Review: Island Sting by Bonnie J. Doerr

Island Sting by Bonnie J. Doerr


My rating: 8.5/10.0
Publisher: Leap Books
Publish Date: January 6, 2010
Paperback


My Review:


A very interesting mystery novel focusing on one girls' quest to help protect the wildlife on the small island that has become her new home.

Island Sting is a fun young adult read paired with a mystery that is solved by the teenagers involved. Kenzie has just moved down to Big Pine Key and on her first day there gets involved with a local boy and a mystery of who is harming the local deer population. Focusing on a real problem in a real area of the Florida Keys makes this book even more interesting. Kenzie and Angelo make good characters, though we never learn a lot about them. Maggie, Kenzie's mom also plays a small role. Her and Kenzie have a typical mother/daughter teenage relationship - one moment fine, the next moment at odds. Maggie wants the best for Kenzie and wants to protect her, while Kenzie is impulsive and acts without thinking.

The mystery is simple but interesting. I kept guessing through the book and the author does a good job at throwing suspicion in different directions. The plot moves quickly and comes to a satisfying conclusion. I look forward to more books in this series to get to know the characters better.

I think my one minor complaint and the reason I knocked points off of my rating was that there were a lot of different characters that made brief appearances here and there through the book and when they would come back I would be slightly confused on who was who. But that may just be me. I think overall this is a very enjoyable book and well-worth the few hours of reading time I spent. It has a feel-good element to it while still be realistic and that makes it great in my opinion.  

Rating Breakdown:
Characterization:    1.5/2.0
Plot:                     1.5/2.0
Writing:                 1.75/2.0
Attention-holding:   0.75/1.0
Ending:                  1.0/1.0
Believable:             1.0/1.0
Genre:                  1.0/1.0    
Rating:                8.5/10.0

About the Book:

Kenzie Ryan's New York know-how and private girls' academy education prove useless in the middle of an island wildlife refuge.

Upon arrival in the exotic Florida Keys, she is thrown into the midst of an ecological mystery involving the endangered Florida Key deer. How can she navigate this upside down world? A world deftly maneuvered by Angelo--island native and nerve-wracking hunk. The two team up to accomplish what perplexes law enforcement, but Angelo exposes Kenzie's insecurities, as well as her inexperience with nature and the opposite sex.

Danger and disagreement follow the pair wherever they go. Enamored with Angelo and his local savvy, Kenzie hopes to secure his loyal friendship. But how can she win Angelo's trust when what she must tell him will crush his ego?

***I received this book for review through Around the World Tours***