REVIEW:Bianca: Journey to Ryuugito (Princess Bianca Series, #2) by Meg Welch Dendler

 Princess Bianca the Brave and Percy the Merciful have settled into a comfortable life together as Bianca steps out of her sheltered, over-protected past. But a handsome visitor from a distant kingdom disturbs their peace. A rare dragon egg has been discovered, and it will hatch in a matter of days. Can Percy and

Bianca keep the new dragonet from pillaging the kingdom of Ryuugito? And are they truly prepared for the journey to reach this egg and the dangers waiting for them along the way? With Percy by her side, Bianca will have to prove she is as brave and fearless as her kingdom now believes her to be.

This is the sequel to "Bianca: The Brave Frail and Delicate Princess."

                                                                             

This was a great sequel to the first novel where u first get to know Bianca. Shes so cute yet strong and this second novel takes you on a whole new journey with her.

It is filled with clean adventure. We have dragons, unicorns, faeries, a water sprite, flutterpurrs (how cute a name is that?)…

Bianca has earned some independence from her father. She is still new to being out of the castle, so she doesn’t know all the ins and outs of social interaction, especially when it comes to royalty. After all, who wants to sit at dinner and not be able to talk at all, to tell of her last adventure in Book I? She is 14 and wants to share. She has questions that, the only way she will get answers to, is to be able to ask them?

Well, all that and I haven’t even looked at my notes.

Ooooo, we have a baby dragon. Princess Bianca the Brave and Percy the Merciful will be put to the test when a handsome visitor makes an appearance. He is requesting their assistance with a dragon egg in a far off kingdom. So over the mountain and through the woods they will go.

4 Stars

                                                    

                                                                 

Meg Dendler has considered herself a writer since she won a picture book contest in 5th grade and entertained her classmates with ongoing sequels for the rest of the year. Beginning serious work as a freelancer in the '90s while teaching elementary and middle school, Meg has over one hundred articles in print, including interviews with Kirk Douglas, Sylvester Stallone, and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. She has won contests with her short stories and poetry, along with multiple international awards for her best-selling "Cats in the Mirror" alien rescue cat children's book series. Meg also works with independent and self-publishing authors to polish their manuscripts for publication.

Meg and her family live in NW Arkansas. Visit her at www.megdendler.com for more information about upcoming books and events and all of Meg's social media links.

REVIEW: Jestin Kase and the Masters of Dragon Metal By J. Michael White

 Award-winning journalist pivots to urban fantasy action-adventure stories with hints of social commentary 

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – In his fiction debut, award-winning journalist J. Michael White draws on his experience as a reporter to develop the world of his new urban fantasy novel, “Jestin Kase and the Masters of Dragon Metal” (May 3, 2022, Teer Publishing).

Mankind lost the battle for its soul without knowing. Evil won. And no Chosen Ones are coming to the rescue.

Enter Jestin Kase, a foster kid on the run in Chicago. He finds himself drawn into the underbelly of civilization, where the Three Great Schools of Magic are crippled by their own corruption and unable to push back against the Great Dark. Monsters from Babylonian myth, demons, and the enthralled thrive beneath the notice of everyone. Only one force of good remains: an ancient magic called Dragon Metal. And Jestin is determined to learn its secrets.

But how much of a difference can one person make in a world that’s already fallen?

There’s no fate.

No destiny.

Only Metal. And those brave enough to wield it.

review

A fantasy novel that is equal parts magical and grounded allows those who read it to really connect to this new universe and its characters. Following Jestin on his journey through life and in his discovery of new magic draws you in and doesn't let go as action and adventure pick up. Looking forward to following Jestin on many more quests in the future!

The world building was great and I appreciated the symbolism. It's almost like an allegory. The book takes place in our world in contemporary Chicago. In the book, the battle of good versus evil is over and evil won and no chosen ones are coming to the rescue. It sure feels that way with current events the way they are. Jestin's story manages to offer a sense of hope and inspiration with a powerful message that should hopefully resonate with teens and young adults. It's an empowering story.

The sarcastic humor kept me turning the pages of this multiple POV fantasy, but I would have liked a little more world-building early on. There were some intense action sequences right away with enough details to orient myself, and then some flashbacks to get Jestin’s backstory, but at the 20% mark I still didn’t have a clear idea what this story was about other than Gideon is going to train Jestin to fight demons, thralls and the Great Dark. After that point, the conflicts and intrigues developed a little more and I was hooked. Lots of great action and fun humor, but the plot details felt a little abrupt and disjointed at times.

Overall, this was a really funny, entertaining read that kept my interest.

And I loved Jestin’s incredible cat.

4 stars

J. MICHAEL WHITE: J. Michael White is an award-winning journalist and author of young adult urban fantasy action-adventure stories. His career as a newspaper reporter gave him deep glimpses into the challenges of the world, from the struggles of foster care to the tragedies of murder and war. His fiction often reflects these experiences. Instead of setting his stories in alternate, dystopian futures, he looks at the dystopia of the world we live in today, through the lens of urban fantasy and adventure, with a little dark humor. Like all responsible adults, he spends his time playing video games, reading books, and watching cartoons.

Follow J. Michael White on social media: 

 Twitter: @JMichael_White | Instagram: @thejmichaelwhite | TikTok: @the_jmichaelwhite

In an interview, J. Michael White can discuss:

• His background as a journalist and the process of pivoting to fiction writing 

• His choice to highlight the dystopia of the world we live in today instead of creating a traditional dystopian future. 

• His choice to make his main character a foster child as an entry point into a larger conversation about the foster care system

• The spiritual and religious undertones of his book and why he chose to incorporate that in his writing

• His main character Jestin Kase being a part of the LGBTQ community and why the way he is portrayed is important

An Interview with

J. Michael White

1. How did you develop the character of Jestin? Why did you give him the background of a foster kid? 

I wanted a humorous, sarcastic, likeable teenager to balance the bleak background of the story. I also wanted to use Jestin as a vehicle to highlight the problems with the foster care system (my original idea for Jestin was “Oliver Twist but with demons”). Further, as a member of the LGBT community myself, I wanted the same for Jestin, but without making the story about his sexuality, something I don’t see often with LGBT representation. 

2. Why did you set the book in Chicago?

I grew up in northwest Indiana, which is more a part of Chicago than the Hoosier state, and I’ve always loved the character of the city. It was important for me to set the story in a Midwestern city, because I wanted the story to take place in the heartland, the heart of the country. 

3. How did you develop the idea of the Three Great Schools of Magic?

The Three Great Schools of Magic represent the state of spirituality in our world today. There are people who pervert and twist religion for greed and selfish purposes, to spread hate and to amass power. This is what the Three Great Schools represent.

4. You have a background in journalism -- where your job is to report on reality. Was it difficult to shift your writing focus to fiction / urban fantasy? How did you go about this? 

I’ve written fiction stories for my own enjoyment since I was in grade school, so the shift from journalism to fiction was pretty simple. If anything, my newspaper writing skills helped craft my fiction writing style. Also, I’ve seen some crazy things in this real world of ours, and that’s helped me build my fictional characters’ backgrounds. 

5. This is your first novel -- what inspired you to write it now?

I’ve wanted to write a book for years; I actually left the newspaper business to free up my creativity to focus on fiction. But I still never found the time to write--until the pandemic. Like many people, I’ve been working from home since COVID, and without a morning or evening commute, I have up to a couple hours of extra free time a day that I use for writing. 

6. You make a distinction between traditional dystopian futures and the worlds you create in your writing. Can you explain what this is and why you chose this approach?

I wanted to highlight the dystopia of the world we live in today instead of creating a traditional, make-believe dystopian future. Look at the state of things in our world: class warfare, poverty, sickness, corruption, homelessness, division--one could argue we’re already living in a “dystopian future” in the real world of today.