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Jaguar Sun (Jaguar Sun #1)
by
Martha Bourke (Goodreads Author)
DECEMBER 21, 2012 Will that fateful day destroy our world, or did the Mayans have something else in mind?
Maya Delaney knows. Unfortunately.
Maya Delaney is just an average sixteen-year-old. She’s busy dealing with exams, her soon to be ex-boyfriend and fitting in.
But Maya’s got bigger problems. She’s hiding a major secret from her dad and having strange visions she can’t c...more
Maya Delaney knows. Unfortunately.
Maya Delaney is just an average sixteen-year-old. She’s busy dealing with exams, her soon to be ex-boyfriend and fitting in.
But Maya’s got bigger problems. She’s hiding a major secret from her dad and having strange visions she can’t c...more
Kindle Edition, 270 pages
Published
January 3rd 2012
by Balam Press
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Community Reviews
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Jan 29, 2012
Molly
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
older teens, adults
Fast-paced and fun! Interesting take on the Mayan 2012 prophecy with some well-researched mythology woven into modern day life. Perfect for older teens and adults. Quirky and likeable characters combined with an action-packed story line equals a great start to a new teen paranormal series!
Jaguar Sun is a wonderful adventure with a teen hero struggling to make sense of life, love and fate. If protagonist Maya Delaney's challenges seem larger and more colorful than that of most teens, I think the difference is really only one of scale.
Maya makes Jaguar Sun an engaging read. Sassy, snarky, charming, warm-hearted and self-deprecating, she is clearly the life and heart of the novel. It's terrific fun just seeing how Maya reacts to and deals with all strange phenomena and revelations t...more
Maya makes Jaguar Sun an engaging read. Sassy, snarky, charming, warm-hearted and self-deprecating, she is clearly the life and heart of the novel. It's terrific fun just seeing how Maya reacts to and deals with all strange phenomena and revelations t...more
I was given a copy of this in return for an honest review.
December 21, 2012 – Will that fateful day destroy our world, or did the Mayans have something else in mind? Maya Delaney knows. Unfortunately.
Maya Delaney is just an average sixteen-year- old. She’s busy dealing with exams, her soon to be ex-boyfriend and fitting in. But Maya’s got bigger problems. She’s hiding a major secret from her dad and having strange visions she can’t control. In her struggle to figure out who she is, she learns th...more
December 21, 2012 – Will that fateful day destroy our world, or did the Mayans have something else in mind? Maya Delaney knows. Unfortunately.
Maya Delaney is just an average sixteen-year- old. She’s busy dealing with exams, her soon to be ex-boyfriend and fitting in. But Maya’s got bigger problems. She’s hiding a major secret from her dad and having strange visions she can’t control. In her struggle to figure out who she is, she learns th...more
Although I am 53 year old male and an author, I try to read some of the young adult stories around. I could not get into Twilight after the first chapters of the second book. I took a chance reading "Jaguar Sun" because Martha is a excellent Twitter follower and I know how reviews help an author. But, I also know it had to an honest review.
Jaguar Sun is an original story, with a setting definitely for young adults. The dialog is of your generation not mine. But I continued on to see where the st...more
Jaguar Sun is an original story, with a setting definitely for young adults. The dialog is of your generation not mine. But I continued on to see where the st...more
4.5 stars! Having gone to Mexico many times and listened to our guide talk about the Mayan calendar at the Tulum Ruins, I was intrigued to read this book. There are so many pieces of the puzzle I want to put together about the Mayan calendar: what will happen to all the souvenirs’ dealing with the Mayan calendar in the Mexican shops after December, 2012 (do they pick another date?), what do the Mayan’s believe will happen in December of 2012 and how will this information be relayed in this book?...more
Everyone’s talking about it….2012! Will the world end…and, if so, how? Like a lot of people, I know very little about Mayan mythology and this book certainly shed some light on things for me. This story is about a Mayan prophesy and about shape-shifters, people who can change into animals. When the main character, Maya, begins to dream about a jaguar, she’s scared and confused. And, when she finally discovers she’s a shape-shifter, she quickly realizes that there will be many challenge in her fu...more
Mar 29, 2012
Mallory Anne-Marie Forbes
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
YA, Paranormal, Fantasy
Recommended to Mallory Anne-Marie by:
Making Connections
Shelves:
march-2012-reads
In an era in which the Mayan prophecy-allegedly announcing the end of the world in December 2012-has been the subject of fascination, fear, anxiety, and fact-finding, author Martha Bourke approaches the topic from a completely different perspective. What if the TRUTH about this “prophecy” was known? What if that Truth is known only to one person-a sixteen-year-old girl? Such is the premise of “Jaguar Sun.”
