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Jack Zulu #2
Jack Zulu and the Girl with Golden Wings
A world in the balance.
A boy with a fateful choice.
A girl with golden wings.
Jack Zulu explores a new realm in this fantastic adventure that stretches beyond Earth and into a world on the edge of destruction. Jack must search for answers about his fallen father’s story and risk everything to save the cause at the lost city of gold.
A boy with a fateful choice.
A girl with golden wings.
Jack Zulu explores a new realm in this fantastic adventure that stretches beyond Earth and into a world on the edge of destruction. Jack must search for answers about his fallen father’s story and risk everything to save the cause at the lost city of gold.
241 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 20, 2024
46 people are currently reading
149 people want to read
About the author
S.D. Smith
17 books2,044 followersS. D. Smith is the author of The Green Ember Series, a million+ selling adventure saga featuring heroic #RabbitsWithSwords. The Green Ember spent time as the number one bestselling audiobook in the world on Audible. He is also the author of the madcap Mooses with Bazookas: And Other Stories Children Should Never Read as well as the touching throwback adventure, The Found Boys. Finally, he has co-authored two fantasy adventure novels with his son (J. C. Smith), Jack Zulu and the Waylander’s Key and Jack Zulu and the Girl with Golden Wings. Smith’s stories are captivating readers across the globe who are hungry for “new stories with an old soul.”
Though packed with old school virtue and moral imagination, Smith doesn't merely create "safe" stories, but bold, daring, truthful tales of light that help shape children who become dangerous—dangerous to the darkness.
Smith is a founder and owner of Story Warren, a publishing, events, and IP development house based in rural West Virginia. Story Warren exists to serve families as “allies in imagination.”
S. D. Smith lives in Gran
Though packed with old school virtue and moral imagination, Smith doesn't merely create "safe" stories, but bold, daring, truthful tales of light that help shape children who become dangerous—dangerous to the darkness.
Smith is a founder and owner of Story Warren, a publishing, events, and IP development house based in rural West Virginia. Story Warren exists to serve families as “allies in imagination.”
S. D. Smith lives in Gran
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
July 4, 2024
This review contains general spoilers but I won’t get specific.
After Jack Zulu and the Waylander’s Key, this book was a bit of a disappointment. It felt like a prolonged side-quest, the goal of which I’m still not entirely sure of.
I was hoping that in this book we’d get to see more of the worlds, since book one took place primarily in Myrtle and the Wayland, which was fine because we were just being introduced to these worlds.
This book took place almost entirely in Thandalia, but very little of the actual world of Thandalia was established. I was hoping to see some more cool worldbuilding, but we didn’t really get any of that.
The big villain of the series, Rancast, is nowhere to be seen (which I guess makes sense seeing what happened in book 1, but still). Instead, he’s replaced with two other (basically identical) lesser villains, both of whom want to basically become the same as Rancast, which is fine for the one guy (his name escapes me at the moment), but the traitor (which I’ll call him to avoid spoilers) had zero motivation aside from power, which honestly is a pretty weak motivation, especially seeing what he had to do to get it.
Jack had a half decent character arc but it’s a bit ruined for me because of how easily he overcame it at the climax. Michelle is reduced to a damsel in distress, Benny is now a comic-relief side-character, and everyone else is basically just background (except for maybe Michelle’s dad).
Something that annoyed me a lot was how many mortal or at the very least severely debilitating injuries are just walked off. One character is stabbed in the back and receives several broken ribs and it completely fine several pages later without receiving any treatment whatsoever as far as I can remember. Another is shot and is completely fine basically the next time we see him. And I found it pretty cheap how everyone was just magically healed after the climax, in which multiple characters were almost killed.
One final point, I found the parents in this book extremely unbelievable. In a lot of books kids lie to their parents, run off, don’t tell them about danger, etc., so it was kind of nice to see kids actually being honest with their parents, but then the parents are perfectly ok and willing to let their children go into a strange world and put themselves in mortal peril. The pendulum swung wayyyy too far to the other side.
