Book Review of TARNISH on Forever Young Adult

Today one of the "hippest" (do kids still say that?) and more popular websites for all things young adult, ForeverYoungAdult.com, has posted a review of my fantasy novel Tarnish. Their very catchy slogan is what drew me to query them for a review in the first place: "A site for YA readers who are a little less Y and a bit more A," as illustrated by the picture below.

They are also part of the team of young artistic geniuses behind the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, which are by far the best places to watch movies (while enjoying dinner and drinks -- it's great!).

FYA team member Brian Katcher accepted my proposal and gave Tarnish read. And on FYA, they have a style all their own. And I like it! To give you an idea, here's the categorical breakdown on this particular book report (similar categories for all their book reports, I believe):

BOOK REPORT for Tarnish by J.D. Brink

Cover Story: Silverskinned Hunk
Drinking Buddy: Don't Take Your Guns to Town, Bill
Testosterone Level: I Ain't As Good as I Once Was
Talky Talk: Stoneass
Bonus Factors: Storytelling, War is Hell
Bromance Status: The Old Gang

Mr. Katcher stays pretty neutral too. He's giving a book report to prospective readers, giving them the skinny and letting them decide if it's something they want to read or not. He does say, "That's why I like this book," but that's the least neutral and most biased thing he writes, the only glimpse at his opinion.

His report does a great job of capturing the theme and issues of the primary characters. For Billy/Wil, these bits give you a good idea of what's what with our main hero:

"Now Billy is no stupid oaf, and he takes these life lessons to heart. And he's pretty charming, able to wrangle up a free meal with his storytelling, and an occasional kiss from a local girl. And he's the first one to step in if it looks like someone is being bullied. He's going to be a hero one day. It's just going to take a couple more black eyes and a night in the Fellwater drunk tank to get there."

And:

"Billy eventually falls in with a group of warriors who are willing to help Redfield, if he'll go on a quest with him. All fine and good. But suddenly, adventuring isn't at all like in Trevor's stories. It may be noble to break up a gang of thieves, but what if that means betraying the cute little pickpocket who gave him his first kiss? And maybe bringing down a corrupt nobleman is a good cause, but is Billy--excuse me, Wil--prepared to kill his guards? His sailors? His cook?

"Suddenly, being plain ol' Billy doesn't seem so bad anymore."

Read the FYA review by clicking here or the links above.