A Midsummer's Party: A Tale of the School of Spells & War

by Morgon Newquist

The Formless are roving the land, unleashing untold havoc. But today, Alis must deal with a bigger problem. It's Cahan's birthday, and she's figured out the perfect gift for him. But it means breaking the rules. The things she does for her friends...

34 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 18, 2016

About the author

Morgon Newquist started life by causing an international incident in Central America, and has been marching to the beat of her own drummer ever since. She grew up in the Rocket City - Huntsville, Alabama. After a stint at the University of Georgia to study Latin, she has returned to the place of her upbringing where she wrangles two dogs, a cat, and four children daily.

She is an avid fan of fantasy, science fiction, gaming of all types and other nerdy pursuits.

Her current focus is an ongoing saga of sword and sorcery short stories called The School of Spells and War. The first novella, Down The Dragon Hole, is highly rated and continues to introduce many new fans to the series.

Morgon has worked as a freelance writer off and on since 2007, and written for video game mythologies, table top RpGs, online game guides, and blogs as well as her own short works. She has several published short stories and is currently working on several novels.

Reviews

[Debbie Eyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great second book! Well written it is a great addition to this series and is a fun read filled with adventure. I love Alis and Cahan and their interactions and am looking forward to reading the next book!

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is part two one of the shorter “books” of the Tale Of The Schools Of Spells And War Saga”.

It is Cahan’s birthday and Alis was just informed of this by some of his warrior friends. She is a bit ashamed that despite spending time with him since the dragon incident she wasn’t aware of this.

Interactions with people is not Alis’s strong suit, but she did enjoy spending time with Cahan even if he does tease her about her surliness at times. She decided to get him a gift that would be meaningful to him. She enlisted the aid of some of his friends to help her pull off the heist from the records room.

We get more insight into Alis’s sad past and how she is learning to deal with new ways of seeing people and herself.

While this story was sweet you could actually skip it and not miss much in the “saga”. It is about 2 chapters worth of a story. I kept it as a 4 star rating but with the shortness of it I feel its more of a 3 star rating. If you hadn’t read Down The Dragon Hole prior to this you may not understand some of Alis’s backstory and her waspishness in general.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[The Mysterious Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Morgon Newquist’s Tales of The School of Spells & War Are a wonderful and highly addictive set of books. I binged read through them ever since read book 1, Down the Dragon Hole and certainly book 2, A Midsummer's Party matched it in quality and fun. Once again a tale of old fashioned sword-and-sorcery adventure plus loads of fun, with two stars, warrior Cahan and wizard Alis, who are a joy to tagalong with. But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises - the book (and series) definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the book is most definitely one to read, it is easy to highly recommend. Ditto for the series as a whole.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its Cahan’s birthday and Alis has been invited to attend his party. Unaware of his birth date, Alis has no gift and must come up with a gift. We get to see how the pair is getting to know each other and the care they have toward one another in this delightful step away from the danger we most often see them encountering. I enjoyed this foray into Alis’s rule breaking. Alis would never have done such a thing for herself. Nor would she have attended the party even though invited. But this was for Cahan. Is something developing here?

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sheila Gabler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very quick read but gives a lot more insight into the person Alis will become and what Cahan is starting to mean to her. There is not a lot of action in this story but it is a deeper look into the personal and working relationships that are developing between them. It also introduced some of the other characters from the school that I hope to see in future stories.

[Katie Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You’ve faced down a dragon. People are nothing compared to that.”

It was short, sweet, and to the point. There is some awesome magic and trickery in here.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Karen Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have enjoyed the many stories from 'A Tale of The School of Spells and War' from the author. Some could be longer. It would be nice to be able to read more and maybe into a longer story, altogether.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

she has so many problems and the new one is to find a present for her friend. she has found it but she will have to break the rules to get it. can she do it without getting caught? see what will happen

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Barb VanderWel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this & I can't wait for more.
I will be also leaving a review on Goodreads @ Amazon.
And letting everyone know about it.
So i gave it a 5 Stars.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, this narrative featuring Alis is both cute and quirky. In this story, Alis displays a sweet uncertain sort of vulnerability that is not a part of her usual demeanor, but is fitting to her overall character. Mrs. Newquist has done a wonderful job of reading people, so to speak, as she has made her characters well rounded, realistic, and each (including the new friends) has their own suitable personality. Morgon also has a flair for back story. There are so many loose threads that could be tugged on to release a new back story at any moment - more than enough to keep her readers intrigued. A good read; looking forward to rereading this short story!