Review: The Wizard of Time

Title: The Wizard of Time
Author: G.L. Breedon
Dates Read: June 3-5, 2015
Format: Ebook (Kindle)
Pages: 296
Rating: 3.5/5

Synopsis: Gabriel Salvador is thirteen, and he has been having dreams about the future.  Gabriel's dreams always come true.  Especially the dream he had where he will drown, it is only a matter of time before that dream becomes reality.  At the moment of his death, he is plucked from his timeline and becomes an apprentice time mage and part of an elite team of mages who are fighting the War of Time and Magic, and travel through history to do so. Throughout the story Gabriel goes to Victorian London, Aztec temples, Samos, Scotland, and battlefields of Alexander the Great, among other places as Gabriel learns about his abilities as a time mage, and joins the battle to protect the timeline. 

Review: 

I originally picked this up as as freebie on Amazon, and like most of the books on my TBR pile it took a bit for me to finally get to it. However, I was surprisingly pleased with what I'd found in just under 300 pages.  I have always enjoyed reading fantasy/sci-fi/etc simply for the escapism that is provided by the stories spun by talented writers.  I read to indulge my imagination and escape my own reality. 

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when I started this story, would I find the amount of realism that is required in fantasy stories?  Could I picture myself in Gabriel's world, experiencing what Gabriel is experiencing?  Can I relate to this story? Ultimately the tale that was spun was one of pure brilliance.  

I easily fell in love with the characters.  The fact that Breeden crossed genres only made this tale all the more interesting.  The story is intelligently written and this is shown in the seamless way that his story crosses genres and age groups.  I was not expecting the captivating, adventurous, vibrant, unpredictable and emotive tale that I was presented when I continued to delve into this story.  The historical backdrop, the scientific explanations - everything was plausible, believable and in truth one of the best fantasies I've read in a while.  

It's stories like this that once again remind me why I read young adult stories.  However, even if you do not enjoy reading young adult, but still enjoy a good fantasy story then I would gladly recommend this story to you.  You will definitely enjoy the trip you take with Gabriel and the other mages.

What's On My Kindle? Vampires, Werewolves & Coyotes! Oh My!

Welcome to the eighth installment of What's On My Kindle?

What exactly is What's On My Kindle?  This is my own little thing that I am going to be getting out every Sunday.  Within this post I'll list a few of the books that are currently on my TBR list on my Kindle.  Some are freebies (or were when I bought them), and others I paid for with gift cards, or had a few spare bucks to spend on a book.
All of them, I fully intend on getting to, at some point (and taking a massive chisel to my to-read list and hopefully hack it down to under 1000, again).

Vampires: Check.

Werewolves: Check.

Coyotes: Check.

Faeries: Check

Witches: Check.

Human trouble magnets: Double Check.

Barbie Doll: Check...?

Mystery Machine: Check!

Busted down old school VW Rabbit: Check.

Bad movie references: TRIPLE Check.

What do all these things on my list have in common? They are all parts and pieces that make up the world created by Patricia Briggs in the Mercedes Thompson and Alpha and Omega series.  What makes Patricia Briggs so special? Well, for one she is an author who actually listens to her fan base.

This story is true, and it is something that had happened with my roommate's husband and one of her books had come out, and was not text-to-speech enabled for Kindle.  An email was written to Patricia Briggs, and within twenty-four hours there was a response waiting in his inbox for him saying that the decision to not allow the book to be text-to-speech was her publisher's decision and ultimately she would be having words with her publisher for making one of her books not text-to-speech enabled.  Within two hours, there was an update to that particular book available from Amazon, and since then all of her books when purchased as e-book have been text-to-speech, which is a plus for him and those who like to read while doing multiple things (like cooking). Especially for him, as he's blind and uses the text-to-speech to read.

Patricia has other series, and we have I think one or two books.  But, she's also done several short stories that fall into the worlds she has created.

The books that make up the Mercedes Thompson Series are:
1. Moon Called
2. Blood Bound
3. Iron Kissed
4. Bone Crossed
5. Silver Borne
6. River Marked
7. Frost Burned

The books that make up the Alpha & Omega Series are:
1. Alpha & Omega (Novella)
2. Cry Wolf
3. Hunting Ground
4. Fair Game

I've read all eleven of these books, and I adore them.  She is definitely a very, very good paranormal fantasy writer and I highly recommend her to anyone looking for a new paranormal/fantasy writer to get into.  You will get sucked in, and you will enjoy it!

What are some of your favorite paranormal fantasy authors?