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Friday, December 2, 2011

Book Lover's Holiday Giveaway Hop!

Coming December 2nd-6th
I love the title of this hop!  I am a book lover for sure and I love sharing a good book.  Which is exactly what I'm going to do for this giveaway.  I recently read The Magi by Kevin M. Turner.  I was impressed with his book and honestly, with him.  I really want to share his book with as many people as will listen to me.  :)  When I approached Kevin with a giveaway request, he was all in.  And I mean, ALL in.  'Tis the season!  So, we will be giving  10  20   EVERYONE e-books of Kevin's book, The Magi.  All you need to do to receive the book is leave a meaningful comment about Kevin's book along with your email address.  That's it!  (woot!  yeah!  Happy dancing...)    

Thirteen-year-old Elijah Hawk has been on the move ever since the night his family was murdered.  His unique sense of instinct saved his life on that horrible night, but he has the feeling that since then, he is being followed.  Suddenly, during a rather awful stay at a northern boarding school, Elijah stumbles upon a secret world.  The world of the Magi. 

He learns that the Magi are a simple people with a very complex power which they agree to let him train with as long as he promises to use it only to protect others.  But when a powerful group of men storm the Magi city and demand that Elijah be handed over, who will protect him?

Honestly, this book was a pleasure to read from beginning to end.  It starts off with a bang and keeps right on moving.  Here are some of the things I loved about this book.

I really liked Elijah.  He seems to be a typical teenager, still growing, still developing.  The moments when I sensed Elijah's insecurities were the moments when I felt most connected to him.  I felt like Elijah was a kind kid, easy to get along with, which was refreshing.

I really enjoyed the growing relationships between Elijah and his new friends and family and the sense of loyalty that came with that.  The book was good to focus on the collective being stronger than the single and that was demonstrated several times when people worked together to accomplish something big.

This was a quote I found funny.  Maybe as a mom who cleans bathrooms, I can relate.  It goes, "no matter how well he cleaned those bathrooms, he never wanted to be known as the toilet master."

But, my favorite quote was this.  "The soul is the fingerprint of the Creator.  Once a soul connects to another soul, they unite and become one.  So if your soul is able to access the soul of an element, you can control that element the same way you would control your own body."  Cool stuff.

You can tell that the author, Kevin Turner, is a teacher.  I felt like some of the best moments were those when Elijah was being instructed by his mentor.  It sounded very teacher-ish in the best of ways.  Kevin tells on his blog how The Magi came to be.  Frustrated by kids who didn't want to read or who couldn't find books they wanted to read, Kevin set out to find out what those kids were looking for in a book.  Eventually, from those ideas came the plot to The Magi.  Kevin says, "For almost half a year I worked on constructing a plot that eventually became The Magi, making sure I stuck to the requests of my students.  I may have initially written it for my students, but if it's good enough, I hope to be able to contribute something fun for kids, teens, and adults everywhere."  

I would say to Kevin, thank you.  And mission accomplished.  I think The Magi is a fantastic book filled with exactly the kinds of things kids (and adults) love to read about.  I love that this book is family friendly.  And I love that Kevin is the kind of teacher who cares and wants to make a difference.  I'm looking forward to the next book!

You can find out more about Kevin here on his blog.
Follow The Magi series on Twitter here or Facebook here.
You can buy The Magi on Amazon or Smashwords.


Happy Hopping!

53 comments:

  1. The book sounds really interesting! Moreover I love the cover, very eye-catching.

    Lena M.
    email: re(dot)komunikace(at)gmail(dot)com

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  2. It sounds like a very interesting book. I fell in love with books that had 'secret' places and worlds after my mom read the secret garden to me :)

    worddiaries at yahoo dot com

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  3. As a future teacher myself, Kevin sounds like my kind of writer. :) And this sounds like a lovely book! What a generous holiday giveaway! Thank you!

    randi.wedekind@gmail.com

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  4. That sounds like an interesting book! It sounds like a great story, and I want to know what happens to Elijah! Thanks for the beyond awesome giveaway!

    unabridgedbookshelf(at)gmail(dot)com

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  5. the reviews sound interesting...and i like the cover, very colorful!
    orianofla@gmail.com
    thanks for making this international!

