With thanks to Sarah – Book on the Bright Side @BOTBSPublicity and @olympiapub for the blog tour.

BLURB

Some secrets are best kept hidden… and some are just too magical not to share. Teenagers, who unexpectedly acquire a vast collection of magical, mystical powers and abilities, find an ancient map. This map leads them on a quest for buried treasure to a mysterious island filled with hidden secrets, booby traps and a ruthless villain who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. What could possibly go wrong? A lot!

AUTHORS

B.J. Rowling, a native of England, is an author, screenwriter, producer and cousin of Harry Potter author J.K.Rowling. D.G. Lloyd is an American-Australian author, screenwriter, producer, actor and script coverage analyst.

DEDICATION

“We’re all misfits in one way or another. Our lives are an adventurous unfolding story, just like the lives of the main characters in ‘The Misfit Tribe’. Characters who D.G. Lloyd and I are hoping readers are able to relate to in some form or fashion, and with a bit of luck, are also inspired by. So, with that said, take a break, sit back, open the book and prepare youselves for a thrilling ride of mystical and magical misadventures.” – B.J. Rowling

REVIEW

‘The Misfit Tribe’ are a group of youngsters who are taken to Mackinac Island, where back in 1812 an attack of American soldiers happened by British and Indian forces. Their visit to the island, however, is not about visiting a memorial sight, but getting involved with a ‘Geocache Treasure Adventure’ for a large cash prize. Added to this outing is the previous discovery by J.J, (one of the younger Misfits) of some artefacts from their relative’s desk; these become vital and link to the supernatural elements that look set to become a part of this series.

So, we have mysterious objects, a group of engaging youngsters and an island setting. It’s not long until the children are joined together on a quest to solve the puzzles, defeat the chasing bad guys, find the treasure and find themselves along the way. J.J also needs to find the treasure to help his parents from losing their family home; he also needs to repair the relationship with his older brother. There’s a mix of personalities in the ‘tribe’, the aforementioned ‘at odds’ brothers, the tech savvy kid with the backpack of helpful items, the eating, annoying kid that gets caught up with the baddies and the love interest between the older brother with one of the misfit girls, amongst others.

It’s a puzzle adventure featuring a cast of teenage children with supporting adult roles around them. It has banter and bonding within the group as they are pulled together on a quest to find a hidden treasure. There’s a series of riddles to solve to get to the next step and these steps are fraught with challenge, threat and danger. There’s a nasty bad guy, who also has a nasty henchman sidekick – so the odds are even more stacked against them! There’s teen angst and romantic longings – and we watch the group form and bond then ultimately learn to understand and respect each other. The pacing is steady through with bursts of speed at moments of danger.

Okay, overall this book didn’t work for me personally, but hang on, let me explain… I always stress that reading is personal and subjective, that what I say may not matter at all to the next reader, and should not. I’m also, more importantly, not its target reader AND there’s also the fact I love ‘The Goonies’ and there were lots of similarities that I struggled to get past. The writing style is tell and not show, I could definitely feel the screenwriters’ vibe in the writing style, but personally I enjoy more descriptive narratives. So, these are very personal reasons why the book didn’t charm me. This does not mean it won’t be an enjoyable adventure for its target readership.

So, coming into this book with fresh, i.e. ‘non-Goonie eyes’ you’ll find the enjoyment of the puzzles, and the entertaining dialogue of the teenagers. I’m going to give it to my 12 year old niece to read to see what she thinks.

Overall, thanks so much for sending me a copy of this book and for the place on the blog tour. This is a puzzle, adventure story with mystical elements where a group of youngsters’ bond and become empowered with supernatural elements to create ‘The Misfit Tribe’.

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