Dugald Black

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Short version: Harry Potter meets Star Wars, written as a book for children.

Long version:
Characters:
Characters have little to no development. Overpowered male and female leads, and all supporting characters made sure to keep repeating said fact to male lead for good measure, just in case, you know, he missed it the first ten times they said it. Female lead borders on being Mary-Sue. Tons of characters.

Plot:
Engaging. Paced fast enough to not be boring. Didn't like how male lead went from depressed over the death of his mother to excited about a new adventure over a matter of a few hours. Seems like it's not much of depression, and more like a crap load of self-pitying (seriously, he literally went into self-imposed isolation and stopped attending classes altogether after his mother died and his grandmother did absolutely nothing to correct this behaviour). Male lead is aged 16years in the book but he acts like he's barely 12. - one moment, he's all serious because someone's trying to kill him and the next, he forgot all about it and start playing.

World-building:
Interesting enough.

Overall:
Despite my various complaints, this book was a rather fun and easy read. No doubt I would have given it 5 stars back when I was a kid. Recommended for children under 12.… (mehr)

It was hard for me to review this book. The concept was amazing; the author obviously has a vivid and highly original imagination. The vibe of the story reminded me a bit of the Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld or the Bartimaeus trilogy by Jonathan Stroud, except set in the present day. The plot was well-paced and moved quickly. The characters were interesting and the writing was lovely, with many beautiful descriptions and turns of phrase. The author is extremely talented, clearly skilled with language.

However... The book was clearly not edited at all. It is absolutely RIDDLED with typos and other errors, including obvious ones like leaving off periods at the end of sentences. There are literally a dozen typos on each page. I'm not exaggerating at all. Unfortunately, this made the book very tiring to read, and I could not get past halfway. I have no doubt that if the book had been sent to an editor, I would have given it five stars.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.… (mehr)

Grateful for receiving a copy of The Cloud Architect in exchange for an honest review:

Adam lost his father at a young age and now his mother has lost the fight against cancer, he has moved in with his grandmother. He lives a normal teenage life, but nothing is what it seems! This becomes very clear when granny suggests he’d visit a friend of hers, Charlie.

Once he’s met up with Charlie, EVERYTHING changes. The pace picks up and we are treated with an adventure, watch the magic unfold and work towards a climax. Keeping the key hidden until the very end, was brilliant! It kept me curious, prying for more!… (mehr)