Book Review: Boston's Quest by Shanae Branham

Boston's Quest, by Shanae Branham
2015, 279p, Clean YA Suspense/Fantasy
My Rating=5 Stars
Source: Received a copy from the author for an honest review



The external drive containing the information for building a hologram machine is stolen and sold on the black market. Now someone has connected a new hologram machine to the Internet, forcing people to fight for their lives in an online fantasy game. Trapped inside this deadly scenario, seventeen-year-old Boston Manning learns that her weakness for tolerating abuse is stopping her from unlocking her elven powers. Can she overcome her character flaw or will she die trying?

In book 2 of the Holoquest Fantasy Series, Boston and Jason return with another action-packed, romantic adventure. Boston’s Quest will electrify your imagination as you experience elves, dwarfs, trolls, priests, vampires, and demons as you’ve never experienced them before.

I read the first book in this series, Disemblance, a couple of years ago (read more about it here). I found it to be intense and the same can be said about this book. Jason's brother, Isaac, is in the psychiatric ward after losing touch with reality and blaming Jason for their father's death. Jason is looking forward to putting the man who is responsible for his father's death, Dr. Paden, behind bars for life. With both of their parents now dead, Jason has moved in with Detective Bruce Durante and his wife, Lisa. 

Boston and Jason have been dating for a few months but her mother is constantly on her case to break up with him. Her mother has a new boyfriend, Ivan, who gives Boston the creeps. When Jason helps Boston open her eyes about where her mother's money is really coming from, Boston makes a life-changing decision. Things don't go as planned and soon Boston finds herself in the middle of an online game, trying desperately to save those she cares about.

I like Boston and Jason, both separately and together. Jason is a bit of a loner and needs others to keep him from closing himself off completely. Living with Bruce and Lisa and dating Boston helps. Boston cares for Jason but feels lots of pressure to break up with him. She's confused and not sure what she wants. She has a big heart and is willing to help those who need it, even if she's only known them a short while.

There's a lot going on in this book but it isn't confusing. The author gives enough information that if you haven't read the first book, you can figure out what's going on. There are lots of characters and moving parts that come together as the story unfolds. I do still have plenty of questions and as I got to the end, was wondering how it would wrap up. Well, it doesn't, and ends on a cliffhanger! I'm looking forward to reading more and am excited for the next book to come out!

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I am a professional writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and a minor in grammar. I have also attended several years of classes and workshops in screenplay writing at the Los Angeles Screenplay writer's Expo.

I love suspenseful, action-adventures and clean, young adult, romance stories. I was born and raised in a small town in Idaho. I am the second out of six children. When I was in my early 20's my mother was killed by a drunk driver. This one incident drastically changed my life. I have always had a passion for reading and writing fiction. Owing to a life long struggle with Dyslexia, early teachers discouraged me from pursuing a career in writing.

As I have spent over twenty-five years transforming my language disabilities into professional writing skills, God has honed my insatiable passion into an incredible vision.

My Christian upbringing has instilled within me the belief that "...with God nothing shall be impossible" (Luke 1:37). This has sustained me through the hard times. Because of my dyslexia, I have had to learn the structure of the English language like math, syntax building block upon syntax building block.

I am grateful for this weakness because it has developed in me a skill and love for diagramming sentences, which unfortunately is becoming a lost art.

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