I'm going to say this: I really enjoyed this book, I had almost forgotten i requested it because it got lost in my kindle with other books, and I picked it up during my exams week to read it slowly but i. couldn't. stop
the book has a great building and interesting characters and even though it's not romantic -since jack is 14 yo I think it was the right call- but it's made it up for being face-paced! it was a light read that caught my attention, Jack was a really likeable character and discovering the world through his eyes was pretty funny.
Reading some reviews I noticed how many of them noticed the 'easter eggs' but I was so absorbed in the reading I honestly didn't see the twist coming (what makes it even better! i love when i'm so caught in a read that i can't stop to analyze it) i loved this <3

I want more! What is going to happen to Jack (and the others) next?
Jack is an orphan, he lost is father to a cave in at one of his archeological digs. He’s a genius; devours every book he can get his hands on. He is shuffled from foster home to foster home until Memphis, a shapeshifting rhinoceros type creature, whisks him away to another world. His task? To save the life of a man by perform surgery - he’s no doctor, but will be… they took him from the wrong time - good thing he did all that reading.
The world building in this book is exquisite. The author did a wonderful job of making it easy for me to envision Jack’s surroundings. The magic system was well thought out and Jack brings his own magic to the story (science). His character development through the book, from fake legend to living legend, is incredible to behold. I enjoyed following every step of his journey.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for giving me the opportunity to reader an advanced copy of this book.

Having read very few fantasy novels, I tend to steer away from them because, well, who cares about gnomes and jabberwoks? I don't. But this book, The Legend of Black Jack, is different. The writing style, and the exquisite character development hooked me on the person of Jack, and the action right from the start.

A young boy, Jack, experiences loss and hardship, kidnapping and a new realm, hardship and loss again, as he courageously discovers who he is and what he is made of. His relationships define his character, his maturation, and his hope. As we watch Jack negotiate his realm, the author is all-the-while injecting humor, and a unique writing style, incorporating original lyrics, and poems to broaden and develop the reality of the characters. Absolutely delightful.

I read eagerly, wanting to discover not only what happens to Jack, but also to experience the author's vividly descriptive language that placed me right in the center of the action with a technicolor, panoramic view.

I eaagerly await A. R. Witham's next creative release.


--by N. Witham

A boy loses everything to great tragedy. He gets sent to a foster home, though that situation is not for the best. His new foster mother is absolutely terrible, his new home is…not good. There are a ton of issues. He has all sorts of anxiety, which combines with his vivid imagination. He goes on a terrific adventure, becomes Black Jack, and meets a a lot of interesting characters.
The whole way through this book, I kept flip flopping between wanting to see jack get home and be safe. And wanting to just put the book down without finishing the story. For all the action in this book, and the suspense, I felt like it was just much to take. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time reading; yet, all I wanted to do was be done with it all. I did not want to see the ending. There are a few things about this story that was a little off putting for me. I know a lot comes from deep imagination, but some things just seem improbable, no matter how strong the imagination. Jack can do so much, but some of the stuff he does just doesn’t seem possible. But I guess that is the beauty of an imagination. It doesn’t always have to make sense and can be as magical as the mind can dream up.
With that said, it wasn’t a terrible book. Character development was very well thought out. The storytelling was interesting to say the least. It included a number of different illustrations, lyrical notes, literary elements, and descriptive imagery. The world building was almost artistically done. There just was so much about this book that made it an incredibly magical and imaginative journey to behold.
This is marked YA, but I thought that it felt more like a middle grade novel. Jack in the story is likable and somewhat relatable. Many people either like to slip away into their own imagination, or wish they they could slip away into their own little dreamland. Children of Jack’s age would enjoy following his adventures. They too may want to go on their own journey.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for a copy of this book to read.

I loved this book, the pace, the characters, the scenery.
This is beautiful coming of age fantasy. I read this in one go and will definitely be coming back to it in the future.

Thank you to Net Galley and to the publisher and author for granting me an advanced copy of this book for review!

The Legend of Black Jack is the debut novel by Emmy winning A.R. Witham and bearing that in mind, the quality of the writing is remarkable, expertly bringing this fantasy to life. I absolutely loved this book - it sucked me in from the start and I found it really difficult to put down.

