Doon by Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon

Book Details:

Author: Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon

Ages: 12+

Rating: 8/10

Number of Pages: 486

Plot: Veronica Welling’s life is not what it seems. Behind her popular cheerleader exterior, Veronica is forced to deal with an absent father, an unfaithful boyfriend and an unloving mother alone. On top of all of this, Veronica is now seeing a blonde boy in a kilt everywhere she turns and she is the only one who can see him. So when her best friend Mackenna Reid offers to whisk her away to Scotland for the summer, she cannot refuse. Unknown to them, they face a summer full of fantasy and adventure. Through old mystic possessions of Mackenna’s aunt, the girls discover the fantasy world of Doon – a magical kingdom that promises to fulfil the girls’ dreams. In addition to this new magical world, Veronica’s mystery stranger is not only there but a prince preparing to ascend the throne. Whilst Veronica tries to decipher whether she is destined to be with the prince, Mackenna must decide if she should follow her Broadway dreams or follow her heart and pursue a relationship with another prince. In a tale of friendship, fantasy and love, Veronica and Mackenna must work together to save their beloved new world and those they love.

Review: I was kindly given a complimentary copy of this novel from the publishers via BookLook Bloggers, and I was so excited to explore a whole new fantasy world. Corp and Langdon have created a magical fantasy world that is unique and loveable characters that are unlike any other. I loved how the authors chose to use Scotland as their backdrop as it was a lovely change from reading books that solely revolve around the US. As well as this, Corp and Langdon managed to depict the setting beautifully and created a memorable kingdom that could put other worlds to shame. Although I have never been to Scotland, the authors created a picturesque setting that make the reader feel as if they are really there.

"When things seem difficult and we’re tempted to doubt, we need to trust in what we can’t see.” – Prince Duncan

As well as this, I thought that the characters Corp and Langdon created were imaginative and the relationships realistic. I especially loved the friendship of Mackenna and Veronica. The relationship depicted between the girls was realistic and their contrasting personas, one a popular cheerleader and the other a Broadway lover, made their friendship even more relatable. In fact, Mackenna was probably one of my favourite characters in the book. Her determination to be an award winning actress and her protective nature towards her friend, made her, in my opinion, the most relatable character of the book. At times, I found that some of the characters were a bit cliché and lacked the same realness as Mackenna, especially Prince Duncan who, despite being an interesting character, was a little cheesy at times when it came to talking to Mackenna.

However, there were some aspects of the book that I didn’t fully invest in. I understand that the book was set in Scotland for the majority of the plot, but I found the constant use of Scottish colloquialisms a little hard to read. Yes, they made the plot more life-like but the extent to which they were used made the novel, in parts, drag. In addition to this, the story seemed to be unnecessarily long, for example the interactions between Veronica and Jaime were painfully slow. Despite this, I loved this book and I think that the authors have successfully created a fantasy world that is easy to fall in love with. The characters, although at times a little cliché, each had their own characteristics that made them unique and likeable. Corp and Langdon have successfully created a series that brings the magic and action of the Harry Potter series with the mystery and fantasy of the Chronicles of Narnia series. I can’t wait to delve into the rest of the Doon series and learn about the magical kingdom and its inhabitants.