Mark Murphy (8)

The Curse of the Thrax by Mark Murphy is the first of the Bloodsword Trilogy. It's a mixture of high fantasy and post apocalyptic science fiction. Jaykriss's warrior father has died while fighting a dragon, so the teenager decides to take up the cause. In the process he learns the world is not at all what he expected.

So the young warrior to be taking up his father's sword is a pretty standard start to a fantasy trilogy. Or sometimes the young warrior is in search of his parents (Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander) or young warriors in search of their offspring (The Mallorean by David Eddings). Or in the case of Adventure Time, a mixture of both.

When I started reading I was expecting something more along the lines of Lloyd Alexander and David Eddings. I wasn't expecting something that blended the far future, a modern day city, and magic. So while it doesn't involve sentient candy creatures or stretching talking dogs, it does share similar world building and certainly appealed to this rabid fan.

The world that Jaykriss has to quest through is based on a real city and for anyone familiar with the area might recognize it from the included map. For those not immediately sure, Jaykriss learns the historical name before the close of the book. I'm curious to see if in the later books more explanation is given to how the changes came about.… (más)

Sent to me in exchange for an honest review.

If I had to describe this book in one sentence I might say this, " The Curse of the Thrax is an original, smartly paced, YA Dystopian Fantasy & I want more". Thankfully, I have more than enough room here to go into more detail than that.

Mark Murphy has created a fun new world that I will bravely say is in the same league as Hogwarts. The genre it's written in is a fascinating combination of Fantasy & Dystopian, something I've never seen before. Perhaps I'm a bit naive when it comes to the whole dystopian genre, but I've never seen it combined with dragons, mythical creatures of all sorts, & "magic" that's actually more of a combination of science & mystery than what is commonly thought of as real magic. I personally would label it as Dystopian-Fantasy, perhaps it sounds a bit contradictory to some, but my label slowly reveals itself as you work your way past the first chapter or two of the book. I don't want to giveaway any spoilers, but I will try & paint a quick picture as to why you should read Mr. Murphy's first novel in what is called The Bloodsword Trilogy. It is what I would call a YA novel, but just like Ms. Rowling's books, I feel it can appeal to a much wider & older audience than just YA community.

The first chapter is a bit slow, but only so Mr. Mruphy can ease you into the world he's created & introduce you to our young heroes, Jaykriss (14yrs) & Marda (16yrs). No worries though, after the introductions & everything else has been introduced to the reader the story takes flight & your feet barely touch the ground until the last page is read. I was hypnotized by the world the author created & enjoyed slowly understanding the mysteries of a world that is surprisingly familiar, and I stress the word FAMILIAR, once some of its secrets are revealed. Jayykriss & Marda live in a rough Medieval type world where the young aren't as young as the young of our world & must help provide for their family in ways that children aren't expected to in a society like ours. Not far into the book the two main characters find themselves thrust into a hero's quest or an odyssey of sorts. While the story yo-yo's from young men having troubles with school work & girls to battling dragons & looking for lost cities & weapons, I feel nothing happens without good reason & it's all done rather smoothly.

The book is rather large, 317 pages, but I think it's about time authors write good meaty stories for people under the age of 21. Still, as a 36 year old, I fell in love with the characters & the world the author created. Somehow Mark Murphy found a way for me to feel for the character in ways that not many authors have done for me with their. I felt myself wanting what the character wanted & simply put, sympathizing with the character in every way. There wasn't anything Jaykriss did that I felt was out of character. Now that the story is done, all I can feel is anticipation for the next book in the trilogy. I know this is a trilogy I will read over & over & weep for when the last page of the last book is written, it's certainly a world I don't want to see the end of.

Still don't take my word for it, please read it yourself see how awesome Mark Murphy's The Curse of the Thrax is.… (más)

This is a fun read. There is fantasy melded with science fiction, hard science, magic, right from wrong, teenage emotions and a fast moving plot. Great for teens. When we first meet the Thrax (dragon) he has Jaykriss' late father's magical sword stuck in his shoulder. Jaykriss knows he must get that back. He is now the head of the family, needing to provide for his mother and sister. The remaining pages are the adventures he and his girl side-kick get into, decisions they must make and the pluck they must demonstrate. Looks like there will be two more volumes in this series, so let's not worry about loose plot threads or undeveloped characters. Just enjoy it for what it is now. My thanks to the author and Goodreads for a complimentary copy of the book.… (más)

I didn’t really have any expectations going into this book, although I knew it wasn’t my typical reading genre. Sometimes it’s good to break out of your personal reading mold, so I was looking forward to that very much. If you’re looking for a thriller, this one won’t disappoint you.

I had a difficult time getting through this one in terms of the material covered. This is about a serial killer, which is bad enough, but the killer is an especially brutal one, doing things like removing organs and leaving murdered pets outside for kids to find. I think a more experienced reader of this genre may be used to things like that, but it really made me sick to my stomach at times and I’d have to put it down for awhile to calm myself. There were also several situations that filled me with anxiety, scenarios where someone’s sanctuary was breached, and that kind of thing just scares the pants off me.

To read the rest of my review, please visit my blog.… (más)