The Guardian of Whispers (The Reeds of West Hills Book #1) by B. E. Padgett – Review by Angela Hayes

The Guardian of Whispers by B.E. Padgett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 Stars

“All right, Mister Ree-ed.” McClery drew Jon’s last name out with a grumpy tone. “Follow me then.” McClery passed him, leaning on his cane and limping slightly.
Professor Mortensen grinned nervously at Jon but didn’t offer any comfort. Sucking it up, Jon lifted his chin and followed the older man out the door.
They left the main school building by way of the front stairs and continued down a pathway.
“Sir, where are we going?” Jon asked, but the man beside him only grunted. Jon hated being ignored, but he was too nervous and confused to say anything. Their strangely silent walk ended at a small cottage on the edge of the school property. McClery pulled an old skeleton key out of his pocket and jimmied the lock a bit before opening the door.
“There is no classroom available for your lessons,” McClery grumbled as he pocketed the key and shuffled inside, “so we will be using this house for the time being.”

“Food fight!” yelled Damien as he grabbed what was leftover on his plate.
Chaos erupted in the cafeteria. Even though it had started at the fifth-grade table, the sixth and seventh graders quickly joined in with their own methods of attack. Many students ran for the doors, while others scrambled to combine what ammunition they could find. For the first time in almost a month, Jon chuckled. His laugh only grew as Frank wiped potatoes from his face and stared at him. Soon, Frank couldn’t hold back his chuckles either.
Grabbing his brother’s hand, Jon pulled him under a table. “All right, you’re on collections. I’ve got targeting.”
“Sniper?” Frank whispered.
“Yes. Can you find me more meatloaf?”
Frank nodded and left, returning quickly with several half-eaten pieces. Jon searched under the table until he found a spoon and fork. Perfect. As Frank massaged the meatloaf pieces into small balls, Jon placed them on the fork, drawing on years of practice for high-precision aiming. Meatloaf balls started flying from their corner. Jon pumped his fist as one hit a larger eighth-grader on the shoulder.
A loud, booming voice gave Jon his next target. He pulled his fork back like a catapult and let the meatloaf ball fly. It soared through the air and landed with a small splat.
“Yes!” Jon jumped up to see his victory hit. His voice echoed through the suddenly silent room.
“Mister Reeeeeed!” A piece of meatloaf was dangling from Professor Owens’s mustache.

The Guardian of Whispers is the first book in The Reeds of West Hills by B.E. Padgett. This is the first book that I have read by Ms. Padgett, so I really didn’t know what to expect from one of her stories- but the cover and blurb intrigued me, so I one-clicked a copy and set off to explore. What I discovered was a fun urban fantasy aimed at middle school aged children (9 – 12 years old)- but I am WAY older than that and I still enjoyed following along on the adventure- so I would say that it is a story that could be enjoyed by any age (from 7 years and up).
This paranormal adventure introduces us to Jon and Frank, 10yr old twins, and their large zany family. They reminded me of the Weasley’s from Harry Potter- and the story definitely has Harry Potter/Percy Jackson vibes- as Jon and Frank have magical gifts that they need to learn to control, and so off to the magical academy they go., where their adventures really begin.
The story is a fun start to the series, and even though there were times that the story felt rushed, or sections with some info dumping- the story, as a whole, was enjoyable. I can see how the author was trying to lay the groundwork/foundations for the series here, as well as setting up this adventure, and as the story progressed, things did get smoother. So, I am looking forward to seeing how things develop in book #2- The Secret of Arkaim.
With action, adventure, magical powers, challenges, a priceless missing relic, crime and investigation, mystery, intrigue, mayhem, antics, banter, quirky characters, self-discovery, boarding school for the gifted, friendship, family, drama, and a touch of the unexpected- makes for a fun read.
Happy Reading…

Thank you, B.E. Padgett!

Reviewed by @angelahayes

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