This review kind of focused more on the negative aspects of this book, but it has a lot of positive things too, and I did enjoy this book, but it did have quite a few issues.
After Jack Zulu and the Waylander’s Key, this book was a bit of a disappointment. It felt like a prolonged side-quest, the goal of which I’m still not entirely sure of.
I was hoping that in this book we’d get to see more of the worlds, since book one took place primarily in Myrtle and the Wayland, which was fine because we were just being introduced to these worlds.
This book took place almost entirely in Thandalia, but very little of the actual world of Thandalia was established. I was hoping to see some more cool worldbuilding, but we didn’t really get any of that.
The big villain of the series, Rancast, is nowhere to be seen (which I guess makes sense seeing what happened in book 1, but still). Instead, he’s replaced with two other (basically identical) lesser villains, both of whom want to basically become the same as Rancast, which is fine for the one guy (his name escapes me at the moment), but the traitor (which I’ll call him to avoid spoilers) had zero motivation aside from power, which honestly is a pretty weak motivation, especially seeing what he had to do to get it.
Jack had a half decent character arc but it’s a bit ruined for me because of how easily he overcame it at the climax. Michelle is reduced to a damsel in distress, Benny is now a comic-relief side-character, and everyone else is basically just background (except for maybe Michelle’s dad).
Something that annoyed me a lot was how many mortal or at the very least severely debilitating injuries are just walked off. One character is stabbed in the back and receives several broken ribs and it completely fine several pages later without receiving any treatment whatsoever as far as I can remember. Another is shot and is completely fine basically the next time we see him. And I found it pretty cheap how everyone was just magically healed after the climax, in which multiple characters were almost killed.
One final point, I found the parents in this book extremely unbelievable. In a lot of books kids lie to their parents, run off, don’t tell them about danger, etc., so it was kind of nice to see kids actually being honest with their parents, but then the parents are perfectly ok and willing to let their children go into a strange world and put themselves in mortal peril. The pendulum swung wayyyy too far to the other side.
This review kind of focused more on the negative aspects of this book, but it has a lot of positive things too, and I did enjoy this book, but it did have quite a few issues.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2025
3.5 stars
I don't know... these just don't resonate with me like The Green Ember books....I love the concept, the action, the characters... but some things bug me. like how fast injuries are brushed over, the Appalachian setting where no one in the town is an actual traditional Appalachian except for Jack's mom... and maybe Benny's mom. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I expected a lot more of the Scotch-Irish roots of Appalachia.
Characters:
Jack's struggles with pride are realistic, and I love the life lessons woven in through his friends and mentors. It's honest, so beautiful and good! especially for young boys.
Michelle, us the sweetest!
Benny is hilarious and such a sweet friend!
Titrus is so cool! And his sister was so sweet!
Steve was a bit aloof, but a good guy worried about his daughters safety.
Mr. Wheeler is... the best!
Themes:
That pride goeth before a fall, and jealousy is the root of all evil. That not doing anything is still choosing a side in. a fight. And love is healing. Great themes.
Romance:
A young love with no gushy stuff.
Language:
N/A
Magic:
Yes, magic trees, swords, strange creatures, and some majestic ones as well.
Violence/Gore:
Lots of battles, some injuries include: loss of a hand, stabs, tumbles, bruised ribs, getting shot, cut, and in some cases death.
Nothing is super descriptive, all well handled. What bothered me was the unrealistic side of some injuries. Such as getting bruised ribs and thinking you'd never breathe normal again and in the next chapter (maybe 30 minutes lager in the book timeline), jumping off a horse and springing to your feet. Sorry, no.
Overall:
Pretty good...cliffhanger ending, and I'll probably read the next book just to find out what happens next.😂
It's not a bad book, just not my favorite...lol...
