I fell in love with this story several years and several versions ago. I love the concept-- magic in the Old West. A shape-shifting dragon (Boone) masquerades as a human when he has to, but loves to be able to fly freely whenever he can. Boone is a character you can't help but love. He's fun, kind-hearted, mischievious, and is hopelessly addicted to ice cream.
Jesse, a human boy about to be a thunder mage is also endearing. He is a half-orphaned boy who is trying to make sense of way too many changes in too little time. His mom dies and he is struck by lightning all in the same day. The lightning brings to life magical powers that had lain dormant his whole life and causes him no end of trouble.
Add in a whole cast of colorful characters and you have one entertaining middle school read. This book is perfect for reluctant boy readers--full of fun and magic and a glimpse into what the world was really like 150 years ago. (minus the magical dragons and mages, of course--but then again, people say there is magic all around us, so who knows?)
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SYNOPSIS
A storm is brewing in Silver Valley, where an unusual string
of mining accidents has locals whispering of dark magic. When the marshal sent
to investigate goes missing, his young assistant Boone turns to Jesse and Eliza
for help. But Jesse is a new mage with raw magic, and Eliza is hiding a secret.
The three must learn to trust each other before the valley is destroyed and
they are ripped away from everything they hold dear.
EXCERPT
Jesse skidded to a stop, pulling away from Eliza. Squeezing
his eyes shut, he spun around in one smooth motion, pulling the gun up to his
shoulder and squeezing the trigger. He thought he heard a high-pitched squeal
just before the gun’s report set his ears ringing.
Jesse risked cracking his eyes open to see if he’d hit anything.
The basilisk wasn’t far away, rearing back with a bloody scratch along the side
of its face. Jesse felt a crushing disappointment. He’d only grazed it. But
then a rumbling began under his feet. There was a whoosh of air from the stope
opening, and a wave of heat following it.
“Oh, no.”
A huge ball of crackling lightning formed and raced toward them.
“Run!” he screamed at his friends. “Run!”
For more fun, check out these delicious recipes for Boone's favorite treat: ICE CREAM!
LEMON CUSTARD ICE CREAM
CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM SANDWICHES
APPLE STREUSEL ICE CREAM
“FRIED” ICE CREAM
VANILLA ICE CREAM
3 cups milk
1 ¾ cups
sugar
½ tsp salt
1 can
evaporated milk
1 Tbsp
vanilla
3 cups cream
Dissolve sugar in the milk. Add
remaining ingredients. Place in ice cream maker and churn until frozen. Makes 4
quarts.
BLACK FAMILY ICE CREAM BASE
1 large
package gelatin, any flavor
1 cup
boiling water
1 ½ cups
sugar
1 large
package instant vanilla pudding
4 eggs,
beaten
1 tsp
vanilla
2 cups heavy
cream
6 cups milk
1 cup fruit, chopped
Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, stir together sugar and pudding mix. Beat in eggs. Add vanilla,
cream, milk, and dissolved gelatin. Stir in fruit. Place in ice cream maker and
churn until frozen.
Not only is Shauna my friend, she is one of my heroes. I saw her a couple times while she was battling cancer (we live in different states) and she always had a smile on her face and a positive faith-affirming outlook on life.
Please check out her book at. Read the free sample then purchase it. You'll be glad you did. :)
When Shauna E. Black was diagnosed with cancer in early
2012, her author aspirations were put on hold. Now, almost two years later, she
will realize her dream as she publishes her first novel, Fury of the Storm Wizard.
Jesse, the main character of Fury of the Storm Wizard, must find courage as he grapples with the
death of his mother and a move from the Kansas prairie to a Colorado mining
town, where Jesse discovers he has astonishing magical power.
When he befriends a girl scarred by fire and a young dragon
disguised as a human, Jesse finds strength to overcome his challenges.
Together, the teens must uncover the truth behind a string of deadly mining
accidents and foil the plot of an evil mage before Jesse can learn to control
his magic and use it to save his friends and family.
Like Jesse, Shauna found strength to defeat cancer in the
support of her loved ones. They gave her the courage to make her dreams into
reality. Fury of the Storm
Wizard will be available the first week of December 2013 in paperback and
ebook formats at online booksellers. Please visit http://www.thunderstrucknovel.com
or http://www.shaunablack.com for more
details.
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1 comments:
I do believe there is magic all around us--if we open our eyes to see it. ;-) Thanks for the awesome post!
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