Wizard for Hire: Magic Required by Obert Syke - Spotlight

Wizard for Hire: Magic Required

Author: Obert Syke

Publisher: Shadow Mountain

Published: April 7th, 2020

ISBN13: 9781629727332

Paperback/e-book: 416 pages

FTC FYI: I received an ARC. All views and opinions expressed are my own.

Goodreads Summary

The final answer to the existence of magic.

Ozzy and his friend Sigi are in more danger than ever before. After being injected with the mindcontrolling serum, Ozzy is learning to control the minds of people, but he is still being hunted by Ray, the power-mad villain who will stop at nothing to find and possess the formula. And on top of that, Rin still claims he’s a wizard, but he and Clark are missing, leaving Ozzy to wonder once again if magic really does exist.

When it becomes apparent that the minds and free will of all mankind are in danger of being controlled by whoever controls the serum, Ozzy and Sigi join forces with strange new friends that claim magic-like abilities. When Rin finally returns, Ozzy will discover once and for all what happened to his parents, what really happens at those popular fantasy conventions, and if magic truly exists.

Author links

Amazon author page / Goodreads

Purchase links

Kindle / Hardcover / Audible / Deseret Book

Wizard for Hire: Apprentice Needed by Obert Skye -- blog tour

Wizard for Hire: Apprentice Needed

Author: Obert Skye

Publisher: Shadow Mountain

Published: April 2019

ISBN13: 9781629725291

Hardcover/ebook: 416 pages

FTC FYI: I received an ARC from the publisher, all views and opinions expressed are my own.

Goodreads Summary

Ozzy Toffy’s adventure, which began in Wizard for Hire, continues when one dark and windy night, he gets out of bed, jumps out his window, and walks straight into the ocean.

More than ever, Ozzy could really use the services of Rin, the wizard he hired to help find his parents — but Rin is missing, despite Ozzy’s continual attempts to contact him. And Clark, the mechanical bird his father left him, is as peculiar and vain as ever.

When a mysterious package arrives, Ozzy and his good friend Sigi are sure that the plane ticket and thumb drive they find inside are from Rin. Trying to get Clark through security at the airport proves complicated — as most things are with Clark. But when they arrive in New York, they discover there’s even more adventure in store for them.

Will Rin return and save the day? Will Ozzy figure out why he keeps walking into the ocean? Can Sigi find a way to trust her delinquent father? Will someone please appreciate Clark the way he’d like to be appreciated? For once?

Wizard for Hire: Apprentice Needed is a story filled with humor and excitement that shows us the magic in everyday things. 

My review

I really enjoyed this sequel. I liked just as much, if not more, than the first one. Obert Skye's writing is unique and very styled. I like the way he interprets humor in his books too. This book is such a fun adventure. I really loved it.

5 out of 5 stars.

Purchase links

Amazon e-book / Amazon hardcover / Deseret Book

Author links

Goodreads / Amazon author page

Wizard for Hire by Obert Skye -- Blog Tour

Wizard for Hire

Author: Obert Skye

Publisher: Shadow Mountain

Published: March 6, 2018

ISBN13: 9781629724126

Hardcover: 416 pages

FTC FYI: I received an ARC from the publisher, all views and opinions expressed are my own.

Amazon Affiliate: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Goodreads Summary

Fourteen-year-old Ozzy lives near Portland, Oregon, and is desperate for help. His scientist parents have been kidnapped after discovering a formula that enables mind control. Their work was so top secret Ozzy is afraid to go to the police, but without help, he fears he'll never find his parents. Then he stumbles across a classified ad in the local newspaper that says "Wizard for Hire. Call 555-SPEL." Ozzy has read about wizards in books like Harry Potter, but wizards couldn't actually exist today, could they? After Ozzy meets the wizard Labyrinth--aka Rin--he's even more skeptical.

Sure, Rin dresses like a wizard, but the short robe and high-top tennis shoes seem unorthodox, as does Rin's habit of writing notes on his shoes and eating breakfast for every meal. Plus, Rin doesn't even cast any magic spells, which means that the unexplained coincidences that start happening around Ozzy are just that--coincidences.

With the help of a robotic-talking raven invented by Ozzy's father, a kind and curious girl at school who decides to help Ozzy, and, of course, a self-proclaimed wizard who may or may not have a magical wand, Ozzy begins an unforgettable quest that will lead him closer to the answers he desperately seeks about his missing parents.

My Review

Wizard for Hire is funny, clever and full of heart. I love the way this author writes. There are subtle hints of cleverness, humor and mystery in the way he writes. I loved this book. Ozzy was a fantastic character, naive and trusting, but wonderful. Clark was an enjoyable and amusing addition. The most surprising character was Rin. I loved what he brought to this fun story. This book is very entertaining. Ozzy's determination was refreshing. 

 5 out of 5 stars. 

Author links

Goodreads / Website

Purchase links

Amazon ebook (available April 3) / Amazon paperback / Deseret Book

Ambush by Obert Skye

Head over to Fire & Ice for a swag give-away!

Pillage Book 3: Ambush

Author: Obert Skye

Publisher: Shadow Mountain

Published: 2012

Hardcover: 328 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1-60908-891-0

FTC FYI: Review copy

Genre: YA Fantasy

Summary: "What can happen on an innocent field trip to a museum? In the secure protection of a jail? OR on a simple bus ride? Plenty, if you are a member of the Pillage family and your name is Beck Phillips. No matter what strangeness is going on, Beck still manages to turn things on their head.

When Beck's personality and behavior begins to change after he makes a fateful, life-altering decision involving--what else?--a dragon egg, there is no one around to stop him from fulfilling his family's destiny set out in The Grim Knot. And as life in Kingsplot moves unwittingly toward the brink of another dragon disaster, Beck finds himself living a life of deception as he hides information from the people who love and care about him the most."

Beck is trying to get back to normal after he, Wyatt, and his long-suffering girlfriend Kate drop the last egg in the manor where it, hopefully, can't be reached again. Beck heads to a field trip with his class to the town museum. Beck is drawn to a Pillage statue. Under his feet, though, mushrooms start to grow and take over. Causing a very bad situation for Beck involving buses and water. When he finds himself in a police car, he says,

"I couldn't believe what was happening to me. Sure, a lot of odd things had occurred since I had moved to Kingsplot. I had raised dragons, discovered my father, and destroyed a few things along the way, but this was the first time I had been arrested." page 43

Beck is later asked to do something by his sick father. Should he do it? Even though he knows what will happen, and it could risk his relationship with Kate, Beck is tempted.

4 out of 5 stars. I really enjoyed this series. It's a great ride! I love how the author writes Beck's character. He's a sarcastic little brat sometimes, but he always makes me smile. Beck always has something clever to say. He is written so well, each character is. There are some surprises with the dragon egg that I really liked, and a little twist too. I did want more from the dragon though, but it didn't "ruin" the book for me. Very clever and creative series. Check out my earlier review of Pillage.

Read more about Obert Skye here.

AMAZON / B & N / DESERET BOOK / SEAGULL BOOK