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michalice's review against another edition
4.0
*My review is based on the audiobook version of this book*
I really enjoy listening to audiobooks, and when I was contacted to review Blackwood I jumped at the chance. I have previously heard of Blackwood, and it has drew my attention but I have not actually gotten around to picking up a copy. From the minute I began listening I was hooked and I found it very difficult to stop and have to wait to listen again. Even going as far as listening to it going to sleep, and putting it back on for just another half an hour to see what happens.
The narrator of Blackwood made it interesting and kept me entertained. I even forgot a few times that it was just one person doing all the voices for the characters. I loved her accent and the different tones she uses to get across the emotion the characters are feeling.
I really liked the whole idea behind Blackwood and I enjoyed getting to see Phillips and Miranda work together, unwillingly at first, but soon striking up a friendship. They made a great team, and while they may not have done everything legally, they did get things done in the end.
One person that amused me was Roswell, the doctor. Although he isn't an amusing character, his name is just perfect for him. His whole attitude and quirkiness fits his name to a tee, and was also very fitting for the story.
Blackwood was a great story to listen too and I am looking forward to more from this author.
I really enjoy listening to audiobooks, and when I was contacted to review Blackwood I jumped at the chance. I have previously heard of Blackwood, and it has drew my attention but I have not actually gotten around to picking up a copy. From the minute I began listening I was hooked and I found it very difficult to stop and have to wait to listen again. Even going as far as listening to it going to sleep, and putting it back on for just another half an hour to see what happens.
The narrator of Blackwood made it interesting and kept me entertained. I even forgot a few times that it was just one person doing all the voices for the characters. I loved her accent and the different tones she uses to get across the emotion the characters are feeling.
I really liked the whole idea behind Blackwood and I enjoyed getting to see Phillips and Miranda work together, unwillingly at first, but soon striking up a friendship. They made a great team, and while they may not have done everything legally, they did get things done in the end.
One person that amused me was Roswell, the doctor. Although he isn't an amusing character, his name is just perfect for him. His whole attitude and quirkiness fits his name to a tee, and was also very fitting for the story.
Blackwood was a great story to listen too and I am looking forward to more from this author.
patchworkbunny's review against another edition
3.0
In the 16th century, 114 colonists mysteriously vanished from Roanoke Island. Hundreds of years later, the mystery remains unsolved but has become just a story for tourists, re-enacted each year in the local theatre. Miranda is a summer intern at Waterside Theatre, the freak at school and a Blackwood, a family name that brings with it a history of outcasts. After losing her mother her father hit the bottle and her only friend is her dog Sidekick. When 114 people vanish overnight, including her father, she finds herself at the centre of it all. And then Phillips turns up; the boy who claims to hear the dead.
Having never heard of the Lost Colony, I was intrigued by the historical aspect and how it would be explained away. It did make me smile when a certain historical character turned up (not Marlowe but getting nearly as common in fantasy). If anything, it has piqued my interest in finding out more about the history. There’s a lot going on and I wonder if the pace suffered because of this. There’s Miranda’s family problems, a sinister birthmark that carries a curse, a boy who hears the dead, a murder, an FBI investigation into the missing people and a whole host of excitement that happens after. It took me ages to get into and every time the pace picked up, something new was added to the plot which slowed it down again.
There’s potential for it to be really rather creepy but Miranda came across as a bit detached which made it hard to connect to her. And there lies my problem, it wasn’t in-depth enough on any one of the plot points to keep my interest and yet I didn’t care enough about the characters to overlook that. Their dry humour may appeal to others but it felt like they were hiding their real selves behind it. It’s also a little irritating when writers put in little cultural references and go on to explain them. When they’re not relevant to the plot, it doesn’t matter if the reader doesn’t get them and explaining it just comes across as awkward.
On the plus side, it doesn’t fall into any of the obvious romantic traps of young adult. Really, it’s not romantic at all and the developing relationship between Miranda and Phillips is rather tame and sweet. It’s also refreshing to read a standalone novel, that has *gasp* an ending. Overall it’s something a bit different which is what Strange Chemistry is aiming for.