Recommend age 10+
I don't know... these just don't resonate with me like The Green Ember books....I love the concept, the action, the characters... but some things bug me. like how fast injuries are brushed over, the Appalachian setting where no one in the town is an actual traditional Appalachian except for Jack's mom... and maybe Benny's mom. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I expected a lot more of the Scotch-Irish roots of Appalachia.
Characters:
Jack's struggles with pride are realistic, and I love the life lessons woven in through his friends and mentors. It's honest, so beautiful and good! especially for young boys.
Michelle, us the sweetest!
Benny is hilarious and such a sweet friend!
Titrus is so cool! And his sister was so sweet!
Steve was a bit aloof, but a good guy worried about his daughters safety.
Mr. Wheeler is... the best!
Themes:
That pride goeth before a fall, and jealousy is the root of all evil. That not doing anything is still choosing a side in. a fight. And love is healing. Great themes.
Romance:
A young love with no gushy stuff.
Language:
N/A
Magic:
Yes, magic trees, swords, strange creatures, and some majestic ones as well.
Violence/Gore:
Lots of battles, some injuries include: loss of a hand, stabs, tumbles, bruised ribs, getting shot, cut, and in some cases death.
Nothing is super descriptive, all well handled. What bothered me was the unrealistic side of some injuries. Such as getting bruised ribs and thinking you'd never breathe normal again and in the next chapter (maybe 30 minutes lager in the book timeline), jumping off a horse and springing to your feet. Sorry, no.
Overall:
Pretty good...cliffhanger ending, and I'll probably read the next book just to find out what happens next.😂
It's not a bad book, just not my favorite...lol...
Recommend age 10+
May 31, 2025
3.5 stars
Read
February 8, 2025I think they are starting to hit their stride with this book. I’ll be watching for the sequel.
September 10, 2024
A great next book in the series. The climax was really good, and the cliffhanger ending was evil. There's a scene in the middle that really surprised me because of how sad and violent it was, but that succeed in making me despise the villain and really root for Jack.
September 21, 2024
These books aren't as popular as Smith's Green Ember series, but they should be.
December 9, 2024
I liked the adventure and Jack’s abilities and his worries about whether his insecurities will hurt him no his team. It’s clearly a second book and a lot of relationships were assumed rather than shown; it wasn’t so much that I was confused (although I’m a bit unclear on how open the relationship between West Virginia and the multiverse is) but that the text assumed I would care before I did.
August 22, 2024
An excellent next chapter to this story. Smith and Smith both know how to craft a ripping tale with excellent character work. I'm excited to see what happens next.
October 5, 2024
After a climactic showdown with Mordok, a.k.a. the West Virginia Mothman, middle schooler Jack Zulu and his best friend Benny Marino step into the fantastical realm of the Wayland to begin training as defenders of light. To the rest of the universe, the backwoods state of West Virginia the boys call home is actually the mortal land of Vandalia. There, humans (also known as Vandals) can travel through trees with enchanted keys, unlocking portals to the many realms.
In the boys’ first adventure in Book One, “The Waylander’s Key,” Jack and Benny keep one foot in the real world, enjoying baseball, pizza, and video games while their other foot stands in the midst of an otherworldly conflict. Now, for their second adventure, “The Girl with Golden Wings,” the boys must place both feet fully into the Wayland to protect a childhood friend, Michelle.
Discovered to be the last of the Thaons, Michelle is all that remains of a winged race with the power to heal entire lands. An evil usurper of the Wayland named Rancast has his eye fixed on Michelle, intent on taking the girl out. It’s up to Jack, Benny, and a hodgepodge of characters to get Michelle to safety. As the group faces perils, shifting conspiracies, and hidden intrigue left and right, an uneasy past concerning Jack and Michelle’s families in the Wayland is uncovered. The greatest threat of all, however, may just be someone within the group.
