyable opening scenes in where Colt is introduced to a world of paranormal activity and his evaluation for duty ended up having nothing much to do with the remainder of the tale. In fact they erased his memory at the end of that experience. It was an annoying plot device. I also thought that the pieces of the plot could have been linked better. Sometimes the characters would realize something but the readers aren't cohesively let in on what they know. It was confusing sometimes.

Still this was a pretty fun read. It is far from a favorite but I think 13 year old boys would probably love this book. I have the second book to read for review and that will determine whether I want to stick around for the final installment.

Summary: We catch up with Colt, Danielle, and Oz as they are getting ready to go to the CHAOS military academy. The boys are practicing obstacle courses with their jet packs when an alien wasp comes out of nowhere to attack them. Colt and Oz do some quick thinking to defend themselves, but this is the first of many odd occurrences that seem to be focused purely on Colt. Colt gets some information that leads him to believe that the director of CHAOS has hired an assassin to kill him. This is why he keeps being attacked by aliens, robots, and the like. Who can he trust? Oz is the director's son, is he in on it? Should Colt head to the CHAOS academy or will he let this keep him away from his seeming destiny? Also, Colt finds out a surprising secret that his family has kept from him. Knowing this changes everything that Colt has ever known about himself. For such a small book, there really is a ton of things that happen.

My thoughts: I've enjoyed these books and look forward to the next installment. They are extremely quick reads. Part of this is that the chapters of very short, but part of it is that the action never ceases. From beginning to end, there are heart pumping, barely escapable situations that you can't help but root Colt through. Danielle is also a lovely character. She reminds me of Velma from Scooby Doo. She knows too much for her own good, shares her wisdom, but also is a loyal, caring friend that dishes out the best advice. There is distance between Colt and Oz throughout this novel because of the plot to kill Colt, which was distracting to me. I think it was the only downside of the novel. I like Colt and Oz's friendship. I could logically see what the author was trying to do and the tension he was trying to build, but I just didn't feel it. It fell flat. I couldn't tell enough of a change in their friendship to feel anything other than an uninterested, busy teenage life. All in all, this is perfect for a quick adventure and highly recommend for our reluctant teen boy readers.

To start with, I got this as an e-ARC so I wasn’t able to tell whether this was the first book of the series. Part way through the book, I looked it up to find it was the second book. There were some things that felt awkward reading this out of order but for the most part I was able to connect to the characters and follow the plot of the book. This wasn’t a favorite of mine but that’s not the books fault. I’m not real big on military action sort of stories. This is a book about aliens but it’s more about the young men who have been enlisted into a special military organization to combat the aliens. For those who likes those sorts of stories, this one is for you. There was too much detail in the weaponry for my taste. I don’t care how many different types of assault rifles and the numbers that are associated with them. For me, the book had too much of that. It pulled me out of the story. And there was a lot of it. There’s amazing technology in this book for those who like it. There’s realistic holographs for training (and if you get hurt in the holograph room, you really get hurt), robots for training and as servants, and hoverboards. It’s a thrilling young adult novel perfect for those who love military and espionage. In this story, Colt is heading off to CHAOS training. (I can’t remember what the acronym stands for but it’s something like covert – alien - something.) While trying to get there he discovers someone is trying to kill him. The head of CHAOS has ordered the murder of several government officials and it appears that he wants to get rid of Colt too. Colt is the grandson of the great CHAOS legend Phantom Rider. He’s left not sure of who to trust especially since his best friend is the son of the CHAOS leader. It did keep me guessing and I have to say I didn’t see the twist that came. I enjoyed the action and all the alien descriptions. This was similar in tone to comic books in the 40’s and 50’s – Captain America and the like. I think it makes for a great read for young men who love all that sort of stuff.½

The next instalment in the C.H.A.O.S. series, Alienation is definitely action-packed. And with action-packed I mean PACKED. One moment we're flying around with jetpacks, trying to evade a tank-size wasp. Just moments later we're attacked by some scary shapeshifting assassin.

I had this whole nice long and thoughtful review planned out, but Goodreads decided this was a perfect moment to start some maintenance. So it was deleted. I will thus be making a nice pro-con list!

Pro:
- Tons and tons of action. If I had a little brother, I would immediately recommend this book to him
- Will appeal to lovers of super-hero stories and comic book readers
- Imaginative creatures and technologies. It has a cool futuristic feel. Who doesn't love shiny gadgets?
- It has a super cool grandpa that can kick ass
- Very clean action. There is some blood, but definitely no ripping out entrails here
- Even though the book is published by Christian literature publisher Thomas Nelson, Alienation is not preachy at all

Con:
- You get thrown into the action right away. At times I wondered what the connection was with the actual plot
- I sometimes missed an emotional connection with Colt. At times he just feels cold and distant
- I was looking forward to some character development in this book, but I wasn't completely satisfied.

All in all, Alienation is a great fast-paced book that I would recommend.

