Scan barcode
booagnes's review
4.0
*Review originally posted on She Dreams in Fiction!*
It has been said many times by me, but I love books based in mythology! One of my favorites is Celtic Mythology, so signing up for this book tour was a no-brainer. Not only did I love the mythological elements in this book, but I am so pleased to be able to say I thoroughly enjoyed Game of Shadows!
Where to even start? Well, let's start by saying this novel centers around Ethan Makkai, a teen living with his over-protective mother. He has the ability to talk to ghosts, which he isn't allowed to talk about, and he can't go anyway without his mom accompanying him. Though he loves his mother dearly, he wants nothing more than to have his freedom and be able to escape the feeling of always being watched over. He decides to sneak out of his apartment on his birthday to go to school by himself instead of waiting for his mom to go with him. Unfortunately, this one decision triggers a chain reaction that leads to his mom being kidnapped and Ethan discovering his life is not what he thought it was.
Oh my goodness, this book is quite the ride! I loved it from start to finish and couldn't stop myself from flying through it. Ethan is headstrong, brave, smart, and caring. So much happens to him a short period of time, I have no idea how he is able to stand up straight, let alone find a way to rescue his mother. I don't want to give anything away, but some of the stuff he finds out is crazy life-altering! As mentioned in the synopsis, he travels to the land of Tara. Just finding out that there is a mystical place like Tara in existence would be enough, but then he discovers his mother is from there? AND she's a princess in the realm of Landover? Mind-blowing. As I mentioned, Ethan is determined to rescue his mother. However, with his Uncle recently murdered, Landover is without a King. General Niles of Landover is determined to keep Ethan safe, so he tries to keep him from leaving. Ethan escapes with his newly discovered cousin, Christian, and sets off on a journey. They are joined quickly by General Niles' daughter, Lily, who is determined to prove herself to her father. I am quite fond of Lily, in all honesty. She doesn't want to be looked over as nothing more than just a healer. She wants to fight and protect Landover like her father and brothers do, but her father doesn't want her to get hurt. She is super smart and she really keeps Ethan in check. She calls him out when he's being stupid, but she also stands with him when he needs her most. Other than Ethan, I think she may be my favorite. Speaking of Ethan and Lily, when Ethan arrives in Tara, something within Lily awakens. She discovers she has magical powers! How cool is that? The trio face a lot of dangers on their journey, but with Ethan's bravery, Lily's magic, and Christian's fighting skils, they are able to get through quite a lot.
There are multiple creatures and characters in Tara that are positively marvelous, frustrating, terrifying, and intense. Ethan discovers his dad is not dead but alive in Tara. The trio initially heads off to find him, Runyun Cooper, because he knows where to find the bad guy. He's kind of a cad, but I kind of really like him. Can they trust him, though? Only time will tell! The "bad guy" in Game of Shadows is really, really bad. His name is Sawney Bean and he is a seriously evil master sorcerer. He had the Ravens - shapeshifters who have sided with Bean - kidnap Ethan's mom from our world and bring her back to Tara. Naturally, his reasoning behind this is known only to him and his cronies, but you can imagine they are quite evil. Every realm in Tara is terrified of Bean and they fear the day he might escape from his prison. The author has definitely created a villain of masterful cruelty, malice, and evil.
One of my favorite parts of this novel is the setting. The story starts off in Los Angeles, which is familiar of course, but as soon as it moves to Tara, the book really comes alive. Tara seems like an absolutely gorgeous place. Sure, there are many dangers, and even some less than wonderful locales, but this magical land is positively enchanting. Ethan's ancestral realm of Landover seems like a picturesque place and I found myself utterly in love with it. Every realm has its own look, feel, and inhabitants. They all come together so wonderfully in this book, and the author has given such detail to each, you can't help but be immersed in the setting.
Game of Shadows is a fast-paced, engaging, epic quest novel that readers of all ages are sure to love. I definitely recommend getting lost within the pages of this book and joining Ethan on his adventures through Tara!
It has been said many times by me, but I love books based in mythology! One of my favorites is Celtic Mythology, so signing up for this book tour was a no-brainer. Not only did I love the mythological elements in this book, but I am so pleased to be able to say I thoroughly enjoyed Game of Shadows!
Where to even start? Well, let's start by saying this novel centers around Ethan Makkai, a teen living with his over-protective mother. He has the ability to talk to ghosts, which he isn't allowed to talk about, and he can't go anyway without his mom accompanying him. Though he loves his mother dearly, he wants nothing more than to have his freedom and be able to escape the feeling of always being watched over. He decides to sneak out of his apartment on his birthday to go to school by himself instead of waiting for his mom to go with him. Unfortunately, this one decision triggers a chain reaction that leads to his mom being kidnapped and Ethan discovering his life is not what he thought it was.
Oh my goodness, this book is quite the ride! I loved it from start to finish and couldn't stop myself from flying through it. Ethan is headstrong, brave, smart, and caring. So much happens to him a short period of time, I have no idea how he is able to stand up straight, let alone find a way to rescue his mother. I don't want to give anything away, but some of the stuff he finds out is crazy life-altering! As mentioned in the synopsis, he travels to the land of Tara. Just finding out that there is a mystical place like Tara in existence would be enough, but then he discovers his mother is from there? AND she's a princess in the realm of Landover? Mind-blowing. As I mentioned, Ethan is determined to rescue his mother. However, with his Uncle recently murdered, Landover is without a King. General Niles of Landover is determined to keep Ethan safe, so he tries to keep him from leaving. Ethan escapes with his newly discovered cousin, Christian, and sets off on a journey. They are joined quickly by General Niles' daughter, Lily, who is determined to prove herself to her father. I am quite fond of Lily, in all honesty. She doesn't want to be looked over as nothing more than just a healer. She wants to fight and protect Landover like her father and brothers do, but her father doesn't want her to get hurt. She is super smart and she really keeps Ethan in check. She calls him out when he's being stupid, but she also stands with him when he needs her most. Other than Ethan, I think she may be my favorite. Speaking of Ethan and Lily, when Ethan arrives in Tara, something within Lily awakens. She discovers she has magical powers! How cool is that? The trio face a lot of dangers on their journey, but with Ethan's bravery, Lily's magic, and Christian's fighting skils, they are able to get through quite a lot.
There are multiple creatures and characters in Tara that are positively marvelous, frustrating, terrifying, and intense. Ethan discovers his dad is not dead but alive in Tara. The trio initially heads off to find him, Runyun Cooper, because he knows where to find the bad guy. He's kind of a cad, but I kind of really like him. Can they trust him, though? Only time will tell! The "bad guy" in Game of Shadows is really, really bad. His name is Sawney Bean and he is a seriously evil master sorcerer. He had the Ravens - shapeshifters who have sided with Bean - kidnap Ethan's mom from our world and bring her back to Tara. Naturally, his reasoning behind this is known only to him and his cronies, but you can imagine they are quite evil. Every realm in Tara is terrified of Bean and they fear the day he might escape from his prison. The author has definitely created a villain of masterful cruelty, malice, and evil.
One of my favorite parts of this novel is the setting. The story starts off in Los Angeles, which is familiar of course, but as soon as it moves to Tara, the book really comes alive. Tara seems like an absolutely gorgeous place. Sure, there are many dangers, and even some less than wonderful locales, but this magical land is positively enchanting. Ethan's ancestral realm of Landover seems like a picturesque place and I found myself utterly in love with it. Every realm has its own look, feel, and inhabitants. They all come together so wonderfully in this book, and the author has given such detail to each, you can't help but be immersed in the setting.
Game of Shadows is a fast-paced, engaging, epic quest novel that readers of all ages are sure to love. I definitely recommend getting lost within the pages of this book and joining Ethan on his adventures through Tara!
denizyildiz's review
2.0
Sadly this didn't quite work for me, there are several reasons for this and to be honest I think I might like this as a movie. In fact this did remind me of some beloved childhood favorites...
Alas I ain't no child for a long time now so maybe I am just too old for this one? Who knows.
The storyline is the best and only redeeming part of this book in my opinion. It's fast paced, though some things are very predictable, it's never dull and has many entertaining twists and turns.
Now the writing style is simply put not exactly to my taste.
The dialogues were cliche to the point, that they are corny. And I actually thought that maybe it was done by purpose, you know the craptastic kinda vibes, but no matter how hard I tried, they still were just corny.
