Book Review - Doon - Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon

Title:  Doon

Author: Carey Corp and  Lorie Langdon

Review:   Well this book was different, I will give it that.  I think that it is basically a cross between Brigadoon and Harry Potter with a little Camelot sprinkled in for affect and a lot of New Moon with the rock hard chest, square jaw and the dreamy blue eyes etc. etc.

It is the story of two high school girls Vee and Kenna who go to Scotland on holiday to stay in the enchanted cottage of Kenna’s Aunt Grace.  When they arrive they are greeted by a woman who knew Aunt Grace and has kept some things for Kenna to go through at her leisure, what the girls do not know about this woman will very much affect their future.

While going through boxes of stuff they finally get to the good stuff, a diary that Aunt Grace kept, talking about her visit to Doon, plus two rings that belonged to Aunt Grace and her husband.  One of the rings has a ruby in it set in gold the other an emerald set in silver.  The rings are quite beautiful so the girls put them on and the adventure begins.

There is a lot more background to this story about the lives of the girls up to this point but I will let the reader discover what the two girls are all about and how that shaped what happened to them in the secret land of Doon.

This book is clean, very little language and no sex, some violence but since it is all done in a make believe land, does it still count??  The book I believe is aimed at tweenies ages 10-14.  It is not a particularly well written book but I am willing to bet the sequel will be much better written, since it was set up in the end of the book for it to go on with the story of McKenna or Kenna as Vee knows her.

This book will set the hearts of the young girl it is aimed at, all a flutter.  There is magic, a witch, two handsome princes, not just one mind you but two.  There are beautiful horses, sword fights and sweet kisses.  The book is full of teen romance and so it is a nice safe read for the tweenies and still interesting for the older girls.

I did feel the book went on a bit too long, I think it could be edited to make the story more compact but still get the points across and then it might keep the readers interest.  I am afraid I did get a bit bored with Vee’s teen angst and the princes complete turn abouts all the time.  All in all I think the authors need to edit the book and make it about 50-100 pages shorter, this can be accomplished with less detail about feelings and more action, romance and fighting.

Thanks Eileen for this review

Published:  Published August 20th 2013 by Zondervan.

ISBN: 9780310742302

Copyright: 2013

Pages: 368

Quick Review: 3 stars (out of 5)

Where I Obtained the Book:  Sent by the publisher for review.

Synopsis:  DOON…

Veronica doesn't think she's going crazy. But why can't anyone else see the mysterious blond boy who keeps popping up wherever she goes? When her best friend, Mackenna, invites her to spend the summer in Scotland, Veronica jumps at the opportunity to leave her complicated life behind for a few months.

But the Scottish countryside holds other plans.

Not only has the imaginary kilted boy followed her to Alloway, she and Mackenna uncover a strange set of rings and a very unnerving letter from Mackenna's great aunt—and when the girls test the instructions Aunt Gracie left behind, they find themselves transported to a land that defies explanation. Doon seems like a real-life fairy tale, complete with one prince who has eyes for Mackenna and another who looks suspiciously like the boy from Veronica's daydreams. But Doon has a dark underbelly as well. The two girls could have everything they've longed for...or they could end up breaking an enchantment and find themselves trapped in a world that has become a nightmare.

DOON is loosely based on the premise of the musical Brigadoon, with permission from the ALan Jay Lerner Estate and the Frederick Loewe Foundation. Follow the journey at http://www.DoonSeries.com

~Destiny awaits!

Author Information:

Carey - I started writing YA for my fifteen-year-old neighbor, who was struggling to find books as compelling as her favorite series.

The DOON Series (YA),co-written w/Lorie Langdon, based on the premise of the musical Brigadoon with permission from the Alan Jay Lerner Estate and the Frederick Loewe Foundation. Doon coming Aug. 20, 2013 from BLINK, a new YA imprint of Zondervan/Harper Collins.

 

Lorie - Lorie Langdon is co-author of DOON, a YA reimagining of the musical Brigadoon, coming from Blink/Harper Collins in August 2013!

A few years ago, she left her thriving corporate career to satisfy the voices in her head. Now as a full-time author and stay-at-home mom, she spends her summers editing poolside while dodging automatic water-gun fire, and the rest of the year tucked into her cozy office, Havanese puppy by her side, working to translate her effusive imagination into the written word.

Other Reviews:

Girls in the Stacks "A word of warning, you will either like the ending or hate the ending. I liked it, and am eagerly waiting for book #2."

All Things Urban Fantasy "The issues that made it hard for me to get into DOON mostly had to do with it not being able to figure itself out. At times, with our fresh out of high school main characters, the book felt more like an older young adult novel (dare I call a fantasy novel new adult??), but there were other times when I felt like it was meant for younger readers. And, with two different narrators, I sometimes felt a little whiplash trying to adjust between viewpoints. But come for the cover and stay for the sexy Scottish accents has always been my motto, and I certainly was not disappointed all around."

Fire and Ice "Scottish boys in kilts plus a hidden village that only appears once every 100 years...yes please! I started Doon the day I was gearing up to go to our local Scottish festival to discover my own ancestral clan and was so swept away I did not put it down until I was done. The voice, the beautiful setting and pacing come together along with awesome characters to make an unforgettable story. Part of a new imprint of Harper Collins Christian publishing called Blink, (read about the news here ) this is a magical read I will be recommending this summer! It's told in dual points of view between two best friends Veronica and McKenna."