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Albert Camus

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Friday, June 28, 2013

Review and Giveaway Jack Templar and the Monster Hunter Academy (The Templar Chronicles #2) by Jeff Gunhus


There is blood and gore and death and, like it or not, some kissing. But there is also an adventure unlike anything you have ever seen before. So turn the page if you dare. The adventure starts now.  Jack Templar

If at the first volume you did not know what to expect and you were surprised by the story‘s pace and events, when you start the second volume you’ll have great expectations. Expectations will be fulfilled. Seeking information necessary to save his father, Jack will have to face a lot. Every heroes' step brings new challenges and dangers.

Each known or newly introduced character has something to offer and something to be admired for. The reader will have something to learn from each of them. Even those "bully" are not in the traditional sense, and they will prove reasons and special qualities. Each character evolves and assumes their given or chosen role. Sometimes help comes from where you least expect it and it turns out that "monsters" (or only sometimes) are not what they seem to be.
“The bravado is gone. That’s a hopeful sign. I just hope the courage remains.”
In brief, there are many adventures, many dangers that come like iron chains. But this is not one heavy chain, but very tortuous one that will keep readers attentive and well caught in action. Sometimes a bit like Lord of the Rings, sometimes with a touch of Indiana Jones and a dash of James Bond, Jack maintains its originality. Given the way the author brought these scenes similarities (some are very emotional) I take them as a tribute.
I decided that I would draw the line when I started repeating, “ My Precious…”
And what would have been Jack without those new feelings which prod him? Is it just infatuation or love? That first sweet and slightly bitter love especially when you do not know if it's mutual, or when competition appears on the horizon. Like any boy (= future man) that can lead to mistakes and Jack's luck is that his decisions were maintained only in the level of... you’ll see.

As in the first volume, the humor is also present and softens the tension.
Maybe whatever monsters were in there have all died off,” T-Rex suggested. “Maybe you’ll just walk right in, grab the ring, and walk right back out.” I liked the sound of that.
“Oh, I doubt that,” Xavier said. “That cave goes on for miles and miles. No one really knows how far. More likely it’s overrun with bizarre species we haven’t seen for decades. It really should be quite fascinating. Scientifically speaking.”
Jack Templar and the Monster Hunter Academy brings promise of more struggles and difficult trials in volume to come that I look forward for. I look forward to the next volumes also because the author offered us some (in a stingy way) information about Ren Lucre's past on which I began to turn in every way and seek for the connections with what we already know. The possibilities are endless and very exciting.

And if you still thought that monsters dwell just in the stories, then you will be convinced how naive you are! Remember that you were warned!
Ancient writings from every continent describe demons who shift their shapes from man to wolf, tell of monsters who drink the blood of their victims, of corpses that rise from the dead, harpies and centaurs and trolls. All from humans who had no communication with one another for literally centuries after these accounts were written. And yet the modern world calls this simply a coincidence, a shared universal imagination.
I received the book for review as part of  Book Tour - Thank you Jeff Gunhus!

Romanian:
 There is blood and gore and death and, like it or not, some kissing. But there is also an adventure unlike anything you have ever seen before. So turn the page if you dare. The adventure starts now.  Jack Templar

Dacă la primul volum nu ştiai la ce să te aştepți şi ai fost surprins de ritmul şi evenimentele poveştii, atunci când începi volumul doi ai mari aşteptări. Aşteptări care vor fi împlinite. Aflat în căutarea informațiilor necesare pentru a îşi salva tatăl, Jack va avea de înfruntat multe. Fiecare pas al eroilor aduce noi şi noi provocări şi primejdii. 

Fiecare personaj cunoscut sau nou introdus are ceva de oferit şi ceva pentru care să fie admirat. De la fiecare cititorul va avea câte ceva de învățat. Chiar şi acei „bully” nu sunt în sensul tradițional al cuvântului, ci vor dovedi motive şi mai apoi calități deosebite. Fiecare personaj evoluează şi îşi asumă rolul dat sau ales. Uneori un ajutor va veni de unde nu te aştepți şi se va dovedi că „monştrii” (sau doar uneori) nu sunt ceea ce par a fi.
“The bravado is gone. That’s a hopeful sign. I just hope the courage remains.”
Pe scurt, sunt multe aventuri, multe pericole ce se țin lanț. Dar acest lanț nu este unul greoi, ci unul foarte sinuos care va ține cititorii atenți şi foarte bine prinşi în acțiune. Uneori asemănătoare cu Stăpânul Inelelor, uneori cu un aer de Indiana Jones şi un strop de James Bond, Jack îşi menține originalitatea. Având în vedere modul în care autorul a introdus scenele respective, asemănările (unele sunt foarte emoționante ) le iau ca pe un omagiu adus acestora.
I decided that I would draw the line when I started repeating, “ My Precious…”
Şi ce ar fi fost Jack fără acele noi sentimente care îi dau târcoale? O fi doar infatuare sau chiar dragoste? Acea primă dragoste dulce şi uşor amară atunci când nu ştii dacă e reciprocă şi mai ales atunci când concurența apare la orizont. Ca orice băiat (=viitor bărbat) asta poate duce la greşeli şi norocul lui Jack este că deciziile lui s-au menținut doar la nivelul... vedeți voi.

