Review: Good YA read
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 28, 2013
*I received this book from the author, via Goodreads, in exchange for an honest review*I actually wanted to give 4.5 stars, so I rounded up.So, the story centers around Dylan Murphy, a 17 yo boy with a new internship to study sharks for the summer on Isola di Squalo in Italy, and Terra Delmar, a 17 yo Princess from the island's Royal Family.Dylan is excited to start his internship, but as soon as he arrives on the island, he has to contend with the island's Princess Terra. At this point in the book, I found Terra to be bratty and self-centered. You gain more insight into her behavior as the story progresses, and then the attitude is understood better.I found the legend behind Terra's family to be a unique one. Terra has to grow up and take responsibility quickly, and has a whole cast of characters determined to stop her. I liked her sense of honor, and that she repays her debts. Most young people today have no sense of honor or respect for people in their same age group. She comes to rely on Dylan for several different reasons.Dylan's character didn't really grab me as much as I would have liked, mainly because he was so angry for almost the first 3/4's of the book, and I felt that the reason for his anger wasn't explained well.I liked the story development, i.e. what's REALLY going on in that internship program, and how Terra and Dylan solve that problem. I think part of the reason I didn't enjoy this book as much as others is that I wasn't crazy about the subject matter.I was happy that there is no sex, and no graphic violence, and found this appropriate reading material for my 13 and 16 yo daughters. Looking forward to reading the next book, just to see what happens.Overall, I think if you are looking for a story with life lessons, (love, loss, pain, happiness, family, friendship) then you will like this book.