Bound 4 Escape

Title: Matt Archer: Redemption (#5)

Author: Kendra C. Highley

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal

Publication Date: July 2014

Description:

“There’s more to me than you know…”

When Matt Archer’s sister, Mamie, said those words to him three years ago, he had no idea how prophetic they were, or what this would mean for his family.

Now, he knows. And it changes everything, bringing the war right to Matt’s doorstep.

In the epic conclusion to the Matt Archer series, the endgame is near. Betrayed by an enemy, the wielders have been called off the hunt by their own government, despite increasing reports of paranormal activity—and deaths—worldwide. Matt is forced to sit on the sidelines, knowing that proving monsters exist means revealing who—and what—he is. Soon the world will know his name…which will only make his job harder.

Matt’s only hope resides with a man he barely knows—his father. If Erik Archer can put together the final puzzle before the monsters do, maybe they’ll have a chance. Maybe.

Mystery, tragedy and the power of family combine as Matt races to win the war and save the people he loves. There’s just one thing he’s afraid of…

It might already be too late.

Review:

I received a free ecopy of this book for an honest review.

Matt Archer: Redemption is a young adult fantasy. It is the fifth and final book in the Matt Archer series. It’s one of those series in which I got attached to the characters and was sorry to see it end.

The other books have been building up to this one. It has even more action, more monsters and demons, and a lot more heartache.

The characters are well developed and still have a surprise or two. Their relationships have also developed (in a good way) over the past 3 years.

I definitely recommend Matt Archer: Redemption but I also recommend reading the entire series to get the most out of it. And what an ending! It was perfect.

Title: Matt Archer: Monster Hunter (#1)

Author: Kendra C. Highley

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal

Publication Date: August 2012

Description (from Goodreads):

Fourteen-year-old Matt Archer spends his days studying Algebra, hanging out with his best friend and crushing on the Goddess of Greenhill High, Ella Mitchell. To be honest, he thinks his life is pretty lame until he discovers something terrifying on a weekend camping trip at the local state park.

Monsters are real. And living in his backyard.

But that’s not the half of it. After Matt is forced to kill a strange creature to save his uncle, he finds out that the weird knife he took from his uncle’s bag has a secret, one that will change Matt’s life. The knife was designed with one purpose: to hunt monsters. And it’s chosen Matt as its wielder.

Now Matt’s part of a world he didn’t know existed, working with a covert military unit dedicated to eliminating walking nightmares. Faced with a prophecy about a looming dark war, Matt soon realizes his upcoming Algebra test is the least of his worries.

His new double life leaves Matt wondering which is tougher: hunting monsters or asking Ella Mitchell for a date?

Review:

I received a free ecopy of this book for an honest review.

Matt Archer: Monster Hunter is a young adult fantasy about a 14 year old who finds out he has been chosen to be a monster hunter. The story flows well and is fast and easy reading.

The characters are typical teens. Matt is shy and a good kid with a crush on Ella who is smart and pretty. Matt’s best friend is a jock who stands up for Matt against bullies. The relationship between Matt and his brother and sister is also typical: the boys fight but underneath it all you can tell they care for each other.

The monsters in this story aren’t your typical vampires, werewolves, goblins, etc., but some sort of mutations of animals. They’re strong, vicious, and evolving quickly. Kendra C. Highley describes them well (yuck).

I liked the fact that Matt being a monster hunter at his age was not readily accepted by the adults. It made it more realistic.

I definitely recommend Matt Archer: Monster Hunter to anyone, especially young adults, who enjoys a modern fantasy with a lot of action.

Title: Matt Archer: Blade’s Edge (#2)

Author: Kendra C. Highley

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal

Description (from Goodreads):

When Matt Archer was fourteen, he discovered monsters are real. As if that wasn’t enough to go on for a few decades, Matt also found out that he’d been chosen to hunt those monsters–with a sentient, supernatural knife. Now fifteen, Matt has spent the last year working with a clandestine military unit, trying to rid the world of monsters, demons and other vicious creatures, all while keeping it a secret from nearly everyone he knows back home in Billings.

Including his mom.

