LitPick Review
The Secret in Bladham Wood by Sheila Lee Brown is a tale of adventure, mayhem, and mishaps in the magical world of Alenexia. Sam and her younger sister Lilly go to stay at their grandparents’ house, where they make friends with a boy named Marcus. Suddenly, when Lilly runs away into the mysterious woods after an argument with her sister, Sam and Marcus follow, only for the three of them to be whisked away from reality into the dimension of Alenexia. Trapped in this strange world, the trio are faced with the challenge of finding a path back to their own world. However, a dark and powerful creature, the Grizzly Man, rises from the shadows of his lair to capture them at any cost. This young adult novel features magical powers, a daring quest, and a coming-of-age story between two siblings.
Opinion:
The story starts off strong in the middle of action and hooks the reader in with the impending conflict. However, when approaching the climax, the plot falls short of the expected grandiosity to which the story has been foreshadowing. This book is meant to be the pilot of a series, and the author does a good job of setting up a larger conflict as the story reaches its conclusion. The writing style at times is quite technical when describing settings, characters, and situations, making the writing come off as cold when the intended effect is to tie the reader’s emotions in with those of the characters in the story. Additionally, the text contains a handful of typos, which may distract the attention of the reader from the novel’s world. The relationship between the sisters is made believable by the language of their bickering. The author utilizes the characters of The Withered and The Oracle as interesting impetuses to the story’s action. Overall, The Secret in Bladham Wood is a nice read for a young adult audience looking to escape into a small world of fantasy, but it lacks professional editing. It has the potential to evolve and tap into the soul of the fantasy genre it is attempting to convey.
