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A review by amym84
Every Hidden Thing by Kenneth Oppel
4.0
Buried deep in the Badlands there's a legend of a creature known as Black Beauty with bones black as ebony. When Samuel Bolt's father is sent a tooth and asked to come prospect, Samuel immediately calls it his "rex" and is determined to be the one to find it.
The Bolts come across some competition when they run into the Cartlands who, coincidentally, received the same tip off about the bones. But as the two older men vie for the glory of their finds. Samuel and Cartland's daughter Rachel form an alliance of their own, and beyond that something more. But with tensions rising with the Sioux and other Native American tribes will they be able to find "rex" in the vastness of this undiscovered part of the country? Or will "rex" be lost to a thing of legends?
When I first heard about this book months ago, I knew I wanted to read it. What I didn't really account for was how much I would enjoy this book, honestly. I don't know how long it's been that I've read a book so devoted to dinosaurs, but Every Hidden Thing immediately brought me back to when I was younger and in grade school and, you know, everyone goes through the unit on dinosaurs and it's not just a boy thing or just a girl thing, I believe dinosaurs in general are interesting to all kids, and let's be honest adults too, but there's almost something magical about learning of these creatures that used to walk around our planet.
Each time the characters would uncover bones / fossils, I would be as in awe of the discoveries and they were. And the whole will they / won't they find the "rex" really drove the story forward because, if anything, you want Samuel and Rachel to be the ones to find these bones.
Besides that sense of adventure, I really enjoyed the blossoming relationship between Rachel and Samuel. I loved Samuel's romantic nature as opposed to Rachel's more pragmatic sensibilities. Kenneth Oppel did a great job of making this book not only appealing to younger readers, but it is very viable as an adult read as well. Taking place in the nineteenth century, Samuel was considered a man at seventeen, and you see over the course of the book how he begins to take that role ever more seriously.
Rachel, on the other hand, wants so badly to break out of the restrictions placed on her by being a female. She wants to prospect with her father, she wants to go to university, which are things her father won't seriously consider because it wouldn't be strictly proper. Rachel decides to take matters into her own hands to ensure her future, and while Samuel starts out as a means to get her what she wants, but she can't really deny what her heart feels.
Probably the biggest comparisons I've seen for this book are Romeo & Juliet meets Indiana Jones. The former can definitely be considered accurate (what with the feuding families scenario), and while I'd say the latter is definitely true, I'd say it's a little less mysteriously adventurous than what we're used to from Indy. Probably one of the only complaints I could make about the book is that I'm not sure of the build up and payoff at the end. I'm not trying to give anything away so I'll just say that I think the ending, once all is said and done, was a bit too abrupt for my tastes.
Otherwise, Every Hidden Thing really didn't disappoint. It was an entertaining read full of wonderful imagery and settings.
The Bolts come across some competition when they run into the Cartlands who, coincidentally, received the same tip off about the bones. But as the two older men vie for the glory of their finds. Samuel and Cartland's daughter Rachel form an alliance of their own, and beyond that something more. But with tensions rising with the Sioux and other Native American tribes will they be able to find "rex" in the vastness of this undiscovered part of the country? Or will "rex" be lost to a thing of legends?
When I first heard about this book months ago, I knew I wanted to read it. What I didn't really account for was how much I would enjoy this book, honestly. I don't know how long it's been that I've read a book so devoted to dinosaurs, but Every Hidden Thing immediately brought me back to when I was younger and in grade school and, you know, everyone goes through the unit on dinosaurs and it's not just a boy thing or just a girl thing, I believe dinosaurs in general are interesting to all kids, and let's be honest adults too, but there's almost something magical about learning of these creatures that used to walk around our planet.
Each time the characters would uncover bones / fossils, I would be as in awe of the discoveries and they were. And the whole will they / won't they find the "rex" really drove the story forward because, if anything, you want Samuel and Rachel to be the ones to find these bones.
Besides that sense of adventure, I really enjoyed the blossoming relationship between Rachel and Samuel. I loved Samuel's romantic nature as opposed to Rachel's more pragmatic sensibilities. Kenneth Oppel did a great job of making this book not only appealing to younger readers, but it is very viable as an adult read as well. Taking place in the nineteenth century, Samuel was considered a man at seventeen, and you see over the course of the book how he begins to take that role ever more seriously.
Rachel, on the other hand, wants so badly to break out of the restrictions placed on her by being a female. She wants to prospect with her father, she wants to go to university, which are things her father won't seriously consider because it wouldn't be strictly proper. Rachel decides to take matters into her own hands to ensure her future, and while Samuel starts out as a means to get her what she wants, but she can't really deny what her heart feels.
Probably the biggest comparisons I've seen for this book are Romeo & Juliet meets Indiana Jones. The former can definitely be considered accurate (what with the feuding families scenario), and while I'd say the latter is definitely true, I'd say it's a little less mysteriously adventurous than what we're used to from Indy. Probably one of the only complaints I could make about the book is that I'm not sure of the build up and payoff at the end. I'm not trying to give anything away so I'll just say that I think the ending, once all is said and done, was a bit too abrupt for my tastes.
Otherwise, Every Hidden Thing really didn't disappoint. It was an entertaining read full of wonderful imagery and settings.