I received an ecopy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is the second installment in the C.H.A.O.S. series by Jon S. Lewis. C.H.A.O.S. stands for Central Headquarters Against the Occult and Supernatural.

From Goodreads: "After his parents were killed in a car accident, Colt McAllister was drawn into a world he thought only existed in comic books-one where mind control, jet packs, and flying motorcycles don't even scratch the surface."

Colt, Danielle and Oz are back for more adventures! Yay! I have to say that I absolutely love this series! It may be about comic book characters, but the story is action packed and has characters that are fully fleshed out, and continue to grow from the first page to the last. Even the secondary characters are three dimensional and very individual.

In this installment Colt, Dani and Oz are all accepted to the CHAOS program and they go to live at the school. We learn a lot more about Colt's role in the survival of the human race, and why he is so important. We have some great conflict between Colt and Oz, and Dani continues to be front and center. My favorite character, Grandpa McAllister, is his same ornery self, and we get to meet lots of new characters at the kids' school.

This is a great series for boys to get into, which is always great. I have a 15 year old son who I introduced to this series, and he can't read it fast enough! There are so many books out there for teen girls, so it's really awesome when I can find one I can recommend for the boys, too!

In summary, I loved everything about this series and read it in one sitting! I can't wait to find out what's going to happen next - I just hope I don't have long to wait! Highly recommended for teens and young adults who love a good action packed story :D

This is the first book of a trilogy and I really enjoyed reading it! C.H.A.O.S. is a government agency that has been around since before WWI to deal with and stop the invasion of Earth by aliens. Colt McAlister is a typical California teen until his parents are killed in a car accident and he is sent to live with his grandfather in Arizona. It is there that he learns that the aliens and government agents from his favorite comic book, “The Phantom Flyer and the agents from CHAOS”, really exist, and his family is smack dab in the middle of it. Colt, with the help of his friends Danielle and Oz, set out to find the person responsible for killing his parents, and possibly bring down Trident Industries in the process.

There is so much action in this book that I read it in one day! The kids in the book are very likable and the book reads very quickly. I really liked this book and I'm looking forward to reading the second book in the series, Alienation :D

I totally enjoyed this second book in the C.H.A.O.S. series as much as I enjoyed the first book - Invasion. In this second book, Colt learns that he has been targeted - to be killed! Together with his friends Oz and Danielle, he heads to the C.H.A.O.S. academy to be trained to fight the aliens - namely the 6 armed, shape-shifting Thule, who are trying to take over the planet earth and get rid of it's current inhabitants. Colt lives in the shadow of his legendary grandfather who was immortalized in comic books as the Phantom Flier who fought the alien Nazis. What most people don't know is that the comic book stories are all true. Colt's teacher, who is also a C.H.A.O.S. agent in disguise (and aren't all teachers really superhero crime fighters in disguise?), goes with them to the academy and proves that she has some good defensive driving skills among other things. Colt proves to be quite the alien fighter and his surfboarding and skateboarding experience help him to be excellent at riding the hoverboard. Together with his friends and teacher, Colt helps to uncover the plot against him and fight the evil that has been unleashed. He has learned from his grandfather to rely on strength from the Lord and that advice serves him well.
I loved this book and can't wait for the third one to come out so that I can read it!
I received this book for free to review and I am so thrilled because it is such an excellent book!

Alienation is the second action packed book in the C.H.A.O.S series by Jon Lewis. I was first introduced to this book when I signed up for the book tour through Litfuse but after reading about it, I knew it was going to be a fun read. I was a little hesitant when I received the book because I had not yet read the first book in the series but it turns out I had no reason to worry. The author did a wonderful job of filling the reader in, and although I hope you read the series from the beginning, I never felt like I didn’t know what was going on.
Alienation brought a fun, dangerous, and creative sci-fi world to life right before my eyes. In the first book in the series, Colt’s parents died and he was introduced to a world of spies, jet-packs, aliens, and all kinds of murderous creatures that he thought only existed in comic books. Colt was left to live with his grandfather who happens to be a legend at C.H.A.O.S, the Central Headquarters Against the Occult and Supernatural, where Colt and his friends are being sent to train.
Colt really pulled on my heart strings. He has already been through so much and now he has to leave his grandfather and love interest to go try to save the world. That’s a lot to put on the shoulders of a teenager. When Colt finds out he is being targeted by a hit man (or hit alien), he doesn’t know who he can trust. When they finally arrive at the C.H.A.O.S training center, after many close attempts on Colt’s life, they are introduced to inventions they never knew existed.
Learning about the C.H.A.O.S training center was my favorite part of the book! It took me back to the first time I read Harry Potter and was amazed by how magical Hogwarts was. The center was full of hover boards, awesome temperature changing and form fitting uniforms, identifying goggles, and communicating wristwatches! With the help of some old friends, new teachers, and his grandfather Colt works to catch who
has been targeting him. Please join in the Alienation fun and put this series on your to-read list!

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I can't really seem to get a summary out of my head for this, so here's a quick excerpt from what the publisher says..."When the Griffins enroll at Iron Bridge Academy, a school to train young recruits in the fight against the forces of evil, they find themselves at the center of a whole new adventure."

Last year, it seems like I had a 10-year-old boy in just about every other day asking when the next Grey Griffins book was coming out. I spent quite a bit of time with some of the more insistent ones looking at the website for hints of a new book. However, by the time I heard about this title, it seems like the interest had died down and I haven't had anyone ask for the books for quite a while, although they do check out fairly regularly. When I first saw this title, I thought it was a new series, unconnected to Grey Griffins and groaned and shoved it off my order list.

When I received an ARC and realized it was a new story arc of the Grey Griffins I popped it back on and ordered a copy for us - although interest has died down, I'm sure those kids are still out there and will be excited to see it. As for me...well, I frankly wasn't excited about it. I tried to get into it and just couldn't. It helps to have read the previous books, I'm sure, since you need to know who the Grey Griffins are, why they're friends, and what's been happening to them. I haven't read the previous books. Also, I dislike anything Arthurian or Templar-related, and these stories are tightly tied up with Templar legends. The steampunk bits were kind of fun, but felt more like bad horror than really good steampunk, whatever that is. I just...the writing just didn't work for me.

But. I'm pretty darned sure it's going to work for kids. Even those who weren't Grey Griffins fans will like this. Plenty of action, lots of mysterious stuff going on, funny bits, serious bits, steampunk, magic, werewolves, you name it, it's in here. So, it wasn't for me - but I'm glad I ordered it for the library.

Verdict: Not a fantasy I enjoyed, but one that will be popular in most libraries. Go ahead and buy it.

ISBN: 0316045225; Published June 2010 by Little, Brown; ARC provided by the publisher; Purchased for the library

This review will be posted on my blog on August 14th. This was a book I bought from Amazon when it was on sale last month. I just hadn't gotten around to reading it until a few days ago. With that being said, I was a little iffy on whether or not I would like this book because sci-fi novels really aren't my thing, and it did take me a bit of time to get into it, however I really liked the story line. For reference sake, I'll say this novel kind of reminds me of Men in Black. However, it doesn't share all of the same elements, just some basic ideas.This book really has it all, government conspiracies, secret government agencies and corrupt [Image]corporations that are bent on destroying humanity or enslaving the population. Also, let's not forget teenage romance, friendships and high school. This edition also has some interesting sketches at the end so you can see what some aliens look like. This was a pretty good book. I'm a bit disappointed that the next one doesn't hit stores until January 2012!

This review will be posted on my blog on August 14th. This was a book I bought from Amazon when it was on sale last month. I just hadn't gotten around to reading it until a few days ago. With that being said, I was a little iffy on whether or not I would like this book because sci-fi novels really aren't my thing, and it did take me a bit of time to get into it, however I really liked the story line. For reference sake, I'll say this novel kind of reminds me of Men in Black. However, it doesn't share all of the same elements, just some basic ideas.This book really has it all, government conspiracies, secret government agencies and corrupt [Image]corporations that are bent on destroying humanity or enslaving the population. Also, let's not forget teenage romance, friendships and high school. This edition also has some interesting sketches at the end so you can see what some aliens look like. This was a pretty good book. I'm a bit disappointed that the next one doesn't hit stores until January 2012!

The Revenge of the Shadow King was an incredible book written by two incredible authors, Derek Benz and J.S. Lewis. After I read the last word, I sat in my chair wishing that there was more to read. This fictional book was filled with nonstop action packed adventures that kept you on the edge of your seat after every page.

The four main, important characters in this book are Max Sumner, Natalia Romanov, Ernie Tweeny, and Harley Eisenstein. All four of them have the same major problem, to prevent the Shadow King and the immortal witch Morgan LaFey from destroying the world with their cruel powers. Max, the major main character, must protect the magical book called the Codex. My favorite character of the book would be Harley for a number of reasons; like that he was very strong and brave and had absolutely no fear of anything. He also stands up for the group of four (they call themselves the “Grey Griffins”) as well as himself, almost like the “protector” of them.

The Revenge of the Shadow King was so great that I never really wanted to put it down to take a break. I honestly loved the whole entire book, which was set in the extremely wealthy town of Avalon, Minnesota. It was good enough to make me decide that I had couldn’t choose a favorite part, and I had no least favorite part. The writing styles of Benz and Lewis is fantastically unique because some parts of the book were almost “dark.”

Not one chapter, sentence, or word in this story would change the slightest bit. The Revenge of the Shadow King is one awesome book that really grabbed my interest to reading the rest of the trilogy. This book is such a good read!

My recommendation for this book is to any teenager/young adult who likes a little “horror” thrown into an actiony- adventurous book that had a very nice flow from chapter to chapter.