Jake’s Magical Market, J.R. Matthews

Ok, this is actually going to cover TWO books. They're in a series written by J.R. Matthews. I read them back to back so I'm going to cover them as one.

The book begins after the Apocalypse. We were supposed to be warned but apparently someone dropped the ball 100 years ago and the word didn't get out that everything was going to change. That we would go from our regular lives to being able to use special skills to survive using magical cards which we stored, well, magically, in our chests.

The series starts with Jake slowly putting things together and barricading himself in the local Mom & Pop type grocery shop that he works at, and lives over. It seems like he's the only one in town left. Well, except for the newcomers. Visitors from other worlds.

But Jake is a nice guy, he makes friends, they help him out, he starts to not just learn the system, but how to survive without it.

Which is a good thing, because he has some nasty neighbors, who, about half way through the first book kidnap him and turn everything upside down in his life again and he has to start all over again. And again.

Jake becomes determined to make it back home to his friends and life he loves. Along the way he learns more and more tricks about the system, eventually gaining god-like power.

The thing I like about the series is that no matter how powerful he becomes, how many over-powered items he gets, Jake still stays Jake. He cares about his friends. He cares about the new friends he makes along the way. He struggles with the inner turmoil about having to make questionable decisions that he's uncomfortable with. He struggles with the emotional issues that he and the others in his life face. He's just a nice guy.

Another cool feature are the illustrations of the cards that Jake collects, and later makes. They are well done and add a touch of reality to the books. Each one is unique and grows with the owner. I like the game mechanic. Very cool.

Time for my gripe.

The books need an editor. Book 1 is divided into "Act I" and "Act II" and they should have been separate books. Act II didn't even bother to include putting in the illustrations that Act I established as part of the format of the series.

Book 2 got back into using the illustrations, which I enjoyed. But again, it needed editing. Some sections were overlong and run together. And it should have been two books on its own as well.

Time for my other gripe.

I picked the first book solely because of its title, "Jake's Magical Market". I was looking forward to a story about the kid putting the market back together and becoming a hero of the new world, helping people get the things that they needed.

That all changed at the end of Act I and I am still disappointed. I enjoy the story of Jake trying to return home to his market. But it is NOT the book I expected.

Other than that I am very happy with the series and I'm looking forward to the third book. Jake's a nice guy and I'm enjoying his story.

Read every day and read for fun!