Martyr’s Fire by Sigmund Brouwer (Review)

Martyr’s Fire (Book 3 of Merlin’s Immortals)

by Sigmund Brouwer

(I received this book for review purposes.)

 

Genre- Fiction / Young Adult

Publisher- WaterBrook Press

Copyrighted- 2013

Number of Pages- 220

Age Group- Young Adult

Description of Book- Paperback, $7.99, ISBN: 978-1-4000-7156-2 

In Martyr’s Fire, by Sigmund Brouwer, the Priests of the Holy Grail take control of the castle at Magnus and Thomas is forced to escape.  Gervaise helps him escape and tells him of a cave where he can go to learn more.  He finds a puppy, who keeps him company as he decides what to do next and finds people who he is determined belong to the Druids (Priests of the Holy Grail).  Katherine and Hawkwood, part of the Merlins, not the Druids, have been trying to keep Thomas safe.  They are also trying to convince him that he is part of the Merlins. 

Will Thomas believe Katherine and Hawkwood? 

About the Author- Sigmund Brouwer currently lives with his wife and children in both Alberta and Tennessee.  He has more than three million books in print.  Brouwer has written books for children and adults.

 My thoughts-

Martyr’s Fire, by Sigmund Brouwer, was an excellent book.  I have read the first book in the series, The Orphan King, but missed the second book, Fortress of Mist.  I found that while it would have been fun to read book two, it wasn’t necessary for knowing the story line.  I was glad I had read at least one of the books, because without it I would not have understood what was happening and why.

This book would work well for young men and women, since there was a young man and a young woman as main characters, Thomas and Katherine.  It was great to read a book that was geared toward all young adults.  The cover of the book even showed both of them and the back copy mentioned both of them.

Brouwer did an excellent job writing this book and I think all young adults would enjoy this book and so would adults.  I would encourage you to pick up a copy today.

Informational and Purchasing Links-

Martyr’s Fire -   http://www.amazon.com/Martyrs-Fire-Book-Merlins-Immortals/dp/1400071569/

Sigmund Brouwer’s Website - http://www.sigmundbrouwer.com/

Participants’ links:

• Red Bissell
•  Beckie Burnham
• Theresa Dunlap
• Emma or Audrey Engel
• April Erwin
•  Victor Gentile
• Nikole Hahn
• Becky Jesse
• Jason Joyner
• Carol Keen
• Krystine Kercher
•  Rebekah Loper
•  Jennette Mbewe
•  Amber McCallister
•  Shannon McDermott
•  Meagan @ Blooming with Books
• Rebecca LuElla Miller
• Nathan Reimer
• Jojo Sutis
• Steve Trower
• Phyllis Wheeler
• Deborah Wilson
•  Rachel Wyant

Disclosure of Material Connection- I received a free copy of Martyr’s Fire, by Sigmund Brouwer to review.  I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.  I am part of CSFF Blog Tour.  All links were current when posted.

The Orphan King by Sigmund Brouwer

Genre- Fiction/Young Adult

Series- Merlin’s Immortals (Book 1)

Published by- WaterBrook Multnomah

Copyrighted- 2012

Number of pages- 220

Age Group- Young Adult

Description of book- paperback, list price $9.99, ISBN 978-1-4000-7154-8

It was started in Magnus and Wings of Dawn and now the story of Thomas is being explored in greater detail.

Thomas was raised in a monastery and now must leave to save a knight from being hung and to gain two more traveling companions and go to Magnus.  He carries himself well even though he is in unfamiliar territory.

Will his companions help him obtain his goals or will they stop his progress along the way?

About the author- Sigmund Brouwer has over three million books in print and has done a Rock and Roll Literacy presentation all over North America for the past 20 years.  He lives with his wife and two daughters in Canada and Tennessee.

My thoughts- Sometimes I have to search high and low for books that are suitable for teen boys.  This book I would recommend, because there are no vampires, werewolves,  and little romance.

One thing I didn’t like about The Orphan King is that the synopsis on the back doesn’t have much to do with what happens in this book.  It seems that it discusses what the series is about and not much more.

I did like how the characters were developed and the details in the scenery.  I was surprised at how much mental strength Thomas had.  He was an orphan and raised in an monastery, to things that I thought would really decrease his chances of success.  It would seem that others could learn from Thomas- that persevering through the rough spots will make you strong.

I am looking forward to the other books in this series and I recommend this book to teen boys.

Disclosure of Material Connection- I received The Orphan King by Sigmund Brouwer for free from the WaterBrook Multnomah “Blogging For Books” program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Mystery Pennies by Sigmund Brouwer

Mystery Pennies is book five in the Watch out for Joel! series by Sigmund Brouwer.
It was copyrighted in 2003 and published by Bethany House Publishers. It has 30 pages and is for readers ages 6-8. My three year-old and five-year-old both enjoyed having it read to them.