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  6. It's hard to leave a meaningful comment about the book without reading it...I can leave a meaningful comment afterwards! I look forward to reading it.

    Thanks for the giveaway!

    Catherine Lee

    GFC: Catherine

    catherinelee100[at]gmail[.]com

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  7. This sounds very interesting and I think my son would really enjoy this one.

    Thanks for the giveaway!

    icewoman96 at gmail dot com

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  8. First off, great giveaway!
    I had this one in mind after seeing the cover and the title. Magi means Wizards in greek. :)
    And now, I actually took the time to read the blurb and I find it fantastic. Definitely something I'd love to read.

    mail: veronicam46(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  9. the cover looks interesting and the book sounds great
    thanks for the giveaway
    darksiry(at)gmail(dot)com

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  10. This story sounds like exactly like something i would love to read.

    Thanks for sharing

    GFC Michele Luker

    jmluker at winco dot net

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  11. This is an amazing offer. The book sounds brilliant and the cover is very eye catching. I would love to read it and I think my son will too.

    rebecca_emin1 at yahoo dot co dot uk

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  12. I'm so blown away by the generosity of the giveaway! Thank you SO much! I'm just delighted to be able to read this book - it sounds delightful by the review, with humor, and meanings within the story to do the soul good!
    The cover is lovely, as well.

    Gena Robertson
    robertsongena@hotmail.com

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  13. This sounds like a very interesting book that I could share with my daughter. Thank you so much for the excellent giveaway.

    seriousreader at live dot com

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  14. Can't wait to start reading!
    deanna_boocock@hotmail.com

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  15. I honestly look forward to read Magi, it sounds very promising, and a book that's worth to read.
    Thanks for the magnificent chance!
    melissa_rob16(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  16. Thanks for the very generous giveaway.Actually I had never heard about the book before now. I love the cover and the review sounds very good. I will put it on my goodreads list too!
    delivery.RN at gmail dot com

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  17. This sounds like a great book! I rarely have the time to read lately, but the storyline sounds so interesting that I would definitely make time to read it. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  18. This is a new book to me, but it sounds like a great story. I love when I found stories with lots of adventure, especially when I can share them with my own kids!
    bgh(at)byu(dot)net

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  19. That was a funny quote. Toilet master lol. It does sound like a very interesting book.

    wingedpersephone at gmail dot com

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  20. I really liked the review! I like fast paced books and a book about Magi would be a nice change from all the vampire books i have been reading lately!
    Thanks for the giveaway!

    megnate at telus dot net

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  21. Wow, how generous. I'm excited and loved the quote about the soul being a fingerprint. I can't wait to read and post a review on it. Mellocello1ATjunoDOTcom

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  22. I love the cover! The plot sounds interesting as well. edysicecreamlover18@gmailDOTcom

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  23. This book sounds amazing, something you can really sink your teeth into. Sign me up I say :) Thankyou so much for the giveaway

    kel412@hotmail.com

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  24. Sounds really good, so I'd like a copy please :) Also, I love those quotes, so thank you both Aimee & Kevin!!!

    sandric.sk at gmail dot com

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  25. The story sounds very interesting; thanks for the opportunity to read it.

    feam_34[at]yahoo[dot]com

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  26. It sounds like Elijah had to grow up quickly with the tragedy in his family. I like complex characters like him!!

    Thanks for the giveaway!

    GFC Darlene
    darlenesbooknook at gmail dot com

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  27. I've actually never heard of the Magi but it seems like it's right up my alley. Thanks for sharing with us! Happy Christmas!

    devonashleywritesATyahooDOTcom

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  28. Sounds like such an interesting and unique premise! Can't wait to read!

    crazypplrok at gmail dot com

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  29. This sounds amazing! I love blog hops so i can find brilliant blogs and books. :) I can't wait to read it.

    ashley_e_prince@yahoo.com

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  30. Awesome thank you so much! I love magical books ;)

    im a GFC follower- Michelle Adams

    chelle2006 @ aol.com

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  31. The book sounds interesting and the cover is also really nice.

    balmezandrada at yahoo dot com

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  32. When I first heard the title, I thought Christmas..but I guess I was wrong! This would be great for those boys out there!! Thx so much!!
    twinmomx5 at gmail dot com

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  33. Now THAT's what I call being in the holiday spirit! Thank you for the generous giveaway and for participating in this blog hop!

