Reviewed by Kate

When I received “The Moonstone Legacy” by Tony Wild and Diana de Gunzburg I have to be honest and say I didn’t have high aspirations for it. The cover was dark and gloomy looking and with the blurb sounding like another vampire related novel I settled down expecting nothing new. What can I say? I was blown away. This little novel is a hidden gem (those who have read it excuse the pun), it has absolutely everything anyone could ask for, there’s suspense, drama, tragedy and romance.

Lizzy Abercrombie is a courageous and funny 14 year old with a relatively ordinary life, going to school and living with her father in the lodge house of her Uncle William’s inherited Shalimar, an Indian inspired mansion in Yorkshire, and desperately trying to avoid her cousins “The Sams”. The enchantingly beautiful Shalimar was built by her ancestor George Abercrombie inspired by his travels around India during the British reign; however soon after finishing it he mysteriously disappeared. After her mother’s death Lizzy starts to hear rumours of a family curse; the Moonstone curse, and convinced that her mother’s death is no longer an accident she determines to find the cause of the curse. Her incredible journey takes her from the moors of Yorkshire to the mountains of India and she makes true friends and cold-blooded enemies along the way to finding out the truth behind her ancestor George Abercrombie and the dreaded Moonstone curse.

The plot line itself is very good, there are many twists and turns, most you don’t see coming and the short chapters make it very addictive reading! The parts on India are very well written, Tony Wild and Diana de Gunzburg show their experience of the country, being able to write about the way of life with confidence from the aspect of a culture shocked 14 year old is skilful to say the least. Lizzy herself as a character is very confident, despite her tragic past, and although at parts some of her sayings can be a little clichéd, it is very difficult not to warm to her. She is, in turn, surrounded by a troupe of family and friends who are genuinely lovely, from her permanently bewildered father, to her friends Josh and Ravi. All the characters are well written and well covered, although in parts I would have liked a little bit more on Shankar Pujari and a bit more on his history. To be honest I struggled to find something truly bad in “The Moonstone Legacy” to comment on, I think it is a brilliant novel and apart from a few niggly little bits it is a very good book. No doubt by the time the rest of the trilogy is released these will no longer exist anyway.

“The Moonstone Legacy” by Tony Wild and Diana de Gunzburg is a lovely little book that I think should be on everyone’s bookshelf and I for one will be eagerly awaiting the next two instalments of Lizzy’s story!

Today we’re participating in the Moonstone Legacy book tour and here is the complete schedule: We’ll be reviewing the first book in the trilogy later on today so check back for that!

Alma Bloggerel http://www.bloggerel.com 25^th May

Lizzy’s Literary Life http://lizzysiddal.wordpress.com 27^th May

Marjoleinbookblog http://marjoleinbookblog.blogspot.com 31^st May

Pretty Little YA Books http://teen.chicklitreviews.com 1^st June

Writing from the Tub http://carlybennett.blogspot.com 3^rd June

J’adore www.jadorebooks.blogspot.com 5^th June

The Truth About Lies http://jim-murdoch.blogspot.com 7^th June

Once upon a Bookcase http://onceuponabookcase.blogspot.com 8^th June

Narratively Speaking http://narrativelyspeaking.blogspot.com 10^th June

So Many Books, So Little Time http://solittletimeforbooks.blogspot.com 11^th June

Magic Bean Review http://magicbeanreview.wordpress.com 14^th June

Nayu’s Reading Corner http://nayusreadingcorner.blogspot.com 15^th June

Bookbabblers http://bookbabblers.co.uk 16^th June

Book Reviews by Sarah http://bookreviewsbysarah.blogspot.com 17^th June