A book’s cover is its calling card and this cover is gorgeous. A lot of times I’ll read a book and go back and look at the cover and realize how the cover didn’t quite capture the story, or how there are bits of the cover which don’t quite fit with the tale inside. But in this case, I couldn’t imagine a more perfect showcase for The Devil’s Garden. Right away there is the flavor of another land, with the promise of luxurious settings, and beautiful women. And you won’t be disappointed. But, as the description for the novella reads, In the Devil’s Garden, appearances can be deceiving…

Cillian Rede put little store in the magic of gods, but devils he believed in. At seventeen summers, he’d seen more than his share. Turn left or right and you would stumble over one in the city of in’La; among the marsh grass and the fragrant trees, intrigue and corruption were as likely to grow.

From the start Jane Kindred paints a picture; sure strokes which let us know we will encounter the magic of gods, and yet devils as well. In fact, returning to this beginning after having read the book, I truly appreciate how well Kindred set up the entire story in those few opening sentences.

We meet Cillian Rede at the start of the story as a seventeen-year-old boy, but he is quickly revealed as the sacred courtesan Maiden Ume Sky. Ume Sky is sure of herself, having earned her status of one of the most elite courtesans in the Garden, while Cillian is uncomfortable with himself as a male. Ume enjoys the power she has over men, knowing exactly what look will elicit the reaction she desires. She has practiced her art for five years and takes pride in her accomplishments. But her position is about to be jeopardized by her most influential patron, and she will be thrust into the middle of political intrigue and corruption.

Jane Kindred weaves a rich tapestry in The Devil’s Garden, lush and full of fine detail. The story is full-bodied, with all the right elements of love, hate, gods, devils, corruption, and even innocence, yet packed into novella length. An excellent read and one I highly recommend.

Originally reviewed for LL Book Review

If Nora Johnson hadn’t been on campus that day she would have never known her true destiny. Helping her friends move into the dorm that she wanted to call home, Nora accidentally collides with mysterious stranger, Gavin Frey. His very first touch sends flames through her heart. The world seems different-something within her has changed. She tries to resume her mundane life, but she is now consumed with the one whose very presence ignited her soul, the one with eyes of emerald. Nora soon learns that an energy buried deep within has been unleashed. She now wields unimaginable power and has become Gavin’s source, his strength. Her newfound joy is shaken when she discovers that Gavin is not who he appears to be and she has been thrust in the middle of a war of mythical proportions. Negativity allows all things evil to flourish, the earth is under siege. The fate of creation hinges on the power within her heart. Will she be strong enough to survive? A gripping tale of unbounded love and ancient power, The Light of Asteria will take you on an epic adventure filled with war, treachery, and demons, as well as unimaginable delights.

Paperback Cover

T’Aragam
By Jack W. Regan
CreateSpace (April 2009)
ISBN: 978-1442114593
252 pages
$11.95 Paperback
$ 0.99 Amazon Kindle

Jack Regan captured me from the get go with his young adult fantasy T’Aragam, which is aimed at the tween age group (9-13). What was it that captured me and made me want to keep turning the pages? A cheese obsessed medgekin, named Gramkin Truly. I am a cheese lover, and couldn’t resist phrases such as: “I have a high cheese requirement.” and “In the name of Gouda.”

T’Aragam opens with the medgekin, Gramkin, running through the woods toward Ransome Hall on an important mission to obtain cheese to supply for the annual medgekin games. It is the first time he has been in charge of supplying the cheese, and because of the aforementioned cheese requirement, Gramkin had eaten the medgekin supply. He was hoping to acquire some cheese from Ransome Hall as the medgekin games had been played for a millennium with no lack of cheese and he would be disgraced should he fail to provide. While he is running through the woods, and being laughed at by chucklebugs when he falls, he becomes alarmed as it appears that someone is following him. On the verge of panicking, Gramkin runs in to Zohar, a great wizard, who is also on the way to Ransome Hall to deliver news of disaster which approaches T’Aragam.

