Jaguar Moon by Martha Bourke

Title:  Jaguar Moon

Author:  Martha Bourke

Series:  Jaguar Sun #2

Published:  September 17th 2012 by Balam Press

Page Count: 239

Genre:  Young Adult Paranormal

Shelf:  Review Copy

Rating:  ★★★★

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Sixteen-year-old Maya Delaney has survived becoming a shape-shifter, being kidnapped, and bringing the world into a new era at the end of the Mayan calendar.Maya hoped the worst was behind her, but troubling dreams still haunt her sleep. When a mysterious stranger appears, she suspects he may hold the key to her true identity. But to find out, Maya must decide to leave the ones who love her most.

Will the answers she seeks give her solace, or will they take her away from all she holds dear?

My Review:

This book picks up seamlessly where the first book in the series left off. Bourke manages to do this brilliantly without starting in the middle of something. It is a smooth transition from one book to another that allows for a break in between without confusion on the reader’s part. How perfect is that?

Everything in this novel is quite well written. There is never any confusion on the reader’s part. Concepts, such as that of the mating instinct, are clearly developed which helps create a strong basis for the story itself. Not only does Bourke take the time to develop the narrative and background in this story, but also the scenery. Everything is so vivid that you feel like you are watching a movie at times.

I love the fact that Bourke takes the characters from the first novel in the series and runs with them. They are all the same people; no one has had a miraculous personality change at any point in time or in the transition from novel to novel. She also continues to develop the characters, so as a reader you get to know them better and better. They are all such phenomenal (or phenomenally evil) people.

By developing all aspects of the novel, Bourke creates a very well rounded novel, avoiding the trap of a lopsided, fictional story. I also greatly appreciate the fact that although the novel ends setting it up perfectly for the sequel, it does end. The reader is not left completely up in the air, mid action. The biggest downside to this novel…. I don’t have the sequel in my hand right now.

Buy your copy online here today!

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Jaguar Sun by Martha Bourke

Title:  Jaguar Sun

Author:  Martha Bourke

Series:  Jaguar Sun #1

Published:   January 3rd 2012 by Balam Press

Page Count:  270

Genre:  Young Adult Paranormal Romance

Shelf:  Books I Bought

Rating:  ★★★★

Synopsis from Goodreads: 

DECEMBER 21, 2012 Will that fateful day destroy our world, or did the Mayans have something else in mind?

Maya Delaney knows. Unfortunately.

Maya Delaney is just an average sixteen-year-old. She’s busy dealing with exams, her soon to be ex-boyfriend and fitting in.

But Maya’s got bigger problems. She’s hiding a major secret from her dad and having strange visions she can’t control.

In her struggle to figure out who she is, she learns that she is meant to fulfill an ancient Mayan Prophesy and bring forth a New Age on earth.

Will the spirit magic Maya wields be enough to defeat Toltec, an evil society bent on keeping her from her destiny?

Or will that destiny destroy her?

My Review:

There was so much to appreciate in this novel that I don’t know where to start. The fact that Bourke took shifters out of mainstream Caucasian society and gave them very deep ethnic roots was brilliant. She dug into existing mythology and religion to develop a wildly imaginative and extremely captivating novel that puts coming of age into a very unique light.

You don’t just see the world that Bourke describes in this novel; you get wrapped up in it and blanketed in it. This story is extremely well written, allowing you to immerse yourself even further into the action and reaction that accompanies it. She brings everything to life very well. It is brilliant.

The main characters in this story are very well developed. You know who they are, what they’re like, and what they like. I love how real the main character seems with all of her wild exaggerations. They make her leap off of the page and into the real world. I also appreciate the fact that the minor characters are quite well developed as well. Bourke found the balance wherein you get to know these characters but they don’t accidentally eclipse the major characters.

This is an extremely vivid world which is developed in such a manner that it is perfectly suited to the very vivid story that takes place within it. It is a phenomenal story that leaves you dying for more. Luckily for us, there’s a sequel.

Buy your copy online here today!

Oh wait!  Did I say buy?  Click on that link and get it for FREE from Smashwords!

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