For the second installment in the “Jack Zulu” series, father-and-son authors S.D. Smith and J.C. Smith delve deeper into the exploration of light versus darkness with zany yet effective parables. As the Smiths put their pens to paper, each battle-fueled sequence is arrayed with stunning imagery, inventive concepts, and inspired prose. The great nuance of their work is the duo’s fine-tuned grasp of necessary violence, knowing just how much children can take without affecting the good-natured purity of the material. The elder Smith has long been a proponent of the idea that darkness should be dark, as it makes the light all the sweeter. With bold imagination, Smith’s son ups the brightness in these segments, and quite literally. Both good and bad characters are engulfed in flames, a side effect of an object known as “the red sword.” Depending on the heart of the wielder, the flame will either seek to consume or protect.
Unlike the first book that split the time between Earth and the Wayland, this second book allows young readers to fully live, breathe, and sometimes bleed with Jack Zulu as he trains for war and, ultimately, comes face-to-face with evil. But like the first installment, kids will find themselves ignited and battle-ready for spiritual warfare. While characters like Jack pray, worship, and give credit to the God of the Bible, by the time they turn the last page, readers won’t feel like they’ve been told how to be an effective child of God. Rather, they’ll have been shown through Jack’s explosive, electric, and colorful conflicts against the forces of darkness. And that’s the more powerful parable.
“Jack Zulu and the Girl with the Golden Wings” earns our highest recommendation.
In the boys’ first adventure in Book One, “The Waylander’s Key,” Jack and Benny keep one foot in the real world, enjoying baseball, pizza, and video games while their other foot stands in the midst of an otherworldly conflict. Now, for their second adventure, “The Girl with Golden Wings,” the boys must place both feet fully into the Wayland to protect a childhood friend, Michelle.
Discovered to be the last of the Thaons, Michelle is all that remains of a winged race with the power to heal entire lands. An evil usurper of the Wayland named Rancast has his eye fixed on Michelle, intent on taking the girl out. It’s up to Jack, Benny, and a hodgepodge of characters to get Michelle to safety. As the group faces perils, shifting conspiracies, and hidden intrigue left and right, an uneasy past concerning Jack and Michelle’s families in the Wayland is uncovered. The greatest threat of all, however, may just be someone within the group.
For the second installment in the “Jack Zulu” series, father-and-son authors S.D. Smith and J.C. Smith delve deeper into the exploration of light versus darkness with zany yet effective parables. As the Smiths put their pens to paper, each battle-fueled sequence is arrayed with stunning imagery, inventive concepts, and inspired prose. The great nuance of their work is the duo’s fine-tuned grasp of necessary violence, knowing just how much children can take without affecting the good-natured purity of the material. The elder Smith has long been a proponent of the idea that darkness should be dark, as it makes the light all the sweeter. With bold imagination, Smith’s son ups the brightness in these segments, and quite literally. Both good and bad characters are engulfed in flames, a side effect of an object known as “the red sword.” Depending on the heart of the wielder, the flame will either seek to consume or protect.
Unlike the first book that split the time between Earth and the Wayland, this second book allows young readers to fully live, breathe, and sometimes bleed with Jack Zulu as he trains for war and, ultimately, comes face-to-face with evil. But like the first installment, kids will find themselves ignited and battle-ready for spiritual warfare. While characters like Jack pray, worship, and give credit to the God of the Bible, by the time they turn the last page, readers won’t feel like they’ve been told how to be an effective child of God. Rather, they’ll have been shown through Jack’s explosive, electric, and colorful conflicts against the forces of darkness. And that’s the more powerful parable.
“Jack Zulu and the Girl with the Golden Wings” earns our highest recommendation.
