Author: Iain Reading
Published: April 2013 by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Category: Young Adult, Adventure

Following in the footsteps of her hero Amelia Earhart, Kitty Hawk sets off on an epic flight around the world and arrives in Iceland’s capital city of Reykjavik where she finds herself immersed in a beautiful alien world of volcanoes, Vikings, elves and trolls. Before she knows it Kitty is plunged head first into an amazing adventure that sweeps her across a rugged landscape where humans and nature exist in side-by-side in an uneasy truce and magical realms seem to lie just out of sight beneath the surface.

I received a free copy from Book Publicity Services in return for an honest review.

Kitty’s third stop on her round the world flight takes her to Iceland via short stopovers in a little town called Kitty Hawk (yes, really!) in North Carolina and Halifax, Nova Scotia with its very sad link to the Titanic. 

This girl is an adventure magnet and, being avidly curious and a keen amateur sleuth, finds herself caught up in an escalating and dangerous situation involving sabotaging environmentalists, corrupt officials and Russian criminals. Not to mention an erupting volcano and escaping a raging torrent.

As I passed over the Eastern coastline of Greenland, I was dazzled by the millions of white-blue icebergs littering the inlets and waters below me. In the bright sun, they sparkled like tiny diamonds and sapphires floating on the water. It was such an astonishingly beautiful sight that I couldn’t resist taking my trusty De Havilland Beaver down to a lower altitude for a closer look.

 

As with all of Kitty’s travels the description and sense of place is incredibly evocative. Iceland is an intriguing destination with it’s amazing surroundings and atmosphere. What I like so much about this series is that the actual places figure as much in the story as the characters. Especially with the wealth of knowledge that’s incorporated into the story, in a good way, as part of the whole. Who knew Iceland had a naming committee? Or that said (very long) names, and pronunciations in general, were so complicated and unlike anything you could imagine. Iceland is full of legend too, about elves, trolls and hidden people. Fascinating! I wasn’t so crazy about the Puffin hunting and the local delicacy of rotted shark meat though…ew.

Incorporating the Icelandic culture, environmental issues and history and weaving it into the story is extremely absorbing and entertaining. It’s a fun way to interest younger (and older) readers in the history of places in an anecdotal and less formal way. 

After feeling the starting chapters were a little slow (more interesting educationally than enjoyable entertainment) I found this adventure story quite enjoyable.  This second book serves my introduction to the Kitty Hawk series, a character I find I like, although I suspect it might have been more useful to begin at the beginning.

Lots of interesting information is embedded in the story which is courageous as that can very easily weigh a story down and reduce the fun.  I think the scales tip just in the right direction.  Pleasing characters and the pacing of the adventure keeps the reader's attention enough.

Started slowly, but getting more interested in the story now.