There is an amazingly varied cast of fully fleshed-out characters, imaginative storytelling combined with the inclusion of songs, literary quotes at the beginning of chapters and wonderful illustrations, which all serve to turn this book into something truly magical. I was hooked from the moment the ‘monster’ appeared in fourteen year old Jack’s bedroom and kidnapped him away from his tragic beginnings as an orphaned foster kid living with a real monster of an alcoholic foster mother:

“He had entered a state of fixed fascination with his kidnapper. The thing had come out of a nightmare, chucked him out the window like a bag of garbage, changed into a lizard (and back again before his very eyes), protected him from a fall that should have killed him, and come out of it all without a scratch. The monster, Jack thought, was miraculous.”

The amazing level of descriptive detail transports the reader into their own imagination with ease and every scene is so easy to visualize. The magical world of Keymark, which Jack is taken to via a portal, is full of everything a young reader of fantasy could ask for: pirates; a dragon; pixies; a traitorous villain with an army of venomous creatures; a beautiful heroine and oodles of swashbuckling bravery and derring-do. Aimed at a middle grade/young adult audience, there is also wholesome advice given from time to time, such as from Jack’s father:

“Do it with your whole heart, his calm voice said. Sometimes you’ll succeed and sometimes you’ll fail. But never let anyone say you didn’t give it your best.”

There is also heroic advice from one of the Border Knights, Abraham Qin:

“If you die today, then die well.”

What I found really ingenious was that the main character started off in Chicago, in our own world having voraciously devoured a whole host of encyclopedias and watched a surgeon perform a large number of surgeries. Thanks to his amazing eidetic memory, this fourteen year old boy is an expert on many scientific principles and even able to perform surgery from memory. When he enters the fabulous world of Keymark he has the power of science at his fingertips which is able to cause awe amongst the people he meets who are only accustomed to ‘majik’. Jack is able to draw upon his encyclopedic knowledge to teach a blue gecko American Sign Language in order to communicate with him, to use Galileo’s theories about gravity and the French invention of the parachute made from silk in order to aid his escape from a relentless demon that is hunting him.

His ability to remember the chemical formula for gunpowder allows him to help fight off a whole army of monstrous creatures.

My favourite character among the unlikely companions drawn to Jack’s side during his adventure was the roguish pirate, Rooker Flynn, who begins to respect Jack the more he gets to know him, rather than dismissing him as a young ‘boychick’. Rooker is very down to Earth and quite deliciously disgusting at times:

“Rooker put up a pot of coffee, took off his boots, and went to work on his calloused feet, shredding the dead skin off with a cheese grater. “Ahh,” he sighed happily. “Ya want this when I’m done?” “No. Disgusting. Thanks.” “

We see the power of teamwork come into play as the adventure continues. The main premise of the novel is one of good versus evil with the noble Paladine Knight, Valerian Tsai out to defeat the evil Necrórceror. Jack and his companions each has a skill necessary to make their plan work - alone none of them would have succeeded. This is a great positive message for the younger readers of this book.

I really liked the idea of the dog, Shadow, the embodiment of Jack’s Fear who begins as a puppy and gradually grows larger until almost a wolf as Jack becomes more and more fearful. Despite his fear accompanying him everywhere, Jack never gives up. His courage and determination are relentless and he also continues to have Hope:

“Hope is a dangerous thing. It can keep a man going when all seems lost, can keep him standing, keep him fighting. But when nothing is left but despair, nothing but blackness and panic and the promise of death, the tiniest sliver of hope—the narrowest thread—can seem as solid as a steel cable. That thread bears the illusion of stability, of substance, of strength, but it is only a fool’s fantasy. Hope is delicate. Hope is fragile. And a man can grip it too tightly.“

This action-packed novel is a relentless, rollicking and rambunctious romp and a roller-coaster thrill ride. It is very cinematic and I can easily imagine it becoming a blockbuster summer vacation movie one day. I cannot recommend it more highly!

The Legend of Black Jack is the first middle grade book I've read in a very long time, and I have to say it was an enjoyable experience.

It was immersive, well written and fast paced enough to keep a younger audience entertained and get them invested in our characters.

I will say the change from a real life setting to a fantasy story is done really well. It was easy to keep track of who was who, where they belonged, and what part they played in the adventure and considering we have shape shifters, well that says something about the authors talent and understand of the target reader.

I went into this one not sure what to think or how I would like it but I was pleasantly surprised. The story, world building and characters were done very well and in a way that would be perfect for a middle grader. I also need to touch on the art for a moment, I wasn't expecting 3it and it was brilliantly.done, with just the right amount of them.

This book had a pretty broad story arc, I went from enjoying his time with his dad as a carefree child to feeling everyone of the life changing moments Jack faced.

This is a great book for getting tween readers into books, specifically those looking to explore fantasy books.

I was immediately drawn in to the life of Jack Swift & the tragedy surrounding his young life. The adventure continues from start to finish and the illustrations throughout the book were an excellent added touch. The characters were well developed and grew throughout the book. I will absolutely be buying this to keep in my library and will be looking out for anything else A.R. Witham writes! Absolutely fantastic, engaging read!
Thank you NetGalley for the advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Legen of Blackjack is a very specific kind of story genre-wise. It seems to flirt the line between middle grade and YA. It is shelved as YA, but personally I felt like it leaned on the younger side of YA- around 12 to 13 years target audience.

It's an adventure story, with fast moving plot and action. But the tone changes quite a bit in between. In the first few chapters and prologue, it reads like a young adult contemporary, but then it completely changes gears to a fantasical portal world, atmospheric voice.

I say that it is somewhere in the middle because it has mixed elements. For example, the descriptions, the world building in quite some scenes with graphic content all point towards an older young adult read. But the vibe or the feel of it, mainly because of the main characters young age and voice, as well as how he (Jack) articulates things give it sort of a younger feel.

To conclude, I think it can be read by anyone in any age range. But it would be perfect specially for younger teens who are avid readers and are looking to level up.

The main character is amazing we see him in the prolog which was one of my favourite part of the story and tucked at my heart strings as a little boy of who loves his dad and admires him but then as we go on we find that fathers and you are tragically separated and jack has to grow up without him he has always been introverted kid he has an idiotic memory so he has become a better for genius just reading books and he is just quietly living his life in his first to home when su suddenly he is thrown into a fantastical world beneath a river, with weird creatures, knights and magic bells.

I would say that it is a well written fantasy world, with tightly woven action-packed plot and adorable and even really heartwarming side characters.

The only thing that fell short for me was the inconsistency in the tone of the story and the decision making of Jack's character. Sometimes he acts very mature, and realistic- with fear or caution or frustration and humor. But then there are just a couple of times, for example when he goes to rescue someone who has been captured by the villain. He doesn't seem to have a big connection with the person who has been captured. Jack had known them for hardly a week or two, and we don't get to see a lot of development in their relationship.

Jack fights through unimaginable danger just to rescue that person, but as the reader don't have any attachment to them. In my opinion a different motivation for that particular quest would have felt more believable.
As for criticism, that's all I have. As I said overall, I think this story is incredible- maybe not the most to my tastes but something different for a change.

This action packed book was a great read! Jack used all his resources to not only survive but to help others along the way. There was a great war between good and evil, a war that brought about great destruction and loss of life. Jack started as a boy with great fears but ended as a brave man. I highly recommend reading this book and I believe that many reluctant readers will like this.

I received this as an ARC via Instagram / Netgalley.This is my honest review of the arc I received.

Spoiler Free-

The first few chapters were honestly very slow going for me, it felt reminiscent to a 90’s male protagonist film, where it fast forwards to their older self, who is jaded and somehow gets the girl. But oh my god. As soon as Jack was taken away, this book…just exploded into colour for me. I haven’t felt like this in a long time. The settings, were exquisitely WRITTEN. Like Matthew Mercer level descriptions, (If you haven’t heard Matthew Mercer describe a setting, you need to), the diversity in this book is spectacular. And I was just absolutely entranced! This may actually top Narnia for me. I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it!

First of all i want to thank the author and netgalley for gifting me a copy of this book!

I gave this book 3 stars. It was an very enjoyable read. It just has some elements that i didn't really like.

