Review + Giveaway: Silence

This is my stop for the novella in the Lakeview series by Stacey R. Campbell. This is a young adult mystery series. The tour runs August 3-14 with reviews, interviews, guest posts and excerpts. Check back each day this week for my review of the next book in the series, and the tour schedule for all the other good stuff going on.

Title: Silence
Author: Stacey R. Campbell
Publisher: Green Darner Press
Release Date: May 2015
Length: 65 pages
Series?: The Lakeview Series #2.5
Genre: YA, mystery

Find the book: Goodreads | Amazon

Searching for the answers about the father she never knew, Blakely Henry, now Queen of Tamura, takes her family on a cross-country adventure through the hill towns of Southern France.

* Review *

The Skinny

This is a short novella between books 2 and 3 in the series. Blakely, the older Henry sister, is the main character. The location is back in Tamura as the Queen Blakeley discovers information about her biological father that was exiled from Tamura by her grandfather, the King, nearly 20 years before.

The Players

Blakely Henry – the long-lost Cosimo heir; now Queen of Tamura, attending St. Andrews; wants to track down her biological father

Halle Henry – Blakely’s younger sister; just finished her first year at the Canadian Lakeview Academy (which Blakely also attended) and arrived in Tamura

Lili and Graham Henry – the girls’ parents; they reside in Tamura and take care of Blakely’s duties while she is away at school

Lord Duncan Girard – private secretary for the Blakely’s grandfather, King Edward of Tamura; now serves in the same capacity for Blakely; he is like an uncle to the family

This installment in the series again shows the close bonds of the Henry family and the love they have for one another. This was evident in the first book as well, but I feel like this short novella gave a more intimate look into the family now that some time has passed.

First Impressions

I wasn’t sure what to expect out of this novella because it was so short, but I liked the idea of Blakely continuing to look for her biological father. I just wasn’t sure what she’d find…and if I’d cry.

Second Thoughts

What I liked about this novella is it gave a little more insight into the country of Tamura. There have already been two full-length books, but not a whole lot about the country before.

The narrow country of Tamura lay cradled between France, Italy and Monaco and stretched from the Mediterranean Sea to the Alps, sharing its northern border with Switzerland. It tool less than forty minutes by car to cross the western border into France from the capital city of San Lucio.

This gives me a better picture of the fictional country of Tamura. It seems that King Edward handled the disappearance of her father on his own and did a pretty good job of it. The title is aptly named.

The Henry family is hot on the trail of the latest information that Duncan has provided for them, and it leads them to a postal box in South France. From there, the Henrys are on their own.

I was relieved that I didn’t cry. Although the outcome was not what I as a reader wanted, it was still an authentic and realistic outcome. Blakely learns what she so desperately needs in order to move forward.

Since this was a novella, the plot pacing was incredibly fast and perhaps slightly contrived in the beginning, but there was still plenty of background information outlined in the first few chapters for those reading this as a standalone.

I believe that Blakely is trying to make things right within in Tamura – for the country, for the royal family’s lineage, and for herself. I love that kind of character, and her family is incredibly down to earth. This is a great short and quick read.

* About the Author *

Stacey R. Campbell lives in the San Juan Islands with her husband and three daughters. She is a graduate of the University of Washington and a dyslexic writer that believes there is no such thing as a bad reader. She is the author of the young adult novels Hush, Whisper, Silence & Scream and the highly acclaimed middle grade swashbuckling Pirate book ARRGH!

When not at her desk writing she can be found hiking, sailing, or skiing. She enjoys chocolate in any shape or size, too many cups of coffee and laughing (often too loudly as her daughters say) with her friends and family.

Stacey is available for classroom visits via Skype and loves working with writers and readers of any age; especially those with learning disabilities like her own.

Find the author: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads