New Review for Misaligned: The Celtic Connection

For small press and independent authors a new review is like receiving a letter back in the days before email, texting, and social media.  I know I’m showing my age, but I love getting physical mail.  To this day I look forward to walking to my mailbox and retrieving the mail.  Sure much of it consists of unsolicited requests for donations, business related info, advertisements, and bills, but I still like getting it.  That and winding the grandfather clock every Saturday are two jobs that are exclusively mine.

I suspect it tracks back to my undergraduate days.  After a long sleep-inducing lecture and a trudge back to my apartment through Troy’s dreary weather few things lifted my spirits more than a handwritten letter.  Before the instantaneous internet there was the magic of the postal system.  For less than a quarter, you could send up to an ounce anywhere in the US.  Simply write the destination on the front, fix the stamp, and drop it in a box.  A few days later your friend received your letter.

Book Reviews Anonymous New Review for Misaligned:  The Celtic Connection

I love the idea of pairing children with anything to do with magic, or mysticism, or fantastical things like that. They’re so curious and open to the world that hasn’t turned them cold and bitter. They’re more receptive to the idea that they might be a wizard, or have special powers. It saves the whole denial part of becoming a hero and allows for something else.

Young Penny has an interesting array of abilities at her disposal. Between her, her friend Duncan, and her science teacher, she has to face down spiritual forces that want her out of the way.

A bizarre science fiction spin on magic, King Arthur, and multiple dimensions, Misaligned: The Celtic Connection draws a lot from Welsh and Celtic culture. I liked how they were blended together. The way things were structured and explained made sense, and didn’t feel like an extraordinary stretch.

Characterization was pretty good. The relationship dynamic between Penny and Duncan was nice. Dialogue didn’t ever feel too clunky. The tone made sense for a character of her age. The climax felt a little flat. Things wrapped up nicely, however, and prepared the reader for a sequel.
Not a bad little young adult read. Certainly imaginative, with a fair amount of originality.

As always thanks for reading.

Armen