Review: Promising, but not quite there
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 09 21, 2011
The Crimson Eyed Dragon has many elements necessary for an intriguing teen mystery.  There's hidden treasure, some bad guys hot in pursuit and some very nice interactions among the protagonists.  In the best tradition of teen adventure stories, the characters in The Crimson Eyed Dragon are energetic self-starters, though they sometimes get distracted by swimming pools and young love.  Whether they're biking around town, trawling the mall or hitching a ride to an old house with its promise of treasure, they're always up to something.  There's a lot of plot to this story, and it's well put together. I also liked the characters' relationships with each other.The drawbacks are some awkward dialogue along with a lot of pages that read like encyclopedia entries. Granted, the information those pages contain are significant, but a more skilled writer could have incorporated the facts into the narrative without making it seem like a Wikipedia entry.  Adults can enjoy the very best books for young people without feeling like they're reading a kids book.  Unfortunately this is not one of those. This writer shows much promise even if the book is a bit of a disappointment.  It's still a bargain for the price if just to find out some interesting information about rubies and dragons.