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Alex Neptune: Pirate Hunter by David Owen – Blog Tour Author Interview and Book Review
Last year I took part in the blog tour for book one in the Alex Neptune series – you can read my review here https://kirstyes.co.uk/2022/08/03/alex-neptune-dragon-thief-by-david-owen-blog-tour-book-review/
This year I’m happy to be back with a review of book two, an interview with author David Owen and need that we will be getting not one but two Alex Neptune books this year.
About the Book
Join Alex Neptune, the boy with the power of the ocean in his hands, on his second adventure – perfect for fans of Percy Jackson and Dragon Realm!
Alex Neptune is struggling to get to grips with his new oceanic powers…so the last thing he needs is Haven Bay being attacked by pirates in a ship made of rubbish. The marauders are hunting for the missing egg of the elusive water dragon – and Alex is determined to reach it first to stop them stealing its power.
Along with friends Zoey and Anil – plus a clumsy seal, a lock-picking hermit crab and some seriously menacing otters – Alex sets out on a treasure hunt to a secret shipwreck where they must face three monstrous challenges.
Indiana Jones meets Pirates of the Caribbean in this ultimate treasure-hunting, puzzle-solving ocean adventure!
About the Author
Having worked as a freelance games journalist and taught on a BA Creative Writing course for three years, David Owen’s debut novel, Panther, was longlisted for the Carnegie Medal, and was followed by three further highly acclaimed YA novels. Alex Neptune is his first series for younger readers, born of his love for nail-biting heists, fantastical monsters and heartfelt friendships.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/davidowenauthor
Instagram: http://instagram.com/davidowenauthor
Interview with David Owen
How did you firstly find the transition from writing YA to writing MG?
I actually started out writing MG before I ever wrote YA, but could just never get them published! Between my published YA books I wrote MG books that got close to being picked up by publishers but never quite made it. I was determined to keep trying because I love writing for this age group and I felt I was good at it. I just needed the right idea! Thankfully, that seems to have been Alex Neptune.
And now from writing standalones to writing a series?
I was quite worried about this, because I knew nothing about writing a sequel. Thankfully, I had plenty of ideas that could fill a series, so inspiration wasn’t a problem. And in the end, I’ve really enjoyed writing the next books in the series. There’s a sense that I can hit the ground running because the characters, setting, back story etc. are already established, though it took a little bit of practice to get the right balance with recapping.
It’s also been a pleasure to get the chance to develop characters over multiple books. I love thinking about how their adventures will change them individually, as well as how the group dynamic changes.
What are your writing habits?
I’m a major plotter! I write long and quite detailed chapter outlines so I know exactly what’s happening next. Though sometimes, in the course of writing, things change naturally as I realise the plan doesn’t work as well as I’d thought.
I write at home, pretty much whenever I have the time around work and other life commitments. I just try to get my head down and get it done! I generally write in order, going back over previous chapters when I don’t quite have the energy to tackle a blank page.
What other MG authors do you recommend and why?
There’s too many to mention! Recently, I’ve loved L.D. Lapinski’s StrangeWorlds series – they’re so imaginative and packed with great characters. I love Jason Reynolds because he captures time and place so well and with a great sense of humour. I also love the Loki books by Louise Stowell because they’re so much fun.
Book 3 already has a cover and a title. How is the writing going?
Monster Avenger is going well! It’s out in July, so I’m pretty far into the editing process to make sure it’ll be ready in time. I’ve managed to raise the stakes even higher and create a really unique setting, which has been a huge amount of fun to write. It might be my favourite in the series…
What do you do in your downtime from writing?
I’m an incredibly boring person. I’m very into board games and now own almost 100 different games. So I try to play those as much as possible! Otherwise I like reading, going for nice walks in the countryside or at the beach, and hanging out with my cats. Simple pleasures are my favourite.
What I Thought
In book one Alex had to combat his fear and now in book two he needs to work on his self confidence – Alex experiences a serious and nearly debilitating case of imposter syndrome. But the cast of characters from book one including his best friends Zoey and Anil, sister Bridget and Grandpa are all here to support him in his endeavours.
And there are lots of them. From Eco pirates, to sea monsters with teeth for days. The gang need to find the fabled water dragon’s egg before someone else can take control of it and whilst the water dragon is in hibernation gathering the strength it used at the end of book one.
With more than a dash of Goonies vibes this story is an action packed treasure hunt and a fitting continuation of the story.
We also had new characters introduced who bought mystery and a lesson about making sure things are done the right way rather than by any means necessary.
I also enjoyed how Zoey and Anil really had their own character development arcs in this book too. Both of them bought splashes of humour back again too.
And of course the animals are back. Loaf, Pinch and the Otter gang who have their moments to help save the day.
There’s a sneak peek of book 3 at the end and I’m getting Inner space vibes.
Thanks to Bee at Kaleidoscopic Tours and the publisher Usborne for the gifted copy for the purposes of an honest review. Do check out the rest of the tour stops to find out more.
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The Swifts by Beth Lincoln – Blog Tour Book Review
About the Book
On the day they are born, each Swift is brought before the sacred Family Dictionary. They are given a name and a definition, and it is assumed they will grow up to match. Unfortunately, Shenanigan Swift has other ideas.
So what if her relatives all think she’s destined to turn out as a troublemaker, just because of her name? Shenanigan knows she can be whatever she wants – pirate, explorer or even detective.
Which is lucky, really, because when one of the Family tries to murder Arch-Aunt Schadenfreude, someone has to work out whodunit.
With the help of her sisters and cousin, Shenanigan grudgingly takes on the case, but more murders, a hidden treasure and an awful lot of suspects make thing seriously complicated.
