Robin Bennett (2)

This is the story of one young boy whose fate was turned towards to extraordinary...thanks to the meddling of his kid sister.

Stan and Poppy were quite the little duo. Seemingly your average brother and sister, only to be revealed as the potential defender of our species and keepers of the particle of light, respectively. Talk about having to grow up quick! I love how honest Stan's reaction to the whole debacle was. I applaud his growth over the course of the story, as well as his determination to see things through, come what may. Poppy, on the other hand, was quite the SURPRISE! Who'd have thought the precocious tyke could hold the dragon version of Hades at bay? Right?! I mean, talk about a powerful little "princess"! Her rash decisions get her both IN and OUT of trouble, but she always acts with kindness at heart.

Aside from our little leading humans, we have the GREAT AND MIGHTY SPACE DRAGONS! No, really...they are dragons in space, but not really our space because they are outside our dimension where time doesn't reach and...I'm getting ahead of myself. Suffice it to say, they are awesome...and in the story, the reptilian equivalent to the gods and goddess of Greek Mythology, and rather impressive, but they have issues just like us wee humans.

In the end, is it too cliche to say it was definitely an out of this world adventure? Okay well then let me say that although it's high flying, space soaring "fun" (meaning cool yet dangerous! ), it also reminds us to hold close the ones we love even, if they drive us a bit batty at times.


*ebook received for review; opinions are my own… (plus d'informations)

This story is about an eleven-year-old boy called Stan Pollux. Stan has a little sister, Poppy, who is five years old. They don't always get on, and Stan doesn't like her in his room or touching his belongings. Stan and Poppy live with their parents on the edge of the village and go to the local school. The school bully has been picking on Stan for some time, and matters have been made worse because Poppy once intervened on his behalf, causing Stan great embarrassment. Stan seems to blame Poppy for all of his troubles.

The summer holidays have just begun, and Poppy has been in Stan's room, where she knocked over his telescope. He is furious with her when he thinks it is broken. He looks through the lens and sees something which frightens him. This causes him to sleep badly. The next evening he takes his telescope into the garden to get a better look at something strange in the sky, and is kidnapped!

Poppy has seen Stan disappear from the garden. One minute he was there, and the next he wasn't! She gathers her courage, and a crystal she took from Stan's room when she knocked over his telescope, and goes into the garden, where she is also kidnapped, but by a more sinister force.

Stan, with the help of his new friends, the space dragons, must save the world and his little sister, from Hades and the Titans.

Hooked from the first line, I found Space Dragons to be entertaining, well-written, and funny on a level that will definitely appeal to its intended audience. Younger readers will also be able to identify with the main characters, Stan and Poppy, and their relationship.

I loved that each chapter begins with its own explanatory note, particularly the ones which defined the planets. I felt I was learning something, as well as enjoying a rip-roaringly gripping adventure story.… (plus d'informations)

The author does an excellent job of blending in characteristics of the present character (Ben) to the past character (Corporal Sam). There are also great parallels in the relationship Ben has with Todd and the relationship Sam has with Charlie.

In both situations, there is a friendship that over the years has deteriorated. Ben and Todd started off close, but since Ben is on the path to reforming, he is not in alignment with the “reformed” Ben. In the case of Sam and Charlie, certain events which occurred in their battles on the field have caused a shift in Charlie that makes Sam feel a tad bit uneasy.

Ben and Sam also face similar conflict. With Ben, he is trying to live a better life while leaving the stigma of his old life behind. With Sam, he wants to maintain his promise to honor King and Country, even if it looks like he may be on the losing side. This puts him at odds with Charlie, since she shoots his own foot to avoid continuing to fight.… (plus d'informations)

Extended review can be found here.

Disclaimer: I tried not to give too much away in terms of spoiler, but I may hint at some parts of the narrative as supporting examples of strengths in this work.

What starts off as avenging a loss from a poker game turns into an unforeseeable adventure. Picus the Vampire, because of his special set of skills, is given a task by his friend Art—to swap a real ring for the fake ring, so that the person imprisoned within the ring can be rescued and restored to his family.

This task takes Picus on a journey that not only tests his capabilities but his emotions as well. I found myself riding the waves of emotion right along with Picus.

There are many strengths to this book.

Dynamic characters: I am a big fan of Picus. He doesn’t fit the negative stereotypical makeup of a vampire (non-remorseful, evil, or savage). Although Picus is known for theft, he conducts himself with a sense of honor. Queen Mab (The Tooth Fairy) is that villain one loves to hate, and the feeling never changed for me throughout the book. I admired her determination and her depths of cruelty.

Comedic banter: There was a wonderful balance of comedic banter while keeping the sense of urgency and action fairly consistent.

Sharp hook: I was drawn in by the hook immediately, and I couldn't wait to find out what happened next.

This book was also very descriptive in terms of locations and characters, but the amount of detailing did not detract from the action or the plot.

From the non-stop action to the visual presentation and wonderful dialogue, I highly recommend Picus the Thief.… (plus d'informations)