Review: Tim Burton-esque feel in both character development and illustrations...
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 7, 2012
The target audience for this book appears to be suitable for ages 7-14; however, this book can easily be enjoyed by all ages. I'm in my 30's and enjoyed this Gothic and fantastical light read.Overview: The illustrations throughout are beautifully done and were clear and crisp on my Kindle Fire. The characters are unique; each character brings their own quirky charm to the novel, creating an occassionally comedic and unusual but believable atmosphere. The main character is a brave, adventurous Gothic teenager whose imagination and penchant for the mysterious knows no bounds. The mystery itself is highly creative with both fantasy and supernatural elements that border on incredibly strange without going over the top. All these aspects tied together create a world that feels at times like a Tim Burton creation, perfectly balanced with the author's own individual style.The Fantastic: The author does NOT shy away from using an advanced vocabulary sprinkled throughout the book. I applaud the author for avoiding the patronizing way in which many children's authors write. Kids are incredibly intelligent and should be treated as such. The author writes in such a way as to deliver a children's book that both entertains while expanding a child's vocabulary.The Uncertain: Pertaining to the advanced vocabulary, the author utilizes a unique delivery system that I'm not sure if I like or not. Embedded in parentheticals after advanced words or references to places, the author provides the definition/explanation as well as how to interpret the word according to the context. This is a useful tool and I can certainly see the positive for using this method; however, I was repeatedly told as a child to look up words I didn't understand in a dictionary. Doing this taught me some important research skills as a child, so I'm unsure as to whether or not I like the definitions incorporated into the book. Because this is a personal preference, I left this out when deciding on my 4 star rating. Some may love this method-I'm still undecided.All things considered, I think this is a must read for adolescents-teens. With that said, adults will enjoy reading this as well. This is a great book for all ages to enjoy and I personally look forward to reading more of the Noire family adventures! Enjoy and kudos to the author for writing such a unique and adventurous book.