This fall, members of the Vise Library are going back to school by participating in a Fall Reading Challenge. We have received copies of several books from publishers for honest reviews. We hope that you enjoy these reviews (and books)!
The book for our Theatre Studies 201 class is Destined for Doon by Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon.
About the book:
In this sequel to Doon, Mackenna Reid realizes she made a horrible mistake
in choosing to follow her dreams of Broadway instead of staying in the
enchanted land of Doon. To make everything worse, she's received her
Calling—proof she and Duncan are each other's one true love—and it's pure
torment, especially when visions of the very alluring Scottish prince appear
right before she goes on stage. So when Duncan tells her an ancient curse
threatens to overtake Doon and the new queen and Kenna’s best friend, Veronica,
needs her to return, Kenna doesn't have to think twice. With darkness closing
in on all sides, Kenna and Vee must battle a world of nightmares in order to
protect the kingdom. But it will take the ultimate test of courage for Kenna to
salvage her happily ever after.
So first things first, this is the second book of a four part series about the land of Doon. Even though this book is the second in the series, it is easy to catch up. I did not feel lost at any time. If you are interested in reading the first book (which I am starting it tonight!) then get your copy!
Doon is a land that is not accessible to just anyone. You either have to be born there or basically be called there for a specific job or purpose. It is an area in Scotland that is set in medieval times, but present day is still going on around it. Time does not move as fast in Doon as it does in the real world. For instance, one of the main characters, Mackenna, is called back to Doon. She has been living in Chicago for a year, but in Doon time she has only been gone 2 1/2 months. I hope I explained that well and didn't confuse you! Anyways, Mackenna left Doon to pursue her dreams as a theater actress. She regrets leaving, because she fell in love with one of Doon's princes, Duncan while she was there previously. Duncan was supposed to join her in the modern world, but she decided that she couldn't let him do that. She felt that he belonged in Doon and felt it would be selfish to keep him from there for her. Duncan appears to her at times, but it's only a vision. There is one time that he appears in her dressing room after a show and instead of a vision, it is really him. He has traveled to see her, in a way (there are ways to travel in and out of Doon). He tells her that Kenna's best friend, Veronica (who is from the modern world, but decided to stay in Doon and is the queen there), has asked Duncan to bring Kenna to the kingdom. The kingdom has something evil that is cursing Doon. Through their travels to Doon, Kenna wants to apologize to Duncan, but he is very cold towards her. She wants to explain the reasons she left to him, but he does not seem to want to hear it.
Veronica has her own set of problems. Some of the people in Doon do not believe in her as their queen. With the curse that is growing, her boyfriend, Jamie (who is Duncan's brother and the other prince of Doon), appears to not have faith in her as a queen. She feels like he is making decisions about the kingdom without her. When Kenna and Duncan finally make it back to Doon, it is apparent that Kenna is meant to help. She can see things about the curse that no one else can. Through research the two of them figure out that the curse has happened before. They have to go on a few adventures to figure out how and what will stop the curse. In the meantime, there is the growing tension surrounding Kenna and Duncan. They have to appear to be in love so that none of the townspeople question why she is back. The queen and her advisers did not want to tell the townspeople about the evil until they found a solution. However, this arrangement is a little tought because it appears that Duncan has been spending a lot of time with one of the new residents of Doon, Analise. Kenna wonders if her chance with Duncan is over, despite the fact that they have a Calling (it's basically a sign or that they were meant to be together) that goes deeper than she originally realized. She decides that in order to let Duncan move on with Analise, she must leave again if she is able to help stop the curse.
The good about this book: EVERYTHING!!!!!! The characters are great. I love Kenna's sense of humor and Veronica's kindness. The minor characters in this book are fun too. I love the setting and premise behind this story. I loved how Veronica and Kenna tried to incorporate things from the modern world into Doon. For instance Veronica has maxi dresses made so that she has something comfortable to wear and Kenna brings Veronica a solar battery pack so that Veronica can listen to her iPod. Everything about this book is described so well that I feel like I can picture Doon myself. Just such a vivid story! It kept me entertained and I liked the little things/missions that Kenna and Veronica had to complete in order to try to stop the limbus. I also like the way that Kenna had to learn about forgiving herself and letting that go. As the reader, you learn that not only does Kenna feel like she let Duncan down, but someone else (I won't say who!) has to deal with the fact that they felt like they had abandoned Kenna a long time ago. I think any age would enjoy this book. It's not too dark and does not really deal with anything "mature." At the same time, this book is very entertaining and enjoyable and has a little bit of good versus evil to it. I have a new series to enjoy and cannot wait to start the first book to learn more about Doon and how the two main characters stumbled upon this world. Some books that have co-authors do not seem to flow very well, but that is not the case in this book. Even though the two girls in the book have their own personalities, they go together. The book flows and you do not feel like you are reading two different books in the same story!
The bad: NOTHING! Well, except the fact that it will be another year until the third book comes out. :( I do have a question for Carey and Lorie...what in the world do Duncan and Jamie fight about at the last ball????????????????????????? I AM DYING TO KNOW!!!!!!!!!! Seriously.
