Title: Doon (Doon #1)
Author: Carey Corp, Lorie Langdon
Release date: August 20, 2013
Publisher: Zondervan
Pages: 368
Source: ALA
Reading level: YA
Challenge(s): None
Veronica doesn’t think she’s going crazy. But why can’t anyone else see the mysterious blond boy who keeps popping up wherever she goes? When her best friend, Mackenna, invites her to spend the summer in Scotland, Veronica jumps at the opportunity to leave her complicated life behind for a few months.
But the Scottish countryside holds other plans.
Not only has the imaginary kilted boy followed her to Alloway, she and Mackenna uncover a strange set of rings and a very unnerving letter from Mackenna’s great aunt—and when the girls test the instructions Aunt Gracie left behind, they find themselves transported to a land that defies explanation. Doon seems like a real-life fairy tale, complete with one prince who has eyes for Mackenna and another who looks suspiciously like the boy from Veronica’s daydreams. But Doon has a dark underbelly as well. The two girls could have everything they’ve longed for…or they could end up breaking an enchantment and find themselves trapped in a world that has become a nightmare.
Doon wasn’t really on my radar until I went to ALA. A few bloggers that I talked to were really excited about it so I decided to pick up a copy and check it out. While it was a fun, entertaining read, I really didn’t love it like I’d hoped and it was a bit of a disappointment.
First off I will say this, the writing is great. That’s what originally hooked me. I started reading the first few pages just to check it out and I couldn’t really stop. I wasn’t all that invested in the characters or the story but the writing made me keep reading. That’s definitely one area where I was not disappointed with Doon.
However, things kind of went downhill from there. Veronica and MacKenna really didn’t appeal to me. I didn’t care what happened to them, one way or the other. They weren’t bad characters but they just weren’t anything special. They didn’t have personalities that made them stand out to me. Also, while most of the story is told from Veronica’s point-of-view, there are some chapters from MacKenna’s. Normally that doesn’t bother me but in this instance I was a little confused at times. I’d forget whose point-of-view I was reading from. They were too similar to me and after a while they just kind of blended together.
The guys were nothing special either. Jamie and Duncan were kind of stuck-up. Jamie was a total jerk from the start and Duncan was just a little too perfect. And once Jamie got past his mean phase, he became perfect too. I’m sorry, but I need some flaws with my love interests. These two were just a little too cheesy for me. Some of the lines they used just made me crack up.
The story itself was fun but kind of predictable. I would have liked a little more mystery surrounding the witch. It was actually pretty easy to tell who it was from the first time you met her. Also, Veronica believed everything just a little too easily. I feel like modern girls wouldn’t just automatically believe in this hidden kingdom and a fairy tale love. I don’t know though, maybe that’s just me.
I also felt that the book could have been a little shorter. I felt like there was a lot of unnecessary things thrown in, more for filler than anything else. The book just started dragging because of that.
Overall, Doon is an okay start to this series. I’m not sure that I’ll be reading the second book but I’d still recommend this one if it sounds like something you’ll enjoy.
What others are saying about Doon:
All Things Urban Fantasy’s review: “While not perfect, once I got settled in, DOON was enjoyable and fun, with a very satisfying true love and goodness triumph over evil plot-line, not to mention more references to musical theater than I could count!”
Fire and Ice’s review: “The voice, the beautiful setting and pacing come together along with awesome characters to make an unforgettable story.”
Series:
Doon (#1)
I generally stay away from Zondervan. I’ve had really bad luck with their titles in the past and they mostly (exclusively?) publish Christian-themed titles, which are SO NOT up my alley. I haven’t even heard of this book before reading your review. Thanks for sharing your honest thoughts 🙂 At least now I know not to bother with it if I ever come across this title somewhere 🙂
This book sounds like something I might enjoy between other books. Nothing too special, so it’s not high on my list 🙂 Great review!
Mel@thedailyprophecy.
The cover is sooooo beautiful. Haven’t read many great things about the story though. Such a shame!
I have an egalley from Netgalley of Doon, and I was initially excited because I think I heard it is a retelling of Brigadoon. I will give it a shot, but I’m going to keep my expectations from getting too high.
That’s a shame that the characters didn’t stand out – that really ruins a book for me.
Thanks for your honest thoughts! Great review 🙂
So it wasn’t just me. It was a perfect premise but I agree, it went downhill. *snaps* Almost there. I am also not sure whether I’m going to read the second book.
I think it’s based on another story or musical or something, so it’s interesting to see it in novel form!
It’s frustrating when narrator voices don’t differ in any way, because they should and that’s how you can live through the story in a different perspective.
Too bad the boys weren’t as swoony as we want them to be!!