Poor, poor Maya-not only does she bear the name of a primarily extinct culture, she is Hisp...more
Poor, poor Maya-not only does she bear the name of a primarily extinct culture, she is Hisp...more
High school is hard enough without adding anything to it. Just ask Maya. She's having some problems she isn't sure about and some boyfriend issues she's not sure she can handle. This is when she finds out she's a shape shifter. Maya is pretty freaked out when she sees her nightmare shadowing her during the daytime. The best place for advice- Grandma. Maya explains what's happening to her Grandmother and finds out she might be meant for even bigger things than she realizes. Her nerves are settli...more
4 1/2 Stars
I was intrigued with the smart premise behind this Young Adult novel and decided to delve into the shape-shifter genre after reading the blurb.
Maya Delaney has spunk, attitude, and a rather cynical view of the world as most teenagers do. She is tight with her grandmother, and still seems grief-stricken that her mother has passed away. Her relationship with her father is tentative, but it was nice to see them grow together as the story flowered.
The story opens with suggestions that Ma...more
I was intrigued with the smart premise behind this Young Adult novel and decided to delve into the shape-shifter genre after reading the blurb.
Maya Delaney has spunk, attitude, and a rather cynical view of the world as most teenagers do. She is tight with her grandmother, and still seems grief-stricken that her mother has passed away. Her relationship with her father is tentative, but it was nice to see them grow together as the story flowered.
The story opens with suggestions that Ma...more
Jaguar Sun by Martha Bourke is a thrilling science fiction, cultural history lesson all rolled up in a fast-paced coming-of-age young adult adventure. It is a first person narrative in the perspective of a high school student named Maya Delaney who lives in New Mexico. She comes from a family descended from the ancient Mayans (who'd have guessed?), but she's just your average, everyday awkward teenager with boyfriend trouble, a few close friends and an addiction to Diet Coke.
Also she's a shape-s...more
Also she's a shape-s...more
I usually don’t read YA fantasy. I can easily claim I’m a tough cookie when it comes to review books, because my taste level is extremely sensitive to bad editing, bad writing, stupid plot lines and idiotic characters. I say it how it is. Either your book’s great or it sucks.
Martha was courageous enough to ask whether I’d like to review her latest book: Jaguar Sun. I had no idea what the story was until she just told me it had to do with the end of the world and the Mayan calendar. Alright. She...more
Martha was courageous enough to ask whether I’d like to review her latest book: Jaguar Sun. I had no idea what the story was until she just told me it had to do with the end of the world and the Mayan calendar. Alright. She...more
There was so much to appreciate in this novel that I don’t know where to start. The fact that Bourke took shifters out of mainstream Caucasian society and gave them very deep ethnic roots was brilliant. She dug into existing mythology and religion to develop a wildly imaginative and extremely captivating novel that puts coming of age into a very unique light.
You don’t just see the world that Bourke describes in this novel; you get wrapped up in it and blanketed in it. This story is extremely we...more
You don’t just see the world that Bourke describes in this novel; you get wrapped up in it and blanketed in it. This story is extremely we...more
This Review was originally posted on my blog: http://bajanrosabooks.blogspot.com there is also an interview with the author posted there
Have you ever read a book so good you actually had a physical reaction to it. Well I can say that's happen to me only a few times. Jaguar Sun was one of those few book's and let me tell you when you read it you'll get chills.
Maya is a teenage girl who feel's out of place. She's Hispanic and can't speak or understand Spanish. She's convinced her Jock boyfriend l...more
Have you ever read a book so good you actually had a physical reaction to it. Well I can say that's happen to me only a few times. Jaguar Sun was one of those few book's and let me tell you when you read it you'll get chills.
Maya is a teenage girl who feel's out of place. She's Hispanic and can't speak or understand Spanish. She's convinced her Jock boyfriend l...more
Maya Delaney is a 16 year old girl living with her dad since her mother ran off when she was a little kid. Thankfully, Maya is close with her maternal grandmother, who helps her keep in touch with her Mayan roots. Which, as it turns out, comes in really handy when Maya discovers a secret about herself that really rocks her world.
It is SOOOOO hard to talk about this book without giving away main plot points! But I'm going to try.
First of all, I am so very very glad that someone has done a story i...more
It is SOOOOO hard to talk about this book without giving away main plot points! But I'm going to try.
