Light & Dark : The Awakening of the Mageknight

Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight by Daniel M. Fife

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Danny Firoth is an average thirteen-year-old who finds himself at the beginning of his eighth-grade year, struggling with some of the more common concerns that plague a boy of his age: bullies, homework, and his mother. Sabrina Drake is the new girl. She is beautiful and spellbinding, but carries a fantastic secret.

Accepted into the White Rock Academy of Illumination, a school for young Squires destined to become Knights of the Light and battle the forces of the Dark with magical weapons called Bondeds, Danny joins his five closest friends in the training of their lives. Honed in the techniques of blade work by an Elvin swordmaster and educated by a colorful assortment of knightly instructors, Danny and his friends are placed on the path to becoming knighted members of the Light. However, the Dark may have other plans as they unveil a sinister plot in this fantastic tale of dragon-riding adventure, sword-wielding action, and coming-of-age drama.


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My Thoughts : 

I wish I could give this one more than 5 stars!  It easily outdid a typical 5 star. If you like Harry Potter type books, you'll love this one! Seriously guys, if you've read my reviews before I may rave about a book but I am telling you this one is above and beyond.

 1. Note it is NOT a romance.. It's a YA with lots of adventure and maybe a smidge of romance thrown in.  Since I mainly stick with romance, you can get how much I loved this book since it's not my #1. favored genre.

2.  The author is a guy.  Okay that sounds completely sexist.. Guys write great books all the time, but the ones that write really awesome books (that I love) tend to stick to certain styles of writing and YA is not a genre I tend to find them in.  That said- this book blew me away and has me reassessing my initial denial to review a book by a guy in certain genres.

This book was full of mysteries and intrigue. It was very well written and drew me in so deeply, I was trying to read it during the midst of a bad case of the flu when I could barely keep my eyes open. Then I tried to talk my 16yr old into reading it aloud to me. lol. I didn't have time to get over the flu to find out what happened next.

I loved the main character Danny and his assortment of friends who make this journey into the unknown with him.  Chris has to be my favorite of the friends, something about his unfaltering loyalty to Danny makes me want to hug him.   The author has a gift for writing deep lovable characters and making us truly feel connected to them.

I am assuming this is the beginning of a series (yes??) and cannot wait to read the next installment (hint! hint!!)!  I am going on record now to predict this being one of the next big movie hits like it's predecessors Harry Potter, Twilight & Hunger Games to name a few, this book has all the major characteristics of a box office hit! Called it!!  I think for 'calling it' I should get to help with the casting when the time comes. Only seems fair, right?   The only thing  I have left to do is to get an autographed print copy so I can start my collection of this series.!



About the Author :

 Daniel M. Fife was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on December 27, 1978. He began writing Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight during his years as a graduate student at Ball State University under the major of Counseling Psychology. What began as a simple hobby quickly turned into something more as he found a passion for writing. While carrying the schedule of a full-time student as well as working a part-time job, he devoted himself to write at least one page a day. After graduating in 2007, he received the opportunity to begin practicing psychology as a counselor at a local private practice the very same year. His devotion to writing did not waiver. Working a full time schedule and maintaining a full complement of clients, he maintained his dedication. A year or so later, he completed the rough draft of Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight and began the editing process, before finally publishing the final draft in 2012


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*I received this book free as part of a R2R program for my honest review. *