Having never heard of the Lost Colony, I was intrigued by the historical aspect and how it would be explained away. It did make me smile when a certain historical character turned up (not Marlowe but getting nearly as common in fantasy). If anything, it has piqued my interest in finding out more about the history. There’s a lot going on and I wonder if the pace suffered because of this. There’s Miranda’s family problems, a sinister birthmark that carries a curse, a boy who hears the dead, a murder, an FBI investigation into the missing people and a whole host of excitement that happens after. It took me ages to get into and every time the pace picked up, something new was added to the plot which slowed it down again.
There’s potential for it to be really rather creepy but Miranda came across as a bit detached which made it hard to connect to her. And there lies my problem, it wasn’t in-depth enough on any one of the plot points to keep my interest and yet I didn’t care enough about the characters to overlook that. Their dry humour may appeal to others but it felt like they were hiding their real selves behind it. It’s also a little irritating when writers put in little cultural references and go on to explain them. When they’re not relevant to the plot, it doesn’t matter if the reader doesn’t get them and explaining it just comes across as awkward.
On the plus side, it doesn’t fall into any of the obvious romantic traps of young adult. Really, it’s not romantic at all and the developing relationship between Miranda and Phillips is rather tame and sweet. It’s also refreshing to read a standalone novel, that has *gasp* an ending. Overall it’s something a bit different which is what Strange Chemistry is aiming for.
aunt13soc1al's review against another edition
4.0
I read a review of vN on The Little Red Reviewer and discovered a new publishing house, Angry Robot. While I found numerous books on their site to review, I came across their YA imprint, Strange Chemistry, during a NetGalley search. And there I found Blackwood. Fully aware that you never know what you'll get, I requested a chance to review it and was approved. I have seen some early reviews from other bloggers who didn't know the story of Roanoke Island and the Lost Colony. However, I recall my fascination with this historical event from my grade school history courses. A modern-day tale that revolves around this story? I'm in!
I was not disappointed. The story is well-written, intriguing, and the teen romance wasn't overdone. I never visited Roanoke Island, but I imagine that having read these detailed descriptions, that I would feel I'd been there before when I do get there. Bond pulls you into the story of Miranda Blackwood. Of course she's cursed, this is a YA paranormal romance, but Bond weaves her into a believable character trapped on the island as a stage hand for the local theater company and taking care of her father, the town drunk. Miranda views her life as the same day over and over again stretching out for the rest of her life. Until she sees the ship, but she's the only one. That's when the story starts to build and you can't put the book down.
People disappear and that is only the beginning. Can Miranda bring them back since she's the one that can see the mysterious ship? What about her family's curse and the mark her father bears? No sooner do the people disappear than Phillips, the romantic interest who can also hear voices, comes back to the island. He is not your typical bad-boy, and at times it's hard not to side with his decisions to abandon the island for a private school on the mainland.
I can't say the cover is worthy of the book, but the story within the end pages is worth a read. It's not out until later this year, but put it on your radar. And if you've never heard of the Lost Colony on Roanoke Island, do some reading and I'm sure you'll be intrigued for a modern tale revolving around the disappearance.
I was not disappointed. The story is well-written, intriguing, and the teen romance wasn't overdone. I never visited Roanoke Island, but I imagine that having read these detailed descriptions, that I would feel I'd been there before when I do get there. Bond pulls you into the story of Miranda Blackwood. Of course she's cursed, this is a YA paranormal romance, but Bond weaves her into a believable character trapped on the island as a stage hand for the local theater company and taking care of her father, the town drunk. Miranda views her life as the same day over and over again stretching out for the rest of her life. Until she sees the ship, but she's the only one. That's when the story starts to build and you can't put the book down.
People disappear and that is only the beginning. Can Miranda bring them back since she's the one that can see the mysterious ship? What about her family's curse and the mark her father bears? No sooner do the people disappear than Phillips, the romantic interest who can also hear voices, comes back to the island. He is not your typical bad-boy, and at times it's hard not to side with his decisions to abandon the island for a private school on the mainland.
I can't say the cover is worthy of the book, but the story within the end pages is worth a read. It's not out until later this year, but put it on your radar. And if you've never heard of the Lost Colony on Roanoke Island, do some reading and I'm sure you'll be intrigued for a modern tale revolving around the disappearance.
kaitrosereads's review
4.0
I really wanted to like Blackwood. When I heard about it being picked up for a TV show I decided I should give it a shot since the story sounded so interesting. It was definitely interesting but I found it lacking in quite a few ways and I was just unimpressed with it.
The characters in this book are odd. Miranda and Phillips are both outcasts but that doesn’t make them friends. In fact, Phillips helped make Miranda the outcast that she is. Her family is said to be cursed and her dad is the town drunk. When things on Roanoke Island get really crazy though they have to band together to try and solve the mystery before it’s too late. It was an interesting concept and I liked that the characters were different than your typical protagonists but they were just a little too weird to relate to.
However, I did like that Miranda was a Vampire Diaries fan. I give her props for that. Other than that though she was just really standoffish and not very friendly. There were just a few too many things that I didn’t like about her. Same with Phillips. He was better than Miranda, in my opinion, but I just didn’t care for him. The characters were definitely not what kept me interested in this story.
I do have to applaud the actual story though. It was beyond unique. 114 people disappeared from Roanoke Island hundreds of years ago and no one knows what happened to them. Now it’s happened again and it has something to do with Miranda’s family and their curse. The mystery kept me guessing and it wasn’t an easy plot to figure out. I was fascinated by the mix of history and contemporary and that’s definitely why I actually enjoyed this book.
I don’t really have any praise for the writing but it wasn’t bad. There wasn’t anything spectacular about it however. It’s not something that really stuck with me after finishing the book. I would call it mediocre. The story was really the only thing not mediocre about Blackwood.
Overall, Blackwood was really just a book that hit right in the middle for me. I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it. If you’re a history buff and you don’t really care all that much about characters, I’d recommend this one. Maybe get it from your library though.
The characters in this book are odd. Miranda and Phillips are both outcasts but that doesn’t make them friends. In fact, Phillips helped make Miranda the outcast that she is. Her family is said to be cursed and her dad is the town drunk. When things on Roanoke Island get really crazy though they have to band together to try and solve the mystery before it’s too late. It was an interesting concept and I liked that the characters were different than your typical protagonists but they were just a little too weird to relate to.
However, I did like that Miranda was a Vampire Diaries fan. I give her props for that. Other than that though she was just really standoffish and not very friendly. There were just a few too many things that I didn’t like about her. Same with Phillips. He was better than Miranda, in my opinion, but I just didn’t care for him. The characters were definitely not what kept me interested in this story.
I do have to applaud the actual story though. It was beyond unique. 114 people disappeared from Roanoke Island hundreds of years ago and no one knows what happened to them. Now it’s happened again and it has something to do with Miranda’s family and their curse. The mystery kept me guessing and it wasn’t an easy plot to figure out. I was fascinated by the mix of history and contemporary and that’s definitely why I actually enjoyed this book.
I don’t really have any praise for the writing but it wasn’t bad. There wasn’t anything spectacular about it however. It’s not something that really stuck with me after finishing the book. I would call it mediocre. The story was really the only thing not mediocre about Blackwood.
Overall, Blackwood was really just a book that hit right in the middle for me. I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it. If you’re a history buff and you don’t really care all that much about characters, I’d recommend this one. Maybe get it from your library though.
goodbetterbetsy's review
4.0
Miranda Blackwood has spent every day of her life on Roanoke Island. She's always been a bit of an outcast, but has found her own little niche in the world helping out the local theater company when they put on the annual summer production about the lost colonists of Roanoke Island.
