Title: Brandon Marlowe and the Spirit Snatcher
Author: Eric Livingston
Review: This is another preteen book about a school that educates special kids with extraordinary powers of some sort or another. However, I enjoyed the book and read it in one sitting. It kept my interest and now I will have to somehow remember to read the next one when it comes out.
I think especially preteen boys will enjoy this adventure into the unknown. Freedom to come and go as you please at school and learning spells? What fun. Can there really be to many stories out there if they can capture the imagination of our kids? Every child will find their IT book and maybe this will be IT for someone you love. Reading opens up a world we can find nowhere else. We need readers and this is interesting enough to get them to shut off the Xbox for awhile.
I think the problems, Brandon faced, could have taken longer to solve and been more difficult and I think the dialog was a bit stilted. The characters could use more depth and issues that most teenagers could identify with. More work on those areas and the series could be a hit.
Thank you to Eric for allowing to read your story. Good luck in the future. As with all my reviews, I do not know the author or did I receive any compensation for this review.
Publisher: February 11th 2011 by iUniverse, Incorporated
Copyright: 2011
Pages: 216
ISBN: 1450292208
Quick Review: 3 Stars out of 5.
Why I Read it: The author was looking for reviewers and it sounded interesting to me.
Where I Obtained the Book: Sent from the author.
Synopsis: It's hard enough being a teenage boy, let alone a teenage boy with supernatural powers derived from Gods. In ancient times, the Gods warred with the Titans. The Titans fell, but the Gods' need for power never ceased. Soon, they channeled their powers into humans, known as "Demigods," who could fight their fights for them. Brandon Marlowe is among the cherished few, but life is no easier for him than other boys.
He attends school in Tartarus, where a hidden training center exists to cater to these special children. There, Brandon is surrounded by other kids, who are raised and trained to fight the remaining evil Gods and their Demon minions. In Brandon's world, threats are always emerging, and he must be prepared. Soon, he will be ready-sent to battle, like so many before him, in a war to save the human race.
However, Brandon's troubles are much closer to home. His older brother has died, and no one knows why. As Brandon prepares to enter the massive battle of God versus man, it becomes his mission to discover the cause of his brother's death and to punish the guilty. But will his quest for vengeance get in the way of his divine battle? And will his world collapse beneath the weight of the truth?
Author Biography: Eric Livingston is a University of Tulsa graduate, with a degree in biochemistry. He married his college sweetheart, an English major who encouraged him to pursue his writing career. They currently reside in Houston, Texas, where Livingston was born.
I was unable to find a photo.
Other Reviews:
Brandon Marlowe and the Spirit Snatcher sounds like an interesting middle-grade novel. Perhaps, like a little bit of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians? But nonetheless, sounds very imaginative and I hope Brandon Marlowe is a strong hero that younger boys can look up to as well.
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