May 9, 2025
The war against Rancast goes on in the worlds beyond Myrtle, South Carolina. While taking a brief respite there, Michelle, Jack, and Benny get word that the Thandalian forces have achieved a mini victory and the council thinks it is time for Michelle to come and encourage the troops. Benny is going along to be the cook on the quest. Jack is going along to help protect her, but feels frustrated that he keeps freezing up with visions of himself becoming like Rancast, seizing power and glory for himself. Something also seems off about the Thandalian victory. Was it too easy? What is Rancast up to?
This adventure with Michelle, Jack, and Benny sees them growing more into their skills and roles and wrestling with potential weak spots. They are good friends to each other, but they do have to separate at some points for the greater mission. The Smiths have created an exciting adventure in an epic battle between good and evil in this series.
Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: There are several battles with injuries and fatalities resulting. The bad guy also convinces some of his minions to commit murder, attempt an assassination, and do other nasty things to people. These are more alluded to than described in detail to keep it middle grade appropriate. The soberness of the deaths and injuries is conveyed.
Ethnic diversity: Jack is Black American, Michelle is Black American with some fantastical abilities, Benny is white American. Other characters come from Earth and others worlds and have a variety of skin tones/cultural backgrounds (many made up).
This adventure with Michelle, Jack, and Benny sees them growing more into their skills and roles and wrestling with potential weak spots. They are good friends to each other, but they do have to separate at some points for the greater mission. The Smiths have created an exciting adventure in an epic battle between good and evil in this series.
Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: There are several battles with injuries and fatalities resulting. The bad guy also convinces some of his minions to commit murder, attempt an assassination, and do other nasty things to people. These are more alluded to than described in detail to keep it middle grade appropriate. The soberness of the deaths and injuries is conveyed.
Ethnic diversity: Jack is Black American, Michelle is Black American with some fantastical abilities, Benny is white American. Other characters come from Earth and others worlds and have a variety of skin tones/cultural backgrounds (many made up).
July 11, 2024
Cross-posted to StoryGraph
I've been anticipating this release since I finished the first installment of the series. I absolutely love Jack, Benny, Michelle and Myrtle itself, and I was so excited to explore more of the world beyond the Wayland in this sequel.
We get to travel through Thandalia in this novel, witnessing Jack's struggle against temptation, and the growth of his relationship with Michelle's father, Steve, throughout. Once again, I loved every character, new and old. There were moments that made my heart swell, moments that made it break, and reflection and laughter in-between. I could not be more pleased to revisit this world that Sam and Josiah have presented.
The only drawback was that pacing on this book felt a little off. It plodded along, dabbling in exposition until about halfway through, when all that lore started to pay off. Balancing the delivery of world-building insights with the action of a narrative is a challenging task, so I don't hold too much against the narrative for this, but I wasn't as enamored as with the first book. I also felt like this book was more violent than its predecessor. It's not particularly graphic, but if you're reading with younger kids, you may want to do some screening.
Anyway, the story ends on a cliffhanger, and I'm just as ready for the next one as I was last time!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, and Violence
Minor: Drug abuse
I've been anticipating this release since I finished the first installment of the series. I absolutely love Jack, Benny, Michelle and Myrtle itself, and I was so excited to explore more of the world beyond the Wayland in this sequel.
We get to travel through Thandalia in this novel, witnessing Jack's struggle against temptation, and the growth of his relationship with Michelle's father, Steve, throughout. Once again, I loved every character, new and old. There were moments that made my heart swell, moments that made it break, and reflection and laughter in-between. I could not be more pleased to revisit this world that Sam and Josiah have presented.
The only drawback was that pacing on this book felt a little off. It plodded along, dabbling in exposition until about halfway through, when all that lore started to pay off. Balancing the delivery of world-building insights with the action of a narrative is a challenging task, so I don't hold too much against the narrative for this, but I wasn't as enamored as with the first book. I also felt like this book was more violent than its predecessor. It's not particularly graphic, but if you're reading with younger kids, you may want to do some screening.
