I received Join or Die by J.Adrian Ruth for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on the 1st June 2020. I will include links to the author at the end of the review.

TW: violence, death

Join or Die is about a fourteen year old boy, Alex Ayers, who finds out that he is not entirely human as he once thought. He is introduced to a secret world full of monsters in a boarding school designed to help young creatures adapt in the mortal world.

It includes all of the usual supernatural creatures such as vampires, werewolves and wizards as well as some fun creatures that you don't usually see in books such as valkyries, berserkers and yuki-onna. It was so original to have a a mix of these creatures and intriguing to learn about some legends that I hadn't heard of before. Additionally, I loved the angle of the young creatures having to learn how to survive in the mortal world. In a lot of books you find that the half-human characters have to forget about the moral world and just learn about the new ones, it was so clever how this book turned that trope on its head.

Alex Ayers, our protagonist, is thrown into this world suddenly when an old friend of his absent father reveals that Alex is on the verge of the 'Change'. He has to move away from the only home he has ever known to face becoming a supernatural creature, having to make new friends whilst also having to constantly look over his shoulder as his life is in danger. A little detail that I thought was a really nice touch was how Alex's homesickness was portrayed. It was a great reminder in this new world that he is just a kid and even though he is introduced to a world of magic, he is still going to miss his mum, friends and home.

The world building in this book is fantastic! I love all of the little details that were similar to our world but slightly different to accommodate the Creatures/ the Otherworld.

There is so much enjoyable content offered in this book, there is definitely something for everyone. It explores family, friendship and even contains my favourite book trope of unlikely friends becoming family. There is mystery, betrayal, rivalry and bucket loads of magic plus a pretty spectacular scavenger hunt.

This book is perfect for fans of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson! It shares so many lovable elements from both of these books such as going to a remote boarding school or having a complicated relationship with parental figures. Reading Join or Die gave me the same magical and warm feeling that I got from Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, I know that this series is going to be just as special.

On that note, I was excited to hear that this was going to be part of an ongoing series (Heir of the Scion). This book was the perfect set up for further books as it resolves so many questions but there is so much potential for further growth and upcoming challenges for all of the characters - I'm so excited to see what happens next!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for this opportunity!

A boy finds out he's different from other boys and is called to attend a magical school. A familiar storyline, however, doesn't make for an uninteresting one.
This book tells us of Alex who is half-human and half Creature. I particularly like the portrayal of Alex's family, a struggling single mother and a missing father. Alex is good and angry about his father's abandonment which makes for an edgier character than Harry Potter and for edgy dialogue, although nothing that isn't pretty realistic teen usage.. A number of teens do experience abandonment by parents and this is interesting territory to explore.
As Alex learns to get along in his new school, he makes unusual friends, a vampire-elf, a werewolf, and a Valkyrie. He also learns more about his absent father, while worrying about what will happen when he comes to the "Change." During that phase of his life, he will find out more about his Creature side. He's not quite there as this book ends. More of the story is coming and I liked this novel well enough to seek out the second book.

I loved this book so much. It was the perfect mis of fantasy, mystery and young adult reading. A simple and easy book to read. Was a favourite from this years reads. I cannot wait to read more from this series.

Join or Die was a very entertaining YA fantasy novel, which although it does not do anything new, was an engaging read full of believable and quirky characters. Alex is a young teen from Las Vegas who early in the novel realises he is not human and is whisked off to a boarding school for creatures who are a breed of human and other things such as vampires (his room mate). He's also very powerful , although he does not yet know how to harness his power, which is a big part of the novel.

The story cleverly balances the fantasy aspect with the fact that Alex is still a teenager and that is convincingly portrayed in the plot and the misfits be bands himself with. It sets itself up nicely for a sequel. Well worth checking out.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I gave this book 4 stars. I enjoyed this book a lot, it was fun, snarky, and intriguing. Alex is a 14 year old living with his mother when one day a man named Durant arrives at his house and explains that he is not actually human. He takes Alex back to Fios Academy, a boarding school filled with various Creatures.

Alex was a fun protagonist and his witty/snarky personality shines throughout the story. He and all of his friends are well developed and I fully enjoyed each of them. The story felt a tad rushed, sometimes a chapter would end and then suddenly they would be onto the next thing. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

My only quibble with the book was the language, and that’s just my personal preference. There is a lot of cursing in this book, it felt like it was on about every other page. Sometimes it just felt a little unnecessary and with so much of it sometimes it would take me out of the story.

That being said, I really enjoyed this book. I definitely got some Percy Jackson at Hogwarts vibes. I plan on continuing in this series and I would definitely recommend this book.

My review is currently up on GoodReads and has been posted on Instagram on 12/14/2019

His lungs burns as he gets to breathe.he can feel them behind him hunting like a dog.he is trapped in human form unable to fly as a crow or make it to water.

