I give Book one and Book two 4 out of 5 stars.
Synopses for all three
books:
Book One – The Night
Watchman Express
Miriam Pearson’s father has died. Her guardians, The Marchpanes,
take over her house and her father’s company. The strong-willed girl instantly
clashes with their son, Simon. The Marchpanes hire a governess, Mana, to take
care of her. Mana is black, and has magic powers. She and Miriam eventually
become friends. With Simon and Neil, his friend, they uncover a plot by the
sinister Barbara Cantwell to use Miriam’s father’s company for evil
means. Barbara is very beautiful, and at first, Simon is very attracted
to her.
Once Barbara realizes that Miriam and Mana are on to her scheme,
she forces the guardians to fire the governess. Mana is hustled out of
the house by the Marchpanes, but Miriam, Neil and Simon follow her to the Night
Watchman Express. However, Miriam and Simon are captured and put on the
Night Watchman, bound for a sinister destination. Mana is loaded onto a boat
headed to Big Star Island.
Neil manages to steal a boat and follow Mana’s captors to the
island. A native girl, Riki, rescues him and brings him to her house. She
is spoiled and her mother has no control over her, but Neil manages to become
her friend. Her father forces him to stay with the family so Neil can be
Riki’s companion and manage her wild behavior.
Neil learns about Atol, the king of the island, who seized power
after the last monarch was killed. Atol is plotting with Barbara Cantwell to
force the islands to produce drugs instead of bolemor wood, and he is also
shipping his people out for use in human experiments. Neil discovers that
Mana is the rightful queen of the island, and is being held by Atol. Neil and
Riki manage to rescue Mana, and they head back to the mainland to look for
Simon and Miriam.
Book Two – Devil’s Kitchen
Miriam and Simon are imprisoned on the Night Watchman Express,
heading for the Devil’s Kitchen. It is a huge, dirty factory where the
prisoners process the drug imported from the island. Simon tries to fight
the guards and is hauled away to a huge, strange house belonging to Barbara
Cantwell.
Miriam is forced to live in a cell and work underground under the
fearsome Headmistress and Headmaster, who run the factory. Meanwhile, Mana and
Neil arrive and start searching for their friends.
Simon wakes up in Barbara’s house and undergoes torture. He
manages to gain her trust by pretending to be on her side. Eventually he
is rescued by Mana. Miriam is about to be punished by the Headmistress and
Headmaster when Mana and Simon arrive and rescues her. Barbara tries to
kill Mana but is foiled by Simon.
Mana regains her kindgdom, and Miriam regains her home and future
control of her father’s business.
Book Three – The
Lamplighter’s Special
Miriam, Simon, Neil, and Riki reunite on Lampala for the summer
holiday. They are happy to be together but wonder what has happened to Neil’s
family.
Neil’s sisters, short-sighted Lizzie and beautiful Ninna, are
forced to work in the Manor House to help take care of new guests.
The guest arrives, a lovely lady called Miss Wilkinsl. She and her
brother have a mysterious obsession with the Crown Phoenix.
Lizzie meets Toby, the oldest son who cannot leave the attic. They
become friends. Lizzie is also forced to work in Miss Cantwell’s rooms, where
the dresser, Siddons, tortures her with violence and overwork. Siddons locks
Lizzie in a room, and Toby finally emerges from his attic to rescue Lizzie.
Toby fixes The Crown Phoenix.They all board a ship called The
Lamplighter’s Special and sail to the island. On the way, the typewriter works
some strange magic and they arrive in a matter of hours instead of weeks.
Lizzie, Ninna, Toby and Priam discover there is a person hidden
below deck in the boat.
Miss Cantwell takes the four children to the island and strands
them there. They are rescued by Miriam, Neil, and Mana.
Miss Cantwell threatens to blow up the islands with the Crown
Phoenix. She is captured. The rest return to the boat and head back to England,
but Toby’s agoraphobia returns.
About the Author
Alison
DeLuca grew up on an organic farm in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Her parents were British, so in the summers
she went to stay with her grandparents near Dublin.
