Name: Ewan Pendle and the White Wraith
ISBN: 9781492242802

Shaun Hume

Ewan Pendle was weird. Really weird. At least, that's what everyone told him. Then again, being able to see monsters that no one else could wasn't exactly normal ...Thinking he has been moved off to live with his eleventh foster family, Ewan is instead told he is a Lenitnes, one of an ancient race of peoples who can alone see the real Creatures that inhabit the earth. He is taken in by Enola, the mysterious sword carrying Grand Master of Firedrake Lyceum, a labyrinth of halls and rooms in the middle of London where other kids, just like him, go to learn the ways of the Creatures.

Ewan Pendle and the White Wraith

celeste

* Thank you Shaun Hume for contacting me and offering me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was a bit hesitant about this at first, since it's been said it's a book you should read if you are suffering from Harry Potter withdrawals, and HP has been a huge part of my childhood and life, basically. But this book surprised me, and in a really good way. There are a lot of similarities with HP, that much is obvious, yet I think that Shaun Hume was able to create a world of his own with its own magic system -which I wish we had learnt more about it in the book- whilst taking inspiration in the best aspects of what Harry Potter was all about: the dynamic between the three friends, the humble beginnings of the characters and their subsequent growth, the boarding type of school, and a mystery for the characters to solve where not everything is as it seems. 

For me, one of the things I loved the most about it were the three main characters, especially Enid. We have Ewan, an orphan who has been taken in by a foster family who only cares about getting the payment from the foster care system, Enid, a pirate who is the target of constant discrimination by people who look down on her and her way of life, and Mathilde, another foster kid victim of domestic abuse. The dynamic of these 3 and the way their friendship evolves and develops by the end of the book was one of the things I liked the most about it. Ewan reminded me a lot of the young Harry Potter, awkward and unable to grasp everything that was happening around him as he was thrown into this new world where deadly creatures and magic exist. 

If there was something that I wasn't quite a fan of was the pacing of the story. I think that for a book of almost 500 pages, a lot more action should have happened throughout it. I found myself losing interest when all we got to see was Ewan going to his classes and not much else seemed to happen. Yet, by the last 20% of the book, the story does pick up, and I have to admit that I was not expecting that revelation as to who was the one behind the assassination attempt. The ending does leave you wanting to know more about things that were touched upon but were not fully developed or given explanations for, like what happened to Ewan's parents, or the things being said about Enola at the end. I guess we will find out in the continuation of this book! 

Full review to come in my blog.

Paige Green

Rating: 4.5/5


Genre: YA Fantasy


Recommended Age: 12+ (one mature flashback).


Favorite Quote: "'Mind you keep your eyes open in this new life Ewan,' she said with wide pupils of her own, 'you never know what you might see when you get to the big city.'"

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
This did not influence my decision in any manner.

"Ewan Pendle was weird. Really weird. At least, that's what everyone told him. Then again, being able to see monsters that no one else could wasn't exactly normal. Thinking he has been moved off to live with his eleventh foster family, Ewan is instead told he is a Lenitnes, one of an ancient race of peoples who can alone see the real Creatures that inhabit the earth. He is taken in by Enola, the mysterious sword carrying Grand Master of Firedrake Lyceum, a labyrinth of halls and rooms in the middle of London where other children, just like him, go to learn the ways of the Creatures." - Amazon

When I was first contacted by the author and asked to review this book I read about it on Amazon. The first thing I saw was "If you're suffering fom Harry Potter withdrawals..." And obviously I'm always suffering. So I agreed to review it and I have to say that this is definitely the book you want to read when suffering from Harry Potter withdrawals. Ewan is a very likable orphan who's luck changes close to his 12th birthday. He finds out he's not the weird kid he's been made to believe he is... He's not weird at all. He's just a Lenitnes, a group of people who can see creatures like goblins and dragons. But, just like Harry Potter, Ewan has something special in him and with his group of friends he's determined to solve the mystery and save the Queen.

