Narrated by David Reimer and Jessica Weyman
Run Time: 7 hrs and 48 mins
Genre: fantasy; YA with adult character
Summary:
Shane takes a few months off from being Santa Claus, goes home, and immediately tells his friend, breaking one of like 3 major rules he was given to abide by (keep magic secret). His argument is it’s for the best, and although some are mad at him, they eventually see his point of view.
Bad guys are still scheming.
Additional Comments:
- 3/5 Main Characters – Shane’s still the happy-go-lucky guy they turned into Santa Claus. Joe’s the quintessential sidekick.
- Target audience is really difficult to pin down. The main characters have an entire conversation about how Shane is now a superhero because he’s got the suit and awesome sidekick. It’s fine, but it sounded like 10-year-old boys playing make believe.
- 2/5 plot – My favorite parts were the bad guys. You can tell this is part of a much larger story, but it doesn’t really hold up on its own. It might have been better as one massive 35 hour story because then things the bad guys do would make sense.
- Morgana’s probably my favorite character and that’s just cause she occasionally gets to kill people.
- Descriptions are well done but also way overdone. We get really detailed looks at the inside of the flipping elevator. Nobody cares about the buttons on the elevator unless they’re specifically integral to the plot.
- Well, the characters are well-fed. I think 80% of this book is them eating or exploring their really nice rooms at the North Pole. The other 20% is training or planning.
- 2/5 Still needs editing. There are things liked asked being used repeatedly for statements that strike me as odd. It won’t bother everybody though.
- 3/5 performance – Both narrators got the job done. The guy pulled a few additional voices out for the elementals. That was cool. The lady sounded mostly the same for all characters. Part of this could be she didn’t have many parts, so I was mostly just keyed into her voice when I heard it.
- End fight is short but well done.
- There’s a lot of world-building happening in here. It’s a unique take on fantasy and magic but as with book 1, it felt like the story was spinning its wheels to nowhere.
Conclusion:
High marks for concept and uniqueness. Medium-low for execution of plot and prose.
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Christmas Shorts – (Mystery, thriller, Christian, suspense; Ongoing; story 1 is complete) Only one story right now, but will be a collection of short stories with characters from across my series. Typically, FBI agents with personal drama. Might feature an abundance of cute puppies.
The Minder Project Season 1 – (scifi, genetic engineering, superpowers; shares characters with Dustin’s Decision, Updated Wednesdays) The government gave her genetic Gifts. Now, it wants what it paid for from the program.
5 Steps to Better Dialogue – (nonfiction, writing skills; Complete) I feel like nonfiction titles should come with spoiler tags. This is a book for writers seeking to learn more about the creation of realistic characters and dialogue.
Assassin School Season 1 – (thriller, YA; Complete) Teen spies try to survive the rigorous training and other drama as powerful people battle to control the Ghost children.
Dustin’s Decision Devya’s Children Book 5 – (YA scifi, shares characters with The Minder Project; Complete) Genetically altered teens struggle to navigate the murky world and control their Gifts.
