The giveaway book is: New copy of The Human Corpse Trade: Byron Carmichael Book One.

Flamingnet Student Review

Water. Water is everywhere. We drink it, bathe in it, we're even made up of it. The average person doesn't think about this common liquid, but after reading new author J. Eric King's Byron Carmichael Book One: The Human Corpse Trade, every time I take a drink I wonder who drank it before me? Thank about it; the sip you just took could have been the same one George Washington took before he crossed the Delaware or Rosa Parks swigged before she stepped on that bus. Water is the key to our history if only we could unlock it.

As you've probably guessed, water is the center of this tale.

The story takes place in the summer of 2007. Boy uber genius, Byron Carmichael, has just been accepted to a summer program at Brandenburg University where he will join other extremely gifted students to work on an assignment. What he doesn't know is that he will be working on the project his father - who disappeared 15 years earlier - abandoned. Another surprise is that he will be working with the last person to hear from his father, Dr. Vernon Winston, and his children, Nick and Gracie.

Together they will work, not only to solve the mystery of the smart water, but also to solve the mystery of who is running a human corpse trade, Transported back to colonial America, Byron, Nick, and Gracie will have to work together to survive threats, attacks, and the Dark One.

The book started out with quite a few rough patches, which are to be expected with any new writer. To quote Nick, parts were like a corny episode of Scooby Doo, but once things evened out, the book was impossible to put down. At first, I didn't like the fact that it was written in present tense as I have turned down many a book written in the same fashion. I pushed forward instead, and soon this wasn't even present in my mind. Begin stubborn headed can be a good think especially in this case where I would have missed reading what is becoming one of my favorite books.

I'd have to say that the characters were what I liked the most. Byron - who is shy, too bright for his own good, and inexperienced in the area of girls - is easy to relate to the kid who helps you with your math homework. His mistakes and nervousness around Gracie are presented in a way that is both realistic and enlightening. I applaud you, young Master Carmichael, for showing nerds when to turn the smarts off. Nick is not to be forgotten, though. He lends a comical relief to many a situation that would have otherwise been boring and slowed down the fast-paced plot.

King has stepped outside the average teenage mystery novel and brought it to a new level. Through incorporating some science fiction, he has made this book one to be enjoyed by a wide variety of readers. I honestly can't wait to see what happens to Byron and the gang and where the smart water leads them next.

Lincoln Sklar
Arrowhead Online Newspaper
Bridgeport High School

Book Description By Publisher

A young, brilliant scientist made a discovery that could possibly revolutionize the modern, technological world. However, in the process, he made enemies; deadly enemies. In an attempt to save his research from evil hands, Dr. Carmichael burns his laboratory and disappears.

Flash forward 15 years. Dr. Carmichael's young son, Byron, is your typical high-school student except for one thing, he's a genius. Accepted into a rare scholarship program for elite minds, Byron expects to spend the summer at the prestigious Brandenburg University studying scientific principles. Little does he know that he was carefully located and selected to be a part of this program.

His summer assignment will be to discover the secrets within the remnants of his father's work. Teamed with Gracie and Nick, two other brilliant students, he will delve into the heart of his father's research, and in the process, be thrown into a historical world full of mystery, murder, intrigue, and in the middle of the human corpse trade.


About the Author

J. Eric King has been imagining stories and writing them down for more than 7 years. He holds a master's degree in Pathology from The Ohio State University. When he's not drafting a new novel, he works as a pathologists' assistant at a large hospital where he spends most of his days examining human tissue.

King states that his career in pathology has enhanced his eye for detail and description that often flows over into his writing. This gives the reader an intriguing perspective, especially in his latest novel, involving the human corpse trade.

More About The Human Corpse Trade and J. Eric King

Web of Deceit is predicated upon the notion that no matter how safe, close-knit a family may be, anyone is a potential target for cyber-stalking. The story focuses on a loving, supportive, middleclass family that have recently moved to a new city for the father's professional opportunities as a computer consultant. The story centers on the fifteen year-old daughter Annette, who, struggling to adjust to a new city, unknowingly invites an on-line predator into her family's life. The stalking intensifies quickly from Internet communication to psychological and physical warfare. As the threats escalate, Annette struggles with the dilemma of confiding in her parents and friends, all of who have previously warned her of the potential harm that may arise from surfing the Internet. The stalker's intentions grow more threatening, and clues of his life unfold forcing Annette to face her worst fears and ultimately decide her own fate.

The giveaway book is: new copy of Web of Deceit.

