Greetings and a happy late Marvelous Middle Grade Monday all. Was busy and fun past week for me with lots of reading of middle grade for #middlegrademay, which was my plan to get caught up with some middle grade reads that have been in my TBR piles for a rather long time. Did get quite caught up, not as much as I would have liked, but still more than if I had not put on the big push! Now it back to regular MMGM posts as inspired by Shannon Messenger! This week I am talking about a fantasy that I kind of LOVED. The Farwalkers Quest by Joni Sensil. And keep on reading for the winner of giveaway announcements.
From Goodreads: Ariel has always been curious, but when she and her best friend Zeke stumble upon a mysterious old telling dart she feels an unexplained need to figure out what it means. Magically flying great distances and only revealing their messages to the intended recipient, telling darts haven’t been used for years, and no one knows how they work. So when two strangers show up looking for the dart, Ariel and Zeke realize that their discovery is not only interesting, but very dangerous. The telling dart and the strangers lead them on a journey more perilous and encompassing than either can imagine, and in the process both Zeke and Ariel find their true calling.
From me: Loved this book. Still think about it from writer's perspective because the writing is so tight, the world building amazing, the tension, the pacing, bang on. When I didn't think things could get much worse for Ariel-they did, but the author managed to not crush her character in a way that made me think she could not possibly recover-Ariel was always up for the challenge (until of course she thought she couldn't do it, but by then we know she can). And when Ariel did find that strength it was completely and utterly believable. Her sidekick is darn good too. Always there, supporting her, Zeke is a fully drawn character in his own right, but not a scene stealer. In other words he didn't over shadow her. The mentor? FaBUlous. He was not obvious at first, but you hope its him. And the bad guy is bad. He will do anything to get what he wants. He is cruel and there is no doubt that this is a life or death quest for Ariel and her freinds. I was on the edge of my seat, I was crying, I was laughing. This is one I am excited to hand over to young readers. Pretty sure they are going to like it, too.
Next up are some giveaway winners.
****** Armchair Giveaway Winner*******
I used Random.Org and the result was:
Tallulah of MAD Hoydenish -congrats!!! congrats!!!
Thanks to everyone who stopped by to comment, share books and or posts. Love Armchair BEA oh yes I do. See you all next year!
*********Marvelous Middle Grade May Winners**********
Read One Middle Grade Book:
25 dollar gift certificate from a book location of your choice goes to
Read Two to Five Middle Grade Books
40 dollar gift certificate from a book location of your choice goes to
Read Six or More Middle Grade Books
60 dollar gift certificate of from a book location of your choice and a middle grade six pack that includes the first three first three of Arthur Slade's The Hunchback Assignments goes to
Thanks so much for taking part everyone. Hope you see you in 2014 when Akoss and I take on Middle Grade March a.k.a. March of the Middle Grade!
Yay! Thanks for the giveaway and for hosting the reading challenge - it was a lot of fun!
ReplyDeleteYay for another MG to add to my tbr list and congrats to the winners.
ReplyDelete~Akoss
Thanks for hosting an Armchair giveaway. I am looking forward to reading the book. See you next year!
ReplyDeleteTallulah A. @ MAD Hoydenish
Congrats to the winners. And you've got me really wanting to read this for the story and to study the craft of writing. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the giveaway! The whole experience was such fun. ^.^
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great book! I'm adding it to my to-read list.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to all the winners. Great review on this book. It looks like a winner. I love the cover.
ReplyDeleteI don't read much straight fantasy, but this sounds fascinating. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteCongrats to Joni, Jennifer, and Tonette! And to Tallulah!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the work you put into #MiddleGradeMay. It was fun.