Monday, July 28, 2014

Review for Broken Branch Falls


Blurb:
Doing homework for bully ogres and getting laughed at as the butt of pixie pranks, Gabe is tired of his goblin life. When he and his friends step out of their nerdy stereotype and pull a prank of their own on the dragons at the first football game, it literally backfires, bringing a High Council vote to dismantle not only Gingko High, but the whole town, too!

The Book of Ages–hidden handbook of the High Council, filled with knowledge and power–may be Gabe’s only hope. With the help of friends old and new, can Gabe complete his quest to find the Book in time to save Broken Branch Falls? Or will he remain an outcast forever?

My review:
If Gabe told anyone he'd like to try a sport, everyone would laugh at him. Goblins are the nerds of the community, and they aren't allowed to step out of their role. Yet when Gabe and his friends do, chaos erupts and the High Council votes to segregate all the beasts. Desperate to make sure this doesn't happen, Gabe and his friends go on a quest to retrieve the Book of Ages which is a hidden tome filled with knowledge that might help them. It's their only chance, but can they work together to complete the quest?

I absolutely loved it. This MG fantasy has all the quirky charm and lovable characters as the Harry Potter series. Tara Tyler does an excellent job of taking the familiar fantasy world concept and twisting it into something highly original. The history and politics of this world fascinates me as do the various beasts. While I did like the quest Gabe and his friends went on, it was the worldbuilding and characterization that had me devouring this book.

Gabe may be a goblin, but he's your everyday teen wanting to break out of the stereotype he's been forced into and try something new. He's the perfect hero as I related so well to him. Ona was my favorite character. An ogress with clean teeth and who loves music! Rove also intrigued me, especially with his story. The whole cast was fantastic.

I highly recommend this to readers of all ages. I can't wait for more books in this world!

Buy Broken Branch Falls here:
B&N ~~~ Amazon
 
Add it to your GOODREADS list!

Tara Tyler has had a hand at everything from waitressing to rocket engineering. After living up and down the Eastern US, she now writes and teaches math in Ohio with her three active boys and Coach Husband. Currently, she has two series, The Cooper Chronicles (techno- thriller detective capers) and Beast World (MG fantasy) She's an adventure writer who believes every good story should have action, a moral, and a few laughs!



Also by Tara Tyler, techno-thriller detective series,
The Cooper Chronicles, Book One: POP TRAVEL
 

16 comments:

  1. This sounds like a charming middle grade story. And the cover is cute too. Thanks for reviewing it.

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  2. Wonderful review, Christine. Tara's book sounds awesome.

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  3. Great review! It looks like a really cute book.

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  4. For a little green guy, Gabe rocks, doesn't he? Wishing Tara the very best with her wonderful new book. Kids are going to love it.

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  5. you're awesome christine! reeling from this fantastic review! thank you!!

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  6. You're very welcome, Tara. I LOVE the book. :) And thanks to everyone for stopping by today.

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  7. This book sounds awesome. Love the creepy cover. Thanks, Christine.

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  8. I can't wait to read it. I loved Tara's last book, so I am pleased to see such a positive review on this one.

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  9. Hi, Christine. Thanks for sharing your review of this book. Sounds like it should be a fun book to read.

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  10. Goblins as nerds. LOL. Boys will love this book!!!

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  11. It's on my TBR list...I'm now behind on my reading because I had to read a stack of books to judge a contest. Looking forward to getting back to my Kindle!

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  12. I don't read a lot of MG fantasy, but this sounds great and I hope to read it.

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  13. Fantastic review! Way to go, Tara.

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  14. Awesome review! Yay for Tara! :)

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