Flamingnet Student Review

Anthony Toro certainly meant well when he wrote Web of Deceit. As one of many parents concerned about dangers on the internet, he created a thriller familiar to any American who has read a newspaper: a few bad choices on the internet lead to a young girl being stalked.

Because of her father's job, Annette and her parents moved to a new town. Annette was bored and discontent. She diverted much of this boredom through chat rooms, faking an identity as an abused, divorced mother. Though this facade seemed innocent to her, she soon found herself harangued by a cyber stalker. The harassment escalated quickly, imperiling not only Annette's life but the lives of those around her.

Despite an intriguing concept, the story felt like a series of missteps. Rather than exploring how an internet correspondence develops into a threat, Toro chose to immediately establish the stereotypical dynamic of an obsessive stalker and his furious victim. Though the book states that Annette's stalker initially seemed an honest and likeable gentleman, it would have been far better to actually show him as such before delving into his psychosis. Instead, cliches litter the pages, from Annette's flippant dismissal of her parents' warnings against chat rooms to her fear that the stalker will kill a boy she likes. It's obvious that Toro is trying to make a statement here, and there's nothing necessarily wrong with that, particularly for an issue as pervasive as cyber- stalking. However, for a message to be effective, it must connect with its audience, and this book did not do that.

Reviewer Age: 16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Bellevue, WA United States

"Whip-smart dialogue and a fast- moving, picaresque plot that zooms from lump-in-the-throat moments to all-out giddiness will keep readers going, and its a testimony to how real these girls seem that the final chapters are profoundly satisfying rather than tidy."

The giveaway book is: new copy of How to be Bad.

How to make your Korean parents happy: 1. Get a perfect score on the SATs. 2. Get into HarvardYalePrinceton. 3. Don't talk to boys.* Patti's parents expect nothing less than the best from their Korean-American daughter. Everything she does affects her chances of getting into an Ivy League school. So winning assistant concertmaster in her All-State violin competition and earning less than 2300 on her SATs is simply not good enough. But Patti's discovering that there's more to life than the Ivy League. To start with, there's Cute Trumpet Guy. He's funny, he's talented, and he looks exactly like the lead singer of Patti's favorite band. Then, of course, there's her love of the violin. Not to mention cool rock concerts. And anyway, what if Patti doesn't want to go to HarvardYalePrinceton after all? Paula Yoo scores big in her hilarious debut novel about an overachiever who longs to fit in and strives to stand out. The pressure is on! *Boys will distract you from your studies.

The giveaway book is: new copy of Good Enough.

Flamingnet Student Review

Do you think you have pressures from your parents to get good grades, good SAT scores, and go to a good college? Patti Yoon would kill to be you. She cant even look at guys without getting in trouble. Sorry Cute Trumpet Guy. Good is simply not good enough. Assistant choirmaster violinist? That means your second in the state, not first. A B plus on an advance calculus test? Too low. Anything that brings down your GPA so your not valedictorian is NOT ACCEPTABLE. 2010 on the SATs will not get you into HARVARDYALEPRINCETON. And not only do she have pressure from her parents, but she also has pressure from her entire church! Still think you have it bad?

By far the best book I have ever read. Paula Yoo perfectly captures the pressures put on us by parents, and how stressed we get from school and hormones and The Popular Kids. But what our parents think is best for us doesnt necessarily mean it is what makes us happy. Its so refreshing to find an author that understands that and is able to put it into her writing so the rest of the world understands it to. Paula Yoo gets a perfect score on this awesome summer read, Good Enough.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Casa Grande, Arizona United States

What if everything you loved was suddenly taken away . . . And everything you feared became your only hope? Still a teen in human years, Kandide is spoiled, vain, and the personification of perfection. She is also heir to the throne of Calabiyau and keeper of The Gift, the key to survival for all Fￃﾩe. When a tragic accident leaves her less than perfect, her own mother casts her away to a treacherous world where strange beasts roam the dark, lifeless forest and even stranger Fￃﾩe rule the land. Kandide must battle hideous creatures, as well as her own internal repulsion for the 'Imperfects' she is now like, if she is to survive. But these are just the beginning of her troubles; within Calabiyau, a presence far more deadly emerges. Joined by her prankster brother, Teren, her tomboy sister, Tara, and a group of misfit Imperfects, the Fￃﾩe Princess must challenge the darkest of creatures to face an evil worse than any she could have imagined if she is to save the very Fￃﾩe who sent her away. Calabiyau will forever change, or will it?

The giveaway book is: new copy of Kandide and the Secret of the Mists.