[1VU]∎ Download Jack Templar Monster Hunter The Jack Templar Chronicles Book One Jeff Gunhus 9780988425903 Books

Jack Templar Monster Hunter The Jack Templar Chronicles Book One Jeff Gunhus 9780988425903 Books

Download As PDF : Jack Templar Monster Hunter The Jack Templar Chronicles Book One Jeff Gunhus 9780988425903 Books

Jack Templar Monster Hunter The Jack Templar Chronicles Book One Jeff Gunhus 9780988425903 Books

Jack Smith, who will be 14 tomorrow, is headed off to school for another boring, mundane day. Or perhaps not. He’s feeling stronger, faster, more agile than ever before. And strange things keep happening – like the creepy dude of pale skin on the way to school who wished him an early happy birthday. Then there was challenging the school bully while protecting his friend, and winning. But things got really weird with the principle, who seems to be more monster than school matron. Pretty soon, Jack is caught up in battling monsters left and right, his aunt is more than she seems, and the Monster Hunters (a secret society) need Jack because he may be the ‘One’.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read filled with plenty of action and monsters out of myths and legends. While it has a definite Young Adult genre feel to it, we also had some darker issues in the background which gave it a touch of seriousness that pulled it all together for me. Jack is a fun kid who has a secret identity that even he isn’t aware of at the start of the story. He has a crush on a girl at school, but is too shy to do anything about it. He has 2 friends in the school who are both outcasts (each for different reasons). And his parents died when he was kid, leaving him to be raised by his Aunt Sophie (who has secrets of her own).

Then in steps Eva and she is an awesome one-handed (the other being whatever weapon she needs at the time that can screw on to her stump cover) Monster Hunter. She shows up and starts explaining the rules of the whole Creach society (the monsters – creatures) and what the Black Guard (Monster Hunters) are all about. However, she keeps getting interrupted by this flow of monsters who want Jack either dead or captured. This creates a great pacing of the story, where we get these little tidbits of background in between action scenes. No big info dumps here!

But if you are concerned that this is just one big monster slayer fest, don’t worry! Some of these ‘monsters’ have more going on for them. Of course, this leads to grief and consternation for some of the Monster Hunters. That was quite OK with me, as it added another layer to the story and left plenty for the author to explore in future installments of the series.

The book does break the fourth wall and speak directly to the reader several times through out the tale. Mostly, this is Jack telling us (the readers) to beware! Horrid monsters will hunt us if we read this book! While I didn’t exactly dislike these sections, I felt that they were so much younger than the tale itself and the break in narration always took me out of the story. I think I would have preferred to just let the story speak for itself.

What I Liked: The cover art; Jack is easy to get attached to; monsters galore!; not all the characters (including the monsters) are what they seem at first glance; loyalty of friends; Jack’s secret past.

What I Disliked: The narration breaks at several points so that Jack can speak directly to the readers, and this kept taking out of the story when I just wanted to stay in the story.


Tags : Jack Templar Monster Hunter: The Jack Templar Chronicles: Book One [Jeff Gunhus] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <div> <div> <div><div><div><b>Finalist for the 2012 Book of the Year Award</b> -- Foreword Reviews<div> </i></div><div> </i></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Orphan Jack Templar has no memory of his parents and only the smallest details from his Aunt Sophie about how they died. The day before Jack's fourteenth birthday,Jeff Gunhus,Jack Templar Monster Hunter: The Jack Templar Chronicles: Book One,Seven Guns Press,0988425904,Action & Adventure - General,Adventure stories (Children's Teenage),Fantasy & Magic,Juvenile Fiction Action & Adventure General,Juvenile Fiction : Fantasy & Magic,Juvenile Fiction : Monsters,Juvenile FictionFantasy & Magic,Juvenile FictionMonsters,Monsters,Young Adult Fiction,JUVENILE FICTION Monsters

Jack Templar Monster Hunter The Jack Templar Chronicles Book One Jeff Gunhus 9780988425903 Books Reviews

My daughter and I read and reviewed this book for Mother Daughter Book Reviews. Here's what we have to say about it

DAUGHTER SAYS

This story is about a boy named Jack Templar who, when he turns 14, turns into a Monster Hunter. Then a bunch of changes start happening in his life. He has to kill all the monsters especially the vampire named Ren Lucray. I wish the cover showed more people other than Jack so I could see what they look like. When I first saw the cover, it looked like Jack was a man, but after I read the story and looked again, I could see that he was a boy. The main character is Jack Templar who is 13 at the start of the book. He was ok. Nothing like this has happened to me in my life, but it might someday...when I'm 14!

