Review: A fairly decent book for younger teens
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 06 27, 2013
Note: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest reviewSeries status: Stand-alone novelReview:* Characters: 3/5 - some characterization but no strong characters to love or hate.* Premise: 5/5 - this was the best part of the book; the magic and science elements were well mixed and it has a slight twist on a typical theme.* Plot: 3/5 - there were some holes, but overall it was good and held interest.* Pacing: 3/5 - I never found myself wanting to put the book down but neither was I captivated at any point.* Dialogue: 1/5 - the children spoke believably but the adults sounded fake and all the dialogue felt forced and unreal. The Scottish dialect was badly done in some places.* Imagery: 2/5 - no real description of the Scottish Highlands, which should have been a high point in a time travel piece. There was more `tell' than `show', with a tendency to bash the reader over the head with description rather than demonstrate.* Voice: 1/5 - the point of view is third person past tense, but the writing is stiff and juvenile resulting in no clear voice from any of the characters or a narrator.* Romance:* Amount:none* Explicit scenes: none* Love triangle: none* Notes: The book is on the younger side of Young Adult, and I found it refreshing to read a story with no teenage angst and romance.* Other: Short (193 pages in my .pdf format copy) almost a novella in length.Other books I've read like The Acadian Secret:With the time travel and Scottish Highlands it felt like a younger version of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander Series, with young protagonists and without the romance.Time Cat by Lloyd Alexander is similarly a time travel book for younger readers.Final thoughts:  this book was decent but not great. A simple read suitable for younger readers. I wanted to see more details, more imagery, and more interaction to make you love the characters.This review and others can also be found on my blog: [...]