First of all, I am so very very glad that someone has done a story i...more
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When already awkward teenager Maya discovers she’s become a shapeshifter - a socially shunned minority of people who can turn into animals - she fears her life is over. Little does she know this is the least of her worries, as she is destined to play a pivotal role in the upcoming end of the Mayan calendar. (Yes, Maya is Mayan. It’s a little silly, but easily overlooked.) I sped through this book in a couple days. Maya is quite entertaining as a narrator, reminding me quite a bit of myself as a...more
A-MAZ-ING! I've got to admit, I am quite adept at judging things without even giving them a try. This book was no exception. When I first saw it I "knew" that I wasn't going to like it. I'm just not into the whole idea of shape shifters and all that other "weird" stuff. After having read the first chapter a couple of months ago I knew that I was right. Recently the Kindle edition of the book was free for 48 hours and I figured, what the heck, I'll get it just in case a family member may be inter...more
This beautifully crafted YA book revolves around Maya Delaney, a high school junior in deepest New Mexico. Right from the beginning I was hooked on Maya's voice, a little snarky and flip, but also more and more overwhelmed at all the things that are happening to her. Why is this jaguar shadowing her at school? Why does she have these nightmares that leave her so exhausted?
The author does a great job of creating a little world around Maya -- her single-parent father, her loser-mom who abandoned h...more
The author does a great job of creating a little world around Maya -- her single-parent father, her loser-mom who abandoned h...more
Sep 27, 2012
Dale Ibitz
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
dales-indie-september
First, this is a different cover than my version of the novel. I like this one much better.
I really latched on to the premise of this story; the whole issue of the Mayan calendar ending in December, 2012, is fraught with mystery, trepidation, and awe. I was eager to pick up a book that depicts one version of how the mystery is solved.
Maya is a like-able character who handles the changes she's going through marvelously well. She has good friends who stand by her, and a boyfriend who's not so li...more
I really latched on to the premise of this story; the whole issue of the Mayan calendar ending in December, 2012, is fraught with mystery, trepidation, and awe. I was eager to pick up a book that depicts one version of how the mystery is solved.
Maya is a like-able character who handles the changes she's going through marvelously well. She has good friends who stand by her, and a boyfriend who's not so li...more
One thing I love about stories is shape shifters. I love the tales of them, the rules, and the world building in this book. It definitely took me by surprise of how much I liked this book.
What I liked most about this book is the world building. I like the way the rules of the shape shifters were, the cults, and of course mixing it in with some real facts made the story much more intriguing.
The characters of the book had much growth in them. I adored how each characters were able to lean with wh...more
What I liked most about this book is the world building. I like the way the rules of the shape shifters were, the cults, and of course mixing it in with some real facts made the story much more intriguing.
The characters of the book had much growth in them. I adored how each characters were able to lean with wh...more
2 likes · like · see review
May 08, 2013
S.Cu'Anam Policar
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
may-challenge,
reviewed
This story is definitely interesting. Maya is Mayan, whose grandmother holds very dear the ancient ways of their people. She tells Maya a few certain things (I won't ruin the story for you) and Maya pretty much flips out over what she's told. Though I suppose if I were in her situation I'd probably freak out too even if it wasn't as uncommon in the story as it is in the real world.
I quite enjoyed Maya's narritive, though she "talked" in the narration as if she weren't exactly seventeen (she gave...more
I quite enjoyed Maya's narritive, though she "talked" in the narration as if she weren't exactly seventeen (she gave...more
May 23, 2012
Beth
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Tween +
Recommended to Beth by:
Making Connections YA Edition Group
Maya Delaney just wanted to be an everyday high school Junior. She accepted that she was kind of geeky. She has her best friends, Damian and Alyssa, and she seems pretty content with her world. Maya biggest problem is…she isn’t sure if she fits in with her boyfriend Matt’s life anymore because he’s become the star of the HS football team…well she thought that was her biggest problem.
Maya soon discovers she is becoming a shape shifter, a panther. But Maya isn’t even an average shape shifter from...more
Maya soon discovers she is becoming a shape shifter, a panther. But Maya isn’t even an average shape shifter from...more
Three Stars: An interesting entry into the YA field; shape-shifters, Mayan lore, December 2012...all combine in this unique read.