Things change for Miranda when 114 members of the community vanish in the night. Could whatever happen to the colonists be happening again? Miranda has to find out what is going on. She feels connected to the mystery in a way she doesn't really understand. And she is surprised when she finds help in the last place she expected.
First, I have to say, this whole story is based on the mysterious disappearance of the Roanoke colonists. I am sold. The story grabbed me almost right from the beginning. I was kind of on the fence (I didn't know a whole lot about the plot) about where the story might go, but I was pretty gripped once people started disappearing.
I liked Miranda a lot. She was the kind of girl who took what life handed her and didn't waste too much time feeling sorry for herself if the hand she was dealt was a bad one. She rolled with the punches. However, as the story moved along her character evolved and we were able to see that a lot of what she showed people was just a facade. I thought her character development was well done. Sometimes I wanted to shake her by the shoulders, but that happens a lot when I'm reading (see my upcoming review of Insurgent by Veronica Roth.)
I also liked Phillips. I almost wrote him off based on his name alone. Then, author Gwenda Bond, threw in a little jab about his name that made me chuckle so I got over it. He turned out to be a pretty decent guy. I thought his connection to Miranda seemed a little odd considering he hadn't been on the island (or spoken to her) in a few years, but I was willing to ignore that for the sake of the story.
All in all I really liked this and recommend it to history buffs, paranormal fans, and anyone who likes a pinch of romance added to the mix.
Things change for Miranda when 114 members of the community vanish in the night. Could whatever happen to the colonists be happening again? Miranda has to find out what is going on. She feels connected to the mystery in a way she doesn't really understand. And she is surprised when she finds help in the last place she expected.
First, I have to say, this whole story is based on the mysterious disappearance of the Roanoke colonists. I am sold. The story grabbed me almost right from the beginning. I was kind of on the fence (I didn't know a whole lot about the plot) about where the story might go, but I was pretty gripped once people started disappearing.
I liked Miranda a lot. She was the kind of girl who took what life handed her and didn't waste too much time feeling sorry for herself if the hand she was dealt was a bad one. She rolled with the punches. However, as the story moved along her character evolved and we were able to see that a lot of what she showed people was just a facade. I thought her character development was well done. Sometimes I wanted to shake her by the shoulders, but that happens a lot when I'm reading (see my upcoming review of Insurgent by Veronica Roth.)
I also liked Phillips. I almost wrote him off based on his name alone. Then, author Gwenda Bond, threw in a little jab about his name that made me chuckle so I got over it. He turned out to be a pretty decent guy. I thought his connection to Miranda seemed a little odd considering he hadn't been on the island (or spoken to her) in a few years, but I was willing to ignore that for the sake of the story.
All in all I really liked this and recommend it to history buffs, paranormal fans, and anyone who likes a pinch of romance added to the mix.
kblincoln's review
4.0
Miranda is the daughter of the town drunk and member of the Island of Roanoke's black sheep family- the Blackwoods. She has her job at the local theater backstage at the summerly production that reenacts the mysterious disappearance of the Roanoke English Settlers hundreds of years before.
But one morning, Miranda wakes up and her stage friends are missing...and so is her dad. Across the country, former classmate Phillips Rawling also wakes up, sure that the girl he has carried a torch for all these years is in danger.
Can Phillips help Miranda find out what happened to the missing settlers and the missing villagers today before family members are affected? Can miranda break the blackwood curse?
Blackwood's strengths lie in the fascinating theories surrounding the true story of the Roanoke disappearance. When Miranda and Phillips banter, they're teasing names (Random fact boy) and pop culture references are all kinds of fun. The mystery and villain (s) of the story tug you along all curiosity with Bond dropping just the right amount of hints here and there that even a well-read reader might not figure it out until Miranda does. All kinds of lovely hijinks with voices and strange weapons and sewing of grey cloaks and hidden trapdoors ensue.
For me, the story didn't reach the last star for a whole-hearted 5 on the basis of the characters. Phillips' feelings for Miranda were so straightforward and deep from the get-go even after all those years apart that the frisson of new love blossoming was drowned in my shock at his willingess to fool beloved parents, steal cars, breaking-and-entering and all that for her right at the start. The parents also were just a bit too convenient. It's especially hard to believe the way Phillips' father ran interference with the FBI as well as a particular course Phillips' mother takes in the latter part of the book. I just couldn't swallow my disbelief, which was a shame because until those points, I felt Bond had done a very good job with the tricky task of making YA main character parents real characters you sympathize with as well as providing believable distance between parent and child so the hijinks can ensue.
If you're looking for a bit of magic and some realistic historical information in your YA fantasy, this is a good one to pick up. As the gore and romance level is truly YA, I wouldn't blink at my 5th grader reading it from our shared Kindle.
This Book's Snack Rating: Sour Cream and Onion Lay's for the lovely Roanoke small-island/history flavor on serviceable plot and YA characters.
But one morning, Miranda wakes up and her stage friends are missing...and so is her dad. Across the country, former classmate Phillips Rawling also wakes up, sure that the girl he has carried a torch for all these years is in danger.
Can Phillips help Miranda find out what happened to the missing settlers and the missing villagers today before family members are affected? Can miranda break the blackwood curse?
Blackwood's strengths lie in the fascinating theories surrounding the true story of the Roanoke disappearance. When Miranda and Phillips banter, they're teasing names (Random fact boy) and pop culture references are all kinds of fun. The mystery and villain (s) of the story tug you along all curiosity with Bond dropping just the right amount of hints here and there that even a well-read reader might not figure it out until Miranda does. All kinds of lovely hijinks with voices and strange weapons and sewing of grey cloaks and hidden trapdoors ensue.
For me, the story didn't reach the last star for a whole-hearted 5 on the basis of the characters. Phillips' feelings for Miranda were so straightforward and deep from the get-go even after all those years apart that the frisson of new love blossoming was drowned in my shock at his willingess to fool beloved parents, steal cars, breaking-and-entering and all that for her right at the start. The parents also were just a bit too convenient. It's especially hard to believe the way Phillips' father ran interference with the FBI as well as a particular course Phillips' mother takes in the latter part of the book. I just couldn't swallow my disbelief, which was a shame because until those points, I felt Bond had done a very good job with the tricky task of making YA main character parents real characters you sympathize with as well as providing believable distance between parent and child so the hijinks can ensue.
If you're looking for a bit of magic and some realistic historical information in your YA fantasy, this is a good one to pick up. As the gore and romance level is truly YA, I wouldn't blink at my 5th grader reading it from our shared Kindle.
This Book's Snack Rating: Sour Cream and Onion Lay's for the lovely Roanoke small-island/history flavor on serviceable plot and YA characters.
theladygonzalez's review against another edition
3.0
The concept behind Blackwood was genius. The vanishing of the settlers has been a mystery that people have been speculating about for hundreds of years. It’s one of the most famous mysteries in American history and is the perfect opportunity to spin an amazing paranormal tale- which is exactly what Bond does. Blackwood is packed full with excitement, mystery and general creepiness.
I loved both main characters (Miranda and Phillips). They both had such a determined spark that made them easy to fall in love with. Plus, they both possess the snarky gene, which happens to be one of my favorite qualities in characters.
The setup of the book confused me at times; mainly when the author would switch perspectives. Let me try and explain this. Every so often the author would switch perspectives to an unknown character; usually one of the missing people. These sections would be italicized and talked about random things, like going out with girls the night before, opening doors and eating donuts. Let’s just say I found it incredibly confusing. Not only do you not know who you are reading about, you don’t really know what you are reading about. It certainly threw me off and interrupted the flow of the story.
I also felt like the plotline got a little over ambitious as the book progressed. Things became entirely too complicated. I don’t want to spoil anything for you guys, but I felt like the author was pulling in all these different elements towards the end that weren’t all that necessary. It just ended up jumbling things in my head and making it difficult to focus on the key points of the story.
