Review: Lex Trent Fighting with Fire - Alex Bell

Lex Trent is reigning champion of The Games contested between fickle Gods using human playing pieces.

He has it all: Fame.  Glory.  Wealth.  An enormous ego.

But The Games are about to begin again and the Goddess of Luck wants Lex to defend their title.  A challenge he can't resist, despite the risk of death, because the final round will take place in the Wild West, giving Lex the chance to claim the legendary Sword of Life (who wouldn't want that?).  With Lex's mix of skill, quick-wittedness and no small amount of outright cheating, he can't lose!  Can he?

Luck may usually be a lady to Lex . . . but in the Wild West they play by their own rules . . . and Lex has never been good with rules.

The Lex Trent Chronicles:
Lex Trent versus the Gods
Lex Trent Fighting with Fire

Visit Alex Bell's website for more information

Review:
It's time for Lex Trent to defend his title as the reigning champion of The Games and Lex never was able to resist a challenge, even one where failure could mean death.  He is determined to keep his title and even has plans for a little side trip between the challenge tasks.  He can't resist the lure of hidden treasure - especially when that treasure happens to be the Sword of Life.  Surely with Lady Luck on his side he will be the one who finds it?

This is the second book in the Lex Trent series and although you could probably read this one without having read the first I would still recommend reading the books in order.  This is a fun fantasy series and Alex Bell has created a world that it is easy to get lost in.  In this installment we get taken to even stranger lands as the contestants in the games try to complete the three very different challenges.

Lex is still a very unlikely hero, he hasn't lost any of his arrogance and is still as selfish as they come but you get just enough glimpses of a more caring side to him to make him a likable character overall.  I was happy to see him taken down a peg or two on several occasions but overall I was routing for him to win.  I'm curious to see if his character changes at all as the series progresses but I very much doubt we'll ever see a fully reformed Lex, I don't think I'd even want to as it just wouldn't be the same.

Knowing he wants to search for the Sword of Life in the Wild West Lex is much more careful when it comes to choosing his companion for his second year in The Games.  Although I was slightly disappointed that we didn't get to see more of Lucius in this installment the new character Jesse more than made up for it.  He is a stereotypical cowboy and actually someone who knows how to play Lex at his own game which makes for interesting reading.  Jesse is much easier to like than Lex is though and it was nice to see him getting the upper hand at times.

I don't want to go into any more detail and spoil the story for you but if you're looking for a fun and whimsical fantasy story Lex Trent Fighting with Fire is sure to be a hit with fans of all ages.  I'd highly recommend giving the series a try!

Source: Received from Headline in exchange for an honest review

Other reviews of this book:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Author Interview - Alex Bell

Alex Bell is the author of 2 adult novels The Ninth Circle and Jasmyn and her latest book Lex Trent versus the Gods is her young adult debut.  I really enjoyed Lex Trent versus the Gods (you can read my review here) and was thrilled when Alex agreed to do an interview with me.

Cheats never prosper.  At least that's what everyone else would have you believe.  But Lex Trent knows better.  Lex knows that, with a bit of luck, the quickest route to success is to lie, swindle and cheat all the way to the top.

Unfortunately Lex has taken his scams a step too far...  Rather than see his neck in a noose, he's forced to go on the run in a world of irritable Gods, fearsome magicians and strange beasts.

But luck is still on his side, just.

The God's favourite pastime is The Games... and Lex has just become one of the human playing pieces.  With fame, glory and untold wealth at stake, Lex isn't going to lose (especially as that so often involves dying) - in fact, he fully intends to beat the Gods at their own game.

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Interview with Alex Bell
 
S: Thank you so much for coming to chat with us today Alex, it's great to have you here!

S: Can you tell us about yourself?
AB: I'm a full time writer, proud Great Dane owner, and avid reader. I've travelled extensively, studied law for quite a long time, and have a special fondness for vegetarian haggis. I also suffer from an advanced stage of Siamese-cat-besotment.

S: It mentions in your biography that you're only 23 so having 3 books published already is an amazing achievement!  How did you find the road to becoming a published author?
AB: I was quite lucky, and got published relatively young, but I still wrote three books, a load of short stories, and spent two years sending things out and getting rejections before I got my agent, and then my publisher. So although I got there in the end there were still a few bumps along the way!

S: What is your writing routine - where & when do you write?
AB: I used to write at night when there were fewer distractions, but I can't do that any more because of my Great Dane, who wakes up very early each morning. Now I write during the day until about six o clock in the evening. I prefer to write at home as I generaly find public places too noisy, but I do occasionally go to a coffee shop for a bit of variety.

S: Do you have any advice for would-be authors?
AB: Read as much as you can! Also, write as much as you can - even if it isn't very good at first - and try not to be too discouraged by rejections. But I would also say to take in advice that is helpful to you, and disregard that which isn't, because I got a fair bit of bad advice when I was starting out, and am glad I didn't listen to it!

