Kitty Hawk and the Mystery of the Masterpieces by Iain Reading

Kitty Hawk and theMystery of the Masterpieces is the fifth book in the exciting young adult fiction book series Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency created by Iain Reading.

Kitty is in Rome. With her trusty De Havilland Beaver seaplane tied up at a small marina in a tiny fishing village on the coast, Kitty, after so many adventures, finally meets again with Charlie.

After feasting on the best ravioli, enjoying an authentic Italian dessert and an unfortunate encounter with a wheelbarrow full of walnuts, Charlie and Kitty meet new friends. And before the night is over, they make an astonishing discovery, that of a stolen Van Gogh painting hiding in plain sight, or probably more.

This is another exciting installment in the delightful Kitty Hawk book series. It features numbers stations, decades-old cryptic radio broadcasts, unbreakable mathematical codes, decoding pads, coded and hidden messages, and notes on a musical scale. Moreover, the story takes the readers not only to the streets and alleys of the eternal city of Rome but also to the historical city of Nuremberg, the former Nazi Concentration Camp of Dachau and the breathtakingly beautiful old town of Salzburg with references to the Cathedral of Light and the famous classic musical film the Sound of Music.

As with the first four books, this installment is filled with puzzles, riddles, mysteries, and of course, chasing scenes. Though I find this particular book less suspenseful than the previous one Kitty Hawk and the Tragedy of the RMS Titanic, it is just as informative and as interesting.

Finally, while the most important part of the book for me is, and always will be, the information imparted and integrated in the story, my favorite is that part about Kitty and her realization regarding the movie Sound of Music. I find it so hilarious that I think I will never get over it, ever.

Congratulations to Iain Reading (@IainReading) on yet another great book! For more books by the author, click HERE. 

Voyage of Pearl of the Seas by Ruth Finnegan

Voyage of Pearl ofthe Seas is an adventure book for preteens written by Ruth Finnegan. It is the prequel to the author’s award-winning epic romance ‘Black Inked Pearl.’

Best friends Chris and Kate, with Kate’s dog Holly, magically make a ship out of a log they found buried under the sand. Though Chris, who plans to fly the ship around the world, wants to name her Dragon, Kate successfully names her Pearl of the Seas.

However, when the time comes to sail, Kate changes her mind and turns her back leaving Chris and Holly to sail without her. Alone and regretful, Kate meets and helps an old man who helps her back in return.

This is a magical story of friendship and adventure. It features a boy and a girl who meet and learn from the kind and wise king called The King of Many Names. While the part I like most is their homecoming which reunites them to their families, the most important part of the book for me is Chris’ sacrifice in order to save Holly. It depicts how friendship is supposed to be.

However, I find the plot of the book somehow convoluted and might be difficult for young readers to follow, while the lessons imparted seem too profound for the same young readers to appreciate. Moreover, several sentences are abruptly stopped and discontinued leaving the readers to finish the sentence themselves. Also, the author seems to have a penchant for one-word sentences that some paragraphs look like a series of sentence fragments. Furthermore, I found the characters under-developed, therefore, not easy to connect with. In addition, the style of writing is not much to my liking (ex. Tumbling whirl skirl fall maul, flapping hair tumbling eyes open shutting fear what now terror hell?) Finally, I noticed some errors within the entire book (like What are holding in your hand? and they shed they burdens in peace).

Still, other readers may find it enjoyable especially those who read Black Inked Pearl.

Congratulations to Ruth Finnegan (@ruth_finnegan) on such a nice book. For more books by the author, click HERE.

Voyage of Pearl of the Seas was OnlineBookClub.org Book of the Day on May 29^th 2018. You may check it out at OnlineBookClub.

Kitty Hawk and the Tragedy of the RMS Titanic by Iain Reading

Kitty Hawk and theTragedy of the RMS Titanic is the fourth book of the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency created by Iain Reading.

From the land of Vikings, volcanoes and ice, Kitty Hawk now finds herself in the emerald hills of Ireland. After a presentation to promote the grand opening of Wasabi Willy’s Family Sushi Restaurant in Dublin, the company financing her flight around the world, Kitty is approached by a handsome stranger.

Andrew presents Kitty with an ancient envelope containing two equally ancient items: a newspaper article with an unfinished crossword puzzle and a postcard with a black and white photo of the doomed luxury steamship, the RMS Titanic.  

