Round and Round

by Jordan Morris

Everyone thinks high school is hell. Students in the town of Tartarus might actually be right. Mythical mortals once lived at the whim of the gods. A hundred generations later, little has changed. Bastian Vandenberg’s fate as a fifteen year-old is still governed by godlike elders. He finds himself powerless over his feelings for Dora Peterson and Evie Smith. And his uncontrollable best friend Noah is going to get him stuck in detention (if not a youth detention centre.) Round and Round is the story of four students grasping at control of their destinies and trying to break free of their tragic flaws. They uncover a mystery that begins with the disappearance of the school’s most gifted pupils, and goes all the way up to the principal and the head of the school board. At which point, four teenage mortals take up the task of bringing down the gods.

ebook

First published September 11, 2011

About the author

Jordan Morris is a high school teacher and librarian. His students wanted a good novel to read. He wrote Round and Round. Jordan won the 2005 A.C.T. Writers Centre Young & Emerging Writer Mentorship with Jackie French, who taught him everything he knows about writing (and everything he didn't know about writing.) A quarterfinalist in the 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Competition, Jordan has been published in the occasional magazine and anthology, and wrote the sold-out Noir Revue for the Spiegeltent in the Old Parliament House rose gardens for Canberra's Centenary. In a previous life he ran a boutique hotel for writers and artists. He hopes that in at least one other past life he was a dinosaur.

Reviews

[Teagan (Chaoteac) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! Just amazing!

[Arianne The Bookworm on the Loose · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first I thought I was going to read a book similar to Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series. Boy, I was so wrong. This isn't your any other ordinary book that re-tells a story. Round and Round is larger than life. This masterpiece by new author Jordan Morris is very unique in its own way.

In this book, I was able to meet the reincarnations of famous characters such as Evander - the hero of Arcadia, Eve, the temptress wife of Adam, Pandora of the mythical Pandora's box, and Noah, the man who built The Arc. Four different people whose fates never collided with each other. But close to a hundred thousand years later, these historical characters' lives have changed when they were reincarnated.

The reincarnated souls can be found at present time in Waratah High School. Bastian, or Sebastian Vanderberg, a simple guy who follows school rules and falls helplessly in love with Dora Peterson and Evie Smith. Ironically, Dora and Evie are bestfriends, but both have different personalities. Dora always has been curious about the things and people around her. While Evie does her best to persuade her friends and classmates to take things into action. Noah, Bastian's bestfriend, on the other hand, always has inventions and tricks up to his sleeves, causing everyone to throw blame at him in every possibility.

Waratah High School is the setting of the story where all things are happening. On the first day of the new school year alone, someone pushes a girl down the stairs. There's also the news about the disappearance of the school's most intelligent and talented students. It is up to Bastian, Noah, Evie and Dora to uncover the mystery surrounding the school, because they cannot trust or count on Principal Desmond Hay to cooperate. Will they ever find out who is behind all these?

Round and Round has been written so well that I found myself reading up until the wee hours of the morning. I liked the book a lot because it has a strong plot and quick pace. The character descriptions were detailed, the personalities were developed as the story progressed. The introduction of the storylines were carefully thought of and the revelation in the end was not rushed. That said, I highly to recommend this book not just to students but as well as to adults or parents who want to better understand their offsprings.

[Genevieve Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Should have read it a decade ago when the author told me to

[Claire - The Coffeeholic Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are four strong personalities from Waratah High school who aren't your typical High School students. Whether they are together as a team or as duos, expect the unexpected. This foursome happens to be the reincarnations of four beloved and talked-about people from the ancient times. With characters that can be traced from Eve (of the Garden of Eden), Pandora (and her infamous box), Noah (of the biblical Noah's Ark) and Evander (the founder of Rome). Now these great personalities still bring chaos and power to the world of today, through the bodies of Sebastian, Evie, Noah and Dora. One day, weird things start to happen in their school: there's this girl who was pushed down a flight of stairs and there was also a suicide attempt. Strange, right? Well, so far, I was captivated by the story from start to finish, the foursome unknowingly uncovering secrets that even the highest in authority wouldn't want them to know. This is a highly recommended back-to-school read!