Bobby Ether and the Academy [Book Review]

"A Dark Secret. A Touch of Magic. An Epic Adventure."

Genre - Fantasy/Young Adult
Year Published - 2013
Length - 4,650 [Kindle App] pages
               *Read on my Note 2 phone
Written by R. Scott Boyer

Rating: 5 Skulls

Plot Summary:
"There is no such thing as magic."
That's what the mysterious stranger, named Cassandra, tells Bobby after helping him narrowly escape from the small army of secret agents who surrounded his house.

What follows is an amazing adventure - from indoor forests to vast archives, from a labyrinth of jade mines to the dark recesses of a bear's lair.

Along the way, Bobby will learn that, while there may be no such thing as magic, there is powerful energy - and he has the ability to control it.

Join Bobby and his best friend Jinx as they avoid school bullies, a suspected assassin, and meta-human henchmen alike as they unravel the many mysteries of the Academy - the ancient and enigmatic monastery in Tibet where kids with extraordinary potential are sent to study.
But is the Academy truly what it claims to be?

Review:
This is the first book of a planned series, so I have gone ahead and given this book a 5 Skull rating, as I have faith that the books will only continue to get better.

While this book is an entertaining read, I felt that it is predominantly setting the stage for what is yet to come.

I am sure that there will be the inevitable comparisons to 'Harry Potter'  (an orphaned child whisked away to a mysterious school of "gifted children"...) however, this book completely sets itself apart from those books - in a good way!
It has more of a 'Star Wars'  "Force" feel to it (you will understand once you meet the Tibetan monk, Jong, who is full of "Yoda-like" wisdom)

The author does an excellent job of creating characters that you both love (the character of Jinx reminds me of the character of Zack - from the television show 'Bones' - at an early age) as well as characters that you despise.

Boyer also does a great job of keeping the mystery - you are never too sure of who you can or cannot trust.

The only downside to the book is its abrupt ending...
Let's just say that I am looking forward to the next book in the series, 'Bobby Ether and the Temple of Eternity' .

Until then,

Jason