Anyway, the story ends on a cliffhanger, and I'm just as ready for the next one as I was last time!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, and Violence
Minor: Drug abuse
August 28, 2024
Where's the third book?!?? *runs away screaming for the sequel*
I loved watching Jack struggle with his new challenge to be good and great, while craving to be great because the more Michelle rises, the more he can't be with her. I was often worried with Jack's nightmares, actions, and choices; that one with Wheeler though was terrifying and I was so relieved to find that it was just a dream. Ah, near the end it was so satisfying... without Michelle, Jack would have chosen the wrong way, and she would have died if he wasn't there.
It was great to see Steve Robinson and Jack grow closer together as they traveled through the Wayland and fought side by side, especially in the forest and up to Andos. I feel like Steve is Jack's second father figure (Wheeler being the first).
Overall, I loved this story and all the characters—except that horrible traitor, it was tragic with what he did to So-addan. Benny is still so fun and makes me laugh a lot.
Last thing, that cliffhanger is awfully terrible and I so wish Josiah and Sam Smith would have the third book out to end Jack's suffering.
Quotes I liked:
Jack hugged Wheeler. "I'm so glad to see you! I was so worried about you."
Wheeler grinned. "I believe that is my line, Jack."
"No matter what—even if you're just a pawn—you always protect your queen."
I loved watching Jack struggle with his new challenge to be good and great, while craving to be great because the more Michelle rises, the more he can't be with her. I was often worried with Jack's nightmares, actions, and choices; that one with Wheeler though was terrifying and I was so relieved to find that it was just a dream. Ah, near the end it was so satisfying... without Michelle, Jack would have chosen the wrong way, and she would have died if he wasn't there.
It was great to see Steve Robinson and Jack grow closer together as they traveled through the Wayland and fought side by side, especially in the forest and up to Andos. I feel like Steve is Jack's second father figure (Wheeler being the first).
Overall, I loved this story and all the characters—except that horrible traitor, it was tragic with what he did to So-addan. Benny is still so fun and makes me laugh a lot.
Last thing, that cliffhanger is awfully terrible and I so wish Josiah and Sam Smith would have the third book out to end Jack's suffering.
Quotes I liked:
Jack hugged Wheeler. "I'm so glad to see you! I was so worried about you."
Wheeler grinned. "I believe that is my line, Jack."
"No matter what—even if you're just a pawn—you always protect your queen."
July 9, 2024
I'm not entirely sure what I think. I loved them returning and fighting together, but this book had much less of them all being together. I would have liked a little more realsution with Jacks struggle, but I know we'll get that in future books.
It was definitely sad Benny was not in this book more.
My biggest problems were they all gone from their family's for weeks on end but never mentioned them. It was like they didn't even care until the end. Major injuries were ignored. And most blaring in this book is everyone feels 2D next to Jack. None of the rest of them got fleshed out enough for you to care about them.
It was definitely sad Benny was not in this book more.
My biggest problems were they all gone from their family's for weeks on end but never mentioned them. It was like they didn't even care until the end. Major injuries were ignored. And most blaring in this book is everyone feels 2D next to Jack. None of the rest of them got fleshed out enough for you to care about them.
August 2, 2024
It's like The Green Ember meets Eragon meets...Dune? OK, maybe that's a stretch, but Jack Zulu is a fantastic High Middle Grade next step for those young readers who enjoyed the Green Ember series. Young J.C. Smith benefits from his more experienced co-writer in the way that we all wish Christopher Paolini had. I recommend this book for fantasy lovers 13 and older. My biggest critique is that characters seem to sustain major injuries without much impact on their physical abilities.
Content considerations include: wartime violence (swords and firearms) and death, Christian religious customs, mild romance.
Content considerations include: wartime violence (swords and firearms) and death, Christian religious customs, mild romance.
August 2, 2025
3.5⭐
I loved the plot, but Jack's indecision at literally THE WORST times left me talking to the audiobook out loud in my frustration 😂...Anyone else?
