These are perfect for reading with tweens, either out loud or to themselves. The writing is fun and thrilling with great characters (especially for those lacking courage who need a role model) and a rather interesting setting full of danger and intrigue. There is a bit of romance, but not too much to make those who don't care for that to shy away from the book. I am glad I was able to read and enjoy it.

Battledoors: The Golden Slate is book one of a series geared towards middle school readers. It is reminiscent of The Labyrinth or Gulliver's Travels in that the main character, Owen, finds himself in a different world-- a world full of magic, unheard of creatures, riddles to be solved and battles to be fought. Owen is not alone on his unexpected journey; both his crush and his enemy are tagging along as are two other "friends." The author does a great job building the world and even elaborating on the details using all five senses, however, the pace is slow and the characters are underdeveloped. It will be difficult for this story to stand the test of time because the author names current fads and pop culture as examples.

This is another of those book-within-a-book plots. It's different in that it's not a pre-plotted book, but one that changes the world, setting, plot, and pretty much everything, based on their present actions.

There's terrific action, and you get the feeling of those choose your own adventure books, which I've never really liked, but it's our characters that are doing the choosing, so I just get to sit back and relax.

The characters are pretty good too. My only contention is that I felt the women are there to support the male characters; not for their own sake. It looks like that might change somewhat in the next book, so I'll hold my opinion on that. Still, they weren't totally flat either, so I'm not downrating based on that alone.

I don't mean to sound negative. I really enjoyed reading this book. The writing is great, and the action pulls you in, and keeps you hooked.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Let's start with I really did enjoy the book as a concept. Without spoiling the book, the basic premise is that a boy is unknowingly thrown into an alternate universe with four other peers (one is the crush, her friend, and two bullies). The boy and both girls are given books that are designed to aid them through their quest. The boy's book provides him "battles" (two options) and he must select one or the other and then concur the battle to progress through the story.

The whole book is set up along with the metaphor of the book. For example, the boy is called "the protagonist" and the evil opponent simply "the antagonist." Along the way, the five kids learn they must depend on each other and the kindness of strangers to complete their quests, defeat the antagonist, and finally go home.

From the beginning of the book, I was ridiculously confused. The Prologue throws you into the world with zero explanation and then uses terms that you really won't understand until much, much later in the book itself. Some may get a big overwhelmed here and decide to throw in the towel. I don't recommend that. Instead, don't read the prologue at all. I re-read the prologue after completing the book and found that I enjoyed it and understood its meaning much more after the fact.

The book has a number of these strange jumps in logic and explanation in the early part of the book. I think the goal was to make the reader as confused as the boy and his friends when they first enter into the alternative reality, but as a reader I thought the book needed a good editing instead.

Overall, I think this is an interesting book and will definitely hold the attention of young adults. I do think there are a few things that are a bit too "on the nose" or cheesy (the character DJ comes to mind).

This was an action packed adventure that kept me on the edge of my seat. Two thumbs up!

What I liked: The premise of this book is so MUCH fun! I love the idea of stepping into a story, and being the protagonist. The plot is fast paced in interesting, the characters are complex, and the relationships are interesting.

What I didn't like: I was disappointed in the cliff hanger ending. I wanted this to be a stand alone book, so I wouldn't be left wondering.

I throughly enjoyed this book. Clever. Imaginative. Filled with unique options. Characters galore. Great writing, and I do recommend this book. I also look forward to the next book.

It surprised me how I found myself reading this before bed, at work, while getting dressed, and etc. If I could multitask and read it, I would. I love how you never know what you’re going to get, yet there is always balance, cause and effect, action and consequence. Trust me, that’ll make you smile later. Great read. I’m actually cheering for the group to make roadkill of the antagonist. Game on

A nice fantasy book with intriguing plot, reliable characters and entertaining adventures. Suits for a slightly younger audience, but still a nice read.