Book Review and Exclusive Giveaway: Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold (Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency #1) by Iain Reading
Kitty Hawk and the
Curse of the Yukon Gold is
the thrilling first installment in a new young adult series of adventure
mystery stories by Iain Reading. This
first book of the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series introduces Kitty
Hawk, an intrepid teenage pilot with her own De Havilland Beaver seaplane and a
nose for mystery and intrigue. A cross between Amelia Earhart, Nancy Drew and
Pippi Longstocking, Kitty is a quirky young heroine with boundless curiosity
and a knack for getting herself into all kinds of precarious situations.
After leaving her home in the western
Canadian fishing village of Tofino to spend the summer in Alaska studying
humpback whales, Kitty finds herself caught up in an unforgettable adventure
involving stolen gold, devious criminals, ghostly shipwrecks, and bone-chilling
curses. Kitty’s adventure begins with the lingering mystery of a sunken ship
called the Clara Nevada. As the plot continues to unfold, this spirited story
will have readers anxiously following every twist and turn as they are swept
along through the history of the Klondike Gold Rush to a suspenseful final
climatic chase across the rugged terrain of Canada’s Yukon.
Canadian fishing village of Tofino to spend the summer in Alaska studying
humpback whales, Kitty finds herself caught up in an unforgettable adventure
involving stolen gold, devious criminals, ghostly shipwrecks, and bone-chilling
curses. Kitty’s adventure begins with the lingering mystery of a sunken ship
called the Clara Nevada. As the plot continues to unfold, this spirited story
will have readers anxiously following every twist and turn as they are swept
along through the history of the Klondike Gold Rush to a suspenseful final
climatic chase across the rugged terrain of Canada’s Yukon.
Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon
Gold is a perfect book to fire the
imagination of readers of all ages. Filled with fascinating and highly
Google-able locations and history this book will inspire anyone to learn and
experience more for themselves.
Book Review:
Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold had me interested right from the start when I read the blurb. The cover had me remembering my days of reading Nancy Drew. It is colourful and gives an impression like the book is fit for young adults or middle grade readers but as I proceeded with reading the book, I realized that this book doesn’t fall in one readers’ category. It can be read and enjoyed by anyone.
The first half is a bit slow but nevertheless entertaining and very informative. Kitty’s life in a small town, her parents’ very learning stories about the tribes, nature and then the information of humpback whales had me visualizing a life of adventure like Kitty’s and the thrill of watching the world while flying a plane!
The story with the mystery really picks up in the second part and really made me relive my Nancy Drew reading days.
The writing is simple and yet very vivid. Iain describes the small town of Tofino and then Alaska beautifully and was able to create a mental picture in my mind. The characters in the story are lovable people and ones I would love to meet someday.
The only thing that could have been done better was making the first part more crisp and the story pace more quick. The first part, being very slow, had me questioning if I had read the blurb correctly and if this really was a mystery because no hint is given to any puzzles and mysteries here. So one has to persevere and enjoy the slow pace while learning and experiencing Kitty life before the mystery finds her!
All in all, Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold is an entertaining book that I enjoyed reading. This is a cozy story about love, family, aspirations, dreams and a puzzling mystery that is best enjoyed reading at a leisured pace with biscuits and tea. 4 out of 5 to it from me and recommended to readers looking for a different story with mystery but also travel to the lands of snow, ice, humpback whales, native Indian tribes, gold rush and mysteries. I will surely be checking out the author’s other books in the series and wish him the best.
Gold is a perfect book to fire the
imagination of readers of all ages. Filled with fascinating and highly
Google-able locations and history this book will inspire anyone to learn and
experience more for themselves.
Book Review:
Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold had me interested right from the start when I read the blurb. The cover had me remembering my days of reading Nancy Drew. It is colourful and gives an impression like the book is fit for young adults or middle grade readers but as I proceeded with reading the book, I realized that this book doesn’t fall in one readers’ category. It can be read and enjoyed by anyone.
The first half is a bit slow but nevertheless entertaining and very informative. Kitty’s life in a small town, her parents’ very learning stories about the tribes, nature and then the information of humpback whales had me visualizing a life of adventure like Kitty’s and the thrill of watching the world while flying a plane!
The story with the mystery really picks up in the second part and really made me relive my Nancy Drew reading days.
The writing is simple and yet very vivid. Iain describes the small town of Tofino and then Alaska beautifully and was able to create a mental picture in my mind. The characters in the story are lovable people and ones I would love to meet someday.
The only thing that could have been done better was making the first part more crisp and the story pace more quick. The first part, being very slow, had me questioning if I had read the blurb correctly and if this really was a mystery because no hint is given to any puzzles and mysteries here. So one has to persevere and enjoy the slow pace while learning and experiencing Kitty life before the mystery finds her!
All in all, Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold is an entertaining book that I enjoyed reading. This is a cozy story about love, family, aspirations, dreams and a puzzling mystery that is best enjoyed reading at a leisured pace with biscuits and tea. 4 out of 5 to it from me and recommended to readers looking for a different story with mystery but also travel to the lands of snow, ice, humpback whales, native Indian tribes, gold rush and mysteries. I will surely be checking out the author’s other books in the series and wish him the best.