Just like the previous three books, this is a treasure trove of fascinating, albeit some of them tragic and some even horrible, information. I particularly enjoyed the retelling of the ill-fated maiden voyage of one of the most famous ships in history. Moreover, I appreciate the lessons on the ancient Egyptian writing, the Hieroglyphics, as well as the stories about the scariest and most notorious serial killer of all time, Jack the Ripper.

I find the pacing of this fourth installment faster and the plot more suspenseful than the first three and I absolutely love it for that. Kitty, bolder and more daring, is appropriately described as ‘the incredible and remarkable young female pilot.’ I couldn’t pick a favorite from any of the new characters not because they aren’t likable. Quite the contrary, they are all endearing in their own ways. I love Andrew, Professor Flynn, Katherine and Richard for their passion: Andrew for his passion for the truth about his ancestor, the professor for the Titanic, Kate for history and Richard for Jack the Ripper. I like Ellie for her truthfulness and helpfulness and even Thomas for his tenacity. Finally, though the solution to the puzzle was as much as I expected, I still felt good that the book ended the way it did.   

Needless to say, I love this book and I enjoyed it a lot.

However, I was a little disappointed that Kitty’s plane played a very minimal role in her adventures this time, though it was apparently understandable. Moreover, other readers may have misgivings about Kitty’s non-conforming behavior. Though I personally take as a trigger to the suspense, others may consider it inappropriate that might send a negative message to people Kitty’s age.

Congratulations to Iain Reading (@IainReading) on yet another awesome novel! For more books in this series, click HERE.  

Curses of Scale by S.D. Reeves

Curses of Scale is an exciting fantasy novel written by S.D. Reeves.

The book starts with a druid on the run to finish a ritual to save his wife from a terrible curse. It, then, flashes back to his fifteen-year old wife, Niena, who wants so badly to be a bard, which is against her grandfather’s wishes.   

Attacks of a dreadful fire-breathing dragon throw the Empire into chaos and propel Niena through the fey realm. Guided by the lord of the fairies, Niena discovers things about herself she never knew before, first of which is the secret of the lyre she has in her possession.

Meanwhile, Niena’s grandfather, an army veteran, is on her trail with a few hunters leading a group of refugees. More than the safety of the people he is leading, he wants to be reunited with her granddaughter.

This is an exciting and action-filled fantasy novel with a very promising premise. Told in the third person and in alternating perspective between the druid Calem, Niena and Niena’s grandfather Marny, the book boasts of vividly described settings and moving and exciting action scenes. Unexpected revelations await the readers and the book culminates in a satisfactory ending.

However, I find the initial chapters too confusing making the story difficult to follow. Moreover, I find the pacing inconsistent that while some parts are exciting and suspenseful, other parts are dragging because of some details which I find either irrelevant or scrupulously described and that other readers may find too verbose. Furthermore, though the ending is very much to my liking, it leaves some questions unanswered. In addition, I find the use of figurative language, particularly that of personification, a little overdone. Finally, it feels strange to find the words ‘college and taxi services’ in the period described in this story.

Still, I find this book very enjoyable especially the action scenes, which make reading feels like watching a movie, and of course the unexpected revelations.

Congratulations to S.D. Reeves (@SD_Reeves) on such an enjoyable book! For more works by the author, click HERE. 

The Black Star of Kingston by S. D. Smith

TheBlack Star of Kingston is the prequel to The Green Ember Series written by S. D. Smith.

With his subjects of displaced rabbits from the Golden Coast, King Whitson Mariner settles near the Ayman Lake in the land he calls Natalia. Soon, the small community of rabbits becomes a town the king later names Seddle. King Whitson marries Lord Grant’s daughter Lillie and has a son, Prince Lander.

Meanwhile, the son of a coal miner, Fleck, begins to miss the Golden Coast, the land they leave behind. As he looks at the ominous mountains across the lake, Fleck is compelled to find out what is in those mountains. He strongly feels that there is coal in there, coal the people badly need for the winter. With a strong conviction, Fleck seeks audience with the king to express his desire to cross the lake and find out what lies there.

This is a great, action-filled and suspenseful book not only for children but also for adults who love good adventure stories. The book is about loyalty, bravery, friendship and sacrifice. At the end of the book, I found myself getting emotional over the outcome of the battle.

The author creates admirable characters like the kind King Whitson, the brave Fleck Blackstar and his loyal friends Galt and Burnley and Gavin whose bravery is found to save a life.   

What more, the book is graced with beautiful illustrations by Zach Franzen (@ZacharyFranzen).

Congratulations to S.D. Smith (@SDSmith_) on such an amazing book! Visit S. D. Smith for more books by the same author.