Spinner by Michael J. Bowler. Reviewed by author Jay Jordan Hawke.

Every once in a long while I have to drag myself away from my own writing and check out the books around me. I’m glad I happened upon Spinner.

Spinner is an emotionally powerful story of a young boy, Alex, who has been spat on his whole life, in fact, life itself has spat on him. He is poor, crippled, abandoned, and lives unloved and unwanted with his most recent foster mom. And at school, he is nothing but a special needs kid, dismissed as worthless “crip.” What else could go wrong? Plenty. Alex is haunted by demons. No, literally demons are after him!

These demons talk to him through dreams, through animals, and even through inanimate objects. They have a special agenda for Alex, and Alex will have to summon all his powers in order to resist their malevolent scheme.

But what truly gives this story its power is the special abilities that Alex has – the ability to absorb and eliminate the pain and suffering of those around him. Alex is a healer. Barely aware of what that means, Alex comes to see himself as a freak. And why not? Everyone around him treats him as such, unable to truly appreciate the wonder that is right in front of them.

Fortunately, Alex does have a friend who transcends the shallowness of most of his peers, and appreciates Alex for what he is – a miracle. And with his friend and companions, he confronts his demons and learns a lot about love and friendship in the process.

Michael J. Bowler has written yet another poignant story that like his critically acclaimed Children of the Knight, features outcasts and rejects as the heroes of the story. He gives so much beauty and humanity to these characters that you can’t help but feel the injustice of a society that so often dismisses them as trash. Bowler is to be commended for seeing beauty, hope, and love, where others see nothing but garbage. And just as Bowler is able to show us the humanity of these outcast, Alex, eventually understands that he truly is a miracle himself.

Spinner is a frightening but touching tale for all fans of young adult, and it is a very special treat for those into horror and paranormal. Reading Spinner felt a lot to me like watching a Stephen King movie from the 1980s. I fully appreciated the nostalgia.

Thanks to Karen Schedin at NetGalley for the 5 star review of A Scout is Brave!

"A Scout is Brave is a story about overcoming one of humanities biggest imperfections, hatred. Joshua is going to scout camp for a week with a new troop. It is his first time around these boys and their leader Pastor Bob. Most of the boys and Pastor Bob exhibit behaviors that are cruel to homosexuals or anyone with differences. Joshua fears them noticing him because he is gay. In the scouts being gay is considered social suicide. Joshua makes friends but is subjected to cruel treatment from another group of boys. Joshua isn't the first to face such cruel hated at scout camp. There is a legend of a boy who died because of his sexual preferences. Joshua must learn how to survive and who to trust while at camp. A Scout is Brave represents more than just overcoming obstacles. It represents the choices people make to hate someone because of differences. Jay Jordan Hawke wrote this book using very strong imagery that sucks the reader into Joshua's pain. This book deals with issues that so many books refuse to tackle, such as rape and sexuality. This book is a must read for everyone, especially those who have ever been cruel to someone for being different. This book demonstrates that all consuming hate is so powerful that it can damage your soul but in the end compassion and kindness are more powerful than any demon such as hatred."