Can Shenanigan catch the killer before the whole household is picked off? And in a Family where definitions are so important, can she learn to define herself?
About the Author
Beth Lincoln was raised in a former Victorian railway station in the North of England. Her childhood fears included porcelain dolls, the Durham panther, and wardrobes that looked at her funny. She grew neither tall nor wise, and never learned to play an instrument – but she did write stories, a bad habit that has persisted to this day.
When she isn’t writing, Beth is woodcarving, or making a mess of her flat, or talking the nearest ear off about unexplained occurrences. Her favourite things include ghosts, crisps, and weird old words like bumbershoot and zounderkite. The Swifts is Beth’s debut novel. It grew out of her love of words, the gleeful gothic, and classic murder mysteries. She lives in Newcastle upon Tyne with her partner and hopefully, by the time you are reading this, a dog.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/bethatintervals
Instagram: http://instagram.com/bethatintervals
What I Thought
I absolutely loved this. It was such a fun read, a cross between Lemony Snicket with the humour and vivid characterisation of Skulduggery Pleasant. The artwork by Claire Powell also brings the characters even more to life and I can totally see this book as a cartoon feature film.
The Swifts are a hodge podge family who all have name bestowed upon them and even more than most of us are then set up to live up to that name. Our protagonist is Shenanigan Swift and she spends the book trying to figure out if her name fits, and if she wants it to. There’s also a tender sub plot of a non binary character choosing their own name and I loved how author Beth never shared their deadname.
The sisterly relationship between Felicity, Phenomena and Shenanigan is also at the core of this and I loved how this developed throughout the story, which takes place just over the course of a few days.
And of course then we have the murder, mystery, mischief and mayhem including the family reunion and hunt for buried treasure. This is cleverly plotted and revealed with some wonderful red herrings sprinkled throughout.
The giant game of Scrabble to the Death was so madcap and something I will consider fondly.
I’m hoping that there might be more Swift tales to be told. After all we don’t get to meet the girl’s parents in this one. Please sign me up for any future blog tours!
But did this book live up to its name? Well, I certainly raced through it and you have to be swift to work out who the culprit is.
Thanks to the publisher Puffin Books and Bee at Kaleidoscopic Book Tours for the gifted copy. This is my honest and personal review. Do check out the rest of the blog tour to see what everyone else thought.
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Witchstorm by Tim Tilley – Blog Tour Book Review
About the Book
Join a hunt for lost witch treasure, in an enchanting adventure story of storms, spells, and the magic of the natural world, from bestselling and award-winning Tim Tilley.
Will believes in witches and the stories he’s grown up with – of mythical storm-lions, disappearing villages, and secret songs. Most of all, he believes the tales of magical treasure hidden in the Fens centuries ago. Treasure that he has to find, to solve the mystery of his Ma’s disappearance.
Then, in the eye of a storm, a witch arrives. She holds the key to finding the lost treasure – a powerful magical object that can summon storms. But someone else is searching for it too. If it falls into the wrong hands, Will’s beloved home could be destroyed, and with it, his chances of ever finding his ma.
Join Will on an epic quest filled with riddles, ruined towers, cloud cities and broomstick chases, on a journey to save everything he loves before time runs out.
About the Author
Tim Tilley studied illustration at Anglia Ruskin University and now teaches children’s book illustration courses at City Lit. He is always watchful of the world around him and loves collecting and drawing beautiful snapshots of nature, relishing the small things people often miss. Tim’s debut children’s book, the bestselling and critically-acclaimed Harklights, is the winner of the Joan Aiken Future Classics Prize and the Junior Design Award.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/timbertilley
Instagram: http://instagram.com/timbertilleytales
What I Thought
To me this was a pacy, Witchy Indiana Jones with Ecological themes. Full of action and adventure this does roll along at breakbroom speed.
Our protagonist Will is distressed by his mother’s disappearance and wonders if, the family legend about ‘that time their ancestor saved a witch’, has anything to do with it. Spending his days searching for her he’s lost touch with one of his friends and Fa never believed in witches anyway.
I couldn’t quite place this originally thinking it was a contemporary urban fantasy but I think it’s more an alternative and older version of our world and one that isn’t as technological.
Humans are referred to by witches as Grounders – which does make sense later on. Not only is there a history of witch trials, grounders are now pillaging the earth. Taking but not giving back. No balance or care. This leads one witch to want to do something about it, except he’s prepared to sacrifice others to achieve this.
Will’s Cool Aunt Hera is the Indiana Jones esque archaeologist and I very much pictured her as an Amelia Earhart lookalike but in a motorcar rather than a plane – oh yeah and she has a sword!
Witch coven leader in training Magda literally crashes into their lives and we barely get a breath as not only do they have to try and save both Will and Magda’s mother but also the witch and grounder communities, the former literally falling to pieces and the latter on the precipice of a severe storm. There’s also a theme around gaining inner confidence in order to focus and control magic and the support the young characters give each other is heartwarming – even when it comes to saving Will’s bully.
I would say that this felt at the younger age of middle grade with the peril being tamer than for a slightly older audience. However, the search for Agatha Crow’s amulet’s Ruby was the most enjoyable part of this and I particularly loved the riddles and booby traps they had to get through. There’s even a touch of the mind control we see in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
The ecological message is returned to at the end and I’m not sure if something that happens towards the end hints at a potential sequel.
A huge thanks to Bee at Kaleidoscopic Tours and Usborne for the gifted ARC copy. As ever all opinions are my own. Follow along with the blogtour by using the hashtag #Witchstorm.
kirstyes 