Braden Bell

5 STARS

I have loved this series. This conclusion to the series does not let you down. It is full of action, adventure, sacrifice. You don't want to put the book down.

I had reread Penumbras was only going to skim it and next thing I was reading the book again. Then started Luminescence right after.
Good way to spend a rainy day. Being immersed in Middle School Magic series.

The characters have grown up a little more with each book. Especially Lexa. The main characters are Conner & his twin Lexa. Lexa's best friend Melanie and Conner's friend Pilaf. All of them came into power at the same time, Which is very unlikely to have happened.
They learn why, and how come in this book. Plus some twists I did not see coming.
Their are a lot of adults that are trying to keep the teens safe. Also trying to teach them how to keep themselves safe at the same time.

The plot is a complicated one, but a believable one in a fantasy book. Their are two sides of power one uses dark forces and are called Darkhand. Lady Nightwing is their leader. The other side are Magis. They use light as source of power.
The teens want to rescue their music teacher from Lady Nightwing. They won't rest till they help him. A lot of Magi don't believe he is still alive even though Lexa can sometimes reach him.

The setting is today world. Only those who have kindled can see the ones with powers. It is a world with magic. Lexa is a seer and works with emotions. Conner is speed and strength. While Melanie's power is mind and she can make anyone around her stronger.

Luminescence is better if you read all three books together in the right order. But you could read alone.
This is a fast paced story. It grabs your attention and keeps it. I am sorry to see these characters go.

I was given this ebook to read and in exchange promised to give honest review and be part of its blog tour.… (mere)

You watched them Kindle in The Kindling!

You saw them develop their powers and protect their school in Penumbras!

Now join Conner, Lexa, Melanie, and Pilaf as they join their magic...

AND their friendships...

As they come to the aid of their teacher, Dr. Timberi,

who is being tormented by Lady Nightwing and The Darkhands.

They will have to face their fears~

They will learn the importance of obeying their parents~

They will have to put everything on the line...even their powers to help each other~

And they will have to rely on the "Luminescence"~

But will it be enough?

And can they get there in time?

An AMAZING journey!
SO. SO. SO. GOOD!
You don't want to miss out on this one!… (mere)

2.5/5 stars Goodreads defines 2 stars as "It was okay." This is where I must put all my caveats because it was MORE than okay; it was actually pretty good, but:

1. This was written by a playwright, and you can tell. If it were a screenplay, at 120 pages, it's almost *exactly* the length a full-length script needs to be.

2. The issues presented, and in the manner they were presented, would have done well on stage (natch) because the director and actors would have filled in the blank spots in the novel.

3. It suffers from being episodic and without depth, which, again, actors would have given it.

4. If I hadn't known the author was a playwright, I would have said it reads like a really super-awesome outline for a novel. I know novelists who write outlines longer than this.

5. There are way too many serious issues here to be dealt with in 118 pages. Pornography, chronic pain, exhaustion, postpartum depression, and alienation...in 118 pages. Any one of those would have taken twice the page count anywhere else, much less all of them together.

So basically all of my complaints have to do with the fact that it was too short to do the premise justice.

Spoiler: I didn't have a problem with the miracle that occurs for the disabled sister. I DID have a problem with the "miracle" that occurs for the main protagonist, which is to say, that he is cleansed. Again, any one of these issues could be its own novel, much less all of them. The "curing" of the pornography problem was simply not believable to me (the way the curing of the sister with chronic pain was) because there is no followup to see him struggle with it or if his urges miraculously disappeared. I would have also liked to see how he dealt with that if he began to date and natural sexual urges are triggered without hope of satisfaction. Sex is a human drive, pornography is sometimes an addiction, but chronic pain is undesirable and can be mitigated by various means.

Good stuff: It was well written for what it was. The author has a good running start at learning how to write a novel, which I think he should exploit. Writing a novel is an entirely different skillset from writing a script. The author writes very well, but needs to develop a novelist's mindset. I hope he does so.… (mere)

5 STARS

This sequel to Middle School Magic: The Kindling

Love it! Just don't ask me to pronounce the title right. I hate my memory I used to remember most of the stories I had read. Took me a little bit to remember the Kindling. If I had remembered right off I would have read this the day I received it.

It is a magical book. At different times I was thinking this one character was a spoiled brat and needed to grow up. Then I remember she is only thirteen. Okay I was lost in the story. I will even admit to shedding tears for a bit. These characters made me care about them, worry about them, yell at them. It also left me wanting more answers. I would start the next book in the series right away if it was out.

It is quick to grab your attention right away. Full of battles between light and darkness. Lots of drama and teenage feelings.
It starts with the four friends on a school field trip. Connor and Pilaf are roommates. Connor sees something in his room. He tries calling Lexa his twin with his mind. Then he tries calling out to Melanie, but they are both out. He can't tell Pilaf what he saw. Pilaf can't know of their world changing since they Kindled. So he makes up a game and shows Pilaf a wolf shadow with his flashlight.
Then the wolf jumps off the wall and starts chasing him.

After that it really starts taking off and does not slow down much at all.

Connor is thirteen. He was captured last year and put in a Shadow box. He saw himself do terrible things and was told he was turning into a darkhand. Now he hears shadows talking to him. They want him to fully join the darkhands. He is in a fight most of the book. He does not tell anyone what all he suffered. His special gifts are speed and strength.

Lexa his twin kindled at the same time. She is used to being the star in school plays. She is always full of drama. She feels what others feel like sometimes. Her best friend is Melanie.

Melanie likes Conner but has hidden it till lately. Her parents don't really like her learning magi but have let her since her little sister was kidnapped. She makes others powers stronger. It is a rare gift.

Pilaf is Connor's good friend. Connor was protecting him when his powers first kindled. All of a sudden now he finds he can hear Connor speaking to others in his mind. He also sees auras. He can see light around those who use the light and darkness around those that use dark power. So Connor now has permission to share his knowledge with him.

It is probably aimed at middle school readers. I really enjoyed reading it. I think fans of Harry Potter, Ranger Apprentice, Percy Jackson will enjoy this series too.

It is a clean read that anyone can enjoy but might need some tissues for a bit.
I was given this ebook to read and asked in return to give honest review of it by Netgalley.
07/09/2013 PUB Cedar Fort Inc Imprint Sweetwater Books 304 pages ISBN:146211220X… (mere)