Review of Blackwood by Gwenda Bond

On Roanoke Island, the legend of the 114 people who mysteriously vanished from the Lost Colony hundreds of years ago is just an outdoor drama for the tourists, a story people tell. But when the island faces the sudden disappearance of 114 people now, an unlikely pair of 17-year-olds may be the only hope of bringing them back.

Miranda, a misfit girl from the island’s most infamous family, and Phillips, an exiled teen criminal who hears the voices of the dead, must dodge everyone from federal agents to long-dead alchemists as they work to uncover the secrets of the new Lost Colony. The one thing they can’t dodge is each other.

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I was really excited to get a copy of this in the mail as I wasn't expecting it and I've heard many GOOD THINGS about it. I've been curious about the Roanoke Island mystery for a while now, so I was really curious to see where Gwenda would take it - and she certainly took it places I never would have imagined! The story starts off pretty quickly, getting us straight into the action with the missing people. It slows down after this, giving us a chance to meet Miranda and Phillips, who I hadn't realised had a voice in this when I read the blurb. We also have a chance to piece together clues and poof Phillips in the face with a museum piece of a gun.

The romance is not insta-love, in my humble opinion. You can see that Phillips and Miranda are attracted to each other - but you learn of their history and you can see that they always have held a candle for each other. Not literally - that would be weird. They have their moments when they miiiight be about to kiss and then they get interrupted or have to go save the island or something. They are a really cute couple though and I loved Phillips. 

It does get a tad too slow in places and although I appreciated the world building and the history and the meeting the characters and the getting to know the characters I wanted SOME ACTION. Flying cats and sheep, you know? Probably not so much with the sheep. The ending made it worth it as it was a lot of fun and had evil villains and cops and lots and lots of people and at times I wasn't quite sure what was going on but worked it out eventually. There was a really cliched 'I'm the evil villain that you guessed five chapters ago!' scene, unfortunately. Twice. But it was all good fun and I really looked forward to meeting - ooh spoilers! You'll have to go find out who the big bad is for yourself, my friends! 

Overall, it was a great read and one I highly recommend for fans of Paranormal Romance and Mystery! I am kinda hoping for a sequel as there was one thing at the end that wasn't cleared up, although I can guess what happened. I'm not sure where a sequel could go, but I'd really like one! 

4/5 

Received free from Strange Chemistry in exchange for an honest review