BOOK DESCRIPTION
Frankie Shaunessy's friends are out of this world!
It's an easy mistake to make - instead of whistling and calling for her dog, fifteen year old Frankie accidentally summons a griffin and his rider from another world. The Rider is tall, blond and extremely rude. On the other hand, Balkind is the sweetest, most lovable griffin Frankie's ever met, and Frankie is determined to help the Rider and his griffin find a way back to their own world.
Dealing with parallel universes, disgruntled warriors, and hungry griffins is the easier part of Frankie's life. At school, Frankie learns friends can become enemies, teachers aren't always right, and the boy of your dreams can be all too human. Told in approximately 53,000 words, suitable for young adults, and all those who've ever dreamed of riding a griffin.
AUTHOR BIO
Hi and thanks for taking time out to visit this author page, all readers are much appreciated and very welcome - I'm an obsessive reader myself!
About me:
I'm originally from London, a little place called Notting Hill, born in the sixties when the world was the street where you lived. To give you an idea, only three people down our road actually owned a telephone and bath night was a weekly event.
Like Scout, I can't recall not being able to read, and the world of Narnia quickly became a favourite. In the closing pages of 'The Last Battle' C S Lewis tells his young audience "you cannot begin to imagine the adventures they had." (Or words to that effect). I took this as a personal challenge. While I can never hope to emulate Lewis's work, I'm having fun trying, and it keeps me out of mischief - sometimes!
That's really how I think of myself, a reader who enjoys writing the sort of books I'd want to read. Now with Amazon's help, I'm sharing those stories - something I never imagined in my wildest dreams and it's the best feeling in the world.
Even though I'm all grown up now, with two sons who grow a couple of inches every time my back's turned, there is still a child inside who wants to believe in magic and other worlds. Thankfully, these worlds do exist and we can enter anytime we open a book, or fire up our kindles.
Maybe I'll meet you there, or you can always drop by my website - just type my name into the search bar, and you'll find me.
Drop by soon, and say hi!
Julia Hughes
REVIEWS
Format:Kindle Edition
Julia Hughes is one of my favourite authors, I have read nearly all of her books and each has enthralled and entertained me from the first page. I had huge expectations for The Griffin Cryer and am delighted to say I was not disappointed.
Having a Griffin as its central character is a totally unique idea and such a refreshing change from the saturation of vampire and werewolf books there are on the market. I recently discovered Amanda Hocking and marvelled at her choice of trolls (Trylle) as characters but think that Julia Hughes book is an even more original concept, as well as being beautifully written. For me the description of the griffin and the flight the feisty female character, Frankie, takes on him is breath-taking and so expertly written you totally believe the existence of griffins to be possible.
I don't want to spoil the storyline for you but would urge that you read this magical book and see for yourself. I think it is only a matter of time before it is snapped up and made into a film and I for one will be interested to see if producers can do cinematic justice to the stunning narrative, fast paced plot and vivid description of the griffin. Vampires are so yesterday check out The Griffin Cryer today!
Format:Kindle Edition
She was only calling for her dog. It was dusk and strange imaginings always occur within centuries-old cemeteries, right? Yet, upon seeing `green eyes' within a huge dark shadow then feeling a blast of `hot fetid air' and the near graze of a `sail-sized leathery wing,' 15-year old Frankie wasn't so sure this was imagined. When a young stranger `wearing fancy dress' appears out of the dark mist within the old cemetery and speaks, "Did you summons my griffin?" she runs for her life!
These words, spoken in Chapter 1, plunged me excitedly into a cannot-put-down, do-not-want-it-to-end extraordinary story! Julia Hughes has masterfully woven an intricate and thrilling YA fantasy tale of a girl with ordinary teenage issues suddenly being catapulted into an intriguing, perilous adventure involving beings from a twin world called, Ella-Earth. Frankie's uncanny ability to call forth a griffin and The Rider from this parallel universe will ultimately serve her family's tragic circumstances in a unique mysterious way. Ms. Hughes must have a very magical muse in her mind whose wisdom to weave such an intelligent and heart-warming story is beyond brilliant.
Frankie is not one of the cool kids at school. Julia Hughes has created a most engaging and fascinating character that appears to be rather ordinary, a girl who is struggling to maneuver through the throes of middle adolescence towards the early side of adulthood. I was delightfully engaged during the segments involving Frankie's encounters and foibles at her school as she oftentimes reacted to others in either a sassy or a respectful way; with either a fearless or a demure stance. She makes discoveries about friendship and enemies, and the humanness of teachers; and wrestles with a realization that the boy of her dreams might not be one who is human.
So what makes THE GRIFFIN CRYER extraordinary? 15-year old Frankie's coming-of-age maturity is evidenced by her reactions to ordinary yet often intense life events, yet they are in counterpoint to the daring challenges that she takes on with The Rider and his marvelous griffin. There is a harmonious flow to the script as it moved me to and fro, from Frankie's rich zesty day-to-day life situations into the perils undertaken with The Rider and his griffin; ones that involve the recovery on earth of the Ella Stone, a crystal powerful enough to protect a membrane that separates Earth from Ella-Earth, keeping both worlds from colliding.
Throughout my read, it often felt as if I was in the story itself, walking in Frankie's shoes. Some of the most vivid, exceptional segments are those between Frankie and her mum; those in which Frankie takes flight with The Rider on the griffin; and those in which her mind descends into her comatose brother's nightmares, seeking to bring him home from the dream world in which he is lost.
An outstanding story for all young adults and for those who are young at heart, THE GRIFFIN CRYER takes center stage on the top shelf of my favorites' bookcase, alongside Julia Hughes' other delightful, masterfully written novels.
SELECTED OTHER WORKS
Hi there, it's fantastic to be featured here on your site! The Griffin Cryer is rocketing up Amazon's free chart, (it costs nothing to download until Midnight 16th January)so many thanks for all your support.
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