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karen_the_baroness's review
3.0
The Battle For Verdana by Brett Salter sees the boys and their allies searching for a new talisman, as Julian's last one stopped working after a curse.
Will Julian and Rome find a new one before the Darkbrands?
Julian, Rome, Clay, and Jericho start their journey into the Pacific Northwest. They are going there to see if another Talisman is nearby that they can get before the Darkbrands do. So much happens to the boys throughout their journey.
Julian has learned a lot about his family and that working in a team is far better than just being a duo. Rome has learned a lot about himself and the world around him now that he knows he's a fire dragon. Also, Rome has discovered that he is a natural leader and often takes over that role in his team. I don't know if I see Julian having any growth, but it could just be that his personality doesn't allow that to be seen. Rome has some development as well.
Clay and Jericho are better off than Julian and Rome since they have known each other for a while. These two are quite the opposite, but they work well. The other two members of their group are Krysta and Camela. Camela, like Julian, I don't see any growth besides being annoying. Krysta is the same no growth, but something is budding between the fire and ice dragon.
Three Stars
I am giving The Battle For Verdana by Brett Salter three stars and recommending it to readers who love a good dragon story. I have to say that I like this story, and I hope that everything turns out great. However, the boys' new talisman might be challenging to keep hidden. Mr. Salter did a good job of telling this installment.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of The Battle For Verdana by Brett Salter.
Until the next time,
Karen the Baroness
If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out Baroness Book Trove.
Will Julian and Rome find a new one before the Darkbrands?
Julian, Rome, Clay, and Jericho start their journey into the Pacific Northwest. They are going there to see if another Talisman is nearby that they can get before the Darkbrands do. So much happens to the boys throughout their journey.
Julian has learned a lot about his family and that working in a team is far better than just being a duo. Rome has learned a lot about himself and the world around him now that he knows he's a fire dragon. Also, Rome has discovered that he is a natural leader and often takes over that role in his team. I don't know if I see Julian having any growth, but it could just be that his personality doesn't allow that to be seen. Rome has some development as well.
Clay and Jericho are better off than Julian and Rome since they have known each other for a while. These two are quite the opposite, but they work well. The other two members of their group are Krysta and Camela. Camela, like Julian, I don't see any growth besides being annoying. Krysta is the same no growth, but something is budding between the fire and ice dragon.
Three Stars
I am giving The Battle For Verdana by Brett Salter three stars and recommending it to readers who love a good dragon story. I have to say that I like this story, and I hope that everything turns out great. However, the boys' new talisman might be challenging to keep hidden. Mr. Salter did a good job of telling this installment.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of The Battle For Verdana by Brett Salter.
Until the next time,
Karen the Baroness
If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out Baroness Book Trove.
kaliwen's review against another edition
4.0
I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for a review and this is my honest opinion.
With the way Windy City Ruins ended, I was looking forward to seeing how the story would go from there. The Battle for Verdana was another fun installment in this series. I loved the forest dragons, and the involvement of Jericho and Clay in this story. Julian's father continues to be well-written and rather infuriating and the kids continue to be likeable.
The action doesn't let up for long in this series and there were more vivid battle scenes here.
Overall I really enjoyed this book.
With the way Windy City Ruins ended, I was looking forward to seeing how the story would go from there. The Battle for Verdana was another fun installment in this series. I loved the forest dragons, and the involvement of Jericho and Clay in this story. Julian's father continues to be well-written and rather infuriating and the kids continue to be likeable.
The action doesn't let up for long in this series and there were more vivid battle scenes here.
Overall I really enjoyed this book.
cbramblings's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
After giving a 5 Stars rating to a book in a series, to say that the expectations are high for the next one is an understatement... I'm happy to say that this book did not disappoint.
We continue our adventure alongside Rome, Julian and the rest of the team.. And I'm happy to see that they continue to grow as characters, without losing sight of them being teenagers...
They still deal with typical clashes with their parents and the angst that it causes, but they know what's important and focus on it regardless.
I also enjoyed how the team is being formed; how they incorporate and complement their strong points as well as their weak ones..
It's a great lesson to give to young readers and I appreciate that Brett Salter gives a lot of those interwoven within the story.
The world continues to be captivating. I'm the kind of reader who enjoys a good journey like story and this one has a lot of that throughout the series as well as action-packed battle scenes (with Dragons). It's quite easy to picture while reading.. almost like watching an Anime... and I love that.
The hints of Arthurian Legend are also highly appreciated and the unexpected twists and turns will give you the push to continue on with our heroes.
As I said before, this is a wonderful read for young readers as well as not-so-young ones .. It's entertaining, well thought out, humorous, touching and it will leave you with food for thought without you realizing it.
Don't miss out on the adventure.
chymerra's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I couldn’t wait to read The Battle for Verdana. I wasn’t disappointed!! With the way that Windy City Ruins ended, I needed to know what would happen to Rome and Julian.
The Battle For Verdana is the 4th book in The Talisman series. As with the other books in this series, readers cannot read this book as a standalone. It would be best if you read books 1-3 first. I can’t stress this enough. If you do decide to read this book as a standalone, be prepared to be confused. Trust me on this!!
The Battle For Verdana takes place immediately after the ending of Windy City Ruins. Rome, Julian, Jericho, and Clay are traveling to Chicago to meet with Beacon and Mrs. Case. They are looking for another talisman to replace the one that Julian had. While there, they get a clue where another talisman could be….in the forests of the Pacific Northwest. Not sure what they will find, the boys set out there. Will they find what they are looking for? Or will the Darkbrands beat them to it?
Rome was still my favorite character, with Julian being a close second. I loved seeing how his character grew throughout the books and how that growth continued in The Battle For Verdana. He went from a hacky-sack-loving typical teenage boy to this young man wise beyond his years.
Julian did annoy me during parts of the book, but I could understand why he was acting the way he acted. Not only was he a teenager, but he wasn’t in control. I wish I could say more, but it would be giving away a considerable part of the plot. I did like how he handled his father (even though the old-fashioned speech did give me a headache). Their interactions pained me and made me laugh.
I liked that Jericho and Clay were a big part of this book. I was still a little iffy about them after Windy City Ruins but got over that. Jericho showed over and over that he was to be trusted. Plus, I liked how he could get rid of Nocturne throughout the book. That was a pretty handy spell to have (even though it did mess with the talisman).
I enjoyed the discovery of the forest dragons towards the middle of the book, and I empathized with them. I understood why Larkspur was so angry (of course, there was a twist to that which made sense afterward), and I also understood why the other dragons were on the fence.
Of course, the end of the book was the best part!! There was a huge battle sequence that the author amazingly wrote. I was holding my breath during several parts of the battle. I did think, at one point, that the Darkbrands would finally beat the group, but that was put to rest when a particular something happened.
I am looking forward to reading book 5 (yes, there will be a book 5). I can’t wait to see if my feelings about Julian’s father are true, what will happen now that “it” happened, and if there are other dragons that the boys will meet.
I would recommend Windy City Ruins to anyone over the age of 13. It is a clean book (no sex, no kissing). There is mild violence and very mild language.
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