One Wizard Place - D.M. Paul

Title: One Wizard Place
Author: D.M. Paul
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 3/5
# pages: Audiobook ~6hrs
Date read: October 2015

It's time to right magic that has gone wrong. Young Justin Kasey Hobskin (known as Kase) and his faithful partner Murdox (who just happens to be a talking wolf-dog) are agents for the Incantation Enforcement Agency, Counter-Curse Division. In a world were magic and technology are intertwined; they have the unpleasant job of righting magic that has gone wrong. Following the completion of the difficult task of rousting some pesky nixies (wily little blue vermin), they learn that their next assignment involves saving an elf king who is slowly turning to stone after drinking a mystical afternoon tea. What begins as a typically quirky assignment turns out to be a quest that takes them to forbidden lands where they encounter magical beasts and unique challenges destined to test all their skills and intelligence.


A sweet and short story. There wasn't much to it, but I liked it well enough. In style it reminded me a lot of "The Last Dragonslayer" by Jasper Fforde, which isn't a bad thing at all.

I'd probably have liked it even more if I'd read it as a book-book instead of an audiobook, as I kept getting distracted (through no fault of the book) and probably missed details.

Penny Wise - Neta & Dave Jackson

Title: Penny Wise (Windy City Neighbors #3)
Author: Neta and Dave Jackson
Genre: Christian fiction
Rating: 3/5
# pages: 313
Date read: October, 2015

The Jaspers, busy with demanding jobs, busy with church, busy volunteering, parents of three active teenagers, juggling sometimes crazy schedules. All good things. Until all those "good things" feed into a series of crises that affects the whole family. Something's gotta change!


I think it's time for me to take a break from Neta Jackson. As much as I wanted to love this book, it just wasn't very good (compared to her usual standards, that is). First of all, it took AGES to get started. Secondly, I got increasingly frustrated by the main characters continuing to make bad decisions. Thirdly, Neta Jackson painted her clues with a far too heavy brush almost from the very start. And fourthly - and most importantly, as I could forgive this other sins otherwise - it just lacked the poignancy and spirituality (for want of better word) that I've come to love and expect from Neta Jackson's books.

I'll probably still read the last two books in this series eventually, but I think I'll return to some of her older books first, to get my head back on straight.