Blackwood

Blackwood, by Gwenda Bond.

Phillips wanted to tell her that she never had to do anything for the people she was talking about, that they didn't deserve her consideration. His gram's words stopped him. His family was sworn to protect the island, and that meant the people who lived on it too. His mother and father were among that number. No one deserved to have their life hijacked by alchemists from beyond the grave.

I was recently told of a site called NetGalley, and this is the first galley I received from the site. Blackwood is loosely based on the Roanoke Island incidents, where colonists randomly disappeared, and now the same thing has happened in present day. Miranda's father is one of the missing, but when the missing people return, they find him murdered in an alleyway. Miranda and her friend Phillips, returned from boarding school because of the incident, must find out what happened to him, and also deal with some freaky stuff that's happening at the same time to the townspeople.

I don't know much about the Roanoke incident but this book was interesting. Miranda has never been able to leave the island, and she never knew why, until now; at the same time, Phillips never knew why he used to hear voices in his head - the reason he left the island and went to boarding school in Kentucky, where the voices have been silenced. The townspeople put on a play each year about the incident, which is why Miranda has some knowledge of the events, and what happens in present-day on Roanoke is eerily similar to the play.

3.5 stars out of 5.

Blackwood will be in stores on September 4, 2012.

*Disclosure: I received a galley of this book from NetGalley to review. The opinions expressed, however, are my own.