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Magic Doorways #3
Aster Wood and the Blackburn Son
Everything in Aster's world has fallen apart. The great sorcerer, Almara, has leapt to his death to protect Aster and Jade, leaving them lost and without a guide to the cosmos. Aster has won the Book of Leveling, but Jade is no longer able to resist the power of the Corentin. She has fallen into his trap, hungry for more of the malice and cruelty she secretly loves.
And hanging over Aster is Jade's own threat of murder.
Aster is alone again, unable to clear his mind of the loss of his best friend and her mentor father. But when he discovers the armies assembling to attack the cities in the Triaden, and sees how the children of the lands are being used to fuel the campaign, he is renewed in his resolve to set things right in the Fold. He must find his way back to the friends who will stand beside him in the great battles to come.
But when he finds Stonemore under a wicked enchantment, nothing is as he remembers. Now Aster must seek the great gold stone that Jade possesses, hoping that it will be enough to balance the Fold, and that his own magic will finally break through the fear of failure that has plagued him all along.
And hanging over Aster is Jade's own threat of murder.
Aster is alone again, unable to clear his mind of the loss of his best friend and her mentor father. But when he discovers the armies assembling to attack the cities in the Triaden, and sees how the children of the lands are being used to fuel the campaign, he is renewed in his resolve to set things right in the Fold. He must find his way back to the friends who will stand beside him in the great battles to come.
But when he finds Stonemore under a wicked enchantment, nothing is as he remembers. Now Aster must seek the great gold stone that Jade possesses, hoping that it will be enough to balance the Fold, and that his own magic will finally break through the fear of failure that has plagued him all along.
300 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 23, 2015
46 people are currently reading
192 people want to read
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J.B. Cantwell
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 17, 2016
This is a good fantasy series with interesting characters and varied sources and types of magic. It is enjoyable to read. I don't have any young children any more, but my daughter would have enjoyed it at the age of 10 to 12 and also as an adult, as she continues to read science fiction and fantasy. On the other hand, my son would have found it too lengthy and lost interest while complaining that it took too long to get to the action or to the next step in the quest. In some ways, I would have to agree with him. If your child seeks constant action this may not be for him/her. If your child appreciates a more detailed explanation and descriptions of the world and dilemmas faced by the characters, he/she will like it more. While a series set in fantasy and magic with some science fiction, it also has interesting moral issues that Aster faces and promotes positive responses while showing it's not always easy to know what is right and sometimes even harder to follow through when you are worn out and tired. Aster isn't always on his best behaviour but that doesn't require him to quit his job as the hero.
I obtained the first book for free through Bookbub, the 2nd I read on my own, and this, the 3rd in the series, I received for free from the author in signing up at her website. The first book in the series was well done. The 2nd one dragged a bit and felt somewhat repetitive. This, the 3rd story, picked up the pace again and ended with Aster continuing his quest, which takes him home. I plan on buying the next one in the series and continuing until the end. The worlds that Aster visits, the complexity of his search, the characters in the world, animal, mineral, and vegetable are well thought out.
Overall so far, I give the series a 3.5 for the 3 books thus far. I recommend it as being a worthwhile series for middle school children, but feel the length and the slow parts will make it difficult to keep many children of that age engaged in the story, while older children may feel the character is too young for them to be interested in. I am not the target audience, but I read a lot of books. This series has been one that I can put down when something more interesting crosses my Kindle, but I do go back after a break. I will keep reading more of the series.
I obtained the first book for free through Bookbub, the 2nd I read on my own, and this, the 3rd in the series, I received for free from the author in signing up at her website. The first book in the series was well done. The 2nd one dragged a bit and felt somewhat repetitive. This, the 3rd story, picked up the pace again and ended with Aster continuing his quest, which takes him home. I plan on buying the next one in the series and continuing until the end. The worlds that Aster visits, the complexity of his search, the characters in the world, animal, mineral, and vegetable are well thought out.
Overall so far, I give the series a 3.5 for the 3 books thus far. I recommend it as being a worthwhile series for middle school children, but feel the length and the slow parts will make it difficult to keep many children of that age engaged in the story, while older children may feel the character is too young for them to be interested in. I am not the target audience, but I read a lot of books. This series has been one that I can put down when something more interesting crosses my Kindle, but I do go back after a break. I will keep reading more of the series.
January 24, 2015
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
After the end of the previous book, when one of the characters was turned evil, we knew that Aster was going to spiral for a bit. And he does--the first few chapters are hard to read. I kept thinking that Aster badly needed a friend. Fortunately, he finds the other characters fairly soon. Somebody has enchanted the city of Stonemore, making all the people there laughing, singing members of a Disney movie--completely unable to defend against the army coming to wipe them out.
So Aster runs around, trying different things to save his friends and his sister. In this book, we learn more about the glowing white animals that have helped him before, and they're totally awesome. We also run into some more characters from book 1, as well as learning some surprising new twists about the Corentien.
All in all, a solid addition to the series, and leaves you wishing the next book was already out. :-)
After the end of the previous book, when one of the characters was turned evil, we knew that Aster was going to spiral for a bit. And he does--the first few chapters are hard to read. I kept thinking that Aster badly needed a friend. Fortunately, he finds the other characters fairly soon. Somebody has enchanted the city of Stonemore, making all the people there laughing, singing members of a Disney movie--completely unable to defend against the army coming to wipe them out.
