⋙ [PDF] Aster Wood and the Lost Maps of Almara Book 1 edition by J B Cantwell Children eBooks

Aster Wood and the Lost Maps of Almara Book 1 edition by J B Cantwell Children eBooks

Download As PDF : Aster Wood and the Lost Maps of Almara Book 1 edition by J B Cantwell Children eBooks

Aster Wood and the Lost Maps of Almara Book 1 edition by J B Cantwell Children eBooks

I bought this book to read with my young daughter. I’m not sure what I expected, perhaps something more juvenile and silly. What I found was a little treasure of a book. Aster is a young boy who, very reluctantly, goes to visit his Grandmother. He’s a sickly lad who struggles with self-esteem issues and how to relate to his peers. While visiting his grandmother, he stumbles upon another world. A world in which he is different, a world where he stands out, a world that holds close and mysterious ties to his family.

What I liked about the book

I can’t possibly list all the things I liked about the book. Wonderful imagination coupled with great writing makes this middle grade novel a real gem. Aster is a likeable character that you quickly grow fond of. Kiron is complicated, moody, sometimes dark and sometimes funny. The story progresses at a fast pace, introducing new characters and events with ease and skill.

What I didn’t enjoy that much

There wasn’t really anything that niggled me, however my daughter made it very clear that she didn’t like it when Kiron killed the chickens (because she likes chickens).

Final thoughts

I loved this book and have already bought the second one in the series. I will keep an eye out for more of this author’s work.


Tags : Aster Wood and the Lost Maps of Almara (Book 1) - Kindle edition by J. B. Cantwell. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Aster Wood and the Lost Maps of Almara (Book 1).,ebook,J. B. Cantwell,Aster Wood and the Lost Maps of Almara (Book 1),J. B. Cantwell,Juvenile Fiction Action & Adventure General,Juvenile Fiction Fantasy & Magic

Aster Wood and the Lost Maps of Almara Book 1 edition by J B Cantwell Children eBooks Reviews

I found this book to be an interesting story, but I also found some problems with it. I felt that there were combating sections that it seemed it was geared for kids.. and then geared for adults in others. Maybe it's meant on a teen level, but either way - it seemed to be a bit jumpy on it's "feel".

I found the storytelling both compelling and then quite derivative at the same time. Something would happen and I would pull into it really well..but it would not really be fleshed out .. and just solved quickly .. There was certainly a moment near the middle of the story I just got lost.. everything set up was lost and change after change occurred .. It just felt off a bit. It almost felt like the story could have ended .. and a part two began.

Something else that is glaringly obvious is that it is a serial writing. I think the story in itself could lend itself real well to a TV series. Each part was very episodic and the ending is much like a season one cliffhanger.

There also were a bunch of errors in the text that I just didn't expect as long as I have seen this out.. I would have expected many of these to be caught and corrected. I read Arcs with much less mistakes in them.
I did enjoy this book. I liked Aster as a main character, and the story world is unique. The concept of the Fold and the way they traveled through links seemed a bit like the tessering in A Wrinkle in Time. I thought making the setting on Earth somewhat futuristic and dystopian while having Aster move into a fantasy world was original. And his series of adventures would definitely appeal to this age group.

On of the issues I had, though, was the jumpiness of the story--yes, I get that he is literally jumping from place to place, but the way the plot flowed, it felt like it wasn't really heading in a direction, at least until the end. Also, there was a lot of information dumped on Aster by other characters. The whole, "Wait you don't know that? Let me explain...." got a little tiring. Lastly, there was something too adult about the voice at times. Aster is an unusual child, not allowed to experience life the way other kids do because of his illness (which, btw--don't want to give spoilers, but the way the author handled this was very cool), but too often in the book it felt like the story was being told by an adult.

I would definitely read the next book in the series, because the ending picked up for me, and I would hope there would be less explaining since so much has been set up already in this one. And again, I think this would appeal to the target audience, even with the occasional stiffness in the writing. There's just so much action, and adventure through different lands, and Aster is the kind of kid you want to root for.
The book was great up until the "non-ending". This is NOT a stand alone read because it just quits. I assume it picks up from that point at the start of the next book. I hate it when authors do this. It feels like a form of blackmail to make me purchase the next book. This didn't even leave you with a cliff hanger; it just quit with no warning or explanation.
My 8 yr old son and I loved this book and have happily bought all the books in the series. I thought my son might be frightened by the mostly unseen bad guy but he wasn't. The bad guy manifests through characters in the book in "possessions" so that can be a little creepy but he handled it fine. So, if you are wondering, it is a kid-friendly book. There was no sex and no cursing in the book, just strong story telling and good drama and a little violent conflict. Excellent character development. I'd love any comments by readers or the author about similar books that he can read. He reads on an adult level but doesn't need adult content at all. You will love the Aster Wood series! Wish there were many more books like these! [Edit My son tells me there may be "damm*t" and "b*tard" used in the series in extreme situations but so infrequently that I didn't remember them when I wrote the review. Definitely no "curses" used as filler or in conversation. I just finished the 5th book and saw the above-mentioned "b" word used in an extreme situation one time and no other kid-unfriendly words in 5th book.]
I bought this book to read with my young daughter. I’m not sure what I expected, perhaps something more juvenile and silly. What I found was a little treasure of a book. Aster is a young boy who, very reluctantly, goes to visit his Grandmother. He’s a sickly lad who struggles with self-esteem issues and how to relate to his peers. While visiting his grandmother, he stumbles upon another world. A world in which he is different, a world where he stands out, a world that holds close and mysterious ties to his family.

What I liked about the book

I can’t possibly list all the things I liked about the book. Wonderful imagination coupled with great writing makes this middle grade novel a real gem. Aster is a likeable character that you quickly grow fond of. Kiron is complicated, moody, sometimes dark and sometimes funny. The story progresses at a fast pace, introducing new characters and events with ease and skill.

What I didn’t enjoy that much

There wasn’t really anything that niggled me, however my daughter made it very clear that she didn’t like it when Kiron killed the chickens (because she likes chickens).

Final thoughts

I loved this book and have already bought the second one in the series. I will keep an eye out for more of this author’s work.