Vision Quest

The Demon's Apprentice #3

by Ben Reeder

Summer vacation isn’t all fun and hanging out when you’re a wizard-in-training. For partly reformed warlock Chance Fortunato, it’s even worse. In addition to the constant study and training, he has to prove he’s ready to be a full-fledged apprentice before he starts at the Franklin Academy. Plus, he’s beginning to think someone has it out for him. If things weren’t bad enough with a snooty proctor monitoring his every move and demons trying to capture him, his father finally makes his first attempt to get his wayward son back under his control by trying to frame his mom. When the old man proves just how far he is willing to go with tragic results, Chance must make a desperate sacrifice play to guarantee his freedom once and for all.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Audiobook, Demons, Young Adult, Classics, Supernatural

200 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 17, 2015

Reviews

[Steve Naylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating 4.0 stars

Still a very good series, but I didn't like it as much as the first two books. The main reason I had a problem with this story compared to the first 2 is that one could argue that everything he faced in this book was due to his own lack of action against his father and the demon who used to be his master. I never understood why the conclave never did anything to his father? He summoned a demon and sold his son into slavery. How could anybody get much worse than that, and yet they did nothing. We find out in this book that the conclave was going to kill his father citing that all the crimes that Chance committed were at his feet because he made it happen, he just needed to charge his father with a formal complaint, which chance didn't do. I can see why Chance didn't want to send the demon back to hell, because that would have broken the contract with Chance's father and he would then be free, and Chance wanted his father to suffer. Letting him do whatever he wanted until he dies though doesn't seem like a very good plan to make his father suffer. That's exactly what he was doing before Chance freed himself and his father was super happy. His father comes after him again in this book along with the demon. His mother gets locked up on trumped up charges brought about by his father who wants chance back in his custody. When Chance refuses, he blows up Lucas's house and kills his parents. Then Chance does what his father wants and moves back in with him? Chance should have dealt with his father long ago and then nothing would have happened to his mother or with Lucas's family. I am all for being noble but at a certain point you can't just turn the other cheek.

Chance also gets evaluated by a upper classman at his new school who turns out to be a stuck up jerk (at first). He also continues his wizard training. I am still waiting for things with him and Shade to progress, thou he did say the three magic words to her in this story. I wonder how everything is going to change for him and his friends when he actually makes it to the school? Still a good series

[Nicole Gozdek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dämonen, ein Vater, der aus der Hölle stammen könnte, und ein lästiger Oberschüler, der seine Fähigkeiten und seinen Charakter beurteilen soll, vermiesen dem 16-jährigen Chance, dem Helden dieser Dark Fantasy-Reihe für Jugendliche und junge Erwachsene, die Sommerferien. Dabei will er gar nicht auf die neue Schule für Zauberlehrlinge wechseln - und vor allem seinen Vater niemals wiedersehen, nachdem dieser ihn mit 7 Jahren als Sklaven an einen Dämonenfürsten verkauft und ihm erst vor neun Monaten die Flucht gelungen war. Tolle Voraussetzungen also ... für einen erneut sehr spannenden und düsteren Band aus Ben Reeders "The Demon's Aprentice"-Reihe, die es leider nur auf Englisch gibt.

Mir gefällt die Hauptfigur, denn Chance bietet eine interessante Mischung aus dunkler Vergangenheit und gutem Charakter. Seine Vergangenheit lässt ihn auch im 3. Band nicht los und auch seine persönlichen Probleme sind nicht so leicht überwunden, was die Geschichte glaubwürdig wirken lässt und dafür sorgt, dass man als Leser mit Chance mitfühlt und mitleidet. Man hofft einfach, dass er einmal seinem Namen alle Ehre macht und Glück in seinem Leben hat. Ob das in "Vision Quest" oder einem der Folgebände der Fall sein wird? Wir dürfen gespannt sein.

[Ptdog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chance is a dark hero. He and his friends are all carrying a lot of baggage. Trouble comes at him from all directions. I enjoy following his adventures mostly because he is misunderstood even by himself, is respected by all the wrong people, and has a supernatural ability to just deal with what the fates deal him. I'm looking forward to him attending the Academy and the mix of affections he'll find there. I'd like to see a heroic gay supporting friend.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got to this one after the 4th book and though it honestly felt like not a lot was missed this book is packed with large changes for Chance.

It also feels the most real some of the characters have been.

[Keith · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I liked the first two books of this series, I was not thrilled with this one. The new characters were two dimensional stereotypes, and the MC a pathetic wanker. I just don't care enough to finish the book. dnf@65%

[Suz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series was better than I expected it to be. First, I'm not usually fond of spending time in a teen's head, so a "well written" teen character is not enjoyable for me. I usually don't mind if I can forget the person's age which tends to mean they don't read like a teen. This series jumps over all those problems with the MC's backstory. So he doesn't read like a teen and that's believable, but he's still in real world teen situations and still often has the internal reactions of a teen even if his history gives him an unusual amount of chill in a crisis behaviorally. It's a bit like getting the best of both worlds.

This is a good series that I was sorry to see the end of and hope the author decides to return to it.

[Adena Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being the son of a crime boss is not fun. Being the defiant son of a crime boss is even less fun. The author paints a disturbingly bleak picture of parental abuse. I applaud Chance's cunning and acting chops; he really needed these to deal with daddy dearest. As difficult as circumstances and events prove to be for Chance and his friends, I appreciate the grit and determined hope that lies under everything that happens. This novel inspires me to be more hopeful about my life in general.

[Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complex and Well-Crafted

Amazingly, the action and plot increases from book two into book three. Life gets darker, more complex, and characters get tried in different ways. W're watching them all grow faster here, losing innocence but gaining strength. This is a great series, and look forward to each new book. Highly Recommended.

[Johnathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book makes no narative sense i can see chance thinking it's good idea to go to his father but how the he'll did any of the adult wizards let this happen this should have happened before book 2 that whould have made narative sense. also thier is no reason a lawyer canot represent a client for both a custody and a criminal case eith no evidence.

[Kieran Double · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's not much that I can say about this book apart from that it is of the same quality as the previous instalments. It's a bit on the short side, though.

[Rodger Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

YAY bad dad gets the axe YAY!

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this series.

[Raymond Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read.

I’m thrilled to be in Cbance’s world again. The fourth book in the series is high on my list to read next. Keep up the good work.

[Slate R. Raven · Rating 5 out of 5]

As soon as it hit my device I devoured it, I’ve got my pre-order in for the next in the series. This is entertaining urban fiction!

[Ronie Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Coin well spent

[Chris Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

No Dresden analogy for this one, just emphasizing how F***ed up his father is. Yikes.

[Scottie Pouliot · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really hoped Lucas’s parents didn’t actually die. I was so shocked Chance ended back up at his father’s. Just rip our heart out?

[Richard Kendrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this series, I like these characters, and I enjoyed this book. Like the other books in the series, this one was a page turner.

That said, I have to rant a little about the villain. One of my pet peeves with regard to villains are the ones that act with seeming impunity despite being nothing but a man. A man is not immortal, and in this case, definitely isn’t untouchable. A man can be shot in the face and all of his evil schemes and threats simply fall apart. On occasion, a writer will let the hero shoot the villain in the face, which can be deeply satisfying. But more often, the writer protects the villain with copious amounts of plot armor. And that’s what happened with Stavros Fortunato. I don’t understand why Chance didn’t reveal all the scars on his body in book one, because any reasonable case worker with Child Protective Services would have to consider that evidence of massive amounts of child abuse. By rights, that ought to put Stavros behind bars, but, at very least, it should put any custody considerations to rest permanently. I recognize that there was a certain amount of hand waving to explain why the council hadn’t hunted down and killed Stavros, but frankly it doesn’t hold water. The council put Chance through an absurd ordeal despite being sold to a demon at age 7. They fully intended to kill him. But they’re willing to ignore the man who summoned the demon and sold his son to it? Who actively does evil things on the regular? Not buying it. And ultimately, once Chance decided to take the fight to his father, he and two allies were enough to utterly destroy his father’s forces.

Like I said, I enjoyed this book. But the plot basically made no sense. This villain should have been squashed two or three times over before the book even started. And he certainly shouldn’t have ever had the freedom and leverage to do as much damage as he did in this book.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

i did not like 2 things, the first one, after he says he does not believe in therapy and stuff, he then accepts being in therapy with the camion girl, second, too much sexual tension, what the hell Ben? you need some? it is sexy and all but put an end to it, all that nonsense is getting under my skin, they either fuck or dont, but dont make the whole "i wan to but i wont for whatever reason" it gets old fast, even faster after the sort of promise he makes at the end of book 2, and if they did seal the deal, why then keep all that "hotness"? i do like that the scenes are hot, in a good way, but as i said, it gets old fast.

The status of the father is left in the air, i dont know what happened to him in the end, not exactly.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chance is underwhelmed when he meets the young, spoiled Mage responsible for assessing his readiness for the prestigious Franklin Academy, a school for the magically inclined.

His summer goes from bad to worse when his mother is arrested for dealing mescaline--part of a nefarious ploy by Chance's evil father to regain control of his son's talents.

Chance is still a flawed, teenager with a big heart and relentless drive to right wrongs. While not as engrossing as the previous two installments, it is still an enjoyable ride. His werewolf girlfriend, Shade, best friend, Lucas, and homicidal little sister, Dee are back. Highly recommend this series and can't wait to see what happens next.

[Kellie Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keep them coming!

I'm totally invested in the characters, seeing them develop is fun. I especially like the trips to the underground and the hive. Some refresher would be nice in a prologue maybe, the story just takes off and it's hard to remember all the details , like " the Hands of Death" and their importance with the sword. It seems like I waited for this book "forever" but not really. I will definitely continue to follow.

[Amy Parrish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worthy scion of a great series

I love this series. The magic and its requirements are believable as are Chance and his friends. Mr. Reeder has laid the foundation for a series with staying power. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a good urban fantasy.

[Griffon Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good one

It's nice to have a young hero who not perpetually doing the why me wine.
Greet charters, though to little of Shade. A few answered questions and the greater story arch chalked out.

[Bill Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another nice installment in the Chance Fortunato line. I really enjoy the background for this set of novels and am already looking for the next one. I assume the next one will be less huge action and more about his conflicts in his new surroundings

[Chrysanthos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad but it felt more like a short story than a complete novel. I believe that the whole plot could have easily fit in a 20 page story.

[april lessig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series!

Great story line, well developed characters.. love the interaction between Chance and his friends. Keep writing as I can't wait for the next one.