Basically Books! discussion

GoodReads Description

Jessica is a smart, bold courageous teen who discovers she has amazing powers on her 13th birthday.

After her parents’ sudden death, Jessica is stuck living with her weird, gassy grandparents in a small town in upstate New York. Constantly bullied by her harsh schoolmates, this Georgia girl feels like a total loser and outcast.

Angry about being forgotten on her 13th birthday Jessica is lured into the forest by a strange spiral light. In the woods she encounters three magical beings, who call themselves Lightmasters. The leader, Dragateen, tells Jessica she has special powers. Intrigued, she agrees to be transported to another dimension where she is tested for her courage, strength and ability to overcome intense obstacles.

Life changes drastically when Jessica returns to earth. During school the next day, her reality shifts and people start turning into repulsive, reptilian monsters. Course, it doesn’t help that it’s Halloween, which makes it even more bizarre.

Dragateen explains to Jessica she's needed by the Lightmaster alliance to defeat an invisible alien beast, who feeds off fear.Follow Jessica on a wild adventure as she learns to empower her mind, conquer her own fears and help rid the world of a wicked alien enemy who hates humans.


Feel free to talk about the whole book but please use the spoiler brackets where necessary.
< spoiler > write your message here < / spoiler >
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This read is going to be a different and interesting experience as we have the author here in the group with us to participate in the read!

M.G. Wells has very kindly offered to answer any questions readers may have during this group read.

I hope you all snapped up the book while it was free! ;) (I know Tara and I did, haha.)

So glad to read this since I have it on my to read list. Great news. Thanks.

Blimey, what a treat!

Fantastic. I've not heard of this author and it sounds like a good read indeed.

Great news. Thank you.

Thanks to Rea, Tara-Jayne & Char and everyone else that voted for me. I eagerly anticipate ALL your comments/feelings/opinions/Reviews about LIGHTMASTERS. Since this is my debut novel, PLEASE do feel free to be honest and share openly. I can take anything. I seem to have some folks following me around the groups, and THANK YOU. I am open to all your comments. I truly appreciate your interest and PLEASE be respectful to everyone in this group.

ღ¸.•* BIG SMILE *•.¸ღ

Can't wait to read this next month :)

I hope I can catch up with reading obligations enough to get time to read it!

I understand, Me too!

Great news. Thank you.

Me and the girls are so excited to read again. Appreciate your willingness to join in. They have many questions for you. Will try not to overload you.

This group is so cool. Thanks, M.G.

Very excited to see a book I have not heard of before.

I just got the BB mail and so excited!

Moderator please killif I have been too honest.

One worth knowing fact, the rest is spoiler. I bought this book as a Kindle edition for 77 pence.

I do not now consider this a bargain. I wanted to read it soon so that I can spend some quality time on "Water for Elephants".

In my opinion this is beautiful prose writing but it gets you nowhere. The first four chapters mopver relentlessly, fom one violent confrontation to another for the heroine - so much so that the violence appears gratuitous. I read these first four chapters and then took to reading "Rain" by Kate Vann which I can recommend because although it is unashamedly chick-lit, it draws the reader into its grasp. I am left asking how on earth the *Lightmasters" piece of fluff became a "good read"! Purely my opionion of course. Can anyone prove me wrong?

Brilliant!

Bernard wrote: "Moderator please killif I have been too honest.

One worth knowing fact, the rest is spoiler. I bought this book as a Kindle edition for 77 pence.

I do not now consider this a bargain. I wanted ..."

Seems like you did not give this book a chance at all.

Added to my already growing to read list.

Foxfire, though I realise you may be a fan of this book and want to stand up for it, I don't appreciate you speaking to other members in that tone as it could easily be taken as an insult over a written forum. Everybody has a right to like or dislike the book and four chapters is plenty of time to form an opinion.

Bernard, I'll get back to you as soon as I've read that far.

I've read the first chapter and there were things that seemed a bit rushed to me. I can't remember them exactly (I read it a couple of weeks ago) and I'd have to get the text, but it was mostly a number of small things like the girl rushing out to the woods when she sees the spiral light without even stopping to question whether she was actually seeing this out of the ordinary phenomenon.

