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bjkatcher's review
5.0
Fantastic, 'just one more chapter' fantasy book about a South African boy who realizes his nerdish new friend is a lot more than he seems. Jay is soon sucked into a world of royalty, monsters, and magic, when all he wants to do is get back home. The book is set in South Africa (at least the non-magical parts), which makes this nice change of pace for Americans who like international settings. I can't wait to read more by this talented author.
hannahsophialin's review
3.0
The Guardian's Wyrd didn't exactly hit the bull's eye with me, and half the time my mind was telling me to just click the DNF button because there wasn't much going on.
Or maybe I just need to lower down the chances of trying to catch my attention from 50% down to 25%. A quarter just seems a tad bit harsh, and 50 just seems like a nice number compared to 38. :p
The book focuses on a guy named Jason September, in which I actually thought he was a she and "her" name was September. Confused? Yeah... that was me for 10% of the book. Is it a girl, or is it a guy? It sounds like a guy, but is his name Jay (preferred nickname), or is it September? And if it's September, why does that sound like a girl's name? That's like my parents naming me Jace May (if you really fell for that, you must be a newcomer. Welcome. Please take a moment to look at who posted this if that is the case). I'm not exactly sure how that works, and that probably says I should remain a single pringle, in which I'm happy to oblige. Just be sure to buy me a pack of Pringles every Valentine's Day.
Said dude who isn't actually a girl in the long run apparently has a crush on his music teacher, lives in Cape Town (I'm sort of a fan for books that are well... set in not so major cities like LA or NYC), an oddball at school who gets picked on a lot and dreams of being a famous musician. The Guardian's Wyrd seems to focus a lot on Jay's dreams of being a musician. I think that probably shows how determined he is to go after his dreams, which isn't always a bad thing.
Problem is, when you're too busy daydreaming of being the next Harry Styles, it doesn't actually keep my attention forever. Oh, and he has a temper problem. LOTS of anger. >_<
It's not until around 34% of the book that things actually catch my attention, when View Spoiler ยป . Then it sort of gets ruined a bit a few moments later when Jay meets a birdy and ends up kissing her. Within 3 pages, actually. Fortunately it doesn't seem like it's instalove, so that's not exactly a problem (yush).
While I did get warned that the language may not be what I'm used to, what does larny or jawellnofine even mean? I don't think it's in the dictionary either, so if anyone knows, do tell me. And if any of the definitions are as bad as twerking or even remotely close to it, please. Don't even say a word. Because I do NOT want to know. o_o
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Advanced copy provided by the publisher for review
Original Rating: 3.5 out of 5
This review and more can be found over at Bookwyrming Thoughts
Or maybe I just need to lower down the chances of trying to catch my attention from 50% down to 25%. A quarter just seems a tad bit harsh, and 50 just seems like a nice number compared to 38. :p
The book focuses on a guy named Jason September, in which I actually thought he was a she and "her" name was September. Confused? Yeah... that was me for 10% of the book. Is it a girl, or is it a guy? It sounds like a guy, but is his name Jay (preferred nickname), or is it September? And if it's September, why does that sound like a girl's name? That's like my parents naming me Jace May (if you really fell for that, you must be a newcomer. Welcome. Please take a moment to look at who posted this if that is the case). I'm not exactly sure how that works, and that probably says I should remain a single pringle, in which I'm happy to oblige. Just be sure to buy me a pack of Pringles every Valentine's Day.
Said dude who isn't actually a girl in the long run apparently has a crush on his music teacher, lives in Cape Town (I'm sort of a fan for books that are well... set in not so major cities like LA or NYC), an oddball at school who gets picked on a lot and dreams of being a famous musician. The Guardian's Wyrd seems to focus a lot on Jay's dreams of being a musician. I think that probably shows how determined he is to go after his dreams, which isn't always a bad thing.
Problem is, when you're too busy daydreaming of being the next Harry Styles, it doesn't actually keep my attention forever. Oh, and he has a temper problem. LOTS of anger. >_<
It's not until around 34% of the book that things actually catch my attention, when View Spoiler ยป . Then it sort of gets ruined a bit a few moments later when Jay meets a birdy and ends up kissing her. Within 3 pages, actually. Fortunately it doesn't seem like it's instalove, so that's not exactly a problem (yush).
