Official Review: First Earth by Cami Murdock Jensen

deborahveader · Post by **deborahveader** » 28 Feb 2020, 15:06

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "First Earth" by Cami Murdock Jensen.]

4 out of 4 stars

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First Earth, written by Cami Murdock Jensen, is Book One in the Arch Mage Series. Agnes Ann Cavinaugh is a 16-year-old teenage girl who was in a bad fire when she was a baby. Consequently, she has very painful nerve damage and horrible scars. She is very self-conscious about how she looks and is always trying to hide her face. But she is very gifted. She can tell when people are lying, and she is able to read almost any language.

She accepts a summer intern position with an ancient text professor. He takes her to decipher the inscriptions on a centuries old Aether Stone that is at his university. Before Agnes can do anything, she is attacked by demons, then saved and whisked away to a place called First Earth. Apparently, we live on Second Earth and there are multiple other Earths.

She has been saved by Master Wizard Tem and a talking cat named Grimmal. There is a war going on in First Earth and everyone wants her magic. Agnes has very strong magic and can literally "see" magic glittering everywhere. She is freaking out and can't understand what is going on and cannot get home. She must help First Earth defeat the demons or they will take over all the Earths one by one, infesting them with evil.

First Earth exudes magic with heroic wizards, majestic kings and mighty dragons. This was a very enjoyable story. I love how Agnes becomes more and more confident in her new skills, and starts coming to terms with her appearance. Even the descriptions of war were exciting. Usually, I am bored with the repetitiveness of fighting scenes in a book.

Being a cat person, I thoroughly enjoyed Grimmal the Cat. He was my favorite character. Just your typical, every day, talking, lying, shift-shaping cat. Nothing strange here at all.

I rate First Earth, authored by Cami Murdock Jensen, 4 out of 4 stars. I loved everything about this book. There was nothing I did not like. The story had a great ending. Despite being the first in a series, it did not have a cliffhanger ending, which I really appreciated. I could not find any grammatical errors at all, and there was no foul language or erotic scenes. This story is very suitable for all readers, young and old. I think even those who aren't a fan of sci-fi novels will love this story too. Kudos to the author for an amazing job!

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First Earth
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Post by **kandscreeley** » 29 Feb 2020, 10:00

This sounds fabulous. I love the prospect of Grimmal, as it seems like a fun addition to the story. What a great story line with the multiple earths. Thanks.

NetMassimo · Post by **NetMassimo** » 29 Feb 2020, 11:20

I would have thought that it's a novel more suited for teenagers and young adults, good to know that it can be enjoyed by older readers as well. Thank you for your informative review!

Koltrast · Post by **Koltrast** » 29 Feb 2020, 12:15

Ooh! I like the description if this book. I love that you highlight Agnes’s personal growth as a pretty integral part of the book.

That Reviewer · Post by **That Reviewer** » 29 Feb 2020, 13:57

The beautiful thing about the story is that one can follow the central character's life. She is a well developed character.

Erin Dydek · Post by **Erin Dydek** » 29 Feb 2020, 17:05

I loved this book too! Grimmal is awesome

kmittag67 · Post by **kmittag67** » 29 Feb 2020, 20:10

I am glad that you suggested that young and old would enjoy reading this book. Your description of Grimmal has me intrigued. The entire book sounds well thought out and definitely something I want to read. Thank you for your first-rate review.

SunVixen · Post by **SunVixen** » 01 Mar 2020, 09:09

This book look like very interesting reading. The lying and shape-shifting cat may be awesome. Thank you for great review!

AvidBibliophile · Post by **AvidBibliophile** » 06 Mar 2020, 22:39

Scars, nerve damage, ancient inscriptions, otherworldly locales, AND wizards, kings and dragons?! Now that’s a book that packs a fantastical punch. Great review!

Nisha Ward · Post by **Nisha Ward** » 08 Mar 2020, 20:09

Cars are lying shape shifters, so that seems accurate. Levity out of the way, I love the idea of Grimmel and multiple earths. This sounds like a wonderfully creative fantasy novel and Agnes sounds like a very capable heroine.