Add in a new girlfriend, family secrets, sibling drama and enough homework to sink an aircraft carrier, and Matt’s life has become more complicated than he ever imagined. Worse, the knife has developed some very definite opinions about Matt’s personal life and it interferes in his business whenever it wants. More and more, Matt’s coming to realize that sharing brain-space with a spirit kind of sucks.

When stories of decimated towns and hordes of zombies start pouring into the Pentagon from Afghanistan, Matt knows he’ll be called up soon. Between the new mission and the knife’s increasing control over his mind, Matt wonders if he’ll survive long enough to take his driver’s exam.

Review:

I received a free ecopy of this book for an honest review.

Matt Archer: Blade’s Edge is the second book in the series. It starts a year after the first book ended. Matt is having trouble dealing with his role as a wielder while still being in high school. His girlfriend, Ella, is also having trouble dealing with it. There were times I wanted to shake both of them as well as “Tink” for interfering. Matt’s Uncle Mike is now married with a child on the way.

The monsters in Matt Archer: Blade’s Edge are different from the ones in the previous book. They’re scarier and harder to kill. The scarier they get, the more lethal Matt gets. Although these monsters are beaten, the team knows that there are more to come.

This book is full of action and teenage drama and is easy to read. I recommend it and it stands alone but it would be even better if #1 is read first.

Title: Matt Archer: Legend (#3)

Author: Kendra C. Highley

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal

Description (from Goodreads):

When Matt Archer was fourteen, he was chosen—by a magic, spirit-inhabited knife—to hunt monsters with a special paranormal division of the Army. When he was fifteen, he was thrown into a global war the rest of the world didn’t know existed.

Now Matt’s sixteen and the war has cost him more than he ever thought it would. He’s also learned that the knife-spirits have an agenda he doesn’t totally agree with. The only problem? The spirits have the upper hand, and they plan to control the fight—and Matt.

Then things get worse: the next lunar eclipse cycle is starting, a prominent physicist has gone missing, and Matt’s best friend is thinking about quitting the team. If he loses Will—after everyone else he’s lost—Matt’s not sure how he’ll fight alone.

As the source of his nightmares starts to creep out of the shadows, Matt knows he’ll need all the help he can get…because being alone could prove deadly.

Review:

I received a free ecopy of this book for an honest review.

It is now the fall of Matt’s junior year in high school. He still has issues to work through but now his best friend, Will, is starting to have his own issues. Kendra C. Highley does a good job of continuing to develop the characters.

More is revealed about the knives and how/why the wielders came to be. There are a couple of surprises in this book, too, which I always like.

I did a little skipping at the beginning of this book but only because I had just finished #2 and the author included enough history that this could be read on its own. I recommend reading the books in order, though.

Even though this is an ongoing series, the first two books ended after a mission was completed. This one didn’t end with things as resolved, but I didn’t mind since I am going to read the next book right now.

Title: Matt Archer: Bloodlines (#4)

Author: Kendra C. Highley

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal

Description (from Goodreads):

After only two days on the ground, his best friend is possessed, a long-lost family member has returned and hidden truths have come to the surface. Add in a coven of witches bent on bringing about the end of the world and, well, this trip has started to suck. Badly.

As his power and strength continue to grow, so does Matt’s concern that he’s becoming more and more like the creatures he’s been charged to hunt: a monster.

Faced with some of his biggest challenges to date, Matt has to decide what he needs to protect most—his family, his team…or himself.

Review:

I received a free ecopy of this book for an honest review.

Matt Archer: Bloodlines begins right where Matt Archer: Legend left off. There is a lot more action as well as heartache in this book. There is also more of a variety of monsters, as well as demons. There are also a couple more surprises. It is easy to see that things are gearing up toward something big.

By this time, I’ve gotten a little attached to the characters. Matt and Will continue to grow and mature more quickly than most teens. There are several relationships at different stages that are well portrayed.

Matt Archer: Bloodlines is written well and is fast reading. I definitely recommend it and, as I’ve said in other reviews of these books, it stands alone but would be much better if you read them all in order.

About the Author:

Kendra C. Highley lives in north Texas with her husband and two children. She also serves as staff to two self-important and high-powered cats. This, according to the cats, is her most critical job. She believes chocolate is a basic human right, running a 10k is harder than it sounds, and that everyone should learn to drive a stick-shift. She loves monsters, vacations, baking and listening to bad electronica.