Jacob Whaler

China and the Unites States divided the world and are not at war. Suri is one of the best Game players. Now instead of a game, her actions become real as she agrees to cross the DMZ to attack China to save her brother Tommy from the deadly game. Along the way, she finds some unexpected help. The plot weaves gaming with artificial intelligence with politics. The book is appropriate for junior and high school students. There are some grammatical errors, but the errors might be appropriate considering the age and educational focus of the protagonist.

The author randomly chose me to receive this book free because I frequently review books within the genre. Although encouraged, I was under no obligation to write a review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.… (mer)

Stones is the first book of a new, exciting futuristic series. The beginning setting is within the late twenty first century. Matt and Jennifer have been close friends for years. Matt’s feelings are so strong for Jessica and he wants to take their relationship to the next level. Jessica seems to feel the same, yet, she has allowed him any intimacies.
The story opens with Jessica and Matt texting. He is on the slopes for the last ski trip for the season. Jessica warns him not to do anything crazy. They had a date that night. She is going on to bike race and afterwards she wants him to share their special evening together after the race. Jessica, also, reminds Matt of his father’s insistence on wearing head gear and all the other safety equipment. Matt feels his father, Kent, is over protective. He doesn’t wear the safety gear and makes a carless choice. Miraculously, he survived but fell on a strange looking rock… one he decided to keep – at least for now.
In a few days Matt will be going to Japan to the university. He is anxious for this opportunity to go back to the land where he was born and happily lived for a few years with both his parents…Before his mother was killed. His father had quickly packed up necessities then fled Japan with him from the airport. Matt wanted to know where his mother was. It was much later when his dad explained her death and his son’s life was threatened as well. They had moved quickly and frequently during the following years. His dad was a high profile lawyer and worked with the government agency. He was also trained in combat.
It is extremely difficult for Kent to let Matt go into the world. The people still want his sin dead. Matt is twenty-two now so Kent cannot make him stay with him. He has spent ten years constantly looking out for him and protecting him. He has taken every precaution to make sure Matt is safe on this venture and cannot be traced…but only if Matt obeys his detailed instructions. Matt agrees to follow through on everything.., everything except one.
The adventure truly begins. Matt has been asked by his mother’s old professor to join him and assist him in searching out ancient history and legends. The relationships between the United States and Japan have been very strained for years. Matt is from the United States. Strange things had been happening the past several days. As the days pass, stranger things occur, increasingly life-threatening. Soon Matt has to make serious choices and is forced to face dangerous situations. Which path does he choose? Who can he trust? Is there any hope? Will he lose all?
Except for some typographical errors, this was very well written. It smoothly flowed from one scene to the next, except at one point, where Jessica was suddenly "dropped". Although she was brought back in later, it left a ”hitch”. I,aso, felt a couple of interactions with Matt and Ryzaard were excessive and needed to be eliminated.
The imagination of the author, though incredulous, was still feasible. He was very creative in his thinking of what some future possibilities might be. His characters were all very interesting and strongly created. There were various personality types which increased interest. Various situations were implemented well, giving a detailed description encompassing each one.
The cover was simple but good. Increased images may have deflected from the title.
The novel deserves a solid four stars rating and with a few revisions would be a solid five stars rating, in my estimation.
I was given this by the publisher to do an honest rating/review on, of which I have.… (mer)