Then there were inconsistencies- they small mind you- but they annoyed me. As example Ethan's reaction in the beginning? Well, actually there was no reaction. It was like someone told him, you just thought the sun would shine today, it's going to rain. So he thought to himself, yeah that makes sense... No shock, no fear, no fury, no .. well there was nothing zip, zero. There are quite a few more actually. But I won't list them all. Let's just leave it at the inconsistencies annoyed the hell out of me. And yes I know I am being picky and all that, but they just did.
I think this was enhanced by the character building. Don't misunderstand me, I quite like the cast, all of them. But the problem was that they were all a bit flat. There is no real substance to them. And I think that's why I found their action/ reactions at times totally inconsistent, out of character and basically made no sense- even if they were cliche deluxe.
Maybe this is meant for a different reader? I would however go watch this in movies, cause it does promise a whole lot of corny fun!
Alas I ain't no child for a long time now so maybe I am just too old for this one? Who knows.
The storyline is the best and only redeeming part of this book in my opinion. It's fast paced, though some things are very predictable, it's never dull and has many entertaining twists and turns.
Now the writing style is simply put not exactly to my taste.
The dialogues were cliche to the point, that they are corny. And I actually thought that maybe it was done by purpose, you know the craptastic kinda vibes, but no matter how hard I tried, they still were just corny.
Then there were inconsistencies- they small mind you- but they annoyed me. As example Ethan's reaction in the beginning? Well, actually there was no reaction. It was like someone told him, you just thought the sun would shine today, it's going to rain. So he thought to himself, yeah that makes sense... No shock, no fear, no fury, no .. well there was nothing zip, zero. There are quite a few more actually. But I won't list them all. Let's just leave it at the inconsistencies annoyed the hell out of me. And yes I know I am being picky and all that, but they just did.
I think this was enhanced by the character building. Don't misunderstand me, I quite like the cast, all of them. But the problem was that they were all a bit flat. There is no real substance to them. And I think that's why I found their action/ reactions at times totally inconsistent, out of character and basically made no sense- even if they were cliche deluxe.
Maybe this is meant for a different reader? I would however go watch this in movies, cause it does promise a whole lot of corny fun!
rjsthumbelina's review
5.0
First day of my staycation before my summer job starts = time to read! This book was great fantasy. Really great lore, characters you really want to root for, tightly plotted, and with a badass bad guy you can't help but hate. It's just about the perfect fantasy.
bookbriefs's review
4.0
Game of Shadows is the first book in a yuing adult fantasy series by Erika Lewis. I loved Game of Shadows! I found it to be a thrilling fast paced adventure with a wonderful male protagonist. Yes! there is a guy main character! Let us all rejoice for that fact for a moment. This was a great start to what seems like it is going to be a very magical and cool series. I can’t wait for the next book.
Ethan’s world is flipped upside down when he sneaks away from his mom to walk to high school alone for the very first time. Ethan is on the younger side for young adult, so I think this book would appeal to upper middle grade as well as young adult fans. The writing was certainly young adult, but the character could pass for middle grade. Either way, the story and the characters were all excellent. Ethan can see ghosts, which when he is whisked away to the world of Tara, he learns is the mark of being chosen as the next rule. However; Ethan didn’t even know that the land exists. Thrown in some politics and a whirlwind adventure and you have the start to an awesome series.
I loved all the magic in Game of Shadows. There are lots of different creatures and characters to contend with. I can’t wait to see where this series is going to go next. It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger and I am so interested to see how they are going to get themselves out of that situation. I really didn’t see that coming. Overall, this was a fun ans fast paced fantasy adventure. I loved that it features a male main character, and I am super excited for more. I was hooked right from page one, and I could not put this book down. Game of Shadows was a hit for me!
Ethan’s world is flipped upside down when he sneaks away from his mom to walk to high school alone for the very first time. Ethan is on the younger side for young adult, so I think this book would appeal to upper middle grade as well as young adult fans. The writing was certainly young adult, but the character could pass for middle grade. Either way, the story and the characters were all excellent. Ethan can see ghosts, which when he is whisked away to the world of Tara, he learns is the mark of being chosen as the next rule. However; Ethan didn’t even know that the land exists. Thrown in some politics and a whirlwind adventure and you have the start to an awesome series.