There's another book that I have to read first then I'll start on this one and come back with a better list of comments and questions.

It did not mean to insult, Bernard, so I apologise. I'm not a fan of this book and have only read the first few chapters. I just thought his comments were harsh and unfair since he did not read the entire book. That's just my opinion.

I read LightMasters twice and enjoyed it both times. The book is definitely geared for younger readers ages around ages 8-14 or anyone who may resonate with this kind of story. In my opinion so many YA books are more like adult books these days, so I was pleased to discover this unique book on GoodReads. Also, there were not a lot of distracting back stories which often make me lose interest in books. The book is written in first person, so prepare yourself for entering the mind of a tormented young lady, who feels like an outcast and totally misunderstood.

I could relate to Jessica's angst about losing her parents and being forced to live with her elderly grandparents, who are the funniest characters in the book. Her character was clearly defined and made sense since she was uprooted from her cozy life in Georgia to a small town in Upstate New York. Through Jessica's eyes, the author pays great attention to detail of the setting. It's obvious to me this new life is uncomfortable for her, and she just cannot adapt or relate to it. Her intellect is above average, and she is lumped into a high-school crowd that is too sophisticated for her. She is somewhat of a tomboy and a loner who doesn't have the emotional skills to relate to the older kids. Despite her internal rage, I found her a bold, likeable character.

The tale starts out on Jessica's 13th birthday. She feels very sad that her grandparents and Georgian friends forgot her. From her bedroom window she reflects briefly about her deceased parents, who were university professors. When an unusual light suddenly appears, Jessica's interest is piqued and she goes outside to investigate. Lured by the light, she finds herself in the forest adjacent to her grandparent's house, where she meets three magical beings who call themselves LIGHTMASTERS. These mystical characters are well defined in appearance, yet remain mysterious in nature. The lead Lightmaster explains to Jessica she has a special destiny. Soon afterwards, she is transported to another dimension and does not understand why. In this dimension, Jessica is faced with many unusual, life-threatening encounters with strange, magical beings who challenge and irritate her. The landscape of this dimension is so rich, I felt like I was transported there.

When Jessica returns to back to her usual reality, she finds that she has changed. She starts experiencing unusual dreams and physical sensations that frighten her. At school she is horrified when people appear to her as hideous monsters. This is where the story gets tricky. Jessica's reality becomes so surreal even she doesn't understand what is happening to her. The characters and setting of her school are well defined. After many unsettling encounters with her older peers, teachers, and the alien monster, she panics. Unable to deal, Jessica journeys to her home in Georgia, where she believes she will feel safe. During this adventure, she meets up with more amusing, scary and memorable characters.

After returning to her childhood home, she finally realizes she cannot escape her destiny and commits herself to the Lightmaster alliance, whose main goal is to get rid of the monster feeding off of the hate and fear of humanity. In the finale, Jessica decides to embrace her light and does her part to force the alien menace to another dimension where it cannot harm anyone.

This was a fast-paced read with an original plot and many interesting characters from an array of various cultures. Ultimately, I feel the author is stressing the important of choosing love over fear. It's a heady, clean read, which means no sex, vulgarity, or extreme violence. I will admit the book is left wide open in certain areas and leaves many unanswered questions, which I liked. Life is messy and this story emphasizes it to the extreme. Ultimately, this book inspired me, and I hope to see a follow-up. I highly recommend Lightmasters: Number 13 to anyone who enjoys a unique, exciting adventure that makes you think about the importance of embracing love over hate/fear and that anything in life is possible.

I thought group reads were optional?

Group reads are completely optional. We would never require participation. Each member chooses whether or not they wish to read the books for that month.

Just started reading. So far, very interesting.

Shortly after joining GoodReads, I was lucky to discover this lovely gem, LIGHTMASTERS: Number 13. I particularly liked Jessica’s southern way of speaking. Her unusual slang words were not like anything I’ve ever read before, and it helped me to relate to her as the main character of the story. This story does not begin slow and easy, and it does not even reveal the year in which it is told. It bursts right into the action and it pretty much keeps going throughout the entire story. There are so many major themes throughout the book, I had a difficult time keeping track.

Grandmother/Grandfather Wyrd seemed so daft at first, then I realized they were two of the most relevant, characters to this intriguing tale. At first, I assumed that they were simply ignorant, stupid and they are not. I did my best to follow Jessica, since most of the tale is told from her point of view. She’s very angry, mindful of others, thoughtful and observant. Jessica’s does her very best to move on, despite the unresolved conflicts in her life.

This is the kind of book I believe one consider taking the time to read because the story is so filled with strange people, adversity, a variety of odd language and blatant honesty. The fragmented style of this book weaves an uneven tale of bizarre experiences and circumstances. In my meager opinion, LightMasters: Number 13 is a book that says so much and I want to see more of these characters.

This book was recommended to me by a middle-school teacher, who's a big fan of independent authors. My 13 y/o son and I enjoyed this unique, interesting story. It was a real page turner and an out-of-the-box kind of fantasy action adventure.

The numerous supporting characters were strange, humorous, disgusting and unusual. I admired the main character, Jessica, who had to deal with a lot of horrific, amazing challenges as a 13 year old outcast. Her eccentric Welsh grandparents were amusing and added much comedy and depth.

I enjoyed the themes of friendship, loyalty, family and personal empowerment. This was a very fast, easy read and I look forward to reading more from this author.

As you can see i have rated this book 3 stars.

I loved the storyline and the concept of the book, i really loved some of the characters and how they acted in the book.
It was a short but sweet book.


Though i felt very disconnected sometimes, and i felt it moved on far to quickly. I didn't feel all the emotions in the book which i should have felt. I also felt some things could of been described more.

I liked how the big bad guy was portrayed. The ending was an amazing ending.

Overall i liked this but felt some stuff were missing, if those missing pieces were in it it could of been either 4 or 5 stars.

Many thanks to everyone for sharing your thoughts/feelings/opinions about LightMasters. I appreciate your time and all your comments. Just starting to feel better after being sick all week. Please do keep sharing. Wishing all the best ღღღ

M.G. wrote: "Many thanks to everyone for sharing your thoughts/feelings/opinions about LightMasters. I appreciate your time and all your comments. Just starting to feel better after being sick all week. Please ..."

I hope you are okay. ღღ

Thanks, Tara-Jayne.

Lightmasters was a very thought provoking book for me because there were so many messages about the sorry state of our humanity. It was littered with stereotypical characters, dialogue and scenarios and at first, it frustrated me. I read the book a few times and came to the conclusion the author intentionally provoked me to contemplate the mystery of life itself. Truthfully, I found it more of a statement than a typical story. The number 13 was repeated in the book so many times, I just could not ignore its meaning.

I found this a fascinating adventure filled with so many stories so fragmented and also enticing. It ended with so many unanswered questions, which really peeved me. I’m so used to traditional storytelling and this story is not traditional at all. The author took me on a journey with so many twists and turns, I felt exhausted and somewhat confused. This story engaged me, annoyed me, intrigued me, and left me wanting to know more.

M.G. wrote: "Thanks, Tara-Jayne. I've been the last week dealing with doctors and no one can tell me what is wrong. Thanks for taking the time to share. I appreciate it very much."

Thank you, M.G. and I hope you fee better very soon.

Chris wrote: "Seeing as everyone seems to have had such different views on this than I did, I'm just wondering if there were any specific passages that people thought were particularly good that I might have not..."

Chris, I felt that way at first myself. I feel the author is suggesting something more.

A friend of mine gave me this book as a gift. I truly enjoyed reading it and wish the author continues with a series because I want more! This was one of the most unique, amazing books I have read in quite some time. This story really made me think about the magic of thoughts.

The LightMasters are an alliance of mystics from different cultures, who are guardians of Earth from evil, alien forces. The LightMasters recruit Jessica, who discovers she has magic powers on her 13th birthday. The LightMasters urge her to join their group, so they can defeat a nasty alien beast.

