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Bronze League #2
Djinn Tamer: Rivals
Let the rivalries begin.
If Jackson Hunt ever wants to become a champion monster tamer, he’s got a long road ahead of him. And he’s not the only one with dreams of glory
As a new season of the Djinn Battle League fast approaches, Jackson prepares to enter training camp — a grueling series of tests to discover talented new tamers. The rules are simple: if you’re not the best, you go home.
For a young man who lives to battle, going home isn’t an option. There’s only one problem — Jackson isn’t so sure he deserves to be there in the first place. With competition heating up, Jackson’s bond with his Djinn will be tested to their limits. But no matter how much he trains, if his new monsters won’t work together, he won’t stand a chance.
The fighting will be intense. The rivalries, fierce. At the end of the road, the chance of a lifetime awaits. Against friends and foes both old and new, can Jackson prove he’s worthy of a shot at the big leagues?
If Jackson Hunt ever wants to become a champion monster tamer, he’s got a long road ahead of him. And he’s not the only one with dreams of glory
As a new season of the Djinn Battle League fast approaches, Jackson prepares to enter training camp — a grueling series of tests to discover talented new tamers. The rules are simple: if you’re not the best, you go home.
For a young man who lives to battle, going home isn’t an option. There’s only one problem — Jackson isn’t so sure he deserves to be there in the first place. With competition heating up, Jackson’s bond with his Djinn will be tested to their limits. But no matter how much he trains, if his new monsters won’t work together, he won’t stand a chance.
The fighting will be intense. The rivalries, fierce. At the end of the road, the chance of a lifetime awaits. Against friends and foes both old and new, can Jackson prove he’s worthy of a shot at the big leagues?
- GenresFantasy
412 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 5, 2019
59 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Derek Alan Siddoway
28 books119 followersDerek Alan Siddoway is the author of Teutevar Saga, a medieval western/frontier fantasy series, and Gryphon Riders, a young adult fantasy trilogy. He was born and raised in the American West at the foot of the Uinta Mountains. An Undaunted and Everyday Author, Derek spends his free time reading, obsessively filling notebooks, adventuring outdoors and celebrating small victories. He's also a sucker for Star Wars and football, namely the University of Utah and Minnesota Vikings.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 10, 2019
Rivals brings Jackson forward to the next stage of being a Djinn Tamer, actually getting into a training camp. In this book Jackson comes to some significant terms with himself and his ambitions to become a Djinn Tamer. He finds it's nowhere as easy as he thought it would be, but easy or not, he's going to do everything in his power to make it happen. He goe to look for his second Djinn in the wild with his trainer Briggs, and he brings home a Djinn so far out of everyone's expectations that he takes a tremendous amount of flack for it; even from Asena, his first Djinn.
Getting the two to work together is like getting a couple four year olds in line, which every mother knows can be hell on earth! Couple that with some dissenters along the way and the goal Jackson has set for himself seems to be way out of reach.
Watching him try for the brass ring is seriously exciting, even when it's not. Even when it's just storytelling about the day to day life, it still leaves you wondering and worrying what is going to befall him this time around. Having him lose in the first book, not walk away the big winner, the Happily Ever After you expected, brings realism to the story that I personally really like. And the realism in the first book makes for real questions as to how it will play out for Jackson in the second book. Will he get his dream come true? Will he win the matches, get his Djinn to work well together, even get the coach he wants to agree to go along for the long haul? These are real questions that may not have the answer you expect. It certainly didn't in the first book!
One of my favorite parts of this series are the crazy Djinn these guys have come up with. What wild imaginations! I had the misfortune of growing up way too early for role playing and video games so I lacked the imagination to create such wild creatures in my mind. But because I didn't have any preconceived notions about what a competitive, completely made up creature would look like, I've had a gas watching them construct all these Djinn. They are odd, inventive combinations of monsters and animals that we know in real life. The way they combined real life with fantasy was nothing short of genius.
I also loved the edge of my seat feeling I got from more than half of the book. Very exciting, very realistic, lots of fun and very educational on how to get others to work well together. A lot of fun to read and I can't wait for the next edition Djinn Tamer: Evolution.
Very Very Well Done, Derek and AJ! Very Well Done indeed! Just loved it!
Getting the two to work together is like getting a couple four year olds in line, which every mother knows can be hell on earth! Couple that with some dissenters along the way and the goal Jackson has set for himself seems to be way out of reach.
Watching him try for the brass ring is seriously exciting, even when it's not. Even when it's just storytelling about the day to day life, it still leaves you wondering and worrying what is going to befall him this time around. Having him lose in the first book, not walk away the big winner, the Happily Ever After you expected, brings realism to the story that I personally really like. And the realism in the first book makes for real questions as to how it will play out for Jackson in the second book. Will he get his dream come true? Will he win the matches, get his Djinn to work well together, even get the coach he wants to agree to go along for the long haul? These are real questions that may not have the answer you expect. It certainly didn't in the first book!
One of my favorite parts of this series are the crazy Djinn these guys have come up with. What wild imaginations! I had the misfortune of growing up way too early for role playing and video games so I lacked the imagination to create such wild creatures in my mind. But because I didn't have any preconceived notions about what a competitive, completely made up creature would look like, I've had a gas watching them construct all these Djinn. They are odd, inventive combinations of monsters and animals that we know in real life. The way they combined real life with fantasy was nothing short of genius.
I also loved the edge of my seat feeling I got from more than half of the book. Very exciting, very realistic, lots of fun and very educational on how to get others to work well together. A lot of fun to read and I can't wait for the next edition Djinn Tamer: Evolution.
Very Very Well Done, Derek and AJ! Very Well Done indeed! Just loved it!
April 15, 2019
Better than the first
My biggest complaint about the first book was the main character and his lack of consistency throughout the book.
I see that the authors reconsidered that trait and delivered a much more believable Jackson this time around. A teenager that is doubtful of himself but not one that behaves like a yoyo.
The action scenes were always fun and I'm now actually looking forward to the next one.
My biggest complaint about the first book was the main character and his lack of consistency throughout the book.
I see that the authors reconsidered that trait and delivered a much more believable Jackson this time around. A teenager that is doubtful of himself but not one that behaves like a yoyo.
The action scenes were always fun and I'm now actually looking forward to the next one.
April 28, 2020
Thank you first to the authors and publisher for a free copy of this second book in the series!
I really enjoyed the second book, more so than the first. Jackson seem to grow up more as the story progressed in this book and his Djinn also seem to grow up along with him. This book seem to really focus on growth. Jackson started out like his usual, rather immature self, but the camp seem to make him realize that he needed to grow up and focus more on teamwork and improving his relationships with his Djinn, rather than only winning. He seemed to finally learn it’s not always about winning, but learning from mistakes, or progressing from mistakes or what others do.
It felt like reading my Pokémon game come to life with the battles, the healing, the training, it’s nice to read it come to life in my mind and be so familiar 😁 I would definitely recommend this series to any who love Pokémon or Digimon!
I really enjoyed the second book, more so than the first. Jackson seem to grow up more as the story progressed in this book and his Djinn also seem to grow up along with him. This book seem to really focus on growth. Jackson started out like his usual, rather immature self, but the camp seem to make him realize that he needed to grow up and focus more on teamwork and improving his relationships with his Djinn, rather than only winning. He seemed to finally learn it’s not always about winning, but learning from mistakes, or progressing from mistakes or what others do.
It felt like reading my Pokémon game come to life with the battles, the healing, the training, it’s nice to read it come to life in my mind and be so familiar 😁 I would definitely recommend this series to any who love Pokémon or Digimon!
Read
October 3, 2024Ok this book was fun. I loved the first one and this one was even better. Jackson has grown up a bit so he is not as whiny as he was in the first one, but he still has that underdog mentality that really keeps him going. I feel like this book really nails the djinn battles and they are so much fun to listen to. I wish there were more of them! As in the first book Oliver Wyman delivers a masterful performance. If you were/are a fan of monster battle shows/games like Pokémon check this series out. Also Jackson is basically Ash Ketchum and Ash is cool so read this book.
March 26, 2024
In the second book of this series, we continue following main character Jackson's journey to become a professional Djinn Tamer, as he is invited to and attends a training camp in the hopes of being one of the few who will reach beginner pro status.