I received the book from the author and his publicity partners and I am very thankful to them. The above review is my honest and unbiased opinion and in no way influenced.
~Excerpt~
PROLOGUE – PART TWO
The Arctic
Trails Have Their Secret Tales
Trails Have Their Secret Tales
By the dancing dim light of the campfire, the group of men
surrounding me looked demonic—light and shadow played off their features and
made their faces seem lopsided and horrifically deformed. In such light every
scene appears monochromatic, with every detail rendered in shades of only black
and orange. True colors are sucked away, and objects are repainted in a hellish
tint that makes every face look like a jack-o-lantern and the world look like
something out of Dante’s Inferno.
surrounding me looked demonic—light and shadow played off their features and
made their faces seem lopsided and horrifically deformed. In such light every
scene appears monochromatic, with every detail rendered in shades of only black
and orange. True colors are sucked away, and objects are repainted in a hellish
tint that makes every face look like a jack-o-lantern and the world look like
something out of Dante’s Inferno.
“There you
go again,” the little voice inside my head nagged. “Always making
comparisons to books that you’ve never read.”
go again,” the little voice inside my head nagged. “Always making
comparisons to books that you’ve never read.”
“Shut
up,” I told myself. “This is hardly the time to be criticizing my
choice of literary references.”
up,” I told myself. “This is hardly the time to be criticizing my
choice of literary references.”
Besides, Dante
was writing about hell, wasn’t he? And the situation that I found myself in was
surely the closest thing to hell that I could possibly imagine.
was writing about hell, wasn’t he? And the situation that I found myself in was
surely the closest thing to hell that I could possibly imagine.
The tallest one
of the group walked over to get a better look at me. As he leaned in close,
some dark shadows flickered hideously across his face and eyes and caused me to
pull away in terror. I tried to push myself backward away from him, but it was
difficult, considering that I was sitting on the ground and my hands were bound
tightly behind my back. Every move that I made only pulled the binding tighter
and made my wrists scream in agony as the wire cut painfully into the skin.
of the group walked over to get a better look at me. As he leaned in close,
some dark shadows flickered hideously across his face and eyes and caused me to
pull away in terror. I tried to push myself backward away from him, but it was
difficult, considering that I was sitting on the ground and my hands were bound
tightly behind my back. Every move that I made only pulled the binding tighter
and made my wrists scream in agony as the wire cut painfully into the skin.
“I never
should have come out here,” I told myself as the tall one stood up again
and continued pacing back and forth, trying to figure out what to do with me.
How could I have been so stupid? What had I been thinking, hiking around a
deserted ghost town from the Yukon Gold Rush in the middle of the night?
should have come out here,” I told myself as the tall one stood up again
and continued pacing back and forth, trying to figure out what to do with me.
How could I have been so stupid? What had I been thinking, hiking around a
deserted ghost town from the Yukon Gold Rush in the middle of the night?
What made me
even stupider was the fact that ever since I had first set off on my foolish
quest, I’d felt a heavy, dark blackness filling every pore of the landscape.
But instead of turning back and going home, I had stubbornly dismissed it as
merely the dark shadow of the suffering and death that had occurred here so
long ago, when thousands of souls had passed through on their way to the empty
dreams of the Klondike gold fields. How many of those greedy fools had died
chasing after those empty dreams?
even stupider was the fact that ever since I had first set off on my foolish
quest, I’d felt a heavy, dark blackness filling every pore of the landscape.
But instead of turning back and going home, I had stubbornly dismissed it as
merely the dark shadow of the suffering and death that had occurred here so
long ago, when thousands of souls had passed through on their way to the empty
dreams of the Klondike gold fields. How many of those greedy fools had died
chasing after those empty dreams?
“I am no
better than them,” I thought. I was just as stubborn and foolish as they
had been, and now I was paying the price for it.
better than them,” I thought. I was just as stubborn and foolish as they
had been, and now I was paying the price for it.
“I hate to
say that I told you so,” the little voice in my head said.
say that I told you so,” the little voice in my head said.
“Yes, you
did,” I agreed. “But right now, that isn’t helping. Right now we have
to figure out how to get out of here, because these guys are a bunch of greedy
fools just like the rest of them, and who knows how far they’ll go to protect
the secret of their gold.”
did,” I agreed. “But right now, that isn’t helping. Right now we have
to figure out how to get out of here, because these guys are a bunch of greedy
fools just like the rest of them, and who knows how far they’ll go to protect
the secret of their gold.”
“What are
we going to do with her?” the man with dark blonde hair asked the tall
one, who was apparently their leader.
we going to do with her?” the man with dark blonde hair asked the tall
one, who was apparently their leader.
The tall one
thought about this for a moment, and there was a long silence, broken only by
the crackle of the nearby campfire. My fear of his answer made my heart pound
faster and faster.
thought about this for a moment, and there was a long silence, broken only by
the crackle of the nearby campfire. My fear of his answer made my heart pound
faster and faster.