Kindle Cover

T’Aragam takes the reader on a fast paced adventure beginning with Ransome Hall being attacked by phantors. During the attack, thirteen-year-old Max Ransome, watches his father, Lord Ransome, die because Max disobeyed his father’s instructions to stay in the armory. Orphaned and a pawn in a game whose stakes he did not fully understand, Max has to save T’Aragam from destruction. Assisted by the wizard, Zohar, and the medgekin, Gramkin, Max travels beyond the confines of Ransome Hall for the first time in his life. He finds himself in battle against Zohar’s evil wizard brother, Zadok, who was behind the phantor attack on Ransome Hall. Zadok is determined not to stop until the kingdom and all it contains is his.

Regan pens an adventuresome tale sure to capture a reader’s imagination. I laughed out loud through much of the book, as the action is interspersed with humor. What tween could resist such names as Lord Stench from Dankwater, or the pirate Captain Baggywrinkle? Or how about monsters named Gloom and Doom? We also meet the viscious equuraptor named, Dresden, and the sea monster named, Bob. In fact, the humor in the piece is taken to such a degree that I would classify this book as a fantasy parody or spoof. A prime example of this is the following, which takes place at the Luscious Lemur:

    Leading the way inside, Zohar shut the door behind them and bolted it. A hat rack stood left of the door and the wizard leaned his staff against it. To Max’s surprise, he then removed his beard and also hung it on the hat rack.
    “I don’t really have a flowing, white beard,” he explained, seeing their curious faces, “but it seems most people expect wizards to have them and without it people refuse to take me seriously. So I put it on whenever there’s a chance I may need to perform wizardly deeds.”

Regan’s main goal is to Get Kids Hooked On Reading by making books exciting and attractive. He believes that a “fluency in reading” is vital to a young person’s development and success, while “a love of books is one of the most valuable gifts anyone could give a child.” With T’Aragam, the first book in the Max Ransome Chronicles series, Jack W. Regan achieves his goal. A delightful, fast paced read, with enough humor to entice the most reluctant of readers, T’Aragam hits the mark.

Preview T’Aragam on Amazon.com

Originally reviewed for the LL Book Review

By Julie Elizabeth Powell

Copyright © 2008

$ 9.57 Paperback
148 pages

Knowing Jack is a book written by the Lulu Book Review’s roving reviewer, Julie Elizabeth Powell. I first encountered Julie on the Lulu forum boards and was struck by her enthusiasm and encouragement for other authors work. In addition to this her dedication to writing is evident, and I felt like I had encountered a kindred spirit from across the pond. I was very happy to have been instrumental in bringing Julie onboard at the Lulu Book Review, because she brings an added dimension to the team, allowing us to provide reviews of Lulu authors work who have not necessarily requested a review. My only delay in reviewing Julie’s work has been my own preoccupation with completing the sequel to Misfit McCabe, something I know that Julie understands.

We’ve all had those feelings. You know the ones I’m talking about. Where you feel like something bad is going to happen, but don’t know what or when. It’s just that niggling feeling at the back of your mind that can color how you approach your day. Twelve year old Jack Kane understands exactly what I’m talking about. All of his life, Jack has been plagued by knowing things or prescience. He doesn’t always get specifics, just a general feeling about things, or he’ll just know something without any idea as to why he does. Things like the time Mrs. Hodges couldn’t find her keys in her purse, and Jack told her she’d find them on the front doorstep. Or when Mr. Dixon missed the bus, Jack told him not to worry, that his daughter would be there soon and could give him a ride. Sometimes things come in dream fashion, that he doesn’t always understand. Like the dream that he’d been having for weeks about a hefty figure wielding an axe wearing a big flapping coat. He just knew that the dream gave him a bad feeling.

As Knowing Jack opens, Jack and his folks are getting ready to take a vacation trip to a cabin in the Lake District. Well, vacation for some. Jack’s dad, Frank, has to do a little work, taking some pictures and then doing a write up. The closer it gets to time to leave, the worse Jack feels. His stomach is churning and his head feels like it’s in a vise and someone is turning the screw. He tried to get the family to back out of the trip, but to no avail. In addition to the great feeling of dread that something bad was going to happen, Jack was not looking forward to the trip for another reason. Auntie June, Uncle Alan, and their ten year old daughter, Rosie would be there as well. Rosie was spoiled, the pampered, pink princess, and she always did as much as she could to give Jack grief.