I thought this one sounded promising. The world within the world/regular kid finds out he's magical trope has been done - many times I still often enjoy this type of story, and the Creature angle sounded just novel enough to grab my attention. Plus I liked the cover. When I started reading, I realized it was short - which I also thought seemed promising, since my one complaint about stories in genres that are often-visited like this one is the authors try to layer on details in the attempt to make their stories longer and differentiate them from the others out there.

All of which is a long way of saying that I was looking forward to this one. Then I started reading it. Sigh.

All of the things that I thought had potential fell flat for me. The book felt like I was reading any of 17 others, frankly all of which are better written. This one isn't labeled an ARC, yet it read like something that had never been edited - by the author OR an editor - and I found that off-putting from the beginning. A few typos in an ARC I can handle. Mistake after mistake, from grammar to missing words, in a supposedly finished book, on the other hand, I cannot. This one felt cobbled together, and that coupled with surprisingly uninteresting characters and plot cover meant that I struggled from the beginning and ultimately couldn't finish it.

Great addition to the YA genre. Lovers of Percy Jackson will enjoy this series. Likeable characters . thoroughly Enjoyable. Can’t wait for next chapter.

Solid 4/5 stars!

Not gonna lie, I wasn't expecting to end up enjoying this as much as I did. I'm a huge fanatic when is comes to supernatural/paranormal books, but for some reason this one made me a bit nervous. For the most part, the synopsis does a really good job of telling you what's in store without giving anything away. I will say, I thought that the first quarter of the book felt much more of a middle grade read to me. After that quarter though, it starts to mature a bit more and go into what I would personally consider to be YA. Alex is 14 years old here, so it's not much of a surprise that the book felt somewhere in the middle. The world-building in this is actually crazy good! I loved getting to learn more about the world, as well as learning more about the Scion and the Creatures that exist. Character development was well done, but there were a few issues I had from time to time. The main one being part of a twist (which I obvs can't reveal) that fell flat for me. I wasn't connected enough with all the characters in order for it to shock me. Despite that, the characters are quite relatable and I had a fun time hearing their banter. Some of their word choices made me feel a bit weird -such as "Boss- even though they make sense. That's more of a nitpick on my end though. Overall, this is a short book that has a fun storyline with excellent world-building and lovable characters. While I wouldn't classify it as MG, it can definitely be read by the those in the higher ages of MG. The ending does a great job of being conclusive while also leaving enough questions and room for the sequel. I actually look forward to the sequel and plan to read it whenever that releases!

Honestly, this was a great book. Excellent world building and it kept moving. Wonderful characters and Kara is my favorite by far, but we won't discuss why. Author J. Adrian Ruth never got us bogged down in 1000 words where 200 would do just fine. Now for my few not so happy remarks. I am volunteering to be your proofreader because Author, you are in dire need of one. Letters (-s, -d and at one point an -ly) left off completely. Misagamist was used instead of misogynist. A few punctuation errors, very few, finishes that out. I would keep stumbling over these errors which interrupted the flow of the story. I want to be immersed in a story and that won't happen with these bobbles. The other concern I have is the kids' swearing. They just haven't gotten the rhythm of it yet. I think they just need one or 2 less swear words per sentence, depending on its' length, and they'll get good lol. Now, I enjoyed this book so much that I am doing the toddler-is-getting-a-cookie happy dance waiting for "Change or Die." Thank you Author Ruth for a truly great story! P.S. pssst need some more clues as to what he is. I am dying here🤔😩😞😕 lol

Wow! Great story. Really enjoyed seeing Alex learn about the different Creatures and to navigate a new world. Cannot wait for the next one.

Thank you so much to BooksGoSocial for giving me an ARC of Join or Die by J. Adrian Ruth via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

There’s a rich person in their house, uncanny on their middle class suburb. And then normal human Alex (or what he thought) is brought to Kentucky all the way from Vegas to attend a magical academy. Turns out, he’s some kind of candidate to become this Otherworld leader to continue the peace between different breeds of Creatures. Clueless and ignorant, he gathers people to become his support, to learn from, and to be his protectors.

If you’re a fan of something like Harry Potter x Percy Jackson x Magnus Chase x Vampire Academy with lots of daddy issues, magic-academy tropes, and lots of cursing, you’ll love this book. If you’re looking for fresh air, then you might want to drop the book. There’s a concept that’s different but if you dislike the tropes I mentioned (which is appears majority of the book), I think it wouldn’t work for you. However, since it’s just the first book of a series, you can also stick around and see what becomes of Alex and the One True Ayer(s).

