Young Adult Fiction
Rodi Szoke is a storyteller who transports us into worlds beyond our imagination! A fantastic journey to mystical places where our young guardians hold high the torches of faith, hope, and love as they lead us into adventure on their mission to protect us from the dark forces of evil. Our Young Guardians: Seven & Two – Impossible not to pick up! Impossible to put down! [View book trailer here]
Tweeting is not just for birds! I was wandering around on Twitter one day a few months ago when I came upon Rodi Szoke’s Twitter page. The book cover for Seven & Two attracted my attention, so I followed the link to Amazon and purchased the ebook. From the very first paragraph, my attention was riveted. That was stunning for me, given it usually takes at least a chapter of a book to capture my interest. By the end of chapter four in Seven & Two, I was anxious to hold the paperback book in my hands!
“If the dark mist flows strongly in your veins, the portals won’t let you pass and the soldiers will use their weapons immediately, without even saying a word. . . . I couldn’t help thinking about those poor souls who may have made serious mistakes in the past but worked hard to straighten out their lives afterwards. Would they dare to pass through the portals? Who or what decides how much dark mist makes someone good or bad?” – Excerpt from Our Young Guardians: Seven & Two
The best storytellers are teachers, and the best teachers are those who help us learn to ask the questions of the heart’s yearning. Rodi Szoke is one of the best storytellers we have in our world today. Peppered with adventure, suspense, love, friendship, life lessons, wisdom, and mysteries yet to be solved in this continuing series, Our Young Guardians: Seven & Two begins an exciting journey upon which hearts both young and old may embark with delight.
When I was a kid, my mother would read to us every night and often during the day. Everything from the great classics to Winnie the Pooh to The Wizard of Oz—we lived inside the great stories she brought to life with her golden voice in all its expression. Szoke has that magic storytelling touch and the imagination to bring worlds to life through the words he weaves so spectacularly in his own creations. “Beware these pages,” however, for once you enter into Szoke’s fantasy worlds, you may find they become quite real and beckon you to stay.
With each stroke of the pen, the author paints his characters and scenery with precision. I could smell the forest at dusk and feel the cold river water on my feet. The mountain peaks and meadows, the market and the cemetery, the contests and the games, the trials and the victories—all await the reader to join with Szoke’s band of young guardians and their families and friends.
Perhaps it is Jonek’s willingness to dive into the unknown, or his devotion and desire to protect his mother . . . or Tynia’s almost fairy-like personality sharpened to a warrioress’s point . . . or Kharlo’s dedication to the cause . . . or maybe it’s Tobho’s blind faith in miracles, or Peprokh’s crazy menagerie . . . the characters seem endless and fascinating in their own right, each an integral part of this story and seamlessly interwoven with one another. I found a part of me in every one of them.
Suspense and adventure run like a rushing river through chapter after chapter with building intensity the likes of which only the best wordsmiths can accomplish. Are you ready to go for a wild ride?
“Someone told me long ago that we are just leaves tumbling in the winds of life. You’ll never know where you’ll land or whether something will land on you.” – Excerpt from Our Young Guardians: Seven & Two
Heed the wise words that rise from Szoke’s characters. After all, isn’t that exactly how we have come to leaf through the sparkling pages in this gem of a book we now have in our very own hands today?
A wonderfully crafted story for every age, every bit as exciting as the most popular YA series out there! It’s easy to envision the Our Young Guardians series on the New York Times YA Best-Seller List and topping the movie charts in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, I’ll be on the lookout for the next book in this series!
© Jennifer Sweete, Original post date in June 2017
Sweete Quote: “A book review is worth a thousand words . . . or more."
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Books I am already reading or am looking forward to reading in 2020:
Pre-suasion by Robert Cialdini – Taking my time & copious notes . . .
The Way I Heard It by Mike Rowe – Oh my! Look for my review!
Loserthink by Scott Adams – When I can pry it from my husband's hands.
The Emotion Code by Dr. Bradley Nelson – Just arrived today. (Recommended by Rebecca who loves it.)
The Gold Finch by Donna Tartt – On order. (Recommended by Doris who praises it above the movie.)
Until we meet again, keep reading, keep writing, keep dreaming!