WOVEN – BLOG TOUR, BOOK RELEASE, and MY REVIEW!

OMG, my peoples! It’s finally out… Woven, the young adult fantasy novel co-authored by my friend David Powers King has FINALLY been released and I’m doing my part to spread the word! 🙂

At the end of the post, check out my review.

 

Book description from Goodreads:

WOVEN   by Michael Jensen and David Powers King, published by Scholastic.

Two unlikely allies must journey across a kingdom in the hopes of thwarting death itself. All his life, Nels has wanted to be a knight of the kingdom of Avërand. Tall and strong, and with a knack for helping those in need, the people of his sleepy little village have even taken to calling him the Knight of Cobblestown. But that was before Nels died, murdered outside his home by a mysterious figure. Now the young hero has awoken as a ghost, invisible to all around him save one person—his only hope for understanding what happened to him—the kingdom’s heir, Princess Tyra. At first the spoiled royal wants nothing to do with Nels, but as the mystery of his death unravels, the two find themselves linked by a secret, and an enemy who could be hiding behind any face. Nels and Tyra have no choice but to abscond from the castle, charting a hidden world of tangled magic and forlorn phantoms. They must seek out an ancient needle with the power to mend what has been torn, and they have to move fast. Because soon Nels will disappear forever.

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About the Authors:

Michael Jensen is a graduate of Brigham Young University’s prestigious music, dance, and theater program. Michael taught voice at BYU before establishing his own vocal instruction studio. In addition to being an imaginative storyteller, Michael is an accomplished composer and vocalist. He lives in Salt Lake City with his husband and their four dogs.

Photo credit: Michael Schoenfeld

Links:
Facebook
Goodreads
Woven Website
Woven Facebook Page
David Powers King was born in beautiful downtown Burbank, California where his love for film inspired him to become a writer. An avid fan of science fiction and fantasy, David also has a soft spot for zombies and the paranormal. He now lives in the mountain West with his wife and three children.

 

Photo credit: Katie Pyne Rasmussen
Links:
Facebook
Goodreads
Twitter
Blog

I received an advance copy of a second draft version of the manuscript to read. My review is based on this draft.

My Rating:     ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ / ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

 

           Nels, known where he lives as the ‘Knight of Cobblestown’, is always trying to lend a hand. His lifelong dream is to become a knight for the Kingdom of Avërand. After winning a wrestling match with the favored Knight of Avërand, Arek, the Princess refuses to hand over the ‘prize’–a kiss to the winner. When Nels is murdered by a mysterious stranger later that evening, it turns out that Princess Tyra is the only one that can see him. Yes, young Nels comes back as a ghost. Clearly there’s unfinished business that needs to be taken care of, and that includes finding out what exactly bonds these two young people together.

 

          I wasn’t too fond of Princess Tyra at first. She was too much of a spoiled brat for my taste, compared to Nels and his chivalrous and courageous nature. He pleads with her to help him until he has no choice but to follow her around and prank her (think Patrick Swayze and Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost) 😀 until she agrees. (Eventually she wins me over). They eventually join forces to find out exactly what happened to Nels and the evil force trying to unravel him. The quest includes searching for a magic needle that will help tie up loose ends from ties nearly severed years ago. There are many obstacles to overcome and battles to be fought.

 

          The world-building is phenomenal; there is even a map included to give the reader an idea of area locations. I love that the world and everyone in it are intertwined by a ‘Tapestry’, and that fate is sometimes changed by the choices made. Readers will notice many references to sewing in this book: thimbles, threads, weaving, seams, etc. The characters were well fleshed out and three-dimensional, with their own distinct personalities. The story flowed well, although it did lag slightly in the middle. I noticed no spelling or grammatical errors in this draft.

 

          If you like stories with ghosts, sorcerers, knights, magic, witches, and spells mixed with a healthy dose of adventure, action, fantasy, and a touch of romance, then I highly recommend this novel.