Scan barcode
A review by cyanide_latte
Doon by Lorie Langdon, Carey Corp
Did not finish book. Stopped at 52%.
DNF'd at 53%. I read this once back when the book came out quite some time ago, and I recall having mixed feelings on it back then. The film "Brigadoon" was one I loved as a kid, and I will state right now that I think you need to be familiar with the film in order to appreciate this book as a concept. I have seen a lot of reviews complaining that a lot of the lore and events don't make sense, and I think that you need to at least have seen the film in order to fill in some of those gaps.
That being said, I think this book does have some shortcomings in the way it chooses to handle itself. I don't think any of that has to do with the attempts at making the lore function however. As far as memory serves, I originally picked up my copy of this book in a Christian bookstore I was dragged to, and the book does seem to have Christian theology tied to the land of Doon itself and impacting the lore. The way this is utilitized in the story feels more separate from a lot of Christian ideology at times though, which is not something I'm used to in a lot of Christian fiction, especially the fiction aimed at a YA audience. This book spends a lot of time referencing secular behavior as well, and secular media. Veronica is often characterized by and shown as having a focus on the various books she reads, referencing a great number of pop culture series. Similarly, Mackenna constantly makes theater references in her chapters. There is also no shying away from a lot of teen girl behavior that would normally characterize Christian YA fiction. Veronica and Mackenna often engage in discussion about their bodies very casually ("I'd give my left butt cheek for your knockers" kinda thing) and reference previous relationships and the way that ties into exploring their sexuality. These sorts of subjects are often treated as taboo in a lot of YA Christian fiction, usually with the POV characters treating said subjects as inappropriate and shocking with some low-key demonization of other characters who engage in typical teenage behavior and development and popular interests. I recalled that even the first time I read this and didn't see the narrative treating these things as horrible and something to be avoided and shunned, it was refreshing. For that I give it props at trying to be different.
But, reading it now, it is very clear that it also tries to follow a lot of standard YA tropes and popular concepts from its time (2013 to even now) while balancing that with the Christian theology (and less obviously, points of ideology as well.) And as a result, it often feels confused on what it wants to really be, as a book. The concept of "the Calling" and the way this impacts Veronica and her will-they-won't-they dynamic with Jamie feels like an attempt to marry the Fated Romance trope with an idea in Christian social spheres that you have a perfect romance waiting for you that will have been put in your path by the Christian god because it's the person you need to be with in order to be happy and be a better Christian. And while I only made it slightly around halfway in this re-read before deciding to DNF, I do feel like "the Calling" will tumble into Christian ideologies of what a marriage should look like with its very rigid gender roles and associated expectations. Frankly, I'm not sure I'm interested in seeing that unfold; Veronica and Mackenna are pretty fun characters that are written decently, and a lot of the rigid gender roles in Christian romantic relationships often are antiquated and mired in misogyny, removing a lot of agency from the woman in the relationship as she assumes her expected role. Are Vee and Kenna the best written characters ever? No, but at least they have agency, and if my suspicions of this series were to turn out to be accurate, I think seeing their agency as individuals dwindle and become reduced to "What a Good Christian Woman Should Be" would honestly ruin the series for me.
I'm disappointed to be setting this down and calling a DNF. I'd even bought secondhand copies of the next two books and had eventually wanted to get the final one, but it's been so long since I did that, and going through this now after a lot of life changes (and the accompanying perspective changes) I don't have a desire to continue. I wanted to give this a second chance, I really did, but I have no desire to be let down by a YA series reimagining of the world of "Brigadoon". That would break my heart, so I have to leave it here. So no, I don't think this book is great, but not for a lot of the same reasons I feel like I see other reviews criticizing it.
That being said, I think this book does have some shortcomings in the way it chooses to handle itself. I don't think any of that has to do with the attempts at making the lore function however. As far as memory serves, I originally picked up my copy of this book in a Christian bookstore I was dragged to, and the book does seem to have Christian theology tied to the land of Doon itself and impacting the lore. The way this is utilitized in the story feels more separate from a lot of Christian ideology at times though, which is not something I'm used to in a lot of Christian fiction, especially the fiction aimed at a YA audience. This book spends a lot of time referencing secular behavior as well, and secular media. Veronica is often characterized by and shown as having a focus on the various books she reads, referencing a great number of pop culture series. Similarly, Mackenna constantly makes theater references in her chapters. There is also no shying away from a lot of teen girl behavior that would normally characterize Christian YA fiction. Veronica and Mackenna often engage in discussion about their bodies very casually ("I'd give my left butt cheek for your knockers" kinda thing) and reference previous relationships and the way that ties into exploring their sexuality. These sorts of subjects are often treated as taboo in a lot of YA Christian fiction, usually with the POV characters treating said subjects as inappropriate and shocking with some low-key demonization of other characters who engage in typical teenage behavior and development and popular interests. I recalled that even the first time I read this and didn't see the narrative treating these things as horrible and something to be avoided and shunned, it was refreshing. For that I give it props at trying to be different.
But, reading it now, it is very clear that it also tries to follow a lot of standard YA tropes and popular concepts from its time (2013 to even now) while balancing that with the Christian theology (and less obviously, points of ideology as well.) And as a result, it often feels confused on what it wants to really be, as a book. The concept of "the Calling" and the way this impacts Veronica and her will-they-won't-they dynamic with Jamie feels like an attempt to marry the Fated Romance trope with an idea in Christian social spheres that you have a perfect romance waiting for you that will have been put in your path by the Christian god because it's the person you need to be with in order to be happy and be a better Christian. And while I only made it slightly around halfway in this re-read before deciding to DNF, I do feel like "the Calling" will tumble into Christian ideologies of what a marriage should look like with its very rigid gender roles and associated expectations. Frankly, I'm not sure I'm interested in seeing that unfold; Veronica and Mackenna are pretty fun characters that are written decently, and a lot of the rigid gender roles in Christian romantic relationships often are antiquated and mired in misogyny, removing a lot of agency from the woman in the relationship as she assumes her expected role. Are Vee and Kenna the best written characters ever? No, but at least they have agency, and if my suspicions of this series were to turn out to be accurate, I think seeing their agency as individuals dwindle and become reduced to "What a Good Christian Woman Should Be" would honestly ruin the series for me.
I'm disappointed to be setting this down and calling a DNF. I'd even bought secondhand copies of the next two books and had eventually wanted to get the final one, but it's been so long since I did that, and going through this now after a lot of life changes (and the accompanying perspective changes) I don't have a desire to continue. I wanted to give this a second chance, I really did, but I have no desire to be let down by a YA series reimagining of the world of "Brigadoon". That would break my heart, so I have to leave it here. So no, I don't think this book is great, but not for a lot of the same reasons I feel like I see other reviews criticizing it.