Book Review: The Legend of Black Jack by A.R. Witham #TheWriteReads #BlogTour

My dear bookish friends!

As the days are getting shorter, are you, like me, looking for books with magical worlds and special heroes to get lost in? Then look no further, as I have a recommendation to make! I absolutely loved The Legend of Black Jack, and I think you will, too. Read on for the blurb and my detailed review!

A huge thank you to TheWriteReads and the author for my ecopy of the book and my spot on this tour (neither of which influenced my review in any way).

The Blurb

They say he was an outsider. A man with no home, no family, no friend to call his own. The man with nothing left to love. The empty man.

They say he talked to animals. They say he traveled between worlds. They say he killed a god, and they may be right. He prowled the border between light and dark. He beat the devil himself with a walking stick. He healed a thousand people in a single day and killed a dragon the same midnight.

They say there was a woman. They say he died for her. No one knows the truth.

Those are the legends about him.

If you want to know the truth I will tell you.

The Legend of Black Jack is a coming-of-age fantasy adventure complete with full-page illustrations, written by Emmy-winning writer A. R. Witham. It begins on a stormy night in Chicago but Jack Swift’s true destination lies far, far away. The skillful magic of A.R. Witham’s story whisks you away from your everyday world to an unbelievable journey with unexpected action and unforgettable characters.

My Review

They say he was an outsider. A man with no home, no family, no friend to call his own […]. They say he traveled between worlds. They say he talked to animals. They say he killed a god, and they might be right. He prowled the border between light and dark. He beat the devil himself with a walking stick. He healed a thousand people in a day and killed a dragon that midnight […]. Those are the legends about him.

This may easily one of the best-written books I’ve read this year, and I’m not even exaggerating! The writing pulled me in from the start; after reading page one I did not want to stop again! The words have such a nice flow to them, almost like a river that had hundreds of millions of years to carve its way through stone – there were no bumps or even slight currents or anything. It just flowed so nicely! I can’t even remember the last time I thought that of a book.

I loved Jack as a character. For such a young boy he was incredibly mature, without coming across as annoying or like a know-it-all or something. His father died in a tragic accident when he was just seven years old, and it was terribly heart-breaking to see how he suffered afterwards, even though he didn’t show it. How he had to learn what pity is when all the people at the funeral looked at him, and how he had just grown close to his new foster-parent when he already had to leave his new home again, and was handed down like a broken toy from home to home afterwards.

Jack was incredibly smart and absorbed new information like a sponge. He loved reading (but not fiction! Which resulted in a super funny quote I will share below) and as just a teenager he was already racing through highly complicated text books that were actually meant for master students!

He picked up his English text, Gulliver’s travels – the complete book, including the giant Brobdingnags, the flying island of Laputa, and the talking horses. Jack was actually related to the author (a great-great-great uncle or something), but he tossed the book aside without opening it. Much like psychology, there were few things in life less useful than fiction. Jack Swift took up the last book, the only one that mattered. Biology: A Complete Study.

Then suddenly, on his 14th birthday, Jack’s life takes a HUGE turn, when suddenly he was whisked away to a hidden realm where people expect sciencey-smart Jack – of all people – to do miracles and perform magic! How is he supposed to keep them safe from evil?!

If you want to root for a character in your book then Jack is exactly the hero you want. He isn’t perfect, has his weaknesses and errors, but he struggles and fights and never gives up which I loved. Jack Swift definitely has a special mind, and it was fascinating to see and read about. I also absolutely loved his relationship with his father. (Goosebump-worthy!!!)

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we’re here, we should dance.

For all fans of (YA) fantasy, The Legend of Black Jack is a must read! It will take you on a rollercoaster ride like no other, and you won’t want to get off before you haven’t reached the end. I will for sure also get myself a physical copy of the book too (I loved the map and illustrations!) and will definitely reread it at some point. I’m neither a boy nor a father but I kept thinking ‘this would be the perfect book for a father-son reading session’ (even though I thoroughly enjoyed it as a girl too lol).

If you are looking for a magical book to get lost in, this is the one for you!

5 stars from me, and I hope I will get to read more by the author!

Thank you all so much for reading!
xoxo

Ol’ Black Jack, the man with the knack
Stole the people their money back.
One quick flick of his walking stick
He fed the poor and healed the sick.

Black devils fear his cunning spear
He’ll cut them down and disappear.
So play us fair and just beware;
There’s nothing ol’ Jack wouldn’t dare.