I found the book to be a very fun read! It was a quick and very easy read (I got busy with life, but every chance I had I would easily work through 100 pages), the characters are all developed and I can determine who's talking by the way the sentence is wrote, and the plot is very well thought out. The flashbacks in this book aren't out of place and the character conversation felt natural.

The only thing I need to complain about are the lack of creatures Ewan sees when he starts at the school, but hopefully if the second novel is ever released it will become a more prominent presence. 

Overall, this book was very enjoyable. I want to know more about this world and about the characters. I absolutely fell in love with Mathilde and Enid and I'm so happy with how Ewan developed in the first novel. I'd love to see more of him and I think you would too! Go check out this book and make sure to leave a review telling the author how much we are in need of a sequel! Happy reading!

Kathryn

*I was contacted by the author and received a copy in exchange for an honest review*

When I first read the synopsis of this book I got so many Harry Potter vibes but, while there are similarities, it is a completely original story that goes through lots of adventure and twists and turns.

So the story starts with a scene about a girl called Bettony. The opening scene is creepy and engrossing and pulled me into the story right away because it leaves a lot of questions unanswered. It isn't until the next chapter that we meet our main protagonist, Ewan Pendle.

Ewan Pendle is an orphan who has gone through the foster system and can see creatures that no one else can. When we are first introduced to Ewan he thinks he is about to move to a new foster home. Instead he meets a woman called Enola (who is very strange right through the novel) on the train to London who tells him that he is to attend the Firedrake school. Ewan himself is an interesting character. When the reader first meets him he is quiet and unsure, but as the story progresses he grows and becomes more confident, especially around the other two characters in the main trio, Mathilde and Enid.

Mathilde and Enid are both quite mysterious characters when we meet them. We know a lot about Ewan's past but not a lot about theirs. Mathilde eventually opens up and tells Ewan a little about where she came from and I like the fact that she wouldn't tell him everything at once because it meant there was always something new to learn. Enid was similar. I mean, she's a pirate, which is awesome, but we don't really know much about her other than that part of her background and we don't learn that much. She is disliked by the other people at Firedrake and I didn't think it was fully explained why. Regardless she was a great character and such a fun addition to the main trio. I think she became my favourite character by the end because she was so take charge. Something about this trio that I really liked was that their relationships with each other didn't feel forced and that really added an ease to the story.

At Firedrake there are five main cliques that are slightly reminiscent of Harry Potter, but each clique has a different talent/role. Witch who are magic users, Vanguard who are like master swordsmen (they reminded me a little bit of knights), Pyros who are kind of explosive magic users, Stealth who are basically ninjas, and Martial who are basically what it says on the tin (karate/martial arts). I really liked the fact that the cliques weren't split based on people's personality type. I know not everyone in Slytherin is bad, not everyone in Gryffindor is brave etc. but the cliques in Ewan Pendle, to me, were interesting because it was based on talents.

In the same vein the vast array of other characters in this story didn't stick to typical roles either. There were lots of older characters who weren't the wise mentor, girls who weren't the geeky best friend or love interest and boys who weren't only there to antagonise the main character. It was really refreshing to read about characters that defied the norms.

The main crux of the story is based on the title, the White Wraiths. I'm not going to talk about them too much because it would give a lot of the plot away, but what you should know is it has a lot to do with assassinations and detective work and a big bad (the makings of any good adventure). The main thing about the White Wraiths that both interested me and got on my nerves is that we don't get to see a whole lot of them. There are a lot of stories about them and there are a couple of appearances but the appearances aren't as creepy or scary as the stories make them out to be.

I think part of the reason for this is because of the characters age. Like Harry Potter the main characters are only eleven going on twelve, but quite often during the story I forgot that they weren't in their teens (fifteen or sixteen). The writing was so descriptive and YA like that at times I felt like there should be higher stakes or more daring and dangerous moments. I can see a lot of potential with the story and I'm sure as the series continues and the characters get older it will be even better because the stakes will only grow.

Apart from this the only major criticism I have is the excess description in some places. For the first chapter it was really great at setting the scene, but sometimes there was so much description that I was focusing on that instead of the story. I felt that this dragged out the story at times when the pace should have been quicker to keep the plot moving.