Overall, it was a good book. We follow along on Jackson's story, which picks up well from the events of the first book, as he and his Djinn, Asena, continue training to become stronger, but now far outclass everyone else in their town. An invitation to a training camp gives Jackson the opportunity he needs, but he needs the help of his former trainer, Cassius Briggs, and also needs to capture a brand new Djinn if he even wants to make it into the camp, so we get chapters dedicated to adding a new member to Jackson's team, which I had been looking forward to. The new Djinn was expected, but was a fun addition to the team dynamics. Jackson himself has, thankfully, matured quite a bit while still behaving like a teenager, though his constant habit of overthinking and doubting himself can be rather annoying at times. The camp has plenty of characters, most of them new faces, including a complete jerk (always a necessity in stories about sports or battles, a jerk rival should be a must, in my opinion) but also some familiar faces that I was happy to see. There's not many battles in the book, but the ones we get, especially later on, are quite good and more dynamic than they were in the first book.
As for negatives, for starters, the book kinda meanders a bit. There's a lot of focus on the training in the camp, and other than a few exercises, not much of it is creative or exciting. Also, most of the new characters we meet could have been better fleshed out, as they get little to no characterization (an example being a boy named Miguel, who the narration describes as "an odd guy", but we never find out exactly what makes him odd) and some of them get little to no time to shine, be it because they get sent home early or the narration just plain doesn't give them any focus, which feels to me like a wasted opportunity. Another negative, though this is just personal preference, is that one of my favorite characters doesn't make it to where I wanted them to make it, but I will avoid spoiling that in this review. There are also quite a number of grammar mistakes throughout the book, it felt like it needed a proofreader. And fianlly, I still wish we could get better descriptions of some of the Djinn in the book, some of which we only get a name for and that's it, so it's rather difficult picturing them in my mind.
Overall, while still not as great as I feel it could be, the book was still good. I'm looking forward to the next step in Jackson's journey, the kinds of battles he has, what new Djinn he'll catch, and who'll be with him along the journey as friends, rivals, or both.
Overall, it was a good book. We follow along on Jackson's story, which picks up well from the events of the first book, as he and his Djinn, Asena, continue training to become stronger, but now far outclass everyone else in their town. An invitation to a training camp gives Jackson the opportunity he needs, but he needs the help of his former trainer, Cassius Briggs, and also needs to capture a brand new Djinn if he even wants to make it into the camp, so we get chapters dedicated to adding a new member to Jackson's team, which I had been looking forward to. The new Djinn was expected, but was a fun addition to the team dynamics. Jackson himself has, thankfully, matured quite a bit while still behaving like a teenager, though his constant habit of overthinking and doubting himself can be rather annoying at times. The camp has plenty of characters, most of them new faces, including a complete jerk (always a necessity in stories about sports or battles, a jerk rival should be a must, in my opinion) but also some familiar faces that I was happy to see. There's not many battles in the book, but the ones we get, especially later on, are quite good and more dynamic than they were in the first book.
As for negatives, for starters, the book kinda meanders a bit. There's a lot of focus on the training in the camp, and other than a few exercises, not much of it is creative or exciting. Also, most of the new characters we meet could have been better fleshed out, as they get little to no characterization (an example being a boy named Miguel, who the narration describes as "an odd guy", but we never find out exactly what makes him odd) and some of them get little to no time to shine, be it because they get sent home early or the narration just plain doesn't give them any focus, which feels to me like a wasted opportunity. Another negative, though this is just personal preference, is that one of my favorite characters doesn't make it to where I wanted them to make it, but I will avoid spoiling that in this review. There are also quite a number of grammar mistakes throughout the book, it felt like it needed a proofreader. And fianlly, I still wish we could get better descriptions of some of the Djinn in the book, some of which we only get a name for and that's it, so it's rather difficult picturing them in my mind.
Overall, while still not as great as I feel it could be, the book was still good. I'm looking forward to the next step in Jackson's journey, the kinds of battles he has, what new Djinn he'll catch, and who'll be with him along the journey as friends, rivals, or both.
