Book Review: Isle of Fire by Wayne Thomas Batson

"A great explosion rocked the crowded harbor. Flaming debris screamed into the sky and then rained down into the burning water below. The ferocious blaze engulfed ship after ship expanding the circle of destruction in mere heartbeats. The fire rain had been unleashed."
"As Cat's memory returns, he relizes that he has lived two very different lives: One as the son of the ruthless Bartholomew Thorne; the other as the recipient of friendship and kindness from Declan Ross and the crew of the Rober Bruce. Now Cat must choose either to return to the ways of his notorious father and join the evil Merchant, or defy the Merchant and risk his life to save his friends. Brace yourself for a thrilling high-seas adventrue where loyalties are tested, choices questioned and mysteries revealed."

I give this book a 5/5 because suspense is awesome. This is the second book in this series (the first is entitled, Isle of Swords and you can find the review below its spoiler.) Wayne Thomas Batson has really outdone himself with this sequel. I found the first very predictable in comparision to this one. He added more humour and the laughing in some ways helped ease my mind before I could freak out or be mad at a character. I am in love with most of the characters (sometimes even the bad guys). I can't wait for the third book to come out, which according to Wikipedia, is scheduled for sometime 2012. Looking forward to it. ENJOY!THANK YOU WAYNE THOMAS BATSON FOR WRITING THE PERFECT PIRATE SERIES TO ENJOY!
Sincerely, Sidny

Spoiler: Isle of Fire by Wayne Thomas Batson

If you have read the first book hopefully you also enjoyed this one. As I said in the review (just above) This book, in my opinion, out did the first which great considering some books, the first is huge and the next ones lead to dissapointment. I enjoy the stand point from which these books are written. Being able to know all the characters thoughts and actions makes it just more enjoyable. My younger sister got mad when I started yelling at Captian Ross about what Bartholemew Thorne was up to. "He can't hear" she said. "He's even real." But my imagination denied all that. Is that crazy??? I would say that other than violence this book is fairly appropriate. There's no sex, or drugs, unless you count alcohol (What did you expect.. they're pirates!?) I couldn't believe when Thorne died... I thought certainly he would escape but the idea of Black Beard being in the next sequel only leads me to wonder, what will Declan Ross and crew this time? Will Cat and Anne really get married? Will Red Eye still clean his teeth with a dagger? Will the monks finally convince everyone there is a god? All these questions and many more are sure to keep me awake tonight, but I won't mind because Wayne Thomas Batson has made a great imaginary land for my mind to wander to. THANK YOU!
Sincerely, Sidny

Book Review: Isle of Swords by Wayne Thomas Batson

"A tale of a mysterious island... of treasures and riches beyond imagination... of greed and honor... of sacrifice and friendship.""The Wallace's crew is starving, the ship is falling apart in shark-infested waters and the only place close enough to gather supplies and make repairs is the territory of the most ruthless man alive: The black-hearted pirate Bartholomew Thorne.""It's a high-seas adventure of danger, intrigue and betrayal...""Captain Declan Ross searches for riches that will free him and his headstrong daughter Anne from the piracy business forever.Captain Bartholomew Throne, an infamously ruthless pirate, seeks to destroy any who stand in the way of his finding the monks' treasure- especially Captain Ross.A young lad of about sixteen awakens on an island, alone and brutally injured, with no memory of who he is. could the rare diamond he clutches be part of the treasure?Wayne Thomas Batson weaves a spell-binding adventure filled with high-seas drama where battles rage, voices whisper from the tomb, a long-dormant volcano awakens, and a sea creature slithers in the deep as the pirates race for hidden treasure."
I'm giving this book a 4/5. I really enjoy pirates and I think if they made a movie it would show more dynamics then I could imagine. I enjoyed Anne's character the most she is a strong female in a male's world for the 1700 setting it is based in (if that makes sense). I think in some ways the plot wasn't as good and it didn't grip me quite as much as other books but towards the middle it really picked up and I was hooked. The way that Batson shows alll the characters' thoughts and emotions was awesome. I really enjoyed this book as I have never read a book about pirates before and it certainly set the bar.THANK YOU WAYNE THOMAS BATSON FOR SHOWING A FEMALE WHO IS AS STRONG AS THE OTHER CHARACTERS!
Sincerely, Sidny

Spoiler: Isle of Swords by Wayne Thomas Batson

This book was quite enjoyable as it set the tone for female readers. Being a girl I enjoyed Anne's take hold personality where she lets no one belittle her because of her gender. I can't imagine a better role model for younger girls. This book was found in my library's young adult section because of the violence but i would easily suggest it to 10 and up, as it has no sex or drugs well maybe a little drugs that could be in the second one (Still reading it). I was dissappointed in the way that Cat was so obviously the son of Bartholomew Thorne. I did not expect Padre would die. That was sad I liked him for a monk. If you are not that religious you may disagree about me rating these a nine because they are slightly religios but oh so interesting. My favourite character is Anne as I said in the book review, for her spunk and the fact that she breaks the mold.If you would like to discuss this book please comment by clicking the comment button :)Sincerely, Sidny