    BornajhawkATaolDOTcom

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  34. Your favorite quote makes me really want to read it now!

    insanityisnormal(at)gmail(dot)com

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  35. This sounds like a great read.
    Thank you for the generous offer.
    cindymacbeth at gmail dot com

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  36. Oh, no, I don't think my first comment worked. Poo. Anyway, this looks like a very cool book. I'm a teacher too, so I really look forward to reading it.
    Thanks,
    --A
    amy at amydenim dot com

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  37. Ok - as a reading teacher I am not a fan of e-readers, but after reading about this book I have to read it!!! Thank you for this opportunity!!

    Jen

    readteachwrite@gmail.com

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  38. Sounds like an interesting book. And I have 3 sons who might like it. Thanks for the giveaway!

    tea4my3@gmail.com

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  39. Great giveaway! the book sounds really interesting.
    GFC: Adriana
    adriana.ec[AT]gmail[DOT]com

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  40. I heard all nice things about this book and that The Magi's magic is something to do with fire,water,earth...which is really cool :)Thanks for the international giveaway!!

    GFC name - sweety

    sweety225(at)rocketmail(dot)com

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  41. this sounds great! i love how the book came to be.. and i think more kids need to read.. glad these types of books exist to provide them with an escape

    thanks for the amazing giveaway

    alainala AT hotmail DOT ca

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  42. The quote with the toilet master was just great ^^ I would like to get a copy. It's pretty cool, that everyone gets one for free. So thank you!

    witchvela at web dot de

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  43. Kevin must be a fantastic teacher to spend so much time writing something to meet the needs of his students. I agree that the key to inspiring people to become readers is to find the subject where they can tap into their imagination. Once they find that, they are hooked.

    drainbamaged.gyzmo at gmail.com

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  44. I've seen a few reviews of this book and I absolutely would love to read this book :)

    Morganlafey86(at)aol(dot)com

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  45. I'm so excited that publishers are finally making an effort to get books that kids will really enjoy on the market. I'd have killed to have had a book like The Magi to read when I was a YA.
    alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com
    http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com/

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  46. Ellijah sounds like a really great character. I've been looking for a new book to read with a male lead. I love heroines, but this oils like a refreshing read! I love the cover too.

    Poisnivyred AT gmail.com

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  47. this sounds like an awesome book and one id love to read to my neices and nephew ty for the opertunity and that cover is so eye catching I love it

    mortalsinn(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

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  48. This book looks really interesting, and I would like to find out exactly what happens to Elijah.
    Thanks for the giveaway, Happy Holidays!
    aimeelavalle(@)gmail(dot)com
    GFC-aimeekay

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  49. This book sounds really cool! And your review really intrigued me to read it. (Not to mention the gorgeous cover!)I'd love the opportunity to read and review this one, I'm always looking for ways to support self-pub authors. Thank you for the great review, and the awesome giveaway!

    ladystingray1512ATgmailDOTcom

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  50. The books amazing but even more so, the author sounds amazing!

    Thanks for the awesome giveaway.

    nothought2small@gmail.com

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  51. Good kids like Elijah are so rare in YA and MG books today. I think Kevin's intention in writing the book was a very noble one and I hope his efforts have met with great success. I look forward to reading it!

    sarah.setar@gmail.com

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  52. I like the reviews for this book so I would love to read it
    Thanks for the giveaway!

    Leannz0r at gmail dot com

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  53. I think it sounds really interesting. I hadn't heard of it before this hop so I'm glad I ran across this. Thanks for the giveaway!

    maibyers at gmail dot com

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