S: I love to find out what sort of music my favorite authors like.  Do you have a sound track you listen to when you're writing?  What kind of music do you listen to when you want to relax?
AB: I can't listen to music when I'm writing as I find it too distracting. If I want to relax then I will probably listen to Leonard Cohen. Leonard is the only thing that enables me to sleep on planes! Other than that my tastes are quite eclectic, although I think my Bobby Vee and Herman's Hermits albums are the ones I've played the most.

S: You've created such a detailed world for Lex - you could never tell which fairytale or mythological creature would crop up next!  Did you have to do a lot of research before writing the story?  Where do you get your ideas from?
AB: I didn't really do any research for Lex because the mythological/fairy tale stuff was already there in my head. I'm not really sure where the ideas came from either - they just seemed to pop into my head as I was writing! But I was inspired by the Jason and the Argonauts film, and some of the Ancient Greek legends I'd read.

S: I really enjoyed reading Lex Trent versus the Gods and was excited to see that you will be publishing book 2 in the series next year.  Can you tell us anything about book 2?  How many books are you planning to have in the series?
AB: Book 2 sees Lex involved in another Game, but this time with bigger and better locations, and even more exciting hijinx! Lex also meets his match in the form of a new companion - an outlaw cowboy named Jesse who is almost as much of a scoundrel as Lex is himself. I don't have a set plan for how many books there would be in the series, but I definitely think I could have a lot of fun with Lex before his story was over.

S: Could you tell us a little about your adult books The Ninth Circle & Jasmyn? (I can include cover pictures & book blurbs here if that is easier?)

AB: The Ninth Circle is a religious-themed, mystery thriller whose main character is suffering from amnesia, and trying to work out who he is and what's happening to him. It's set in Budapest, told in the form of diary entries, and involves a lot of angels and demons.

Jasmyn is a supernatural mystery with an element of romantic suspense. After the main character's husband dies unexpectedly she discovers a host of things she never knew about him, and finds herself drawn into a fairytale mystery involving swans, black roses and Bavarian castles.

S: Do you have any other projects on the go?
AB: I'm working on another adult book at the moment, which I hope will be finished in the not too distant future!

S: I'd like to say a massive thank you to Alex for taking the time to visit us today.  It's been great fun chatting to you & I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have.
 
You can find Alex online at her Website, her Blog or on Twitter

Review: Lex Trent versus the Gods - Alex Bell

Cheats never prosper.  At least that's what everyone else would have you believe.  But Lex Trent knows better.  Lex knows that, with a bit of luck, the quickest route to success is to lie, swindle and cheat all the way to the top.

Unfortunately Lex has taken his scams a step too far...  Rather than see his neck in a noose, he's forced to go on the run in a world of irritable Gods, fearsome magicians and strange beasts.

But luck is still on his side, just.

The God's favourite pastime is The Games... and Lex has just become one of the human playing pieces.  With fame, glory and untold wealth at stake, Lex isn't going to lose (especially as that so often involves dying) - in fact, he fully intends to beat the Gods at their own game.

The Lex Trent Chronicles:
Lex Trent versus the Gods
Lex Trent Fighting with Fire

Visit Alex Bell's website for more information

Review:
This is a great start to a new series and Alex Bell has created a detailed world rich in myths, legends and fairy tales.  It reminded me of Terry Pratchett's Discworld, not so much in the details but in the sheer scope of the world created.  I'm very much looking forward to reading more about the Globe & it's cast of characters.

Lex Trent is a conman and a thief, he's always had a lucky streak but when things go wrong in the middle of a museum robbery he finds himself in trouble with the police.  He ends up on the run from the law but Lady Luck hasn't deserted him - in fact she has decided to use him as her player in a game of the Gods.  With assistance from an unlikely source he is going to have to take part in the dangerous games even though there is a high risk of death if he doesn't succeed.  Danger doesn't frighten Lex though and he is determined to win at any cost.

Lex isn't your typical hero - he is a selfish, arrogant, adrenaline junkie who makes it very hard for you to like him at times.  In fact there were times when I was just begging for him to be taken down a peg or two and then proceeded to cheer when he was!  Having said that as the story evolves we start to find out more about why Lex is the way he is and you can't help but want things to go well for him.  There is also a great cast of supporting characters who add depth to to the story - I particularly liked Lucius & Schmidt & hope we get to learn more about them both in the future.

The action is a little slow to start but once the game is underway the story is fast paced with plenty of twists along the way.  I loved the way mythical & fairy tale creatures are woven into the story - you really never could tell who - or what - would turn up next.  I'm already looking forward to reading Lex's next adventure!

Source: Recieved for review from publisher Headline

Other reviews of this book:
Nayu's Reading Corner
Rhiana Reads
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Teaser Tuesdays - Lex Trent versus the Gods

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!  Just do the following:

* Grab your current read

* Open to a random page

* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teasers:

Taken from Lex Trent versus the Gods by Alex Bell

[Pg 5] There are some people who are born lucky.  They seem to float through life on little golden wings whilst misfortune, hardship and calamity hurry to get out of their hallowed way.  One might say Lex Trent was such a person.

[Pg 27] There was nothing like the excitement of running.  And there was most definitely nothing like the excitement of being chased!