The main character is a 14 or 15-year-old boy. He is very smart and knows almost everything and he can almost do everything to. This i find very weird and unrealistic. I can handle the fact that he knows a lot but that he can do almost everything is just extremely weird. Like he can do surgeries. Like excuse me your 15 years old at max. Actual surgeons take years to do a simple surgery and he just does it in one go.
Sometimes i also felt like Jack was psychic. Because sometimes it looked like he knew stuff was going to happen. He had almost always something on hand to deal with the issue.

The end i also find really weird. But i can't say anything about is because than i would be giving spoilers. It was a bit disappointing and odd.

The world was super cool and was greatly written. The magic was also very cool. It wasn't really used very often but when it was used it was very cool.
Also the different races in the story were very spectacular.
The plot was very interesting and compelling. The only thing i didn't really like was the chosen one trope that was sort of in there.
The fighting scenes were very intense and i really liked them.

Overall this was an enjoyable read and i still recommend it. Because this is a book that not everyone is going to absolutely love. But i think a lot of people will love this book. It just wasn't for me.

Thanks to NetGalley, Nepenthe House, and Andrew Robert Witham for providing me with an ARC of The Legend of Black Jack in exchange for an honest review!

Synopsis.
Today, young Jack Swift was kidnapped from his home by a hulking creature that opened a magic hole in the Chicago River. No science class covers that. Jack likes science. It’s reliable. Dependable. But now, he finds himself in a world of spells and monsters where a grizzled old knight prepares teenage soldiers for war. They need something from Jack Swift. Something only he can do. They expect him to be their salvation. They expect him to be a hero. They expect him to be… a legend.
There’s only one problem: He has no idea how.

Thoughts.
At its heart, The Legend of Black Jack is a coming of age story. My read was full of adventures, entertainment , wonderful and lovable characters (adored Jack), twists and humorous dialogs.
I enjoyed Witham's writing style, world-building and beautiful illustrations (my favorite was demon).
The only thing for me was the feeling ,that sometimes story felt too much of everything (twists, characters etc.).
This was fast paced and enjoyable read. It reminded me of old classics, that I enjoyed when I was a kid.

Any reader will be able to find something that they like, because Jack's journey is full of surprises, action-packed adventures and at the end, love towards parent figure.

The humor in both the writing and the interactions between characters was great too, and I found myself laughing out loud numerous times. The action scenes were paced well, building tension, urgency, and fear together so that I had to keep reading. I just couldn't stop.


The Legend of Black Jack is at its heart, the story of a young boy with a knack for medicine going on one hell of an adventure. From the first page to the last, this story truly is the legend of Black Jack from exploring archaeological sites as a Chief to the saviour of Keymark. This book really did read like you were reading about a mythical figure.


There’s also a lot here for the keen-eyed among us. If you’re the sort of person who likes spotting little (or big) Easter Eggs and then getting annoyed when something is revealed at the end that you missed but you should’ve figured out. Then this story is also for you. I’m still annoyed I didn’t see one of the big reveals coming. Although that’s certainly not the fault of the book. I could say it’s because I started this book and put it down for a month before finishing it. But in reality, I was just missing all the signs that were left. I’d love to see if others figured it out before the end!

This was an enjoyable read that is well written with good pacing, an engaging storyline and well developed characters. I was gripped.

While this is an action-packed read, it's the unique twists and characters which really make this one shine.

Jack has always been special and been able to remember anything and everything without a second thought. When he accidentally causes his father's death, he does find a home with a surgeon for, at least, a few years until being shoved off into a never-ending shuffle of foster care. When a speaking-rhino kidnaps him from his bedroom and pulls him through a gateway into a magical world, everything as he knows it is tossed onto its head.

This is a very original tale, which allows fantasy and imagination to take flight in a very exciting way. I loved the characters, each one carrying such unique personalities and attributes that it was impossible to to like or hate them. It's a vivid tale in the world building as well, and has Jack traveling through very different situations and scenes. This originality combined with the well-written and flowing style, makes it an easy and enjoyable read.

The beginning starts with Jack as a seven-year-old, and then zooms through the years until he reaches fourteen. While this one is sold as a young adult read, the writing style and Jack's character slide into the upper middle grade/tween category very well. Jack's decisions and thought processes also settle in this age group nicely. The action stays high the entire way through, keeping the pacing high. There is enough depth to keep Jack interesting, but most of the time, he is battling to get through and survive...or just figuring things out. On that end, this isn't as much character driven as plot drive. Jack is thrown, especially in the first half, from situation into situation without much doing on his own. It does make for an interesting coming-of-age, but I still recommend this one for fantasy friends who love a good story and are on the look-out to go beyond the cliches, which flood the genre today.
I received an ARC through Netgalley and was surprised at how unique this one is.