To be fair, though, there is some improvement on that in the last few scenes.
Michelle is so great. A true model of feminine strength, in my opinion.
Steve reminds me of my dad in all the best ways. Whenever I'm like "that's a little much, maybe chill out a bit Steve", I remember that that is exactly what my dad would do and realize it's probably wise. ☺️
Timmon's betrayal was completely unexpected to me, in a good plot-twisty way.😂
I loved the plot, but Jack's indecision at literally THE WORST times left me talking to the audiobook out loud in my frustration 😂...Anyone else?
To be fair, though, there is some improvement on that in the last few scenes.
Michelle is so great. A true model of feminine strength, in my opinion.
Steve reminds me of my dad in all the best ways. Whenever I'm like "that's a little much, maybe chill out a bit Steve", I remember that that is exactly what my dad would do and realize it's probably wise. ☺️
Timmon's betrayal was completely unexpected to me, in a good plot-twisty way.😂
January 8, 2025
We didn’t enjoy this one as much as we did the first but it was still a great book and good continuation of the first book. Themes of love for your people and the power of that love, wrestling with darkness, light overcoming the dark, friendship, identity, and loyalty. This series has been great to read with my 9 year old son!
January 14, 2026
An excellent sequel to the first Jack Zulu book! Though I really enjoyed the first book, I liked this one even more. I couldn't put it down. The characters are deep and so human that they leap out of the page. I also love the themes S. D. Smith and J. C. Smith explored, the new levels of depth, the world-building. The plot twists kept me on my toes. A good middle-grade fantasy!
July 1, 2024
The sequel to the first book did not disappoint. There were a few things I thought could have been fleshed out a little bit more, but overall it was really good. The Smiths continue to world build very well and the characters remain engaging.
July 15, 2024
Such an epic and deeply relevant sequel!
This story has captivated our beings as a family! Can't wait for the next part of this tale - we see so much of our own inner worlds in these characters.
This story has captivated our beings as a family! Can't wait for the next part of this tale - we see so much of our own inner worlds in these characters.
August 26, 2024
Another great story from the Smiths! My daughter recommended this and the first book to me and we absolutely loved them. Highly recommend!
January 14, 2025
I just can’t get into this series. It’s all right, but I zone out frequently. I was unprepared for the dive into the deep end of allegory.
August 26, 2025
Let me on a cliff at the end. :(
January 1, 2026
Really great, quick middle school read.
June 26, 2024
Perhaps Reading While Distracted is the culprit once again, but I just didn’t love this book like the first one. It was fine, there are still connections to draw to other stories and lovely things, but it felt a little muddled, like there was stuff added in that didn’t really get explained, but maybe that’s just the distraction.
One very noticeable thing is the amount of inner struggle that Jack goes thru in the course of the story. It felt very much like the author had a good grasp on what it means to be teenager and trying to figure out what life means and which path to follow. Even when the right way is obvious, it doesn’t mean it’s the easy choice. That seems like it will be a constant theme as the series continues.
One very noticeable thing is the amount of inner struggle that Jack goes thru in the course of the story. It felt very much like the author had a good grasp on what it means to be teenager and trying to figure out what life means and which path to follow. Even when the right way is obvious, it doesn’t mean it’s the easy choice. That seems like it will be a constant theme as the series continues.
June 18, 2024
Father-son duo S.D. and J.C. Smith are amazing together! They have put together a beautiful fantasy world reminiscent of Tolkien and Lewis, with roots in so much Christian truth. This second installment of the Jack Zulu trilogy builds on the beauty they created in the first book. I can't wait to see what happens next.
June 22, 2024
I thoroughly enjoyed this second book in the series. A quick and exciting read, with all kinds of good messages sprinkled throughout. Can't wait for the next book!
August 3, 2024
The kids give it a 5 stars review! We all loved reading this second book together! The scream at the end was “well… they better start writing more soon and fast!!!”
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