Book Review: Keeper of the Black Stones

Media Type: Print Book
Title: Keeper of the Black Stones
   * Series: Stone Ends, Book 1
Author: P.T. McHugh
Publisher: Glass House Press
Pages: Paperback; 369
Release Date: February 26, 2013
Source: Publisher
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Content Screening: Mild Violence

HDB Rating: 5 Keys to My Heart

Recommended to: Everyone! Especially readers who genuinely enjoy a romp through history.

Add it on: Goodreads / Shelfari / Amazon / B&N

Awkward in his own skin, shy around girls and worried about anything and everything, Jason Evans is just like a million other teenage boys in high school, with one very large exception: he has been given a gift that allows him to jump through time. A set of stones has fallen into his lap that gives him access to any place – and any time – that he chooses. But along with that gift comes the responsibility of stopping the man who is using those very stones to travel through time and change history for his own purposes. A man who is now holding Jason’s grandfather hostage, and threatening the world’s very existence. Jumping through time with his best friend and body guard, Jason must enter the world of Medieval England, learn its customs, navigate unimaginable danger, and help Henry VII win the Battle of Bosworth, in the name of finding his grandfather, rescuing a beautiful girl from the clutches of a corrupt church, and destroying the one man who pledges to turn history inside out.

Meet Jason Evans. A sweet, slightly awkward and wonderfully quirky main character. He’s certain that something odd is going on with his grandfather, but he can’t quite put his finger on what. Until, that is, some really insane things start happening and he finds out that time travel is actually possible. Sound like a recipe for an amazing read? You would be right my friends, you would be right.

I can’t deny that it was Jason’s personality that really sold me on this book. The beginning drew me in with its mystery, but it was Jason himself that kept me reading. The more I read, the more I fell in love with the way the author builds a normal boy who just so happens to be a time traveler. Even better, McHugh pairs our hero with quite the set of companions! Ranging from witty, to sassy, to downright kick-ass, this is an entourage that I would absolutely want to travel with.

Better still was the writing style of the book. I’m not generally a huge fan of meshing history and science fiction. Most authors have the habit of just spouting facts at the reader. After reading Keeper of the Black Stones though, my opinion has changed. P.T. McHugh balances the historical side of Jason’s story with the perfect amount of action and intrigue. I knew I was watching history unfold, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the words on the page. I was so immersed, so involved with the characters, that before I knew it I was turning the last page.

This book is so much fun to read. That’s really the long and short of this whole review. No matter what else I say, it boils down to the fact that I utterly enjoyed each and every page. The characters are fresh, the writing is wonderful, and there isn’t a dull moment. Keeper of the Black Stones is pure fun and I can’t wait for more.

FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion.