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Book Review: Dragons of Frost and Fire by Susan Brown

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Dragons of Frost and Fire by Susan Brown

A Fantasy Novel published by Susan Brown (05/23/15)

Summary:

Kit is relentless in her search to find her mother. She KNOWS that her mother is still alive. She will do anything – brave the cold death-dealing wilderness of Alaska by herself – to find her mother. It’s been a year since her mother disappeared, but Kit won’t give up. The magical knife tells her that she still has time to save her mother, she just has to figure out what the small town of Silver Claw is hiding and how the secret of the town is related to her mother’s disappearance.

Keywords:

Magic, Sorcery, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Family, Small Town, Secrets, Dragons, Genetic Mutation, Alaska, Wilderness, Survival, Blizzard, Storm, Magical Object, Friendship

My Review:

Kit is a larger-than-life character. Her need to find her mother is so all consuming in her mind. She believes with all her being that her mother, even after a year lost in the Alaskan wilderness, is still alive. That amount of conviction blows my mind. Her passion and devotion to her search is very endearing. She cares so much about her family and her mother. I wanted her to succeed!

The mystery of Silver Claw kept drawing me in. As much as Kit, and I as the reader, wanted to like some of the townsfolk, the suspicion was ever present on the surface. What did the town do to Kit’s mother? What were they hiding about her disappearance? Why did her lab notes disappear? What did she find out? The mystery is well paced in this story and the clues were gradually revealed and well placed.

The fantasy elements didn’t play a major part in the plot of the story. A magical knife did help Kit and was evidence to the fact that her mother was still alive. The ending did contain quite the fantasy reveal. This book appealed to me quite a bit because it focused on the characters and the secret that Silver Claw kept hidden within its residents. This is a fantasy book for non-fantasy readers as well as fantasy readers.

This novel was published by Susan Brown on 05/23/2015 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.75

Links for more information:

Susan Brown’s Website

Goodreads

Book Review: Sammy and the Devil Dog by Susan Brown

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Sammy and the Devil Dog by Susan Brown

A Middle Grade Novel published through Yellow Farmhouse Publications (9/21/17)

Summary:

Sammy can’t seem to get to school on time or stay away from trouble. She can’t let bullies go unanswered. When she finds an abused dog, without hesitation, she decides to save him. The dog is still a puppy, but has a lot to learn to be a nice and good dog. Sammy will go to great lengths to save him.

Keywords:

Dog, Puppy, Dog Training, Aggressive Dog, Animal Abuse, Bullying, Standing Up, Speaking Out, Family, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Friends, Friendship, School

My Review:

Sammy’s faults are her strengths. She doesn’t always fit into society the way she’s supposed to. She would rather save a helpless animal than be on time to school. She is misunderstood by those around her and yet she still sticks up for what she believes in. She is a person and a character that everyone will root for. Her moral code is so strong that she doesn’t think twice about helping someone else, but sometimes those actions can be quite selfish. She can’t help everyone and sometimes in the process of helping one person or animal, she is hurting someone else.

This book showed so many realistic characters and situations. I was right there with Sammy as she found Jack. I was still right there with her when she thought about her mother and what she wasn’t getting from her mother. I felt like I understood Sammy’s perspective so completely, and yet she is still a child with a lot of learning to do. As an adult reading this story I can also understood the mother’s point of view and sympathize with both mother and daughter.

This is a great read for kids and adults, especially if they’re reading it together. The characters showed a lot of growth.

This novel was published through Yellow Farmhouse Publications on 9/21/2017 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.75

Links for more information:

Susan Brown’s Website