Despite this the book was such a fun ride and the plot twist at the end took me completely by surprise. Like I said, I can see a lot of potential for the story and where its going. The adventure is on point and the characters, and their relationships, a joy to read about. It is definitely a book to read if you are looking for fun, action and no nonsense characters.

Jolie

I loved this book. I was a huge Harry Potter fan (and my 9-year-old son is a huge fan) and I was a bit disappointed when the series ended. All other books that were written in a similar fashion to Harry Potter, I found boring and unoriginal. That is until Shaun approached me to review Ewan Pendle and the White Wraith. I was instantly transported to a world, while similar to Harry Potter in ways, it was also very original.

Ewan Pendle had been in the foster care system ever since he could remember and he kept getting bounced from foster home to foster home. Why? Because he was weird and he freaked his foster parents out. See, Ewan could see monsters when other people couldn’t. The first monster that he saw was a dragon when he was 5 and they just kept on showing up after that. He was treated with fear and ridicule when he attempted to tell an adult (usually a teacher or his foster parents). After a while, he was labeled as weird and moved when his foster parents couldn’t deal with his weirdness anymore. So when he was told that he was going to another foster family in London, he wasn’t surprised. What he was surprised was when he was met on the train by a woman who held keys to his past and parents. A woman who told him that he was a Lenitnes….a race of people who could see Creatures (aka dragons, wraiths…stuff along those lines). Even more so, he was surprised to find out that he was going to a special school to learn the way of the Creatures. A school called Firedrake Lyceum. A school that is as mysterious as its Grand Master and Masters.

At this point, I was liking the book but thinking to myself “very similar to Harry Potter“. But when Ewan was told that he was a Lenitnes and the author explained what that race was, I started loving it. Then the school came up and I thought to myself “Definitely not in Harry Potter world here.” The world building the author did from that point on was fantastic. Instead of focusing mainly on magic, in this world, you get to choose what clique you wanted to go in. They were Martial (more combat focused), Witches (self-explanatory here), Pyro (they blow things up), Stealth (sneaking), Vanguard (defenders) but the cadets (as the children are called) do not choose until the end of Grade One. Even then, they have to pass basic tests to see if that group is right for them. If not, they stay in Grade One until they pass those tests. It was when Mathilde is showing Ewan around, that I started loving the book.

Besides Ewan, I really liked Mathilde and Enid as characters. While they came across one way, I liked that the author had small intros to each girl and I liked how each girl brought out the best in Ewan. Mathilde had an awful past that she is trying to hide. My only complaint was that she kept saying “dude” with every sentence. It drove me up a wall. Other than that, I really liked her and I could understand why she wanted to keep her past from people.

At first, I wasn’t too sure about Enid. She was so aloof. But, with the way that the other kids treated her at school, I could see why she was so hesitant to become friends with Ewan. See, Enid was a pirate and she looked different. She had dreds and an eye tattoo that told her people where she stood within their community. Most people would look at her and judge. Not Ewan and it took a few times before she warmed up to him. When she did, she became a friend who stuck by Ewan when school became rough for him.

All of the storylines, including the White Wraith one, were very interesting and I loved how the author resolved all but one of them at the end of the book. I also liked that the author did leave it open for a book 2.

This is a book that I would have no problem letting my 9-year-old read and I actually plan on ordering it after this review goes live. I read the blurb to him and he is pretty excited about reading it.

Ewan Pendle and the White Wraith Playlist

Start Again – Conrad Sewell

Shake It Off – Taylor Swift

You Don’t Know About Me – Ella Vos

What Hurts The Most – Rascal Flatts

Respect – Aretha Franklin

Gypsy Woman – Jonathan Tyler, The Northern Lights

Shake – The Head and the Heart

Spirit Cold – Tall Heights

All The Things You’d Like To Be – Paul Smith and the Intimations

Gymnopedie No. 3 – Erik Satie

How many stars will I give Ewan Pendle and the White Wraith: 4

Why: Great story with well written, flushed out characters

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Tween

Why: mild violence

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**

Ewan Pendle and the White Wraith

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