Maya is a normal teenager, surviving high school, confused over her current relationship; typical problems plaguing a young lady. However, her life is about to get interesting when she starts having strange visions and dreams involving a jaguar. She can't shake the ominous feeling, and then she wakes after another vivid dream to find a tell tale mark on her neck. She n...more
Maya is a normal teenager, surviving high school, confused over her current relationship; typical problems plaguing a young lady. However, her life is about to get interesting when she starts having strange visions and dreams involving a jaguar. She can't shake the ominous feeling, and then she wakes after another vivid dream to find a tell tale mark on her neck. She n...more
This was a very fresh, very new take on shifters for me. I don't know if the shape-shifting lore is based on real world Mexican mythology but it did make a for a interesting story and that's one of the things that was really great about the book. The fact that Maya didn't have to hide who she was because she lived somewhere that knew about the shifters already - that was really cool. I was also loving the 2012 Mayan end-of-the-world scenario too. Not making the romance between Maya and Matt the...more
I read “Jaguar Sun,” and I was enthralled. This book timely, December 2012 here we come! I do not usually read young adult novels; however, I am glad I did with “Jaguar Sun.” Maya, the girl with the gift of shape-shifting, is a typical high school adolescent with boy problems and school problems. However, she is thrown for a loop when her dreams come out of her sleep. What engrossed me was the fact Maya was so deeply connected and open with her all-knowing Grandmother. Even though Maya was not c...more
This book takes place in the present day, shortly before December 21, 2012. Upon learning she is a shifter, Maya gets in touch with teachers who show her how to use her new-found abilities. As she goes along, she discovers more about herself, as well as a plot by a group called Toltec to prevent her from fulfilling her destiny as a reincarnated Goddess.
When I first started reading this novel, I was taken aback by the writing style. There were a lot of instances of "telling" rather than "showing...more
When I first started reading this novel, I was taken aback by the writing style. There were a lot of instances of "telling" rather than "showing...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
In the Jaguar Sun world which is based on Mayan mythology, shifters shift into the forms of their spirit companions or naguals. Everyone knows about shifters but they’re not universally accepted so when teenaged Maya finds out about Balam, her jaguar spirit-companion, she’s very ambivalent, not least because she wonders if this will be the last straw that destroys her relationship with Matt, her jock boyfriend. But when she finds out about the Mayan end-of-the-world prophecy just as the members...more
Sometimes you read books with characters gaining special powers and after the journey to gain the powers the adventure is pretty tame or disjointed. Sometimes the story is awesome all the way through (Cassidy Jones, Matt Archer). With Jaguar Sun I found the start - the discovery of Maya's 'difference' - a little tedious, but I think mainly because it was very high-school based, with all the angst of teenage crushes and bullies and apparent misfits. Having got over that phase, the rest of the sto...more
If you want to see more of my reviews, check out my blog @ Moosubi Reviews!
Disclaimer: The fact that the author has provided me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review has not affected my rating. This review expresses my honest opinions.
Rating Clarification: 3.5 / 5
For the most part, Jaguar Sun is a pretty unique read with lots of good mythology and shapeshifting fun. Only a few mistakes, probably due to my personal tastes, probably slightly downgraded my rating.
The best part o...more
Disclaimer: The fact that the author has provided me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review has not affected my rating. This review expresses my honest opinions.
Rating Clarification: 3.5 / 5
For the most part, Jaguar Sun is a pretty unique read with lots of good mythology and shapeshifting fun. Only a few mistakes, probably due to my personal tastes, probably slightly downgraded my rating.
The best part o...more
In a time when December 21, 2012 is a very popular topic, I figured this book would be extrememly interesting to check out!
I have to say that my favorite thing about Jaguar Sun is the world-building. Ms. Bourke chose to make being a shifter something that isn't a secret to the entire population. It's not something that can be kept a secret from anyone due to a tattoo that shows up on the back of any shifter's neck once they change.
Maya, our main character, is still in high school. She lives with...more
I have to say that my favorite thing about Jaguar Sun is the world-building. Ms. Bourke chose to make being a shifter something that isn't a secret to the entire population. It's not something that can be kept a secret from anyone due to a tattoo that shows up on the back of any shifter's neck once they change.
Maya, our main character, is still in high school. She lives with...more
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lovers of Paranor...: R2R {185} Jaguar Sun OPEN | 8 | 50 | May 08, 2013 02:12am |
Martha Bourke grew up in Burlington, Vermont, often considered a hub of "free thinking." She was encouraged to write and be creative at a very young age. Martha also had her father's talent for languages, which later became her career. She spent fifteen years creating and teaching in foreign language programs for young children. She continued to write on the side, trying out a variety of fiction g...more
More about Martha Bourke...
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