Doon is a land that is not accessible to just anyone. You either have to be born there or basically be called there for a specific job or purpose. It is an area in Scotland that is set in medieval times, but present day is still going on around it. Time does not move as fast in Doon as it does in the real world. For instance, one of the main characters, Mackenna, is called back to Doon. She has been living in Chicago for a year, but in Doon time she has only been gone 2 1/2 months. I hope I explained that well and didn't confuse you! Anyways, Mackenna left Doon to pursue her dreams as a theater actress. She regrets leaving, because she fell in love with one of Doon's princes, Duncan while she was there previously. Duncan was supposed to join her in the modern world, but she decided that she couldn't let him do that. She felt that he belonged in Doon and felt it would be selfish to keep him from there for her. Duncan appears to her at times, but it's only a vision. There is one time that he appears in her dressing room after a show and instead of a vision, it is really him. He has traveled to see her, in a way (there are ways to travel in and out of Doon). He tells her that Kenna's best friend, Veronica (who is from the modern world, but decided to stay in Doon and is the queen there), has asked Duncan to bring Kenna to the kingdom. The kingdom has something evil that is cursing Doon. Through their travels to Doon, Kenna wants to apologize to Duncan, but he is very cold towards her. She wants to explain the reasons she left to him, but he does not seem to want to hear it.
Veronica has her own set of problems. Some of the people in Doon do not believe in her as their queen. With the curse that is growing, her boyfriend, Jamie (who is Duncan's brother and the other prince of Doon), appears to not have faith in her as a queen. She feels like he is making decisions about the kingdom without her. When Kenna and Duncan finally make it back to Doon, it is apparent that Kenna is meant to help. She can see things about the curse that no one else can. Through research the two of them figure out that the curse has happened before. They have to go on a few adventures to figure out how and what will stop the curse. In the meantime, there is the growing tension surrounding Kenna and Duncan. They have to appear to be in love so that none of the townspeople question why she is back. The queen and her advisers did not want to tell the townspeople about the evil until they found a solution. However, this arrangement is a little tought because it appears that Duncan has been spending a lot of time with one of the new residents of Doon, Analise. Kenna wonders if her chance with Duncan is over, despite the fact that they have a Calling (it's basically a sign or that they were meant to be together) that goes deeper than she originally realized. She decides that in order to let Duncan move on with Analise, she must leave again if she is able to help stop the curse.
The good about this book: EVERYTHING!!!!!! The characters are great. I love Kenna's sense of humor and Veronica's kindness. The minor characters in this book are fun too. I love the setting and premise behind this story. I loved how Veronica and Kenna tried to incorporate things from the modern world into Doon. For instance Veronica has maxi dresses made so that she has something comfortable to wear and Kenna brings Veronica a solar battery pack so that Veronica can listen to her iPod. Everything about this book is described so well that I feel like I can picture Doon myself. Just such a vivid story! It kept me entertained and I liked the little things/missions that Kenna and Veronica had to complete in order to try to stop the limbus. I also like the way that Kenna had to learn about forgiving herself and letting that go. As the reader, you learn that not only does Kenna feel like she let Duncan down, but someone else (I won't say who!) has to deal with the fact that they felt like they had abandoned Kenna a long time ago. I think any age would enjoy this book. It's not too dark and does not really deal with anything "mature." At the same time, this book is very entertaining and enjoyable and has a little bit of good versus evil to it. I have a new series to enjoy and cannot wait to start the first book to learn more about Doon and how the two main characters stumbled upon this world. Some books that have co-authors do not seem to flow very well, but that is not the case in this book. Even though the two girls in the book have their own personalities, they go together. The book flows and you do not feel like you are reading two different books in the same story!
The bad: NOTHING! Well, except the fact that it will be another year until the third book comes out. :( I do have a question for Carey and Lorie...what in the world do Duncan and Jamie fight about at the last ball????????????????????????? I AM DYING TO KNOW!!!!!!!!!! Seriously.
Buy the book:
·
Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/1lhJVUg
·
Amazon Hardcover: http://amzn.to/1pL8F7k
About the authors:
Carey
Corp
lives in the metropolitan Midwest with her loveable yet out-of-control family.
Carey wrote her first book at the age of seven, and currently begins each
morning consuming copious amounts of coffee while weaving stories that capture
her exhaustive imagination. She harbors a voracious passion (in no consistent
order) for mohawks, Italy, musical theater, chocolate, and Jane Austen. Carey’s
debut novel for teens, The Halo
Chronicles: The Guardian, earned her national recognition as 2010 Golden
Heart finalist for best young adult fiction and was recently featured at the
2012 RT Booklovers Convention in Chicago in YA Alley.
Lorie
Langdon has over ten years of experience writing online and print
advertising for a Fortune 500 company, and left her thriving corporate career
to satisfy the voices in her head. Now as a full-time author and stay-at-home
mom, she spends her summers editing poolside while dodging automatic water-gun
fire, and the rest of the year tucked into her cozy office, Havanese puppy by
her side, working to translate her effusive imagination into the written word
and continue to build the young-adult-focused blog, HonestlyYA.
Connect with the
authors:
Carey Corp:
·
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1qqj0BL
·
Twitter: https://twitter.com/careycorp
·
Website: http://www.doonseries.com/
·
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1pez6SL
Lorie Langdon:
·
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1nagUFl
·
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LorieLangdon
·
Website: http://www.lorielangdon.com/
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1AyddRT
If you want to find out more about the Fall Reading Challenge and the rest of our course schedule, click our student ID above!
Jamie confronts Duncan about his Calling with Kenna. And if D is too stubborn to admit the truth, then he'll tell K what a miserable wreck D has been...pining away, avoiding the lake, etc. Duncan snaps and hits him; he's still worried Kenna will run if he comes on too strong.
ReplyDeleteAlso thank you for the great review. It's a great birthday present!
ReplyDeleteYou are awesome! Thanks so much for letting me know. I thought it was something along those lines, but wasn't 100% sure. You rock for replying! Also happy birthday. Congrats on such a great book! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to the first book! :)
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