I read this series as a participant in the Mother/Daughter Book Reviews. I was given a copy of each text in exchange for my honest review.
Book #1
Paperback, 197 pages
Published October 17th 2012 by Seven Guns Press (first published October 10th 2012
ISBN: 0988425904 (ISBN13: 9780988425903)
series: The Templar Chronicles #1
Orphan Jack Templar has no memory of his parents and only the smallest details from his Aunt Sophie about how they died. The day before Jack's fourteenth birthday, things start to change for him. At first it's great: A sudden new strength helps him defend his nose-picking friend "T-Rex" from the school bully, and even his crush, Cindy Adams, takes notice. But then a mysterious girl named Eva arrives and tells him two facts that will change his life forever. First, that he's the descendant of a long line of monster hunters and he's destined to be in the family business. Second, that there's a truce between man and monster that children are off-limits...until their fourteenth birthday! Jack has only one day before hundreds of monsters will descend on his little town of Sunnyvale and try to kill him.
As if that weren't enough, things get even more complicated when Jack discovers that the Lord of the Creach (as the monsters are collectively known) holds a personal grudge against him and will do anything to see that Jack has a slow and painful death. To stay alive and save his friends, Jack will have to battle werewolves, vampires, harpies, trolls, zombies and more. But perhaps the most dangerous thing he must face is the truth about his past. Why do the other hunters call him the last Templar? Why do they whisper that he may be the "One?" Why do the monsters want him dead so badly? Even as these questions plague him, he quickly discovers survival is his new full-time job and that in the world of monster hunters, nothing is really what it seems.
LLB Likes:
- The content is brilliantly targeted for middle grade reluctant readers and avid readers, alike.
- Jack is a personable character, as are his friends and his soon to be instructor at Monster Hunter Academy.
- The descriptive detail and action packed events that occur right away and frequently throughout the book.
LLB Dislikes:
- uh...having a hard time here.
- ?
- Not sure I have any...
Book #2
Paperback, 375 pages
Published April 3rd 2013 by Seven Guns Press (first published March 25th 2013)
ISBN: 9798842594 (ISBN13: 9780988425941)
series: The Templar Chronicles #2
After barely surviving the onslaught of monsters that tried to kill him the day before his fourteenth birthday, Jack Templar leaves his hometown on a quest to rescue his father and discover the truth about his past. Joined by his friends Will and T-Rex, and led by Eva, the mysterious one-handed monster hunter, Jack sets out for the Monster Hunter Academy where he hopes to find answers to his questions. Little does he suspect that the Academy is filled with dangers of its own, many of them more terrifying than anything he’s faced so far.
LLB Likes:
- The details. Like J.K. Rowling, Gunhus has a very vivid imagination and he paints an amazing picture of the setting; what it looks like, how it feels, even what it smells like.
- Jack's self discovery and abilities to survive.
- Eva...what's not to love about this tough heroine?
LLB Dislikes:
- Daniel...enough said.
Paperback, 360 pages
Published October 1st 2013 by Seven Guns Press (first published September 28th 2013)
ISBN: 098994610X (ISBN13: 9780989946100)
series: The Templar Chronicles #3
After fighting a goblin army, befriending an ancient werewolf, and battling two fire breathing dragons during his adventures at the Monster Hunter Academy, Jack Templar hoped for a rest. No such luck.
In this third adventure of the Jack Templar Monster Hunter series, Jack embarks on a quest to track down and acquire the first of five mythical Jerusalem Stones, an ancient power source found by his ancestors, the Templar Knights. Only the reunited Stones can stop Ren Lucre, the Dark Lord who holds Jack’s father hostage and prepares for an all-out war against an unsuspecting human world.
A different Creach Lord holds each Stone, and recovering them will not be easy. Jack and his friends begin their quest by seeking out a powerful and terrifying adversary, the Lord of the Vampires. The fate of the world rests on Jack’s shoulders and he will be tested like never before.
Join Jack Templar on his most dangerous journey yet, but remember that doing so makes you part of his world. Read this book only if you are prepared to battle the Creach and live by the monster hunter motto. Because to survive, you must...
Do your duty, come what may!
LLB Review: I have yet to complete this story and feel it is unfair to base my opinions on an unfinished book, so be looking for my review soon on Goodreads.
Grayson Smith was born in Alberta, but attended a boarding school in Germany for 11 years. After high school, he attended SFU, where he obtained a degree in Criminology and met his beautiful wife, Linda. Throughout university, Grayson wrote stories when he should have been paying attention in class. After completing his degree, he became a police officer, and still enjoys that job thoroughly. As of 2012, Grayson gets to re-envision the world through the eyes of his baby son, Josiah. Writing is a wonderful way for Grayson to express the silliness and vagary that simmers beneath his well-practiced outer layer of respectability and professionalism.
Alana Kyle was born and raised in the Lower Mainland. As a small child, she was sweet, quiet, and frequently lost inside her own head. Ever since she was young, she was motivated by her love of artistic creativity and attention to detail, and remains captivated by storybooks and imagination. Alana attended and graduated from Emily Carr University of Art + Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, and also obtained a three-year diploma of Illustration and Design from Capilano University. She works as an illustrator and graphic designer, and lives in Coquitlam.
