Review: Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold by Iain Reading

So guys, this isn't my usual book, as most of you may have guessed I am a fantasy girl through and through, and this book is definitely not in the fantasy genre (unless you count cursed gold as fantasy).

But, it was the first time I'd been contacted to review a book, and it looked interesting, so I thought I'd give it a try!

Here it is:

Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold is the thrilling first installment in a new series of adventure mystery stories that are one part travel, one part history and five parts adventure. This first book of the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series introduces Kitty Hawk, an intrepid teenage pilot with her own De Havilland Beaver seaplane and a nose for mystery and intrigue. A cross between Amelia Earhart, Nancy Drew and Pippi Longstocking, Kitty is a quirky young heroine with boundless curiosity and a knack for getting herself into all kinds of precarious situations.

After leaving her home in the western Canadian fishing village of Tofino to spend the summer in Alaska studying humpback whales Kitty finds herself caught up in an unforgettable adventure involving stolen gold, devious criminals, ghostly shipwrecks, and bone-chilling curses. Kitty's adventure begins with the lingering mystery of a sunken ship called the Clara Nevada and as the plot continues to unfold this spirited story will have armchair explorers and amateur detectives alike anxiously following every twist and turn as they are swept along through the history of the Klondike Gold Rush to a suspenseful final climactic chase across the rugged terrain of Canada's Yukon, the harsh land made famous in the stories and poems of such writers as Jack London, Robert Service and Pierre Berton. It is a riveting tale that brings to glorious life the landscape and history of Alaska's inside passage and Canada's Yukon, as Kitty is caught up in an epic mystery set against the backdrop of the scenery of the Klondike Gold Rush.

Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold is a perfect book to fire the imagination of readers of all ages. Filled with fascinating and highly Google-able locations and history this book will inspire anyone to learn and experience more for themselves as Kitty prepares for her next adventure - flying around the world!

So, yes, definitely not my usual read. And it did take me quite a bit of time to get into this book. If I'm being truthful it took me nearly half the book to really get into it. But, that may have been because I started reading it during a slight reading slump I had.

However, as soon as I got into the nitty gritty of the gold plot, I got sucked in to the book much more.

That's not to say that the rest of the book was not interesting, in fact, it was! I learnt a lot while reading this book, and I do love learning new things. Specifically, when reading this you learn the odd few things about flying, and the odd few things about whales, and these little nuggets of knowledge were certainly fun to gain.

The imagery in this book is what got me. I've always wanted to visit some of the places mentioned, and I just loved the way the author wrote about them, his descriptions were amazing and just had me wanting to visit the places mentioned even more.

I did come to start loving the characters in the book too, even under the assumption that I was weird liking the kidnappers, but as Kitty began to start liking them, so did I. (and I'll definitely say I love how this book ended, as it justified my liking of the kidnappers - but I won't go any further in case I spoil the book). Plus, I did love Kitty's little voice in her head that guided her, it was rather sassy, and come on, who doesn't have their own little voice that tells you to stop doing stupid things? I do.

Overall, for me, it isn't a book that I would have picked up myself, and it did take a while to get into it even if I loved the ending, so I'm giving this book 3.5 cats!

Of course, if it was more of my genre, I would give it 4-4.5 cats, but as it took me so long to get into it, I'm giving it 3.5.

However, if you are a reader of YA adventures, or love to learn new things about nature, I would definitely say you'll be giving this book a much higher rating than I did.

I definitely recommend it for you if you like adventure books, and I will be thinking of reading the next book (where Kitty travels around the world). Have you read this book before? Comment below and we can compare opinions!