So Aster runs around, trying different things to save his friends and his sister. In this book, we learn more about the glowing white animals that have helped him before, and they're totally awesome. We also run into some more characters from book 1, as well as learning some surprising new twists about the Corentien.
All in all, a solid addition to the series, and leaves you wishing the next book was already out. :-)
November 22, 2019
I loved the book because you can really see the book from the descriptions. You can tell how the main character feels in certain situations. Especially with all that happens he keeps persevering I love this book series. I suggest reading the first two books before this because it would be very confusing to jump in out of nowhere but it is an amazing book series. I would suggest this to people that like fiction and adventure.
April 2, 2015
Since stumbling onto the first book, I’ve been a big fan of the Aster Wood Series. I’ve read my share of series, and have found that, in most cases, I would’ve preferred the story be condensed to one full novel as often times there is just not enough oomf in the tale to justify book after book after book. This is not the case with Aster Wood. I really enjoyed the first book, loved the second and, surprisingly, loved the third even more.
Almara is gone, dead. Jade has turned to the dark side, now a mere puppet of the dreaded Corentin. And Aster? Aster is lost, depleted, sad, conflicted and suffering from guilt over his inability to save Jade. She is the sister he never had, and he feels like a coward for not putting up more of a fight for her. Now she was back in the Corentin’s clutches, and lusting after Aster’s blood. Aster has some decisions to make.
During the course of the story he meets up with old friends, and discovers new ones. We also have a new villain, and he is vile and disgusting.
What I liked about the book
I like that Aster is growing up into a brave young man. He is not the sickly child we got to know in the first book. With the help of the Watcher, he discovers and experiments with his power.
I was happy to see Larissa back as I enjoy her grating personality. I also found out there is more to her than I first thought. Kiron also returns in this book, recovering from being under a horrible ‘happy’ spell.
The flesh eating army under the command of the Coyle sent shivers down my spine. What exactly are they doing with the children and what part do they have to play in the war? Bait perhaps? Food for the army?
What I didn’t enjoy that much
As with the other two books in the series, there was nothing that niggled me. I loved the book as is.
Final thoughts
The way this one ended, I just cannot wait for the next one. Is Aster actually going to get a chance to go home? This is the reason I hate it when all the books in the series are not yet written!
This was an excellent third instalment of this series. I highly recommend it for children and adults alike.
STAR RATING: 5 Stars!
Will also be posted on my blog:
https://jackiegmills.wordpress.com/
Almara is gone, dead. Jade has turned to the dark side, now a mere puppet of the dreaded Corentin. And Aster? Aster is lost, depleted, sad, conflicted and suffering from guilt over his inability to save Jade. She is the sister he never had, and he feels like a coward for not putting up more of a fight for her. Now she was back in the Corentin’s clutches, and lusting after Aster’s blood. Aster has some decisions to make.
During the course of the story he meets up with old friends, and discovers new ones. We also have a new villain, and he is vile and disgusting.
What I liked about the book
I like that Aster is growing up into a brave young man. He is not the sickly child we got to know in the first book. With the help of the Watcher, he discovers and experiments with his power.
I was happy to see Larissa back as I enjoy her grating personality. I also found out there is more to her than I first thought. Kiron also returns in this book, recovering from being under a horrible ‘happy’ spell.
The flesh eating army under the command of the Coyle sent shivers down my spine. What exactly are they doing with the children and what part do they have to play in the war? Bait perhaps? Food for the army?
What I didn’t enjoy that much
As with the other two books in the series, there was nothing that niggled me. I loved the book as is.
Final thoughts
The way this one ended, I just cannot wait for the next one. Is Aster actually going to get a chance to go home? This is the reason I hate it when all the books in the series are not yet written!
This was an excellent third instalment of this series. I highly recommend it for children and adults alike.
STAR RATING: 5 Stars!
Will also be posted on my blog:
https://jackiegmills.wordpress.com/
July 17, 2016
I'm on my way to number 4, I loved number 3 and so will you
Aster kept us on our toes all through the book. Saving little Cait was awesome. I talked so much about books 1, 2, & 3 that my 11 year old granddaughter has now started reading book 1. I really look forward to reading # 4. What will he find back on earth. Will he return to fix the fold so all the planets will be repaired or will he stay on earth. It's a wait and see game and now I will get started.
Aster kept us on our toes all through the book. Saving little Cait was awesome. I talked so much about books 1, 2, & 3 that my 11 year old granddaughter has now started reading book 1. I really look forward to reading # 4. What will he find back on earth. Will he return to fix the fold so all the planets will be repaired or will he stay on earth. It's a wait and see game and now I will get started.
March 1, 2015
I have not read this series before and this is the first book I read. I think it is a great series and I will now have to check out the other books! This series is something I think my niece will enjoy and I will tell her about it. She is always looking for great books to read. * I received this advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review*
January 3, 2016
Jumping into a series in the middle isn't the best way to be introduced to a bunch of characters, but this book made me want to read the rest, which is pretty damn high praise! I fully intend to go back to this series in the future and find out how the characters end up.
October 18, 2015
It is exciting. I felt the frustartion and uncertainty while I was reading.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews