Guide to categories: YA Review – review of books for teens

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About the Book

Book: Ragabones

Author: Daniel Tweddell

Genre: Fantasy YA

Release Date: June 27, 2023

As if Josh having his memory stolen by an over-protective mother wasn’t enough, his older brother, Pete, wins every trophy and never lets him forget it. And oh yeah, Mom’s an ex-god of the underworld, so it’s no surprise their family has enemies.

Maybe that’s why Dad’s missing. Maybe that’s why ragged scars crisscross Josh’s throat. It’s definitely why Josh accidentally sprung the trap – the one that opened a portal and released the demon who now hunts them.

Turns out there’s another world; one with castles and dragons, and prisons that dangle into hell. That’s the world where Josh and Pete find Dad turned to stone, the world with entire cities enslaved by the demon. As the brothers race to undo Josh’s colossal mistake, Josh’s mysterious past comes to light, and Josh must choose between the fate of the world and the lives of his family.

Click here to get your copy!

My YA Review

Tweddell, Daniel. Ragabones. 2023.

Tweddell includes many aspects of epic fantasy – mythical creatures, wizards, witches, magic, good vs. evil, a quest, and more. There are even some elements that reminded me of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Unfortunately, I had a very hard time following the plot. There is a lot of scene jumping and I had a hard time keeping track. There are also references to a character being god and other references that feel more occultic to me than something a Christian should be reading. 

The book has received good reviews so it appears the book has an audience. It just wasn’t a good fit for me.

Because I struggled with this book in spite of good reviews from others, I recommend that librarians and parents read this book for themselves and make their own decisions about adding it to their collections. Personally, I wouldn’t. 

I received a complimentary copy of Ragabones. This is my honest review.

About the Author – Daniel Tweddell

Hi, I’m Daniel Tweddell. I grew up in the Bornean and Philippine jungle as a missionary’s kid. My neighbors had monkeys for pets. Just behind the tree line, “ex”-headhunters slipped through the shadows with spears and six-foot blow guns. It was the perfect incubator for a kid’s imagination. As an adult, I did a lot of things from writing high-octane video games with my friends to having my own companies. But I always loved castles, wizards, and monsters the best. So now I write white-knuckle stories about magic woven with truths from my life’s journey. I live in San Diego with my wife and 3 kids.

More from Daniel Tweddell

I had a visual of a soapbox derby with the cars lined up from worst to best. The worst was made of cardboard with garbage can lids for wheels. The best was polished mahogany, with chrome wheels and velvet seat covers. Can you see the kids’ faces? One brushes old coffee grounds off his hood. He can’t face the crowd. Another polishes a gleaming fender and waves to his fans. I realized the difference between these cars isn’t the kids … it’s the time they spent with Dad.

I’m fraught with blind spots, bad habits, and shortcomings. I also barely have enough time, energy, or insight to manage my own life. How do I have enough for the lives around me who are so hungry for something more? I realized I live in a 5-loaf/5000-mouth world. I’ll never be enough, but I don’t need to be. Instead, I asked God to make this life and this book a father/son project.

Although I’ve dreamt of writing this story for decades, I had to be destroyed before I could honestly portray this hero’s journey. The truths about facing fear, about God making everything OK even when there is no way it can ever be, as well as courage, hope, and finding your destiny, they’re all written from my journey through the depths of an utterly shattered heart to a life so good it feels like a fantasy novel. Whatever you might be going through, I hope the story encourages as well as entertains you. If you haven’t already, you might even meet Magic for yourself.

Blog Stops

Guild Master, October 12 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, October 12

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, October 13

A Reader’s Brain, October 14 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, October 15

Through the Fire Blogs, October 16 (Author Interview)

Splashes of Joy, October 17 (Author Interview)

Becca Hope: Book Obsessed, October 17

Adventures of a Travelers Wife, October 18 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, October 19

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, October 20 (Author Interview)

Blogging With Carol, October 21

Beauty in the Binding, October 22 (Author Interview)

Artistic Nobody, October 23

Simple Harvest Reads, October 24 (Author Interview)

Vicky Sluiter, October 25 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Daniel is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card & a print copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/285e5/ragabones-celebration-tour-giveaway

Read more YA Review posts.