There
was no stereo or TV there, so Alison, her sister, and her cousins spent the
summer inventing stories and plays for each other. “This gave me the ability to entertain myself
with my own imagination in any situation,” she says. “We used to be taken to
tea with great-aunts, and we were expected to sit on an uncomfortable couch and
not move or say a word. It was possible
to endure it because I was watching my own little stories play out in my mind.”
After
graduating from West Chester University, Alison became a teacher of English and
Spanish, teaching students from kindergarten up to college level. She loved
teaching, and it was with reluctance that she left the classroom to be a
fulltime mom when her daughter was born.
While
she was teaching and raising her daughter, Alison took every free minute she
had to write. The Night Watchman Express
and The Crown Phoenix Series were the result.
She is currently working on the final book in the series, as well
as several other projects.
You can find Alison here:
Twitter
- http://twitter.com/ - !/AlisonDeLuca
Google
+ http://bit.ly/ADGoogle
Author
Central: http://amzn.to/ADeLucaAuthorCentral
Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/alisondeluca/
Buy The Books:
TOUR DATES -
|
10/15 - A Book Vacation - Review
10/16 -The Independent Review - Review 10/17 - Splash of Our Worlds - Review 10/19 - Bloggin’ As Author, Librarian, and Geek! - Review 10/20 - The Bookworm Daily - Guest Post 10/21 - Unabridged Andra - Review 10/22 - Author Interrupted - Review 10/23 - Earth’s Book Nook - Character Post 10/24 - Kayla’s Reads and Reviews - Review 10/25 - The Red Headed Bookworm - Review 10/26 - Author Interrupted - Review 10/27 - My Chaotic Ramblings - Character Interview 10/28 - Written by Brittan - Review 10/29 - Library Girl Reads and Reviews - Guest Post/Excerpt 10/30 - Lost Inside the Covers - Review 10/31 - Author Interrupted - Review 11/01 - The Roaring Mouse - Interview 11/02 - Illusions of Intimacy – Interview/Excerpt 11/03 - A Few Words - Review 11/05 - Motherhoot - Guest Post 11/06 - Fictional Candy - Character Post 11/07 – Carlie M A Cullen – Review 11/08 - Lost Inside the Covers - Review 11/09 - Window on the World - Review and Interview 11/11 - Books,Writing,Tea- Review 11/12 - Bunny’s Review - Interview/Excerpt 11/13 - Walking on Bookshelves - Character Interview 11/14 - Kara Loves Reading - Review 11/15 - Book Reviews and More - Review and Interview 11/16 - Momma Joan Explains It All - Character Post 11/17 - Wickedly Bookish -Review 11/19 - Jade Kerrion - Character Interview/Excerpt 11/20 - Split Horizons - Review and Interview 11/22 - Lost Inside the Covers - Review 11/23 - Best in Fantasy Blog - Character Post 11/24 - The Cabin Goddess - Review 11/26 - Miraculous - Review 11/27 - Workaday Reads - Review 11/28 - Alchemy of Scrawl - Review 11/29 - Stuck in Books - Guest Post 11/30 - Darlene’s Book Nook – Character/Excerpt 12/01 - The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia - Review 12/02 - Mary’s Cup of Tea - Review 12/03 - Miraculous - Review 12/04 - Reader Girls -Review 12/05 - Bee’s Knees Reviews - Review 12/06 - Reading Away the Days - Review 12/07 - Book Lover’s Hideaway - Review 12/08 - Full Moon Bites - Interview 12/09 - Sapphyria’s Book Reviews - Character Post 12/10 - Miraculous - Review 12/11 - Celtic Lady’s Reviews - Guest Post 12/12 - Night Owl Reads - Review 12/13 - Book and Movie Dimension - Review 12/14 - Jess Resides Here - Review and Excerpt 12/15 - Ali’s Bookshelf – Review |
Disclosure of Material
Connection: I received this book for review from First Rule Publicity from
the author as part of a virtual book tour. I was not compensated nor was I
required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR,
Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in
Advertising.”
1 comments:
Thanks so much for hosting me!
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