Ricky, age 13, has a job delivering papers, making 10¢ per house. Joel, age seven, wants to help deliver the papers. Ricky lets him deliver papers for one cent per house. Ricky feels badly when Joel uses all his money to buy Ricky a birthday present. Ricky learns he needs to treat Joel fairly. He decided to do that by giving him 10¢ per house for half of the route.

Sigmund Brouwer writes books that are fun to read. He holds writing camps and classes for more than 10,000 kids every year.

Tammie Lyon/Laurie Lambert Association illustrated the book with realistic drawings of Joel and Ricky delivering newspapers and having fun on Ricky’s birthday.

There are two interesting sections of the book. The one at the beginning talks of Romans 18:9 and how we should think as we read the story if we have acted like Ricky. The section at the end of the book has questions and how we should be fair.

The theme for this book is taken from Romans 18:9 about brotherly love. Ricky was being unfair. We need to remember to hold on to what is good and treat our brothers and sisters fairly. It will make all involved feel good.

I really enjoyed this book. I was glad to see that Ricky started being nice to the animals and sharing his newspaper route. I did not like how Ricky was always telling Joel he was only seven.

I would recommend this book to kids so they can read about what it feels like when things aren’t fair. This book will help remind them to be fair to their siblings and others.

Lost Beneath Manhattan by Sigmund Brouwer

Bethany House Publishers published Lost Beneath Manhattan, by Sigmund Brouwer, in 2004. It is 143 pages and is one of the books in the Accidental Detective Series. The age group for this Christian fiction book is boys, ages 9-15.

Ricky and his class are going on a field trip to New York City. To get part of the funding from a benefactor they will have to take Ricky’s little brother Joel along. This would be a trip they will never forget. When they are at the Museum of Modern Art Joel runs away and now Ricky has to find him. After Ricky prays for Joel’s safety and for his ability to find him, he realizes that to find Joel he will have to think from Joel’s perspective. Ricky is not too worried about Joel’s safety until he learns that a street person named, Mean Gene Delaney may have him. Mean Gene uses kids to do his begging for him. With the help of other people who live on the street, like crazy Lyle and the preacher at a local mission, Ricky and his friends are able to find Joel, hidden money and new friends. Ricky and his friends learn from their adventures that not all people who live on the street are bad people.

The author, Sigmund Brouwer, who has won many awards, has written this book with easily recognized characters and a clear plot line.

The main issue that I saw in the book was, the strong need to help the weak. In this story the weak are those that are homeless and are unable to help themselves. This was shown when Ricky asks Brother Philip about why people suffer if God can help. Brother Philip said that people have the choice; they can live with evil or with God. Other people can’t help their suffering, because they are mentally ill and those are some of the people that we can help.

The part of this book that I liked the best was how much Ricky and his friends care about Joel. The other favorite part was how Ricky always prays strength for Joel when Joel is lost.

This paperback book has small print, but it does not harm the story, it made me want to keep reading. I would definitely recommend this story to read, to help us remember to help those who cannot help themselves.

Bad Bug Blues by Sigmund Brouwer

The Watch Out for Joel! Series was written by Sigmund Brouwer. The first book in the series, Bad Bug Blues, was copyrighted in 2002 and was published by Bethany House Publishers. It has 29 pages and is for beginning readers ages 6-8. My 3 year-old and 5 year-old both enjoyed having the story read to them again and again.

Ricky and Joel need to go to a concert with Old Mr. Jones. They enjoy part of the concert, the go out for ice cream, where they all become friends. Joel and Ricky did not want to go, but their mother says Old Mr. Jones needs friends. Joel takes his jar of caterpillars and he lets them out during the concert. Old Mr. Jones has fallen asleep and one of the caterpillars crawls over his mustache. When Old Mr. Jones wakes up the caterpillar falls into his mouth. He bites down and swallows half of the caterpillar. Joel, Ricky and Old Mr. Jones leave the concert, because Old Mr. Jones needs ice cream to get the caterpillar taste out of his mouth. Joel and Ricky learn that they should be kind to others. Friends can be made when you least expect it.

Sigmund Brouwer has won many awards and holds writing camps and classes for more than 10,000 children each year. He is also the author of the Accidental Detectives series for older children.

This few illustrations were by Tammie Lyon. The characters are realistically drawn and my favorite picture is the one with Mr. Jones and the caterpillar in his mouth.

There are two section in the book to give the reader more information. The section at the beginning of the book talk about being kind to others. The section at the back of the book discusses the lesson in kindness and different discussion questions that can't be discussed with a parent or teacher.

The theme for this book is taken from Proverbs 17:17, about how friends need to show their love to one another. This book shows us that if we are kind it will come back to us and we may even make new friends. I had that experience just the other day, when I was at a store and let somebody go first to get popcorn. The man got the popcorn for my two children instead of himself.

I liked how the book repeated a lot of phrases, to help the reader lean the words. I did not like how they all called Mr. Jones, “Old Mr. Jones.” I thought that was very disrespectful.
I would recommend reading this book. It is funny and different themes from the Bible are learned. The large print and white pages make it easier for beginner readers to be excited about reading.