Name: The Search for Synergy
ISBN: 9781542914840

Brett Salter

"The Search for Synergy" is the story of two young men who are brought together by design to help save the world from the evil that lurks in The Void. Rome and Julian will have to join their fledgling powers and become a fighting duo of knight and dragon, working to fulfill a primordial destiny. This will be especially hard for Rome who, up until now, thought he was merely human.

The Search for Synergy

Lacy W

Title: The Search for Synergy
Author: Brett Salter
Genre: Middle-Grade Fantasy
Format: author request as an ebook
Series: The Talisman
Star Rating: 4 stars

A special thank you goes to the author, Brett Salter, for giving me a copy of this book. Please know that this does not influence my rating or thoughts on the book itself.

tw: fighting, parental neglect (kind of), destruction of property (I was kind of naughty and didn’t keep track of the trigger warnings because I just wanted to read this book!)

What an absolutely delightful book! Now, normally I don’t read a lot of middle-grade books, but the way the author worded his email and the synopsis, I knew I had to read this book. I often times find middle grade books to either be childish or I just can’t relate to the main characters and what is going on in their life because I’m over 20 years old than them. So you can imagine why I don’t always read middle-grade books.

This book is full of cringy classic middle school dialogue that can only come from 13 year old boys. I loved every minute of it. It brought me back to my days in middle school. I remember getting into a fight with my group of friends because one of them licked a tree. Like why would that even matter? It was such a stupid fight. Point is, middle school is awful and the author captured it perfectly. I felt like I was actually reading about middle schoolers. It was very realistic. 

The plot was also very fun. It was easy to understand but it also wasn’t spoon-fed to us either. I’ve always loved dragons, which is what part of the plot is about. I thought the lore about how dragons came to be was pretty cool and interesting. This book actually reminded me of the Nicholas Flamel series, which I adore. Anyway, I would love a prequel book about dragon lore because I just thought it was so cool. 

What really made me love this book so much was the concept of found family. The bond between Julien and Rome was adorable. I have a feeling that they are going to be lifelong friends, at least I hope so anyway. I mean considering all they have gone through, I would hope that they would stay friends. Their interactions were hilarious. 

Overall, this was a fun book to read. I definitely needed something light since we are now in the holiday season for retail, which if any of you have worked retail, y’all know how rough it is. So I needed something fun to read about, like dragons and middle school boys getting into mischief. Expect more reviews of this series as the author was kind enough to give me the rest of the series. I can’t wait to binge them all!

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this e-book from the author. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Search fro Synergy

Author: Brett Salter

Book Series: The Tailsman Series Book 1

Rating: 5/5

Recommended For...: middle grade, fantasy, dragons

Publication Date: May 20, 2017

Genre: MG Fantasy

Recommended Age: 10+ (some scary moments, violence, little gore)

Explanation of CWs: There are some scary moments in the book that might be a bit much for some readers. There is also some violence and gore in it.

Publisher: Indie Published

Pages: 220

Synopsis: "The Search For Synergy" is the first book in The Talisman Series by author Brett Salter. It follows the exploits of two middle-school boys, Rome Lockheed and Julian Rider, as they transition from normal kids into epic warriors fighting for the existence of the Earth realm. Rome is secretly a fire dragon from the Den of Volcana placed under a spell which hides his true form. Julian is an oddball, up-and-coming knight with a case of the "try-hards". Together, they perform an ancient pact which bonds their lives and souls forever. Under the tutelage and guidance of an eccentric, local librarian, Mr. Jones, the two learn of an impending invasion from an archaic evil desperate to invade from the other side of The Void.

Review: I really liked this middle grade book. I thought it was something that a real middle grader would enjoy and that would have some aspects that especially boys would enjoy (drawing from what my cousin had told me he wanted in a book when we were in middle grade and he was struggling to find books he enjoyed). I thought the character development was well done, the world building was spectacular, and the pacing was really good as well. I also liked the plot!

However, there are some more adult themes and words in this book that some parents might want to look at before they let their kids read it (I’m more of a “age doesn’t define what kids should be reading” type of person, but everyone is different).

Verdict: It was great!

Jolie

Review can also be viewed on: https://readwithme2018.com/2021/07/09...

The Search For Synergy is the first book in The Talisman series. The book does start a little slow, but that only lasts for the first two chapters. Then it takes off and doesn’t slow down until the end. That made the book more enjoyable to read.

I liked Rome. His reactions to everything going on were realistic. He had every right not to believe Julian and Mr. Jones when they explained what was happening to him. Instead, he gave them a chance, and it ended up changing his life. I also loved the way he talked to Julian’s father. I know it was rude, but I was laughing my butt off during those interactions.

I liked Julian and connected with him. He was passionate about what he was training for, and he was willing to face ridicule from Rome to tell him the truth. Plus, the kid was beyond brave.

The fantasy angle of the book was well written. I loved that the author used the King Arthur myth and built a fantastic storyline around it. Plus, he dabbled a bit of Greek mythology in too. It made the book so much enjoyable to read.

The fights scenes in The Search For Synergy were terrific!! I did think it was funny that the first one took place in the school (as did Rome’s first transformation). I cheered (internally) when Julian and Rome sent the Garns back to where they came from. I also loved seeing Rome turn to his more animalistic side during the second fight. He saved Julian’s life.

The end of The Search For Synergy was interesting. I have a few questions that I hope will be answered in the next book. Plus, I can’t wait to see how Julian’s younger sister is (seeing that she will be going with the boys to England).

The Search For Synergy was a great middle-grade read. The characters were fleshed out, and the plotline was terrific.

I would recommend The Search For Synergy to anyone over the age of 13. Younger readers can read it, but I suggest that a parent read with them, as some of the fight scenes can be a little scary. There is mild violence.

The Search for Synergy

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