N. M. Howell

I loved this story even more because it is true. A talented group has blended their writing, editing, and illustrating talents, creating and publishing a heartwarming children's story.

A mother cat knows one of her kittens is ill and knows a remarkable man in the neighborhood that can help her little one. The introduction was not only a wise choice for the kitten but helped the man too. A new lease on life for both hearts giving the kitten adventures beyond a mother's dreams and giving paw-some company to a long-haul trucker as he travels coast to coast.

The possibilities to open dialogue with children through storytelling are endless…
• Read aloud in a library storytime or children's hospital setting
• A teacher sharing the story with a class
• A guidance counselor sharing the story with a student
• A mother, father, or older sibling reading it to a son or daughter or younger sister or brother as a relative or friend is recuperating from illness
• Independent reading

It's the perfect story to introduce a trucker's life or heal a heart that needs comforting and give a little inspiration to rescue a cat. Some of the proceeds from the book are being donated to Colbert County Animal Shelter in Tuscumbia, Alabama, in Old Trucker Mike's home state. Trucker William Michael Mattingly may be followed on Tik Tok account @old_trucker.… (meer)

This book is the first book in the Return of the Dragonborn series. I have to admit I was drawn in by the beautiful cover and interesting premise to this story. I ended up being really disappointed in this. It’s a quick read, but the story isn’t very cohesive and doesn’t flow well at all. Dialogue between characters is also forced sounding and awkward.

Andie is starting magic school to learn to control her magic, during this she will need to hide the fact that she is one of the Dragonborn who are thought to be extinct. Andie hopes to find the secrets about the Dragonborn at school.

This book has a neat world and an interesting premise. However it is very poorly written. The story jerks from place to place and the dialogue and language don’t flow well at all. There are a lot of things that are brought up in the story (a mysterious language for one) and then dropped never to be dealt with again in this book.

Technically this is just a poorly written book, there are even places where the wrong words are used for things. At many points I had to go back and re-read to try and figure out how we were suddenly in a different place...usually we were just jumped there with no explanation. Very frustrating read.

Overall not recommended. This book has a neat world and premise, but is just very poorly written. I definitely will not be reading any more by this author.… (meer)

This was not as silly and frivolous as some witch mysteries in the market. I rather liked the tone and style. There were a few jumps in logic and sudden explanations to fill in holes. The climax was sudden and brief. I would have prefered a lengthier denouement. The criminal was not obvious - I'll have to read it again to see if there were hidden clues other than - he was paranoid about witches.
A good book for light entertainment.
I most probably will read the next in the series to see what happens next - so I guess I am invested in the characters, at the end of the day.… (meer)

In keeping with my usual happy disregard for order in series, this is #2, and I haven't read #1. Despite that, I was able to pick up enough of what happened previously to follow this story.

Andie (Andryne) is a young woman who is of both sorcerer and dragonborn blood, and has a unique set of abilities. Unfortunately, the dragonborn were nearly wiped out a thousand years ago, and Andie, with her mother dead and her father able to teach her only so much, went off to the University to get as much education as possible.

This lead, due to events in the previous installment, to her being on the scene to help pull the dragonborn and their dragons through the time rift they escaped into those thousand years ago, into the present. After a big battle with the sorcerers, the dragonborn and dragons fled to the mountains, and Andie and her friends and allies fled into the caverns beneath the University. Now they're coming out, and the battle will begin again.

What follows is intrigue, derring-do, adventure, and Andie's painful education in how to be a leader. The University Chancellor has his own evil, nefarious plans, and his own spies and agents inside Andie's friends and supporters. While Andie struggles to bring the dragonborn and the students and fighters who helped rescue them back together, the Chancellor is manipulating even the people who think they're his allies as he works to eliminate not just the dragonborn, but anyone who can challenge his power.

It's an interesting world, with sorcery, technology, and dragons all existing together, and Andie is a likable and suitably heroic young woman. In places it's a bit more tell than show, and in places it may be a bit too unsubtle for the intended young adult audience, but overall I found it very enjoyable.

Recommended.

I received a free electronic copy of this book and am reviewing it voluntarily.… (meer)