September 14, 2020
Journey to the Bronze
Fiona Sato told Jackson that she had made the Djinn Battle League Regional training camp. The training camp takes local champions/nominees and puts them through a rigorous 4 week program. If Fiona got the invite for Tile, then Jackson didn’t make it. Jackson is working as a ranch hand again at the Sato Ranch. Mr. Sato offers Jackson an intern job and schooling to be a Djinn breeder. His only training as a Djinn Tamer is against multiple kids and their Djinn at the same time.
After waffling back and forth, Jackson decides to take Mr. Sato up on his offer. He figures that he can still try out next year to get into the Regional training camp. The next day, he starts some tasks on his training to be an intern. Fiona comes out to him fuming mad. She asks why he is giving up on his dream
Fiona Sato told Jackson that she had made the Djinn Battle League Regional training camp. The training camp takes local champions/nominees and puts them through a rigorous 4 week program. If Fiona got the invite for Tile, then Jackson didn’t make it. Jackson is working as a ranch hand again at the Sato Ranch. Mr. Sato offers Jackson an intern job and schooling to be a Djinn breeder. His only training as a Djinn Tamer is against multiple kids and their Djinn at the same time.
After waffling back and forth, Jackson decides to take Mr. Sato up on his offer. He figures that he can still try out next year to get into the Regional training camp. The next day, he starts some tasks on his training to be an intern. Fiona comes out to him fuming mad. She asks why he is giving up on his dream
January 30, 2020
Djinn Tamer: Rivals (Bronze League, #2), my second read from author Derek Alan Siddoway & A.J. Cerna. Outstanding read. Extremely well written, the characters well developed. I’m a character reader, I get into the characters. Who and what they are. Why they do the things they do. The things that make a reader get invested into the characters and thereby the book and this book has it all! I was given an Audible copy of this book & am voluntarily reviewing it. Oliver Wyman’s fabulous narration again adds to the well-written book's enjoyment. I can't wait to read the next book in this series, Djinn Tamer: Evolution (Bronze League #3). (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).
March 13, 2020
Fantastic!!!! If you like Pokemon type stories check this series out.
Narrator: great differentiation between characters, solid pacing
Language: PG/PG13 no fbombs
Violence: typical monster battle stuff
Sexual content: none
Story: very entertaining, definitely looking forward to the third installment. I love the fast paced action and the narrator does this book justice.
—I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Narrator: great differentiation between characters, solid pacing
Language: PG/PG13 no fbombs
Violence: typical monster battle stuff
Sexual content: none
Story: very entertaining, definitely looking forward to the third installment. I love the fast paced action and the narrator does this book justice.
—I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
March 29, 2021
Quite the improvement from book 1. Less easily predictable, more emotional, funnier and just more enjoyable. One major complaint though, in this highly technologically, high speed connected world, there aren't wiki's and dedicated websites to djinn evolution? No way a super nerd fan has zero idea that djinn point optimization is a thing. My god I've read so much LitRPG in the last 13 months! 👍🏽👍🏽😫
December 11, 2020
A little heavier on the stats on this one but the characters development and the addition of a new scrappy djinn helps keep the interest going. More of the history also keeps the background antagonist issues to the forefront increasingly and makes for further anticipation. Narration was another excellent effort and an easy listening one despite the stats being used more
October 4, 2022
I enjoyed this book way more than the first one! It expanded a lot on the battle league and Granite region, as well as introduced a colorful cast of characters. However I'm not sure if it was just my copy, but there were a lot of spelling or grammatical errors in some random chapters.
August 8, 2019
Liking it
A little heavier on the stats on this one but the characters development and the addition of a new scrappy djinn helps keep the interest going.
A little heavier on the stats on this one but the characters development and the addition of a new scrappy djinn helps keep the interest going.
August 14, 2020
Good second book - it's fun that the books follow the natural breaks in the seasons... makes for a clean ending and beginning. Looking forwards to the next one.
May 19, 2022
Does the writing have some flaws and do I occasionally stumble upon inconsistencies? Yes.
Am I still 100% addicted to the story about Jackson Hunt's rise through the ranks? ABSO-FREAKIN-LUTELY!
Am I still 100% addicted to the story about Jackson Hunt's rise through the ranks? ABSO-FREAKIN-LUTELY!
March 7, 2024
I'm kinda tired of main character meets predictable bad predicament, struggles through it and winning. Kinda no fun..
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews