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A review by laurafalls
Blackwood by Gwenda Bond
3.0
Roanoke is one of those great mysteries of the United States' history. We know very little about the people that sailed over to start the colony, and, to this day, we still don't know exactly what happened to the same colonists some months later. Honestly, we'll probably never know. But Gwenda Bond and doesn't let that stop her.
Bond has created a mash-up of history and fiction in her debut novel Blackwood/ The current Roanoke community, in modern times, deals with the weird and unexplained as two of their younger brethren, Miranda and Phillips, try to learn exactly what's going on, and how they can stop it.
The world that Bond created was new and exciting. I do have to admit, however, that I was somewhat confused as I read through the story. In the end, though, everything snapped into place and I felt that things were drawn up in a nice, tight bow. The plot moved quickly, and there was little downtime. I felt like the last 3/4 of the book were a constant thrill ride, one that I had to get my breath back from.
Bond's characters were believable, which was nice, considering the different subject matter. Phillips was a troubled teen, who masked his confusion behind a bad-boy persona. Miranda was the girl that never had close ties to anyone, mainly because no one wanted to get near her "bad luck."
I don't want to give much away about the plot, but I thought the new spin on alchemy and those who practiced it was clever and new.
I suggest you read this book. When you do, though, be prepared to go slow and steady (and don't rush, like I did...) so you can truly grasp everything that happens as the book goes along.
I received an e-galley courtesy of Strange Chemistry and NetGalley. This in no way impacted my review of the book.
Bond has created a mash-up of history and fiction in her debut novel Blackwood/ The current Roanoke community, in modern times, deals with the weird and unexplained as two of their younger brethren, Miranda and Phillips, try to learn exactly what's going on, and how they can stop it.
The world that Bond created was new and exciting. I do have to admit, however, that I was somewhat confused as I read through the story. In the end, though, everything snapped into place and I felt that things were drawn up in a nice, tight bow. The plot moved quickly, and there was little downtime. I felt like the last 3/4 of the book were a constant thrill ride, one that I had to get my breath back from.
Bond's characters were believable, which was nice, considering the different subject matter. Phillips was a troubled teen, who masked his confusion behind a bad-boy persona. Miranda was the girl that never had close ties to anyone, mainly because no one wanted to get near her "bad luck."
I don't want to give much away about the plot, but I thought the new spin on alchemy and those who practiced it was clever and new.
I suggest you read this book. When you do, though, be prepared to go slow and steady (and don't rush, like I did...) so you can truly grasp everything that happens as the book goes along.
I received an e-galley courtesy of Strange Chemistry and NetGalley. This in no way impacted my review of the book.