My favorite part of the story was a bit of a surprise so I can't really tell you but it's about the girl that he likes and it happens near the end. I liked the parts where they described the monsters and how there were lots of different kinds of monsters like vampires, werewolves, and zombies. I liked the Warnings at the start of the book and me and my brother even followed them by locking the doors and bolting the windows. That was cool! It was sad how some people in the book died in a not nice way when you didn't expect them to die. It was sad because they were nice people and they sacrificed themselves.

Sometimes I was scared at the monstery parts and the last part (the surprising part that I talked about at the start of this review) and there were parts that made me sad like when the people died. I learned that even when you're scared you should still be brave - but then you might die. In this book, it also teaches you that dying is ok.

I really, really loved this book and would recommend it to girls and boys about 8 years and older because it has scary stuff and it might be too hard for younger kids to read themselves. I might also recommend it to someone who wants to be a monster hunter (because of the warnings, you might actually need to be one!) Hmmm...I think I actually saw a vampire after I read the book.

MOM SAYS

Any book that begins with a warning to young readers about the "consequences" of reading this book spoken by the title character himself will certainly get my attention. So, it's one thing to get my attention (check), it's a far different thing to keep it (check). The story contained within the pages of Jack Templar Monster Hunter will grip you by the neck from the get-go, will keep your eyes glued to the page (except for when you think you see a shadow in the next room), and will leave you begging the author to "hurry up already" for the second book in the series. In short, Jack Templar Monster Hunter is a fast-paced, edge-of-your seat adventure that will leave you wondering if there's a monster hiding within the fleshy confines of your neighbor, postman, or your child's principal perhaps?

We meet the title character, Jack "Smith" on the day before his fourteenth birthday when he is noticing strange changes to his body (i.e., he's faster, he's stronger, he can jump higher, and so on...). Little does he know that his world is about to be turned upside-down as he is preparing to take part in an epic battle of good versus evil. Although in this case, the "evil" consists of vampires, werewolves, zombies, and other monsters. Who knew monsters existed? No, really...monsters exist.

This is what author Jeff Gunhus does so well - the line between reality and fantasy becomes blurred within the first pages of the book when the narrator desperately tries to warn his audience that monsters are, in fact, real. You are given plenty of warning to stop reading, because if you read the book, you will become a monster hunter too. How well does Gunhus accomplish this? Let me put it this way we were advised by Jack himself in an intermission that should we continue to read, we should "put the book down and check to make sure all the doors and windows are locked." My children insisted on going through all three floors of our house to ensure that the windows and doors were safely locked. I'm not joking...

The story itself is completely captivating and contains so many plot twists that you are kept guessing what will happen next. No one is who they seem to be, there are many turns in the plot that are completely unexpected, and you really cannot guess how it will end. We generally only read together snuggled up on the couch before bedtime, but with this book, my kids begged me to keep reading it every spare moment we had. No laments of "we're bored" (to which I typically respond "I don't have a problem with that.")

Is this book scary? Hmmm....well, the narrator warns us that the content is filled with bloody scenes of battle, death, violence, and well, monsters. Yes, that's all true. When my kids gleefully shared with their Dad what we were reading, let's just say he was taken aback and I may have received "a look". That being said, there is humour interspersed within the more frightening scenes which really helps to relieve the tension in the story. What I can say is that my son (6) is fearless and pretty much nothing scares him. My daughter is more "sensitive" (as we like to put it) and she just loved this book and couldn't stop raving about it after we finished it. I think that says alot about how "scary" it is.

