Welcome to The Real World According To Sam! I'm getting ready to host a book tour next week...and there's no better way to prepare than by sharing the first book in the series I'll be discussing!
Curse of the Specter Queen
Author: Jenny Elder Moke
Year: 2021
Genre: YA Historical Fiction
Synopsis:
May the hazel bring you wisdom and the aspen guide and protect you...
Samantha Knox put away her childish fantasies of archaeological adventure the day her father didn't return home from the Great War, retreating to the safety of the antique bookshop where she works. But when a mysterious package arrives with a damaged diary inside, Sam's peaceful life is obliterated. Ruthless men intent on reclaiming the diary are after Sam, setting her and her best friend, along with her childhood crush, on a high-stakes adventure that lands them in the green hills outside Dublin, Ireland. Here they discover an ancient order with a dark purpose - to perform an occult ritual that will raise the Specter Queen, the Celtic goddess of vengeance and death, to bring about a war unlike any the world has ever seen. To stop them, Sam must solve a deviously complex ciper - one that will lead her on a treasure hunt to discover the ancient relic at the heart of the ritual: a bowl carved from the tree of life. Will she find the bowl and stop the curse of the Specter Queen, or will the ancient order bring about the end of the world?
Indiana Jones gets a refresh with this female-driven mystery adventure, set in the 1920s, full of ciphers, ancient relics, and heart-stopping action - the first in a brand-new series!
Review:
Next Monday (June 20th) I'll be part of a Book Tour, reviewing this book's sequel, Rise of the Snake Goddess. But how could I possibly talk about that book....without discussing the first book in the Samantha Knox series?! I have been so excited about these two books. I really like archaeology based fiction and mysteries involving relics and history, so this was RIGHT up my alley of interests. This is a YA novel that follows Samantha - Sam - Knox. She is a teenage girl who works in a bookshop as a repairer of old books. She has suffered tragedy, but finds solace in her work. At least, up until the bookshop runs into some dangerous trouble thanks to the mysterious diary that arrived there. Sam deals with mysterious threats, dangerous people, and naturally, a bit of drama with her former best friend who she had a falling out with in recent years.This book is chock full of entertaining plots and subplots. The mystery is so much fun to read about. It's been a pretty long time since I last read or watched a good archaeological mystery story. I loved seeing how Sam solved the various puzzles she faced and followed the trail of clues laden throughout the novel. I'm not too familiar with some of the history so I can't speak to any accuracy about that...but I was definitely intrigued with everything happening. This book also doesn't hold back on danger, throwing the heroine and her companions into VERY dangerous situations. I was very excited to see what happened next, where the mystery led, and how the main characters would get out of the troubles they kept falling into.
I don't really have any major criticisms of this book. I liked all the characters, the pacing was great for me, and I blasted through this one. I never felt a lull in my reading. I binge read this one in a single setting (a night that I had to stay up all through ANYWAY). I was hooked all the way through and have been super excited about reading its sequel. Sam is a really fun heroine whose life undergoes some really big changes. I also liked that there is a bit of travel involved, an adventure to Ireland, and that it takes place in the 1920s. The setting was one of my favorite parts since it gave my imagination a lot to work with that is different from my daily happenings.
Honestly, I'd love to see a movie of this book. I think it'd be so fun and enjoyable. It's a fun, fast-paced adventure that has mystery and intrigue without being too slow or bogged down. It's perfect for if you want this kind of story, but in a relatively light package that doesn't feel too mentally heavy. I actually would've liked more of it in terms of length, but it is a good enough length as it is. I just want more since I enjoyed it so much. I give Curse of the Specter Queen a Lone Star rating of ✯✯✯✯ stars. I definitely recommend it for fans of smart heroines who are in the mood for an Indiana Jones/Tomb Raider kind of adventure - who don't mind that it's centered around teenagers instead of on an adult or professor type hero.
Thanks for joining me for today's review here at The Real World According to Sam, where I bring the books to your screen and put in my two cents about them! See you at the next review!
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