“There’s
only one thing we can do with her,” he said slowly and
deliberately, his voice ice cold and emotionless.
only one thing we can do with her,” he said slowly and
deliberately, his voice ice cold and emotionless.
I was terrified
of what that meant, and as they continued to discuss my fate among themselves,
I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes and my breathing becoming
shallower and faster with every passing second.
of what that meant, and as they continued to discuss my fate among themselves,
I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes and my breathing becoming
shallower and faster with every passing second.
“I promise
not to tell anyone,” I thought, feeling completely helpless and
considering the option of begging them to let me go. “I will promise not
to go to the police if you just let me go free.”
not to tell anyone,” I thought, feeling completely helpless and
considering the option of begging them to let me go. “I will promise not
to go to the police if you just let me go free.”
“Don’t be
crazy,” the little voice in my head scolded. “They aren’t stupid. You
discovered their secret! You know about their stolen gold!”
crazy,” the little voice in my head scolded. “They aren’t stupid. You
discovered their secret! You know about their stolen gold!”
I remembered a
line from a poem that I’d learned back in high school—a poem about the Klondike
Gold Rush and the lengths that men were driven to by their greed and lust for
gold.
line from a poem that I’d learned back in high school—a poem about the Klondike
Gold Rush and the lengths that men were driven to by their greed and lust for
gold.
“The
Arctic trails have their secret tales,” the poem had said. “That
would make your blood run cold.”
Arctic trails have their secret tales,” the poem had said. “That
would make your blood run cold.”
That was exactly
how I felt at that moment—as though my blood was running cold. I had discovered
the secret tale that these men had tried to keep hidden, and now they had no
other choice. They couldn’t just let me go. They couldn’t trust me to keep
their secret. And now they had to deal with it. And that was the part that
terrified me.
how I felt at that moment—as though my blood was running cold. I had discovered
the secret tale that these men had tried to keep hidden, and now they had no
other choice. They couldn’t just let me go. They couldn’t trust me to keep
their secret. And now they had to deal with it. And that was the part that
terrified me.
The men continued
their discussion, and a sudden outburst from the tall one broke my train of
thought. The discussion had grown quite heated, and he’d finally put an end to
it by holding up his palm and cutting off the blonde one in mid-sentence.
their discussion, and a sudden outburst from the tall one broke my train of
thought. The discussion had grown quite heated, and he’d finally put an end to
it by holding up his palm and cutting off the blonde one in mid-sentence.
“There’s no
other way,” the tall one said simply.
other way,” the tall one said simply.
~Buying Links~
~About the Series~
There are
currently five books in the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series:
Book 1: Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold
Book 2: Kitty Hawk and the Hunt for Hemingway’s Ghost
Book 5: Kitty Hawk and the Mystery of the Masterpieces
currently five books in the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series:
Book 1: Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold
Book 2: Kitty Hawk and the Hunt for Hemingway’s Ghost
Amazon IN: Kindle Ebook
Book 3: Kitty Hawk and the Icelandic Intrigue
Amazon IN: Kindle Ebook
Book 4: Kitty Hawk and the Tragedy of the RMS Titanic
Book 5: Kitty Hawk and the Mystery of the Masterpieces
Amazon IN: Kindle Ebook
Each book can be read as a standalone.
“In the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series the
heroine finds herself in a new geographic location in each book. The series
will eventually have a total of 13 books in it (maybe more) and her flight
around the world will be completed in the end,” says Iain. “The books are
sequential but one could definitely read any of the later ones before
reading the earlier ones.”
heroine finds herself in a new geographic location in each book. The series
will eventually have a total of 13 books in it (maybe more) and her flight
around the world will be completed in the end,” says Iain. “The books are
sequential but one could definitely read any of the later ones before
reading the earlier ones.”
For more information, go to http://www.kittyhawkworld.com/
~About the
Author~
Author~
Iain Reading is passionate about Root Beer, music, and writing. He is
Canadian, but currently resides in the Netherlands working for the United
Nations.
Canadian, but currently resides in the Netherlands working for the United
Nations.
Iain is the author of the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series, The
Wizards of Waterfire Series, and the dragon of the month club. To learn more,
go to http://www.amazon.com/Iain-Reading/e/B00B0NGI6Q/
Wizards of Waterfire Series, and the dragon of the month club. To learn more,
go to http://www.amazon.com/Iain-Reading/e/B00B0NGI6Q/
Connect with Iain on Twitter and Goodreads.
~Giveaway~
Win 1 paperback of Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold by Iain Reading.
Open Worldwide.
Giveaway is excluisve to Njkinny’s World of Books & Stuff.
All the entries are mandatory. Please play fair. Entries will be checked while winner selection.
All the entries are mandatory. Please play fair. Entries will be checked while winner selection.
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I entered the giveaway hope I win 🙂
Nejoud @ NejoudIsCurrentlyReading
Thanks Nejoud..All the best 🙂