I loved all the magic in Game of Shadows. There are lots of different creatures and characters to contend with. I can’t wait to see where this series is going to go next. It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger and I am so interested to see how they are going to get themselves out of that situation. I really didn’t see that coming. Overall, this was a fun ans fast paced fantasy adventure. I loved that it features a male main character, and I am super excited for more. I was hooked right from page one, and I could not put this book down. Game of Shadows was a hit for me!
pages_and_procrastination's review
5.0
Purpose: Review
Source: Publisher
I was given a copy of this title, free, in exchange for my honest opinion.
Ethan Makkai has grown up in Los Angeles with an overprotective almost smothering mother, a group of bullies that pay too much attention to him and the annoying ability to see ghosts. He only has one person that he considers a friend- and even that proves to be questionable. The day he sneaks out for a little bit of freedom changes him and sets in motion a set of events that forever alters him.
This was one of my most anticipated books for this year, so I was really looking forward to reading this. I was not disappointed. Lewis does an excellent job with her worldbuilding. Because Ethan is new to Tara, we are introduced to his homeland at a nice steady pace. It’s not so overwhelming where the information is just dumped on you all at once. But, it’s also not so slow that you feel lost and so far from the rest of the characters. It is balanced between discovery and revelation. Lewis provides enough details and imagery that helps Tara and the people of Tara to come alive.
The characters are well-developed, each with their own distinct personality and voice. Ethan sets out on a reckless and uncertain journey in an attempt to rescue his mother. Along the way he discovers that everything that he thought he knew about himself and his mother turns out to be a lie.
His daughter and the general’s daughter go along with him on the journey. As each gets to know each other, they also get to know themselves better. Each one has come into their powers and destiny along the way. The villain in this story, Sawney Bean, makes for a terrifying opponent. While we get to see him fleshed out, there still seems to be something missing. It took me a while to name it, but I got it. In the end we still don’t what his internal motivation is unless it turns out to be something as simple as the desire for power. What has corrupted Bean’s soul?
This has a little of everything; mystery, action, sword fights, self discovery. This is a hero’s journey, and the hero constantly fights against all odds. There is also the sweet budding of a romance. I am so glad that the romance stayed in the innocent stasge—especially since there appears that a second book is coming.
Always Shine!
Source: Publisher
I was given a copy of this title, free, in exchange for my honest opinion.
Ethan Makkai has grown up in Los Angeles with an overprotective almost smothering mother, a group of bullies that pay too much attention to him and the annoying ability to see ghosts. He only has one person that he considers a friend- and even that proves to be questionable. The day he sneaks out for a little bit of freedom changes him and sets in motion a set of events that forever alters him.
This was one of my most anticipated books for this year, so I was really looking forward to reading this. I was not disappointed. Lewis does an excellent job with her worldbuilding. Because Ethan is new to Tara, we are introduced to his homeland at a nice steady pace. It’s not so overwhelming where the information is just dumped on you all at once. But, it’s also not so slow that you feel lost and so far from the rest of the characters. It is balanced between discovery and revelation. Lewis provides enough details and imagery that helps Tara and the people of Tara to come alive.
The characters are well-developed, each with their own distinct personality and voice. Ethan sets out on a reckless and uncertain journey in an attempt to rescue his mother. Along the way he discovers that everything that he thought he knew about himself and his mother turns out to be a lie.
His daughter and the general’s daughter go along with him on the journey. As each gets to know each other, they also get to know themselves better. Each one has come into their powers and destiny along the way. The villain in this story, Sawney Bean, makes for a terrifying opponent. While we get to see him fleshed out, there still seems to be something missing. It took me a while to name it, but I got it. In the end we still don’t what his internal motivation is unless it turns out to be something as simple as the desire for power. What has corrupted Bean’s soul?
This has a little of everything; mystery, action, sword fights, self discovery. This is a hero’s journey, and the hero constantly fights against all odds. There is also the sweet budding of a romance. I am so glad that the romance stayed in the innocent stasge—especially since there appears that a second book is coming.
Always Shine!
More...