so good lovely cliff hanger... waiting for the next one ( )

so good lovely cliff hanger... waiting for the next one ( )

Before I discuss plot or characters, I want to address the content. You may have seen in some places that this is a Christian book, though it's not strongly advertised to be such. My first clue was the publisher, which is listed as Zondervan in some places. It's actually published by Blink, a YA imprint of Zondervan, which purports to publish clean books. I would not call this book clean. It's not explicit, but it's way more graphic than I prefer, and there is even some language. After several references to "hot" and "delicious" guys, I knew this wasn't going to be quite what I was expecting, but it really bothered me to see the references to "girly parts." And then it got worse... I won't go into more detail myself, but I think this review on Amazon is very comprehensive, even to the point of pointing out things that didn't bother me.

As to the plot and characters, if the above paragraph was my only issue with the book, I might have given it 3-4 stars (though it's hard to say, especially since it really is billed as Christian in some places, and that is a huge problem for me). But to make it worse, I didn't like the characters at all. Veronica is far too concerned about the possible romance with Prince Jamie, to the point where it distracts her from way more important matters. The book is written in 1st person POV, mostly from Veronica's perspective, but it switches to Mackenna sometimes. There's barely any difference in their voices, so it's really hard to remember when the switch has been made. The main difference is that Mackenna is super into musical theater, so much so that she often thinks and speaks imperatives like, "Sweet Baby Sondheim!" and, "For the love of Lerner and Loewe!" (who, by the way, made the musical Brigadoon, of which this book is a retelling, though I really know nothing about that). It's a bit over the top, really...real people don't talk like that. As for the supposedly swoon-worthy princes, as much as I dislike that term, the only way I can really say that they are such is because I'm told. Literally. Right there in the book, it tells me that Prince Jamie makes all of the girls swoon. Okay, so he's unnaturally good-looking...being "swoon-worthy", to me, is about much more than that, and Jamie is mostly just a jerk for much of the book. He has his reasons to keep Veronica at bay, but he also leads her on only to shut her completely out when he remembers that oh, she might be in league with the witch!

And so, that leads me to the issues with the plot. The evil witch has been banished from Doon, but is always looking for a way back in to destroy it. Every hundred years (real time), the bridge between the real world and Doon (the Brig o' Doon) opens to allow people from the real world who have been called to Doon to enter and decide whether they want to stay. Because Veronica and Mackenna came 2 weeks before that time (though how the people of Doon know when it's going to open, I don't know, since the amount of time that passes between each Centennial fluctuates in Doon), most of the people of Doon assume they're working for the witch. They used magical rings to get in, rings that had been used to pass through the barrier outside of the Centennial before, but that doesn't matter. The possibility that they might be working with the witch is too high for them to be trusted. Except that while they wait for the bridge to open naturally, so the two newcomers can leave Doon and let everyone feel safe again, they take them on tours of the kingdom, let them spend time alone with the nation's princes, and conveniently forget that they might be evil, so that the romances can progress. And why did no one take note of the incredibly obvious transformation taking place right under their noses?

Add to that the "Calling" angle that is equated to soulmates finding each other, which leaves me a bit puzzled. Are they saying that if two people are brought together by a Calling, then they will have a perfect marriage? Never have to work on it? Never even consider divorce. I don't necessarily have a problem with the general idea of soulmates, as I believe God can and does bring two people together as part of his will (though it's generally much less obvious in real life than the Calling is here, and we can more easily decide not to follow that leading). But it seems to me that two people who meet through a Calling could easily become lazy in their relationship because it was "meant to be" and end up even unhappier than two people who met the normal way. It's a huge flaw in what is supposed to be a romantic story, if you ask me, but I suppose the reader isn't really supposed to think too much past the "happily ever after" at the end of the current story. On the other hand, this series goes on to further books, so maybe the authors will delve into that more. I won't be reading more though, so I'll never know.

I learned long ago that I should avoid contemporary romance, because I rarely like it. Though part of this book takes place in a sort-of-in-the-past land, it's still completely contemporary. Veronica and Mackenna both make sure the reader knows that the other is beautiful and adored by men, while each thinks of herself as plan, hideous, or whatever, which made me roll my eyes. All of the people of Doon have the same accent, yet whenever Jamie says Veronica's name, it's written as "Verranica," yet everyone else just says her name normally...I guess because it's supposed to be romantic? I don't get it, and I didn't really get this book. And I really don't get why it was published by a company that is said to publish clean fiction and is associated with a Christian publisher. ( )

Want to say that I have read Outlander. If you have read any of the Outlander books, you may want to stay away from this.

This book was not what I was expecting. It was also written at a lower level than I currently read, so I found myself growing frustrated with that as well.

There were 2 main issues with this novel.

The biggest for me was Kenna. She was awful. I have not read about a more superficial character in a long time. First off, she referred to Prince Duncan as an 'ogre' for most of the novel. As a person who does not care much for Broadway or wannabe actresses in my novels, I disliked her immensely. She was rude, annoying, and over the top in every sense of those words.

The second huge issue was the amount of stereotypical YA themes thrown into this novel. I don't mind a love triangle, in fact, I kind of like them. This did not have a love triangle. No. This novel had two best friends (who had NOTHING in common) who go to a mystical land and discover two hot princes. One for each. Seriously, not every character needs to have a match and especially not two best friends falling for two brothers. Could it get any worse? This read less like a romance/fantasy and more like the authors were writing about their school girl crushes and how their lives would be in a perfect world. This also had the YA insta-love that I absolutely detest.

A lesser issue for me was Veronica had unbelievable character development. I saw other reviews mentioned this, but having every person she loves walk out on her and then instantly falling for a prince seems highly unlikely. Also, the end of the novel seemed like a pity party for one.

This could have been amazing. It really could have been a great novel. A few improvements that I would make are having only Veronica's perspective, have her go to Doon by herself, and basically pretend Kenna does not exist.

I am not sure if I will continue this series. ( )

A rather engaging exploration of what a Brigadoon land might really be like. I especially enjoyed the way several non-Scottish cultures and peoples were brought in...and that the Christian elements, though essential, were handled deftly and lightly.

Veronica and Mackenna were pleasant contrasts and complements to one another and did the majority of the day-saving. In fact, were it not for Jamie, Veronica's love interest, this probably would've been a four-star read. Pro tip: if your hero is described as pulling an "Edward Cullen routine," it's generally a very good idea for him to be as little actually like Edward Cullen as possible. ( )