<spoiler> Alex is 14, yet his voice is someone 18 or 19. The people around him are the same age or at least a year or two older but they sound nothing like 14-16. And too much cursing though not really a problem as most kids nowadays curse a dozen times a day, but for a YA, yeah, definitely too much.

Let me talk about Alex. He has daddy issues, he hates his dad and never fails to throw an insult whenever his dad is the subject, whether it be spoken or thought. And honestly, it gets annoying. He’s whining, a lot. Even in the first few pages. It almost made me drop the book but I gave him a second chance. But yeah, too much whining for my taste. I also actually never realized Alex was 14 until 10 chapters in. His voice sounds so much older, though there are times a 14 year old replaces him, but I only saw that twice or thrice.

Alex is also hailed as an heir, and it could be because we're still in Book 1 but he does not show any qualities of a leader. He’s dependent on his friends, and does not show interest to learn about the world he’s in (or so what we see in this book). Though can’t blame him, he was suddenly pulled out from his normal human life.

Now let me talk about the world. In this world, there are Creatures, there are many different breeds. Dragons, succubus, vampires, you name it. I find it interesting, especially that the book showcases other creatures other myths such as from Japan, and Hawaii. There is also the leader called Scion, and his ciorcal. I didn't really understand how the government in this world works, it was not explained fully well and I’m confused. The concept of the world’s glamour and immortality was also not further explained. And I wish the book did, especially that this is the first book of the series, the foundation. But, I can say that technique left me hanging and wanting more. Though it might not work with other readers, especially since there is more or less a year in between the release of the next book and the first book.

The writing is good, not too many flowery words but description is adequate and not too overwhelming. It could be because I’m reading an ARC but some parts lack details. An example of what I mean is this: Alex and some of his friends step outside from somewhere. Someone calls Alex. He turns and the scene goes on but his friends seem to be forgotten. Like, what did they do? Did they stop too? Did they continue and leave Alex or stood by? There are also times I do not understand where the characters are because it skips a few minor but important details. One example is Alex gets ready to leave his room, and then the next paragraph he’s out on the courtyard or something. Did he jump or something?

We also have Alex’s friends. Each one has their own personality, and own background and cultures and it would be fun to delve in deeper. I want to know their motives on joining Alex’s ciorcal and the benefit they could gain. The relationships were built strong and they all have chemistry. Especially Elvy and Win, which are the two I’m looking forward. I can already see the fanarts oh god.

To be honest, this book has the cliche tropes, academy, daddy issues, parents leaving kids or parents being dead, journey on finding your magical abilities, usual high school drama, betrayals, and fight to the throne esque. The usual YA tropes. And I’m not saying it’s bad to use them but others might see it as ‘done over and over again’ and might be a reason to put down the book, but there’s something to the writing, the characters and their personality, the world, and in general, the delivery, that you’ll keep reading and turning next. There are many things left unanswered, things left to be explained, which I hope will be answered in the next book. For the meantime, I will give this book 3.5 stars. </spoilers>

I received this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I thought this book was surprisingly good. I was a little worried when I realized this was more like a middle grade book. The main character Alex is only 14, but the first scene had me hooked. It started with a person running through the woods from someone trying to kill him. I think while the characters are on the younger side any age would enjoy reading this.
Join or Die reminds me a lot of Harry Potter, it has a young boy who finds out he is something more than he thought and then ends up going to a new school with other kids like him. He has to learn about himself and his new heritage..
So this story follows Alex who finds out that he is a creature. What kind? no one will know until he actually shifts. A friend of his father comes to find out if Alex will be changing in to a creature, when he finds out that he will Alex is taken to a special school on the other side of the Veil where most of the creatures live full time, especially the ones who can't pass for human.
One of my favorite parts in the story is when Alex and his friends enter into a school wide scavenger hunt..

So I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoyed Harry Potter, or like paranormal creatures like vampires, elves dragons, shifters and much more. I will absolutely be reading the next book in the series when it's released..

I really like the concept and the world the author built here. The way the different breeds of Creatures come about make the possibilities endless. Hopefully, we're looking at a long series here.

My only complaint comes towards the correctness of the writing and the lack of editing, which as I read seemed like a first draft that was typed by a voice-recognition program rather than the author herself. The mistakes were pretty easily identifiable so I never really got lost but often found myself going back to make sense of the sentence because a verb typed in the past tense should have been in the present or vice versa, or a word was out of context because it has a like sound to another (like slight and slide). I was considering not taking this into account when reviewing and rating the read but it just happens too often. Also, sometimes the narrative became repetitive, though not so many times.

All that said, I really enjoyed this read and look forward to reading the revised version and will be expecting the second book in the series.