Ca şi în primul volum, umorul este prezent şi îndulceşte tensiunea.
Maybe whatever monsters were in there have all died off,” T-Rex suggested. “Maybe you’ll just walk right in, grab the ring, and walk right back out.” I liked the sound of that.
“Oh, I doubt that,” Xavier said. “That cave goes on for miles and miles. No one really knows how far. More likely it’s overrun with bizarre species we haven’t seen for decades. It really should be quite fascinating. Scientifically speaking.”
Jack Templar and the Monster Hunter Academy aduce promisiunea unor lupte şi încercări şi mai dificile în volumul ce urmează şi pe care îl aştept cu nerăbdare. Aştept cu nerăbdare următoarele volume şi pentru faptul că autorul a oferit (zgârcit nişte fărâme) informații despre trecutul lui Ren Lucre pe care am început să le învârt în toate felurile şi să caut legături cu ceea ce ştim deja. Posibilitățile sunt nenumărate şi foarte incitante.

Şi dacă până acum încă credeați că monştrii nu sunt decât în poveşti, atunci vă veți convinge cât de naivi sunteți! Țineți minte că ați fost avertizați!
Ancient writings from every continent describe demons who shift their shapes from man to wolf, tell of monsters who drink the blood of their victims, of corpses that rise from the dead, harpies and centaurs and trolls. All from humans who had no communication with one another for literally centuries after these accounts were written. And yet the modern world calls this simply a coincidence, a shared universal imagination.

Description Book #2
Jack Templar and the Monster Hunter Academy (Book 2) After barely surviving the onslaught of monsters that tried to kill him the day before his fourteenth birthday, Jack Templar leaves his hometown on a quest to rescue his father and discover the truth about his past. Joined by his friends Will and T-Rex, and led by Eva, the mysterious one-handed monster hunter, Jack sets out for the Monster Hunter Academy where he hopes to find answers to his questions. Little does he suspect that the Academy is filled with dangers of its own, many of them more terrifying than anything he’s faced so far.

Book #1 (READ THE REVIEW HERE)
Description: Orphan Jack Templar has no memory of his parents and only the smallest details from his Aunt Sophie about how they died. The day before Jack's fourteenth birthday, things start to change for him. At first it's great: A sudden new strength helps him defend his nose-picking friend "T-Rex" from the school bully, and even his crush, Cindy Adams, takes notice. But then a mysterious girl named Eva arrives and tells him two facts that will change his life forever. First, that he's the descendent of a long line of monster hunters and he's destined to be in the family business. Second, that there's a truce between man and monster that children are off-limits...until their fourteenth birthday! Jack has only one day before hundreds of monsters will descend on his little town of Sunnyvale and try to kill him. As if that weren't enough, things get even more complicated when Jack discovers that the Lord of the Creach (as the monsters are collectively known) holds a personal grudge against him and will do anything to see that Jack has a slow and painful death. To stay alive and save his friends, Jack will have to battle werewolves, vampires, harpies, trolls, zombies and more. But perhaps the most dangerous thing he must face is the truth about his past. Why do the other hunters call him the last Templar? Why do they whisper that he may be the "One?" Why do the monsters want him dead so badly? Even as these questions plague him, he quickly discovers survival is his new full-time job and that in the world of monster hunters, nothing is really what it seems. 

 

Awards for Jack Templar Monster Hunter:
Book of the Year Finalist by Forward Magazine   
Next Generation Indie Book Finalist
Indie Excellence Finalist 
Parents Choice Recommended Book Award 
gunhus award 3gunhus award
gunhus award 2
                 
About the author:
 
Jeff Gunhus grew up in Cyprus, Greece, and Saudi Arabia where there was a distinct lack of television. He quickly found books were the gateway to incredible adventures, fascinating characters and unbelievable discoveries. Now, with five children of his own (all who watch too much television, in his opinion), he has enjoyed revisiting his old books and reliving those adventures all over again.

Tour Giveaway $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 7/8/13
The giveaway is organized by I Am a Reader, Not a Writer and sponsored by the author.
 a Rafflecopter giveaway  

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Hello thank you

RedPanda said...

Frumoasă recenzie. Eu una, aş da o şansă cărţii.