On the way to the cabin, they had to stop to pick up the keys to the cabin at the Post Office. While they were stopped, a couple in a dirty white van came into the Post Office as well, and Jack’s feelings went into overdrive, complete with heart palpitations and sweat trickling down his back. As his father put the car into reverse to back out of the parking space and continue the trip to the cabin, Jack screamed for him to stop. While his parents were still recovering from Jack’s outburst, the van came roaring past and barely missed hitting the back end of Jack’s car.

Things settled down for Jack for the next little bit while they got settled into the cabin, and Rosie, the pain-in-the-side cousin, had not yet arrived. The next day, after helping to bring in all of the luggage brought by his aunt, uncle, and cousin, Jack went into the kitchen and found Rosie tearing up a mound of paper napkins and eating a chocolate bar which she had sneaked out of one of the boxes. The following passage describes the relationship between Jack and the spoiled Rosie in a nutshell.

“You’d better be nice to me tomorrow, or you’ll be in trouble.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yes…,Mummy says you’re getting too big for your boots.”
“And if you keep eating chocolate, you’ll not fit into yours!”
Rosie stuck out her chocolate-coated tongue before quickly putting it away and wiping her mouth when her mother asked, pointing to the shredded paper mountain, “What’s going on here? Who’s made all this mess?”
“It’s Jack, he’s been rummaging around in all the cupboards,” said Rosie, sliding from the stool and racing to her bedroom.
“Well, you can just tidy it right this minute…and have you been in these boxes too?” demanded Auntie June, lifting exhibit one onto the worktop.
“No,” said Jack glaring behind her back at Rosie who stood sneering and waving before disappearing behind her bedroom door.
“Well, clear this mess before you go!”
Jack scooped the litter and dumped it straight into the bin, wishing that whatever was niggling at him would involve something to do with Rosie being taken by aliens.

The next day, Jack and Rosie went with Jack’s dad while he took his pictures, and Uncle Alan went for a climb. While they were waiting for Uncle Alan to return, Jack’s pricklies were working overtime and he knew that they needed to move – NOW! Unfortunately, the car wouldn’t start. The white van appeared and was heading straight toward them. Jack’s dad continued to try and start the car and at long last the car lurched forward. Too late. The van smashed into the side of the car. Then it pulled back and prepared to ram them again, but changed course and instead of ramming them, decided to push them off the cliff. After the car came to a halt, Jack and Rosie, though shaken, were able to get out of the upside-down car. Jack’s dad was not so fortunate. He had been knocked out and his head was bleeding, but at least he was breathing for now.

This begins the adventure of a lifetime for Jack and Rosie as they struggle together to get some help for Jack’s dad, and at the same time trying to stay out of sight of a lunatic who is searching for them to finish them off. They persevere together through many twists, turns, and obstacles to an exciting conclusion.

Julie Elizabeth Powell does an admirable job of hooking the reader from the get-go with this story. Her portrayal of both Jack and Rosie are priceless, sibling rivalry at it’s best. Rosie quickly became my favorite character because while she is an absolute pain, pampered and spoiled, the longing to be accepted by Jack shines through. Ms. Powell handles the shifting relationship between Jack and Rosie with a natural, yet subtle progression as they are forced to rely on one another. Knowing Jack is a quick paced read, eminently suited for the target age group of young adult. I plan on passing this one along to my niece and nephew who are both in that age group, as I know they will also enjoy the exciting tale that Ms. Powell spins. Exciting, a few tugs at the heart-strings, interspersed with humor that can make you laugh out loud – who could ask for more?

I look forward to reading more by Julie Elizabeth Powell and she has several offerings to choose from. Slings and Arrows, which is true life account of the loss of her daughter; Gone, a fictionalized account inspired by Slings and Arrows; and The Star Realm, the first book in the Avalon trilogy fantasy series.

Originally reviewed for the Lulu Book Review.
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LK Gardner-Griffie
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