I enjoyed following Jessica on this most unique adventure. She's a highly intelligent, but a sad young lass because she lost her parents in a car accident and is forced to live with her grandparents. The cheeky Welsh grandparents are great characters and brought lots of humor to the story. The other characters were all so different and varied in their cultures and races too. The different way the characters spoke in this book was fun. It was so exciting to read.

I recommend this book to everyone. It's a fast-paced, action-packed story. It also falls into many categories like action, adventure, fantasy, mystery, sci-fi and thriller. The typesetting was also well spaced so it made it easy on me old eyes. It's truly one of a kind.

I truly enjoyed this book. It was a fast, easy read with lots of interesting themes, characters and a unique story. There were lots of intellectual and spiritual elements that I don't find in many young adult books, and I appreciated the diversity. The story surprised me and kept my interest from beginning to end. It seems the author left this book wide open for a sequel, and I look forward to a second book.

This book took me on an exciting, non-stop adventure. The main character, Jessica, impressed me. I like strong female characters, and she is certainly strong and brave. She's not wimpy at all and stands up for herself. The book moves very fast, and I got to meet so many interesting characters along the way. The grandparents are very well-described, funny characters. Even though they bicker a lot, they are very endearing.

I also enjoyed Jessica's encounters with Scout, Gwendolyn, Whipper and the other characters she met in the Otherworld. The plot was unusual and easy to follow. It's a fast read and does it's best to entertain and also make you think. I liked that the Lightmasters was a group of men and women from various races and cultures. I would have liked to known more about Jessica's parents and Sartan and how the Lightmasters hooked up. I'm guessing this was done purposely by the author since it was left wide open for another volume. I would like to see a Lightmasters II.

My Girls LOVED This Book & So Did I! I have two young adult ladies, and they went wild over this book. I'm glad I found this book on GoodReads. This story was lots of fun, had lots of action, mystery, awesome adventures and thankfully, no sparkly vampires. They related to the main character, Jessica. We really liked the grandparent characters because they were humorous and enhanced the story. As a single dad, I appreciated the fact this book does not have any curse words, graphic sex or violence. For parents looking for an interesting read, I highly recommend Lightmasters for kids of all ages. Overall, a great story with lots of action, suspense and classic storytelling.

M.G. wrote: "Many thanks to everyone for sharing your thoughts/feelings/opinions about LightMasters. I appreciate your time and all your comments. Just starting to feel better after being sick all week. Please ..."

Feel better, M.G.

My family and I truly enjoyed LightMasters, especially my daughter. Since she's around Jessica's age, she very much related to her. It was one weird, wild ride. Jessica's grandparents were hilarious as well. The author took the time to create a unique story with an array of interesting, in-depth characters--even the ones that were only featured for a short time. The story was unique, easy to follow and filled with lots of action and adventure and realistic dialogue. As a parent, I was pleased it was not filled with profanity, sex or extreme violence. I do hope the author does a few more LightMasters books.

Thanks so much for everyone's feedback. I truly value your honest feelings/thoughts/opinions. Feel free to direct message me if you like. Wishing ALL your wildest dreams come true ღღღღ

I bought this book based on a friend's recommendation and also downloaded the FREE ebook version. Since I'm on the go most of the time, I often read with my Kindle. Ultimately, I preferred the book version, which is amazing. Thankfully, I brought this book on my most recent travel and read it during my plane ride. As an indie author, I am impressed with M.G. Wells debut novel. The writing is realistic, and the cast of characters are so diverse.

The main character, Jessica, is a highly intelligent 13-year old and is not a happy camper. Not only does she feel displaced living with her eccentric grandparents, she is a thinker. Written in first person, I found it easy to to relate to Jessica. She not the typical kind of gossipy girl interested in boys and high fashion. She's a most introverted character and more of an observer of life.

I highly recommend this book to those who like a fun, intellectual adventure/mystery/fantasy. The story is definitely unusual and emphasizes the challenge of being human, choosing love over fear, and believing that anything in life is possible if you open your heart and believe.

