Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Review: The High Court by Chris Ledbetter with Giveaway



The High Court 
The Sky Throne, Book Two
by Chris Ledbetter
Month 9 Books
YA Fantasy / Mythology
290 pages


Tour dates: April 1 to 30, 2019
Content Rating: PG (some profanity (damn, ass), no f-bombs, some kissing, no sex scenes, some violence, nothing gory or graphic)



High atop Mount Olympus, dawn breaks on a new academic term. Normalcy has returned to campus following a harrowing expedition into The Underworld to rescue kidnapped students by Zeus and his fellow Olympians. Now, as they prepare to testify in The High Court, Hyperion will be tried for the attack on Crete and death of Anytos. Kronos will stand trial for the murder of Mount Olympus Prep’s Headmaster Ouranos.

As the trials draw near, Mount Olympus Prep students and faculty are besieged repeatedly by a race of gargantuan stone and earth giants. Under heavy assault, the Olympians are forced to flee to the volcanic island of Limnos to regroup. Meanwhile, a toxic poison Zeus has carried with him since a prior fight with a dragoness, creeps toward his brain.

In a race against time and beasts, Zeus and his friends must find a way to survive not only the toxin ravaging Zeus’ body, but also the giants who grow stronger after every attack, and somehow make it to the The High Court alive.

To read reviews, please visit Chris Ledbetter's page of iRead Book Tours.



MY TIDBITS

It's been awhile since I read the first book in this series, but I was looking forward to seeing where the tale went next.

Returning from his last adventure, Zeus returns to the school for the start of the new term. A new student brings a little change, while the school attempts to return to normalcy despite the upcoming trials. When the earth giants attack and Zeus finds himself battling a deadly poison, it's clear that this term won't be any less exciting than the last.

This story is told in first person from Zeus' perspective and leads right on where book one left off. In other words, this is not a stand alone. While the academic life attempts to hum a familiar atmosphere from book one, and Zeus again faces normal classes, the questions and open-ends from the first book keep tension close. There is a lot going on and never a boring moment as the powerful teens face usual social issues (on a different scale) and continue with the fantastical, mythical adventures. It makes for characters readers can relate to, while still being pulled into the exciting adventure of the gods.

Zeus faces an inner struggle as he deals with the poison (a theme which is a bit confusing at times) and how this effects him and his friends adds a nice depth to the read. When the trials begins, everything kicks into a slightly higher gear. While many questions are answered, others open up and promise much more excitement to come. 

Fans of fantasy, mythology and the atmosphere of high school will enjoy this series. 




And here he is...


Chris Ledbetter is an award-winning author of short fiction and novels for young adults. “Jason’s Quest,” a short story retelling of the Jason and Medea Greek myth was published in the anthology, Greek Myths Revisited. His first full-length novel, Drawn earned him two awards, Library of Clean Reads Best YA 2015 and Evernight Publishing Readers’ Choice Award Best YA 2015, as well as a USA TODAY “Must Read” recommendation. His second novel, Inked, concludes that duology. The Sky Throne is his newest young adult series. It includes, thus far, The Sky Throne and The High Court.

He's a proud member of SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) and a strong supporter of the Need for Diverse Books. He now writes and lives in Wilmington, NC with his family, including three cats.

Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Pinterest ~ Instagram


Enter the Giveaway!!!
Ends May 7, 2019


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4 comments:

sfzphd said...

This sounds amazing! The cover really grabbed my attention.

Jamie Martin said...

I love that cover; honestly, that's how I pick most books!

kayla said...

i love the cover!!!

Megan | Bookstacks and Golden Moms said...

I definitely enjoyed this one :) Great review!