Finally the Jack Templar Blog Tour Post with Giveaway

 

Tour Schedule

Sorry this is a few days later then I promised. Still I have big new coming up that gives more of a why. Until then, here is the book blast post! You have already seen my review posts for Jack Templar Monster Hunter (here) and Jack Templar and the Monster Hunter (here). I did the second book as a part of the Blog Tour and wanted to include links to the tour schedule so you can see what other people thought and give you more information about the series awards and author! Plus another giveaway with money included below.
 

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

                   

Author Jeff Gunhus 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.

Website * Twitter * Facebook * Website

Tour Giveaway $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 7/8/13 a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Escape with Jack Templar and the Monster Hunter Academy

Jack Templar and the 
Monster Hunter Academy

By: Jeff Gunhus

The Goodreads Blurb: 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.
To see my review of the first novel in the Jack Templar series look here!
The second book starts of with the warnings that filled the first book, but then jumps straight back into the action! As you read you see Jack Templar evolve and mature and I also felt that the author's writing evolved and matured. It got five stars because I felt that the second book outshines the first in many ways such as writing style and characterization. 
The book is filled with adventure and the unique premise that attracted me to the first book gets more interesting. While definitely still a middle grade book, the sequel more than the original is enjoyable for older audiences. Written for reluctant readers, this book keeps you interested and turning the pages.
The book ends with another hook to keep you wanting to continue the series. I will be interested to see if the third book in the series continues to make the series improve.
Also stay tuned for my Friday post. I got this book from the Blog Tour and will post the schedule and $25 Tour Giveaway!!
Check out Jack Templar on Goodreads and Amazon!

Escape with Jack Templar

Jack Templar, Monster Hunter

By: Jeff Gunhus

The Goodreads Blurb: 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.

I thought Jack Templar did a good job of keeping my interest and having a fairly unique premise, but the writing style got bothersome on occasion. I understand that this is probably because it is a middle grade book, but the repetition of this is real and this is not a joke and you need to be careful got both repetitive and a little grating. So it lost a star because I might read it again, but it has little annoyances like this. Still I know it will appeal to middle schoolers (mostly boys, but also for the girl who likes a good adventure).

But beyond my annoyance with Jack's continued warnings, I gave this four stars because I think that middle grade readers will definitely love it and I enjoyed the plot. The premise of monster hunters and Jack's involvement with them is intriguing. Jack's adventures keep your interest and the characters, both main and secondary, are well written. I think the fights were well described and that the book has a good message of believing in yourself.

I plan to get the sequel because it leaves you wanting to know what happens next and the kindle version had a preview for it that caught my attention.

Check out Jack Templar on Goodreads or Amazon.

Escape with the Accidental Hero

Accidental Hero

By: Matt Myklusch

Because I love Harry Potter and Percy Jackson I was recommended the Jack Blank Adventure series. This Middle Grade series of books had an interesting premise so I gave it a chance. 

The Goodreads blurb: All Jack Blank knows is his bleak, dreary life at St. Barnaby’s Home for the Hopeless, Abandoned, Forgotten, and Lost—an orphanage in the swampland of New Jersey. Covertly reading old comic books is Jack’s only solace. But his life changes forever when he meets an emissary from a secret country called the Imagine Nation, an astonishing place where all the fantastic and unbelievable things in the world originate. Including Jack. Jack soon discovers that he has an amazing ability—one that could make him the savior of Imagine Nation and the world beyond…or the biggest threat they’ve ever faced.

This book kept be guessing and had many twists and turns that you don't see coming. I loved the originality of Imagine Nation and all the things that went along with it. I also really felt for Jack Blank and rooted for him throughout the book. I think that while the originality made it appealing, it could have been more detailed. It leaves a lot to your imagination, but some readers may enjoy this. The reason it lost a star was because while it is a start to a series, it asked more questions then it answered. While this is one way to insure that people continue the series, for this book it made it feel more like a placeholder. So while I recommend it to others, be aware that your going to want to finish the series because it leaves you wanting to know a lot. Still its worth reading if you want an original tale of triumph and courage.

Check it Accidental Hero on Goodreads or Amazon