Lightmasters was a very different book for me. After a short stint in Jessica's real world, she does her best to adapt to living with her quirky grandparents. At first, the grandparents seemed like complete old farts--literally. Later in the story, their personalities revealed something more.

After the first chapter, Jessica was abruptly transported to a strange, alternate dimension called the Otherworld. Here, Jessica endured many challenges and was tested vigorously. The characters in the Otherworld were so interesting and diverse. Her adventure in this world was so well described and also somewhat puzzling. Regardless, it held my attention.

Upon her return to the real world, her reality is turned upside down. She feels and senses things for which she is unprepared. She sees her classmates and teachers morph into horrible monsters and fears for her life. It's clear Jessica feels extremely uncomfortable in her new skin. She experiences bizarre dreams, discovers her worst enemy is her half brother and comes face to face with a monster that feeds off human fear. This intense one-on-one encounter sends her running to the security of a life she once felt before her parents unfortunate death.

Although the the author glossed over her parents death and the mother's involvement with the alien monster, I still found myself eager to know more. I agree with some of the other reviewers that this is a book that encourages you to think about the power of thoughts and the complexities of life. I really enjoyed Lightmasters and strongly feel the author needs to write another. It was very unique, and I would like to know more about these characters.

After reading ALL the reviews, I took my time reading, LightMasters: Number 13. I felt the readers who appreciated this book were most authentic in their perceptions. This is not your standard lovey-dovey romantic book. I respected the author's message and loved the fact that it was not just another cookie-cutter story about vampires or werewolfs. Yes, it's a gritty story that follows the mind of a 13-year-old girl, so those who simply crave romance, this is not the story for you. I truly was mesmerized by Lightmasters. It made me think, took me on many adventures and helped me realize life is a magnificent journey. I don't relate to the reader who compared it to Labyrinth or the one the one who simply dismissed it as "fluff." I recommend this story for those readers whose imaginations are open-minded and limitless.

Chris wrote: "This book has aroused a variety of feelings from me, and I'm not entirely sure exactly how I found it. I thought that it overall had a lot of potential to be a good read, but was let down on a numb..."

No offense, I disagree with you. I found LightMasters a very profound book with many messages, much entertainment and a story that engages the mind/soul.

Tara-Jayne (♥ I Read, I Love ♥) wrote: "As you can see i have rated this book 3 stars.

I loved the storyline and the concept of the book, i really loved some of the characters and how they acted in the book.
It was a short but sweet b..."

No offense intended, Tara-Jayne. As an avid book reader/ blogger I felt your assessment of this book would be have been more in-depth. It almost seems like you did not read it at all, yet skimmed through it.

I appreciate everyone's time reading and reviewing LIGHTMASTERS. Everyone has a right their own opinions and I respect this. Please let's just keep this to reviews and not personal attacks on anyone. Thank you.

Gemma wrote: "Tara-Jayne (♥ I Read, I Love ♥) wrote: "As you can see i have rated this book 3 stars.

I loved the storyline and the concept of the book, i really loved some of the characters and how they acted..."

I think that comment was very harse. I think i should know whether or not i read the book. I DID read the book and i rated it 3 stars. Which is better than 1 or 2 so dont say i didnt read it.

I really liked this book. It was easy to read and was a lot of fun for me. Like Jana said it's a book for younger readers. This book would make a great movie.

Gemma, I'm supposed to be on holiday right now but I just checked in to make sure everything was running smoothly and I read your comments. I am very disappointed. I do not appreciate you taking such a tone with other members. Each reader has the right to like or dislike the book. There have only been three reviews of this book that weren't glowing and you have attacked them all in one way or another. I don't care that you put "no offense", everything you put after that does cause offense.

I understand and respect your right to wish to defend a book that you've enjoyed, but it is not okay for you to do so in such a manner. You may feel that you're standing up for the author with such comments but really you're doing M.G. Wells a great disservice.

I highly doubt that I am the only person who reads such comments on negative reviews of books (not just this one) and then decides to avoid that book. This is not your intended result, but it is the result that you'll achieve.