But, all in all, I found Blackwood to be terribly exciting. Sure, there were little faults with the book, but in the grand scheme of things I enjoyed it. I wanted, needed to know what was going to happen to Miranda and Phillips and that kept me turning the pages. I can forgive being slightly confused at times and the choppiness of the pacing because the story kept me wanting to read it.
Oh and one last thing I noted, it is mentioned in the book that Miranda's mom loved Blondie and her favorite Blondie song is Heartbreaker. I'm pretty sure there is no Blondie song called Heartbreaker - that's a Pat Benatar song. Could it be Heart of Glass?
I loved both main characters (Miranda and Phillips). They both had such a determined spark that made them easy to fall in love with. Plus, they both possess the snarky gene, which happens to be one of my favorite qualities in characters.
The setup of the book confused me at times; mainly when the author would switch perspectives. Let me try and explain this. Every so often the author would switch perspectives to an unknown character; usually one of the missing people. These sections would be italicized and talked about random things, like going out with girls the night before, opening doors and eating donuts. Let’s just say I found it incredibly confusing. Not only do you not know who you are reading about, you don’t really know what you are reading about. It certainly threw me off and interrupted the flow of the story.
I also felt like the plotline got a little over ambitious as the book progressed. Things became entirely too complicated. I don’t want to spoil anything for you guys, but I felt like the author was pulling in all these different elements towards the end that weren’t all that necessary. It just ended up jumbling things in my head and making it difficult to focus on the key points of the story.
But, all in all, I found Blackwood to be terribly exciting. Sure, there were little faults with the book, but in the grand scheme of things I enjoyed it. I wanted, needed to know what was going to happen to Miranda and Phillips and that kept me turning the pages. I can forgive being slightly confused at times and the choppiness of the pacing because the story kept me wanting to read it.
Oh and one last thing I noted, it is mentioned in the book that Miranda's mom loved Blondie and her favorite Blondie song is Heartbreaker. I'm pretty sure there is no Blondie song called Heartbreaker - that's a Pat Benatar song. Could it be Heart of Glass?
leontiy's review
5.0
It’s been a autumn of YA Fantasy so far, so I might as well keep up the trend—after all, I hold to it that the main difference between YA and standard fantasy (I refuse to call it “adult” fantasy, by the way) is marketing, and sometimes little more. A book is a book is a book: people are inevitably influenced by whatever is slapped on the spine and if that happens to be a YA imprint, then they see YA. My go-to example is Cinda Williams Chima’s Seven Realms series, which is found comfortably nestled between its supposedly grown-up big brothers and sisters, in the SFF section and not the Teen section. Sometimes it’s like Russian Roulette, trying to guess where a book will be put!
But without further rambling about what should really be a blog post of its own one day, onto Blackwood.
I don’t have that much reading time: I write during “work hours”, tied to my desk at home, and living with my brother, who is more like a twin, really, since we’re so similar, I end up spending evenings and weekends partaking in our joint hobbies of RPGs and gaming, and generally doing Stuff Together. That, and the cats take my time. All five of them.
The point I’m making is that Blackwood would not have found its way onto my reading list so quickly in ordinary circumstances. As it happens, I’ve been ill and my usual routine was thrown, and I have been eating books. I wanted more Strange Chemistry, but had just finished up all I had access to—save Broken, which I’ve been saving for over the Christmas holidays as a “people are visiting” read—and needed something good.
So, I took a look at the synopsis and put the cover out of my head whilst I considered it. Now, it’s not that I don’t like the cover; I do—as it happens, it’s a very pretty cover. But, it didn’t appeal to me, or draw me to the book. It was a little… well, I expected it to be a little too much like some of the Paranormal Romance-slash-Urban Fantasy I’ve seen out there, and I just wasn’t biting.
Oh, how wrong I was.
Ironically, the romance element of the story is probably my absolute favourite part. Hell, I love romance—who doesn’t? Everybody loves seeing the guy get the girl (or the girl get the girl/guy get the guy—it’s all love and it’s all quidditch to me!). So for there to be a believable, fun, tense romance between the characters, well, it was good. Yes, yes—so there’s lots of romance in YA. Well, ever think why? Maybe because young adults can appreciate that the world can be a good place, and that love is one of the things that makes it so. Adults can be so jaded sometimes. Regardless, Blackwood isn’t all about romance and lovey-dovey stuff; in fact, it’s a tense, eerie, creepy horror/fantasy story that knows exactly what it is doing and does it so well.
It’s a brilliant, gripping story with characters that are both engaging and likeable. I loved Blackwood. It’s another five-star book for me, which shows that Strange Chemistry get it right—a lot.
Blackwood tells the story of an American tale I’d never even heard of. It uses the mystery of Roanoke Island—where one hundred and fourteen colonists disappeared centuries before—to set the stage for a page-turning, exciting urban fantasy-esque story that is as cleverly thought out as it is executed. It’s an almost perfect book. In fact, nothing could have made it better for me: it was perfect. A standalone novel with great characters and a damn satisfying ending? What more could you ask for?
It’s also a story about belonging, and man if I don’t like stories about identity and belonging. They strike a chord. Miranda is the island’s freak; cursed and sorely missing her mother, yet estranged from her father due to his alcoholism. Yet, the relationship between father and daughter is far more complicated than that of a drunken, widower husband missing his wife and his neglected daughter. There is a deeper, darker story between the Blackwoods and their past than even outcast, awkward Miranda can realise. There is a darkness within her that she hasn’t even realised; a darkness that will try to change her and make her betray herself and everything she knows.
Phillips, on the other hand—son of the police chief of Roanoke—has his own issues. Descended from a line tied to the island as closely as the Blackwoods, yet with a completely different history interwoven with their bloodline, Phillips left the island as a way of dealing with the voices in his head. It’s not that he’s insane, just that he hears the voices of the dead, as loudly as if they were next to him, or as softly as a whisper, just on the edge of hearing—whichever they pick on the day. Driven from his home after giving his father no choice—after all, the son of the police chief cannot let his son be seen as a petty criminal without suffering more embarrassment than can reasonably be shaken off—Phillips has found peace from the voices and plans never to return to the island.
That is, of course, until events that he cannot ignore pull him back to Roanoke—and back to the voices. Soon, he finds himself drawn to Miranda and involved in something so twisted and extraordinary, that he must learn to accept what and who is he before he can even stand a chance of keeping Miranda and the rest of the island safe.
Bond writes a compelling, addictive story that merges together so many genres it’s difficult to really call it one or the other: with elements of romance, mystery, the supernatural and even horror, Blackwood is a unique, exciting story that kept me glued to the page.
It is an engrossing, detailed story that is deliciously written and marks Bond as a writer to look out for. She can write: her prose is quirky, fresh and absolutely fantastic.
All in all, Gwenda Bond’s Blackwood is a gorgeous adventure of a book that simply must be read.
But without further rambling about what should really be a blog post of its own one day, onto Blackwood.
I don’t have that much reading time: I write during “work hours”, tied to my desk at home, and living with my brother, who is more like a twin, really, since we’re so similar, I end up spending evenings and weekends partaking in our joint hobbies of RPGs and gaming, and generally doing Stuff Together. That, and the cats take my time. All five of them.
The point I’m making is that Blackwood would not have found its way onto my reading list so quickly in ordinary circumstances. As it happens, I’ve been ill and my usual routine was thrown, and I have been eating books. I wanted more Strange Chemistry, but had just finished up all I had access to—save Broken, which I’ve been saving for over the Christmas holidays as a “people are visiting” read—and needed something good.
So, I took a look at the synopsis and put the cover out of my head whilst I considered it. Now, it’s not that I don’t like the cover; I do—as it happens, it’s a very pretty cover. But, it didn’t appeal to me, or draw me to the book. It was a little… well, I expected it to be a little too much like some of the Paranormal Romance-slash-Urban Fantasy I’ve seen out there, and I just wasn’t biting.