While I did get warned that the language may not be what I'm used to, what does larny or jawellnofine even mean? I don't think it's in the dictionary either, so if anyone knows, do tell me. And if any of the definitions are as bad as twerking or even remotely close to it, please. Don't even say a word. Because I do NOT want to know. o_o
------------
Advanced copy provided by the publisher for review
Original Rating: 3.5 out of 5
This review and more can be found over at Bookwyrming Thoughts
yolandie_horak's review against another edition
5.0
Really enjoyed this book! It's a fast read that draws you in from the first page and doesn't let you go until the end. I'm hoping the sequel for this one is on the way soon, because I really want to know what happens to the characters and to Sunthyst.
I loved Jay, because even as a teenage boy, he's a very relatable character - I enjoyed reading the story from his perspective. He's a loyal kid, and his guts and determination made me want to root for him. His brand of magic is seriously cool! Shadow! I don't want to include spoilers here, but oh boy, that took me in the feels.
Rowan is sweet, but naive. He's a spoilt, but sheltered prince, who's really in need of a friend. I think he's as shocked as Jay at their budding friendship. I'd love to know what happens in the rest of his story. Will he rise to the challenge that comes with his lineage?
Can we just talk about what an awesome name Oryxis is? Loved that! This is a kick ass dude, and I'd love to get to know him a little more.
As for the world, who doesn't like to be transported from the real to an epic fantasy world? Bring on the unicorns and Skree, this place is amazing.
If you're a fan of well-written young adult fantasy, the kind that will draw you in no matter what age you are, I highly recommend this book.
I loved Jay, because even as a teenage boy, he's a very relatable character - I enjoyed reading the story from his perspective. He's a loyal kid, and his guts and determination made me want to root for him. His brand of magic is seriously cool! Shadow! I don't want to include spoilers here, but oh boy, that took me in the feels.
Rowan is sweet, but naive. He's a spoilt, but sheltered prince, who's really in need of a friend. I think he's as shocked as Jay at their budding friendship. I'd love to know what happens in the rest of his story. Will he rise to the challenge that comes with his lineage?
Can we just talk about what an awesome name Oryxis is? Loved that! This is a kick ass dude, and I'd love to get to know him a little more.
As for the world, who doesn't like to be transported from the real to an epic fantasy world? Bring on the unicorns and Skree, this place is amazing.
If you're a fan of well-written young adult fantasy, the kind that will draw you in no matter what age you are, I highly recommend this book.
dozylocal's review
4.0
3.5 stars
I wanted to rate this even higher but had to force myself to be fair to the other books I read and not let my South African patriotism influence me too greatly :)
As a reader from South Africa who lives in Cape Town, it was so nice to read a fantasy story dealing with alternate universes and magic where there is such a strong South African and Capetonian flavour. Apparently this is the first in the series (although I'm struggling to find what book 2 is - or if it exists) and it does create the feeling that the story is laying the groundwork for things to come. That said, the story still finished nicely without any horrible cliff-hangers or story-specific unanswered questions.
The main character is a regular teenager living in Hout Bay, who comes to the rescue of the new kid in school who is being bullied. This starts off a tentative friendship which leads to a visit where it soon becomes clear that the new kid and his family might be a little more foreign than it first seemed. Eventually, they manage to tumble into a magical world where someone gets kidnapped and needs rescuing and the adventure proceeds.
Keen to read the next (if there is one).
I wanted to rate this even higher but had to force myself to be fair to the other books I read and not let my South African patriotism influence me too greatly :)
As a reader from South Africa who lives in Cape Town, it was so nice to read a fantasy story dealing with alternate universes and magic where there is such a strong South African and Capetonian flavour. Apparently this is the first in the series (although I'm struggling to find what book 2 is - or if it exists) and it does create the feeling that the story is laying the groundwork for things to come. That said, the story still finished nicely without any horrible cliff-hangers or story-specific unanswered questions.
The main character is a regular teenager living in Hout Bay, who comes to the rescue of the new kid in school who is being bullied. This starts off a tentative friendship which leads to a visit where it soon becomes clear that the new kid and his family might be a little more foreign than it first seemed. Eventually, they manage to tumble into a magical world where someone gets kidnapped and needs rescuing and the adventure proceeds.
Keen to read the next (if there is one).
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