21 Jan 2015

KITTY HAWK AND THE CURSE OF THE YUKON GOLD.


KITTY HAWK AND THE CURSE OF THE YUKON GOLD (Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency #1) by IAIN READING.

SOURCE: Received for review from Kelsey McBride of Book Publicity Services.

BACK COVER BLURB: After deciding to spend her summer in Alaska studying humpback whales Kitty Hawk leaves her home in the western Californian fishing village of Tofino and finds herself caught up in an unforgettable adventure involving stolen gold, devious criminals, ghostly shipwrecks, and bone-chilling curses. As Kitty is caught up in an epic chase across the landscapes of the Klondile Gold Rush this riveting tale brings to glorious life the landscape and history of Alaska and Canada's Yukon.

FIRST SENTENCE {Prologue - Part One: Back where the entire adventure began}: As soon as the engine began to sputter, I knew that I was in real trouble.

MEMORABLE MOMENT {Page 102}: The dark and claustrophobic trees retreated back to where they belonged, and the air suddenly felt fresh and clean once again.

MY THOUGHTS: The first I what I believe is a series that now numbers some five books. Not very optimistic as to how much I'd enjoy this .... if I enjoyed it at all, I have to admit Kitty Hawk And The Curse Of The Yukon Gold proved itself a hit.

A quirky hybrid of travel, history and adventure, with a sweet romance and whales thrown in for good measure.

A wonderful role model, I loved Kitty and her habit of having conversations with herself ('the little voice in my head'), that I learned so much through her eyes.

I don't think its necessarily an easy task for an author to pull it off writing a story through the eyes of a character that is of another gender. Not only does Ian Reading do this with great aplomb but he also succeeds in capturing the voice of Kitty, a young woman, delightfully naive and yet resourceful, perfectly.


14 comments:

Kelly said...

I don't think this would really appeal to me now, but I believe I would have liked it as a younger teen.

I'm still trying to decide if I like the cover or not.

Suko said...

Tracy, wonderful review as usual. I'm so glad you enjoyed this book.

Shooting Stars Mag said...

It's great when authors can write the other gender so well, especially if it's first person. glad you liked this!

Alexia561 said...

I love that her name is Kitty Hawk! And while I don't think that this one's for me, it sounds like a lovely read.

Stephanie@Fairday's Blog said...

I love that you enjoyed this one so much more than you thought you would! Awesome! Thanks for sharing. :)

Melliane said...

Kitty sounds like a wonderful character to discover! thanks for the discovery!

Brian Joseph said...

This sounds like a really fun read. I like the whale connection two.

Men writing about, and in the voice of women is a very old and interesting topic of discussion. Some great writers have really flubbed this. I think some others have done a good job of it.

Stephanie Faris said...

It is a tough thing to write through the eyes of the opposite gender. Great to hear he pulled it off nicely. And I LOVE this cover!

Literary Feline said...

When I saw the title I immediately thought of the Wright brothers and their Kitty Hawk. I could tell from the cover and title though this wasn't about them. :-) This sounds like an interesting read.

The California Gold Rush was a big part of my early education given where I spent those years of my life. I'm not as familiar with the Klondile Gold Rush.

brandileigh2003 said...

Hmm, the unique mix of the book sounds interesting

Melissa (Books and Things) said...

Hm... I do think I know of someone who would really enjoy it. I need to send her here. :) Brilly review!

Unknown said...

This looks like a great book. Sounds like he pulled of the girl roll pretty well.

Betty Manousos said...

this sounds like a wonderful read. a book i'd really enjoy.

brilliant review as usual.
big hugs
xXx

Bo said...

Well, I do like travel and I do like Adventure, also history and whales. I also like that Kitty talks to herself, not that I know what that is like.

It does sound like it could be interesting, but light of the number of books I already own that I have to read, I can't see myself realistically picking this one up.

Great review, though!