Oh, how wrong I was.
Ironically, the romance element of the story is probably my absolute favourite part. Hell, I love romance—who doesn’t? Everybody loves seeing the guy get the girl (or the girl get the girl/guy get the guy—it’s all love and it’s all quidditch to me!). So for there to be a believable, fun, tense romance between the characters, well, it was good. Yes, yes—so there’s lots of romance in YA. Well, ever think why? Maybe because young adults can appreciate that the world can be a good place, and that love is one of the things that makes it so. Adults can be so jaded sometimes. Regardless, Blackwood isn’t all about romance and lovey-dovey stuff; in fact, it’s a tense, eerie, creepy horror/fantasy story that knows exactly what it is doing and does it so well.
It’s a brilliant, gripping story with characters that are both engaging and likeable. I loved Blackwood. It’s another five-star book for me, which shows that Strange Chemistry get it right—a lot.
Blackwood tells the story of an American tale I’d never even heard of. It uses the mystery of Roanoke Island—where one hundred and fourteen colonists disappeared centuries before—to set the stage for a page-turning, exciting urban fantasy-esque story that is as cleverly thought out as it is executed. It’s an almost perfect book. In fact, nothing could have made it better for me: it was perfect. A standalone novel with great characters and a damn satisfying ending? What more could you ask for?
It’s also a story about belonging, and man if I don’t like stories about identity and belonging. They strike a chord. Miranda is the island’s freak; cursed and sorely missing her mother, yet estranged from her father due to his alcoholism. Yet, the relationship between father and daughter is far more complicated than that of a drunken, widower husband missing his wife and his neglected daughter. There is a deeper, darker story between the Blackwoods and their past than even outcast, awkward Miranda can realise. There is a darkness within her that she hasn’t even realised; a darkness that will try to change her and make her betray herself and everything she knows.
Phillips, on the other hand—son of the police chief of Roanoke—has his own issues. Descended from a line tied to the island as closely as the Blackwoods, yet with a completely different history interwoven with their bloodline, Phillips left the island as a way of dealing with the voices in his head. It’s not that he’s insane, just that he hears the voices of the dead, as loudly as if they were next to him, or as softly as a whisper, just on the edge of hearing—whichever they pick on the day. Driven from his home after giving his father no choice—after all, the son of the police chief cannot let his son be seen as a petty criminal without suffering more embarrassment than can reasonably be shaken off—Phillips has found peace from the voices and plans never to return to the island.
That is, of course, until events that he cannot ignore pull him back to Roanoke—and back to the voices. Soon, he finds himself drawn to Miranda and involved in something so twisted and extraordinary, that he must learn to accept what and who is he before he can even stand a chance of keeping Miranda and the rest of the island safe.
Bond writes a compelling, addictive story that merges together so many genres it’s difficult to really call it one or the other: with elements of romance, mystery, the supernatural and even horror, Blackwood is a unique, exciting story that kept me glued to the page.
It is an engrossing, detailed story that is deliciously written and marks Bond as a writer to look out for. She can write: her prose is quirky, fresh and absolutely fantastic.
All in all, Gwenda Bond’s Blackwood is a gorgeous adventure of a book that simply must be read.
sngick's review
4.0
I was immediately intrigued by this book because of my interest in the Lost Colony. As a NC native, we're raised on this story and it has always interested me. Gwenda Bond really did her homework and updated the story with some cool twists and turns. I'm super excited this is going to become a movie!
rsarnelli's review
Read to page 158 before taking a break from this book...when I came back to it I only read about 20 pages before giving up, skimming the rest and reading the ending.
It's not that this is a bad book, I just couldn't really get into it. I really wanted to like it because of the unique premise but it just seemed like kind of a lackluster delivery.
It's not that this is a bad book, I just couldn't really get into it. I really wanted to like it because of the unique premise but it just seemed like kind of a lackluster delivery.