Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fresh and exciting approach to writing, June 28, 2005
Jessica is angry with her boring new hometown and the total unfairness of life in general. But she's especially angry with her parents. So what if she's been hanging out with so called troublemakers and getting her nose pierced? Is that reason enough to be yanked away from her friends and home to live on a secluded island named Lume in an ancient, rundown house that her mom had inherited?
According to her parents, yes, it's reason enough. And there's not a whole lot Jess can do about the situation. But she certainly isn't going to be happy about it, or talk to them about her day, and she definitely isn't going to help them with their projects. So when her dad asks her to fix up the coop in preparation for the chickens' arrival, and her mom assigns miles and miles of house rehabilitation chores, Jess decides it's time to disappear for a few hours.
That's when she discovers the mysterious cabin with the overgrown garden completely hiding it from view. Right away, Jess feels as if she's not alone there, that she's being watched. But despite the small case of the willies, this secluded cabin provides the perfect hideaway from her demanding parents. Besides, the cabin is intriguing with lots of ancient artifacts lying around, the comfortable hammock, and the interesting doorstep with the strange symbols etched on it.
But then things really start getting weird. Later on, Jess hears flute music calling her back to the cabin where she finds a journal entry by a boy written 100 years earlier. The boy writes about a dream he had, of a girl who wears pants and who lights a "lantern" at the flip of a switch. On the back of the entry, he has drawn a sketch of the strange dream girl, and Jess is shocked to see a drawing of herself! Then there are the mysteriously encoded messages, the three locked boxes, the ghost-like images fading in and out, and then to top it off, her mom starts behaving very strangely. And then there's the dark tower that has no doors or windows, being guarded by the four sinister stone gargoyles. Jessica is drawn right into the middle of this mysterious battle between good and evil, but will she be able to figure out whom to trust in time?
Author Christine Morton-Shaw takes a slightly different and fresh approach to arranging her story, alternating chapters of Jessica's diary entries with transcriptions of chat room visits. She weaves a fast-paced story full of mystery and action. Every chapter --- in fact, almost every page --- offers colorful excitement and attention-grabbing events. Readers will enjoy trying to solve the many riddles Morton-Shaw has planted throughout the story ---- that is, if they can stop turning the pages long enough to think through the clever conundrums. Prepare for an exciting adventure on the island of Lume with Jessica and her mysterious co-islanders!
--- Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman, author
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too, January 30, 2007
When she gets into some trouble at school, Jess's parents think they have the perfect solution: they'll move to Lume, an island in the middle of nowhere. She thinks there is absolutely nothing interesting about Lume--until she discovers a derelict old cottage. There's something creepy about the cottage--some sort of presence that Jess can't describe. It turns even weirder and scarier when that same presence shows up in her instant message conversations--with no record of it on her computer.
This ghostly being, whatever he is, is soon revealed to be the owner of the cottage. He calls himself Epsilon, and he is leading Jess on a dark sort of treasure hunt--where the treasure, if she solves his riddles properly, will be saving her mother.
The eerie quest mirrors that of Sebastian Wren, a boy who lived in the same house, and faced the same dangers, a hundred years ago. Can Jess succeed where Sebastian did not?
This supernatural mystery/fantasy is certainly a suspenseful page-turner, but, in the end, it is quite forgettable. It's a nice way to pass an afternoon. The best part of the story is the heart-pounding suspense! It's great for that, and it'll have you checking nervously over your shoulder at times. It's even good enough for me to want to look for more by Christine Morton-Shaw, but I might check it out of the library first rather than buying it.
Reviewed by: Jocelyn Pearce
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Horror, a Thriller and an Adventure, June 28, 2005
A Kid's Review
When Jess gets moved to the remote island of Lume, she isn't happy. She was with exciting friends, had gotten her nose pierced, and was looking forward to a great summer. Unfortunately, it was for these very reasons that parents chose to move. And when her parents force her to do chores around the house, Jess can't stand it. So she runs away to a mysterious ,rundown cabin to spend some time alone.
The cabin is the perfect place for a hideout, besides the facts that Jess feels she is watched, there are strange symbols on the doorstep, and she finds a bucket with the words "Epsilon" carved onto the base.
From there on out, Jess is caught into a whirlwind of adventure, action, betrayal, and the ever consistent battle of good-versus-evil. Made up of confusing riddles, spine tingling escapades, and fast-moving plot, Christine Morton-Shaw has written a horror, a thriller, and an adventure that is to captivate many.
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