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Bring

(The Last Beholder #1)

Megan Beam (Goodreads Author),

Erin Hicks (Goodreads Author)

4.38 · Rating details · 39 ratings · 11 reviews

This book has everything.

Haircuts.
One dead ficus.
Wine.
Strangers.
Swords.
Omnikinetic balls.
Sensibly portable armor.
Danger.
Sibling rivalry.
Doors in trees.
Kissing.
Intrigue.
Etc.

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Paperback, 444 pages

Published February 2016 by Beam & Hicks

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4.38 ·

Rating details

· 39 ratings · 11 reviews

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Apr 23, 2016 Lance rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction

Devoured it. Sobbed like a fool on an airplane 10 pages into it.

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Feb 19, 2016 Megan Beam rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author)

I'll be honest, guys. It's not too bad.

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Jan 25, 2018 Mackenzie Byersdorf rated it it was amazing

Stayed up till 1am finishing this book because it’s just. That. Good. The character development and story arc makes you fall in love with this quirky ensemble. I loved the creativity and new ideas this book brings, while still feeling grounded in emotional and relational reality. I will admit I was a little confused in the beginning, but that quickly dissipated with such smart action and adventure. Amazing dialogue, twists that surprised but didn’t feel out of the blue, and some beautiful imager ...more

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May 29, 2016 Kimberly Thompson rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2016-reading

Wallis and Gus are soon to be step-siblings. The story begins with Wallis cutting half her hair right before their parents' wedding. There's a great commotion over it, Gus runs to see what's happening, and accidentally kills the ficus in the hall. The story goes back and forth between the two kids, but not from first-person, which I didn't realize bothers me sometimes until my sister pointed out she doesn't like first-person narratives. So thumbs up here.

Things start happening quickly, and Walli Wallis and Gus are soon to be step-siblings. The story begins with Wallis cutting half her hair right before their parents' wedding. There's a great commotion over it, Gus runs to see what's happening, and accidentally kills the ficus in the hall. The story goes back and forth between the two kids, but not from first-person, which I didn't realize bothers me sometimes until my sister pointed out she doesn't like first-person narratives. So thumbs up here.

Things start happening quickly, and Wallis and Gus find themselves in the cellar one day looking for more wine for a wake. Wallis sees something strange on the floor, pulls it back and realizes there's another world on the other side. The two of them jump through and find themselves in the middle of a commissioning where their names are called to join an Order led by another kid, Finn, and a serious looking prince, Valentine, who happens to be a girl. The four of them set out picking up Mr. Ray, a retired fighter who will train Wallis, a young boy, Kieran, and a lady named Lucienne, to round out the Order. Their mission is to retrieve Andromeda, a super powerful sword being sought after by Valentine's twin brother, Vitalis, who maybe wants to wield its power for bad.

Wallis and Gus discover things about themselves along the way, like what gifts they have and that not everything they've thought about themselves is true.

This story was really good. I loved the characters. I thought the kids were believable as kids. The dialog was not full of words you'd never hear a young person say, and their attitudes were what you'd expect from kids forced to mature greatly in a short amount of time. I really appreciated that lack of teenager attraction, coughtwilighthungergamesdivergentcough. There was some tension between Wallis and Finn, but it was innocent and felt natural, not awkward.

Because you jump right into the action, you're learning words as Wallis and Gus are. They jump through a hole into another shred and it's explained that all the shreds were once part of a whole until it was shredded. It just makes sense as soon as you read about it. I like to think that because they're kids, they can accept what they're told without logic creeping in to make them doubt. Of course, wondered if they were crazy or dreaming, but they just went with it because what else could they do?

When Mr. Ray and Lucienne are talking about their past adventures, I got excited hoping and thinking they were talking about other books! I'm pretty sure they were referring to Aslan, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Alice. And I loved it.

I liked the lack of backstory, but I also missed it some of the time. The story seemed to jump around a bit. I don't know how to describe it other than because there are two authors, I wonder if one would start and the second would finish and maybe some of the details were lost or left open-ended because of that. It wasn't often, but there were times where it felt just a little disjointed.

I'm excited to read the next book in the series, Gather.

***I was provided a free e-book copy in exchange for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ...more

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Mar 24, 2016 Marilyn Wilson rated it really liked it

This is a very good read. Two very special children who are mostly ignored by their parents become heroes in another dimension. The book left me wanting more. Can't wait to read book #2 in the series. Thank you to Goodreads and the authors for letting me win this book and allowing me to write a review. Megan Bean and Erin Hicks write very well together.

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Feb 19, 2016 Mandi Hendrix rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016

"Bring" is full of refreshing ideas. Many times it gave me pause to my way of thinking and opened my mind. What great storytelling. I can't wait to read the next one!

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Jun 06, 2016 Jennifer Leftwich rated it it was amazing

I want to reread it. It was such a great story and truly felt like I was lost in another world!

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Jan 06, 2018 Christa rated it really liked it

I did not want this book to end. Book two is on its way to me. There were some typo things and the layout of the print book is odd but that is the only reason for one star less than perfection. The story was compelling for me. I liked not a ton of time spent on world building. You just get plunked in the other like the main characters and figure it out with them. If you have a question, just wait, someone will ask it. Great story and I’ll be carrying Wallis and Gus and the rest around with me fo ...more

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Apr 09, 2018 Ellen rated it it was amazing

Outstanding! I wrote several of the lines down in my journal ! Can’t wait to start the next one!

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Oct 06, 2016 Alicia Vela rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2016

Erin and Megan have created a world that comes alive through the text. The characters are vibrant and realistic. The action makes you want to devour the whole book in one sitting. Great book for all ages!

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Jul 15, 2016 Shannon rated it really liked it

Great fantasy adventure, but felt a little disjointed and hard to follow at times. I had to go back and reread paragraphs several times to make sure I knew who was talking and where they were going.

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