When Time Stands Still
by Diane Martin
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GENRE: Children's fantasy/mystery
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BLURB:
Three siblings, Megan, Nicholas, and Brooke, think they are going
on an uneventful family vacation. They couldn't be more wrong! They find themselves
investigating the mysterious disappearance, many years ago, of their
great-great-uncle Jack.
After
being spirited away to a foreign land, the siblings wonder if they will ever
solve the case, let alone get home again. Back at camp, where time stands
still, their baby brother Tanner just might have found the missing piece that
unlocks an old family mystery.
“When
Time Stands Still” became an Amazon.ca Best Seller reaching #1 on the Mysteries
& Detective Stories for children chart (December 2022).
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Excerpt One:
It’s one of the best times of the year! Days of sunshine and
freedom await. School was finally out, and the summer holidays were begging for
a bit of adventure and lazy days. Every year for Megan, Nicholas, Brooke, and
Tanner, their escapades and respite took place while camping at Rainbow Falls
with their parents for a couple of weeks. It was a long drive there, about four
hours; however, the kids didn’t mind because they always had such a great time
there. Mom’s family has been travelling to this particular site for many generations,
and the kids could understand why! There was so much to explore. Their special
camping place was a semi-secluded location set in the mountains with an
abundance of colourful wildflowers and a wide variety of wildlife. But before
they could go, there was much to be done. “Brooke, that’s mine!” Megan snapped,
snatching the little photo book from her younger sister’s petite hands and
causing a photograph to fall out. Anger was starting to bubble inside Megan,
and her deep blue eyes seemed to turn almost black. Her tanned skin transformed
to a rosy red as she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and continued to
pack, praying Brooke would go away.
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Review: Megan and her siblings were on their way to their family’s magical camping place. Unfortunately, things were delayed due to a long packing chore and a lot of sibling quarreling. Finally, they were on the road, where their mom tells them a story of a family mystery—the strange disappearance of Uncle Jack and what his younger sister, Hazel, was keeping inside. Ah, intrigue!
The narrative was nice and easy, but rather long with dialogue that seemed redundant. With all the bantering and bickering, the story takes a while to progress. Pondering the mystery of their uncle, the kids eventually venture off into the woods, where the scenery gets lusher and more descriptive. Little clues lead to wild theories among them. Soon, the kids run into some scary and odd situations.
This was pretty interesting, although it wasn’t always clear what was going on. It was mostly a lot of dialogue. I liked the B/W sketches. It did have some good action and magical scenes.
Overall, this was a fairly nice read with a touch of magic and mystery.
Rating:
3 stars
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Diane
Martin currently lives in Ontario, Canada, with her husband, Fab, along with
two of their children, Brooke and Tanner. They have two Yorkie-poos named Cups
and Chewie as well. Megan and Nicholas are all grown up and currently live in
Alberta, Canada. The series Medallion Mysteries was born out of Diane's love
for reading stories to her children when they were young. She also enjoys a
great mystery! Her children were the inspiration for writing and they appear in
the series.
Diane
hopes her writing will encourage all children to use their imaginations and
create their own stories!
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/when-time-stands-still-diane-martin/1142870929
https://www.amazon.com/When-Stands-Still-Diane-Martin/dp/0228855365
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GIVEAWAY
Diane Martin will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN
GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteGreat excerpt and giveaway. :)
ReplyDeleteLooks like a very interesting book.
ReplyDeleteGreat review!! Sounds like an interesting read!!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a very intriguing read.
ReplyDelete