Kindle Steals: Bobby Ether and the Academy

Hey all!  Sorry for the radio silence on my end.  I’m still learning how to manage my novel writing, writing for GERM magazine, AND working at a martial arts school.  There’s a bit of a learning curve, but I think I’m getting the hang of it.

I have a bunch of blogs planned too – I’ve just been a bit busy.  At least Opus Crescendo is finally coming together.  3000-4000 words written yesterday.  I call that success.

I usually find out about the books I read on my Kindle just by browsing Amazon and Smashwords.  I read through the description and then look at some of the high reviews and low reviews.  If there aren’t reviews and the book is free, I might get it anyway.

Bobby Ether and the Academy was brought to my attention in a different way.  Jennifer Niven contacted me and gave me R Scott Boyer’s email so I could ask if I wanted to review.  After hearing that it was “kind of like Harry Potter“, I was definitely willing to give it a chance.  We exchanged a few emails – and he was kind enough to send me a signed copy!

Bobby Ether and the Academy

Bobby Ether and the Academy starts with the main character, Bobby, making an impossible shot in a basketball game.  From there, he meets a mysterious woman named Cassandra and two men whom she seems acquainted with, Simpkins and Hayward.  He goes with Cassandra who keeps telling him about the Academy.  Between the overload of information and other extenuating circumstances, Bobby runs away from Cassandra, which results in tragedy.  In the aftermath of that, Bobby is taken to the Academy.  Life there is very different than what he is used to, very spiritual.  He struggles with learning how to control his powers, but seems to be blocked.

What I liked

What I liked about this book was how different it was.  I loved that it incorporated Eastern religions and melded them with urban fantasy and a bit of science fiction.  It was unique and different.  I liked that all of the characters were different and believable for their ages.  Each person in the group was different.  Bobby specifically had flaws that were believable for a fourteen-year-old boy.  He was caught up in his emotions – and while he had a huge range of emotions, he wasn’t sure how to handle all of them.  That’s really believable for a teenager.

I liked all the little plot twists here and there.  Some of them I saw coming, some of them I didn’t see.  And I really enjoyed being surprised by a book.

What I liked most was after a bit of falling action at the end, we were served up a HUGE cliffhanger of an ending with a giant sequel hook.  The ending itself was very well done, major props to the author!

What I didn’t like as much

Sometimes I thought that the dialogue seemed a bit stilted.  It didn’t always flow naturally.  It wasn’t always, but I did notice it.

There were a few points that I thought Jinx’s (one of the main characters) super intelligence was a bit of a catch-all.  Sometimes I felt that it made things too easy for the characters.  Tough problem to solve?  No worries, Jinx has it.  Sometimes I just wanted to see them struggle a bit longer.

All in all…

This book was a great adventure.  R Scott Boyer brings a fresh take to the whole ‘magical school’ genre with twists and turns and an excellent hook at the end.  Needless to say, I can’t wait for the sequel.  If you’re looking for something similar to Harry Potter, but still different enough to stand on its own, take a look at Bobby Ether and the Academy.

Has anyone out there read Bobby Ether?  If so, what do you think?

~LL Lemke