Actual rating: 4.5.

First off, I’ll start by saying thanks to Andy (A. R. Witham) for reaching out and offering up his book for review! I might not have picked this book up had he not, and then I’d be missing out!

The Legend of Black Jack is at its heart, the story of a young boy with a knack for medicine going on one hell of an adventure. From the first page to the last, this story truly is the legend of Black Jack from exploring archaeological sites as a Chief to the saviour of Keymark. This book really did read like you were reading about a mythical figure.

I’ll be honest and say I stopped reading YA for gritter, heavier stories recently. And whilst The Legend of Black Jack stood well as YA, it did offer more for those that could understand the nuances of it, which I appreciated. The coming of age story was also a breath of fresh air against the heavier themes of previous reads.

This book looks like it’d be beautiful to own in hard copy too. It’s full of gorgeous illustrations that perfectly encapsulate the scenes from the book; one that particularly struck me is a gorgeous coloured image featuring the silhouette of a demon. You’ll know it when you see it.

The Legend of Black Jack is full of characters, full of life, full of wonders and full of twists! At some points, I’d say there was almost too much. Too many characters, too many fantastical elements to marvel at. It’s a fine line between an amazing fantasy story and feeling a little much. The Legend of Black Jack is right on that line for me, occasionally tipping over it as we jump from pirate ships to burning towns, to undead armies and chromatic samurai-type knights. It really has something for everyone.

There’s also a lot here for the keen-eyed among us. If you’re the sort of person who likes spotting little (or big) Easter Eggs and then getting annoyed when something is revealed at the end that you missed but you should’ve figured out. Then this story is also for you. I’m still annoyed I didn’t see one of the big reveals coming. Although that’s certainly not the fault of the book. I could say it’s because I started this book and put it down for a month before finishing it. But in reality, I was just missing all the signs that were left. I’d love to see if others figured it out before the end!

Once you get past everything though, there’s a really great story here; a story of a young boy who loves his Father. And what more could you want than that?

What a blast this was.

The legend of Jack Black is a fun and enjoyable read. I initially expected this to be a pirates of the Caribbean type of story, but I was wrong..and pleasantly surprised.

We follow Jack Swift, who after a very traumatic experience, is left in the world on his own. He isn’t the most popular boy, and where he lacks in social skills, he gains in others.
His life goes bad to worse, living in a run down apartment with a horrible carer. That is until he is met by a very abnormal, scary…thing…that whisks him off into a different world.

This is where we begin the journey that we find Jack Swift become the famous Jack Black.
Jack is a very likeable kid, someone you root for straight away. Suffering from possible PTSD and anxiety, his journey is one that is full of love and determination. You can feel the Jack’s emotions as he is chased by an unrelenting threat.

The side characters are brilliant. I couldn’t pick a favourite, however, two I enjoyed most are Rooker and Memphis. Each and every character was well crafted, you quickly felt as though you knew each and all of them.

The world building was very fun. It felt as though it was a swashbuckling Narnia (if that even makes sense). Every place was alive with inhabitants that felt different from eachother. All the creatures we meet along the way were all different. A world i would definitely take a trip to, if I could!

Overall this was a very enjoyable read, I had guessed the twist or surprise early. I won’t spoil it for anyone and it certainly never dulled the experience. 4/5 - great read and thoroughly enjoy

Great book. The world building is very well done. You get invested very quickly. I highly recommend it to anyone that likes fantasy.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC.
The story was fantastic and so addictive!
The main character is Jack, a 14-year old genius, who has got photographic memory and unfortunately lost his parents. I have not read many fantasy books where the main character in a fantasy world does not have any special power, and instead relies on his intellect and intentions to get what he wants.

The pacing of the was really good. there were some parts where i Ifelt like it was dragged a little. The ending was a surprise and overall the writing style is entertaining! And mainly the illustrations and quotes included before every chapter are beautiful and I love them. Overall, this was a great fantasy coming-of-age story.