This one was a pleasant surprise! It’s a Young Adult fantasy book, about supernatural beings named ‘Creatures’, who live alongside humans, both in the mortal realm and in an Otherworld realm. The story revolves around Alex Ayers, a 14 year old boy who discovers that his absent father is really a powerful Creature, a dragon shifter to be precise, and he will soon change to become a Creature - although nobody knows exactly which type of Creature he’ll be yet....

Alex is whisked away to a school in another realm, Fios Academy, as Creatures who go through their change are unsafe to be around humans. He needs to learn all about this new world, and his place within it, which is actually a pretty important one. He’s a candidate for the next Scion, who basically rules Creatures and stops the rampant interbreed wars that used to take place. He is one of two remaining candidates left at Fios, he discovers that the candidates are being hunted and killed by anarchists who wish to see the end of the Scion. The other candidate, Raina, is a distant cousin to Alex, and is already hostile towards him as she knows they need to battle each other eventually to become Scion.

Alex needs to find allies and form his ‘ciorcal’ (Celtic for ‘circle’) to ensure he survives long enough to compete for the post of Scion. He meets Elvy, a boy who thought he would be an elf but in fact became a vampire - and has been rejected by his former eleven friends, Yoshi, a Japanese American boy who, like Alex, has no idea that there was another world - his mother is a ‘Yuki-onna’, and as they are always female, she took his twin sister Imma and left him with his human father, Win, a werewolf shifter and spell caster, Kara, a Valkyrie and beserker and Mano, a taciturn older boy who gradually becomes enmeshed in the group.

Alex deals with betrayal, politics, life threatening danger and the return of his estranged father, as he navigates his first year at Fios.

There is a lot of great stuff about this book, and I’m looking forward to reading more in the series as they’re released. The world building is pretty good, and the characters are likeable. There’s still some mystery about certain things, which means that the reader will be hanging on for the follow ups, a big battle is on the horizon for us to look forward to, and people to root for.

The only real issues I have are that some of the relationships seemed to happen too quickly, and a few things seem to have been skipped which may be important. For example, Alex’s dad was attacked and injured, but it wasn’t really explained how he was attacked. The intimation of his injuries seemed to become a fact that everyone seemed to know, without explicitly telling the audience. The relationships seemed too ‘insta-friendship’ - which is a nice change from ‘insta-love’, but still not the most believable - with Alex having best friends within hours of arrival at Fios. Now I’m going to guess that the author is going for the ‘he has something magnetic and very leader-y about him’ that inspires such quick relationships, but it’s not always the best writing.

An issue some people may have if their teens plan to read this book is the language. It doesn’t bother me, but I’m an adult and swearing doesn’t bother me anyway, but I’d imagine some parents don’t want their 14 year olds reading the ‘f bomb’ in a YA book. Seems a tad out of place.

All in all though it’s a great start - and hopefully by the time it’s released the grammatical errors and editing mistakes will be fixed from the ARC version - and definitely makes me interested to read more!

Despite the blurb making it seem like an all-new thing, the book was full of clichéd tropes, all of which I've seen in spades before in movies and books. I feel especially bad saying this since it is the author's first novel, it seems. But I don't think this book was for me.

The world-building was nice, and I wish we got to see more of the world the author built in the novel. There's sequels coming to this book, however, which might fix this, for those who want to continue with the series.

There were an incredible number of typos in the book, <s>but I think I got an ARC, not the actual book</s> no, I got the actual book, since nowhere in my copy does it mention "Advanced Reading Copy", and I get thanked a bunch of times for purchasing the book. Wow. Please get a final proofread done before the book comes out in January.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the concept I just unfortunately didn’t like the book. I also think the cover needs a little more work. With the story it could have a very eye catching cover.

I could not get into this book.
I read other reviews where people said the book seems rushed, because it was so short.
But for me it dragged,

I just was not interested in the story, which is too bad, because this seems like the kind of book I would like.

Well this was so much fun!

Alex is a 14 year old boy living with his mother, when one day a he comes home to find a strange man called Durant in his house who turns his world upside down. Alex discovers he isn’t human, his father was actually a dragon shifter which makes Alex a Creature.

Due to the fact Alex is going to Change soon he has to leave home and is sent to Fios Academy a school for the supernatural.

I liked Alex as a character and his snarky sarcastic dialogue, it added witty humour to the story. I laughed out loud at some parts, for example:
“What’s a paranormal monster school doing in Kentucky? I mean the chicken dude is kinda creepy-looking in a molester kinda way but hardly boogieman material.”

I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed Harry Potter and is looking for a more urban, modern twist with plenty of humour and action. CW for bad language.

Thank you to netgalley for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

There's a few grammatical and wording issues in here but overall what a fantastic book. Think this will appeal to fans of Harry potter. Alex is a great character; I loved that we hear his thoughts throughout as it adds to the story so much. The introduction to eachnof his new friends is well done and by the end I was already itching to read the next in the series.