As for appropriateness, every household has different views on this. I know some kids who were younger than mine when they watched the Lord of the Rings trilogy; yet, it will be a long time before I let my kids watch those movies because I feel that they are very dark and violent and have mature themes. Another controversial book/movie is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I know some parents who brought their daughter (same age as mine) to see the movie. My daughter has not seen the movie nor read the books. My personal opinion on this is that every child is different and parents have to make those judgment calls on their behalf. I just have to make decisions for my kids, not other people's kids.

My bottom line

This book was so much fun to read aloud to my kids! There is a great plot line, magnificent character development, and the right balance between humour and tension to keep you completely captivated as a reader. This book is just as entertaining for adults as it is for kids. With regards to age recommendations, I'll suggest 9 years and older because it could be frightening for very sensitive children. Also, I think both boys and girls would really enjoy Jack Templar Monster Hunter. I really need you all to read it because, let's face it, the world really needs more monster hunters! ;-)

*** Jack Templar - Monster Hunter was provided to us free-of-charge by the author through the Jack Templar Blog Tour organized by Kathy from I am a Reader Not a Writer in exchange for an honest review.***
I was given this book for free to do a honest review.

What can I say I was sitting at the table and when I started reading this out loud my 13 year old daughter was hooked. The beginning of the book Warning!! got her attention and that all it took. I actually loved reading it myself. It is about a young boy who lives with his "Aunt" since both of his parents where killed when he was baby the day before his birthday he finds out that he is a Monster hunter and the last of his bloodline. This book will have you turning the next page to see what is going to happen next. Does Jack and his friends survive the fight with the Ren Lucre the oldest vampire and head of the Creach or will he be held prisoner and die a slow death this is where you will have to buy the book to find out.
This is a good read for teenagers and will keep them entertained for hours and I even think that most adults would find this book entertaining also.
Jeff Gunhus has really did a good job writing this book and I highly recommend it reading it.
Jack Smith, who will be 14 tomorrow, is headed off to school for another boring, mundane day. Or perhaps not. He’s feeling stronger, faster, more agile than ever before. And strange things keep happening – like the creepy dude of pale skin on the way to school who wished him an early happy birthday. Then there was challenging the school bully while protecting his friend, and winning. But things got really weird with the principle, who seems to be more monster than school matron. Pretty soon, Jack is caught up in battling monsters left and right, his aunt is more than she seems, and the Monster Hunters (a secret society) need Jack because he may be the ‘One’.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read filled with plenty of action and monsters out of myths and legends. While it has a definite Young Adult genre feel to it, we also had some darker issues in the background which gave it a touch of seriousness that pulled it all together for me. Jack is a fun kid who has a secret identity that even he isn’t aware of at the start of the story. He has a crush on a girl at school, but is too shy to do anything about it. He has 2 friends in the school who are both outcasts (each for different reasons). And his parents died when he was kid, leaving him to be raised by his Aunt Sophie (who has secrets of her own).

Then in steps Eva and she is an awesome one-handed (the other being whatever weapon she needs at the time that can screw on to her stump cover) Monster Hunter. She shows up and starts explaining the rules of the whole Creach society (the monsters – creatures) and what the Black Guard (Monster Hunters) are all about. However, she keeps getting interrupted by this flow of monsters who want Jack either dead or captured. This creates a great pacing of the story, where we get these little tidbits of background in between action scenes. No big info dumps here!

But if you are concerned that this is just one big monster slayer fest, don’t worry! Some of these ‘monsters’ have more going on for them. Of course, this leads to grief and consternation for some of the Monster Hunters. That was quite OK with me, as it added another layer to the story and left plenty for the author to explore in future installments of the series.

The book does break the fourth wall and speak directly to the reader several times through out the tale. Mostly, this is Jack telling us (the readers) to beware! Horrid monsters will hunt us if we read this book! While I didn’t exactly dislike these sections, I felt that they were so much younger than the tale itself and the break in narration always took me out of the story. I think I would have preferred to just let the story speak for itself.

What I Liked The cover art; Jack is easy to get attached to; monsters galore!; not all the characters (including the monsters) are what they seem at first glance; loyalty of friends; Jack’s secret past.

What I Disliked The narration breaks at several points so that Jack can speak directly to the readers, and this kept taking out of the story when I just wanted to stay in the story.