Overview: Deep in the woods of the Winnodov property sits the abandoned theater. Something mysterious happened during the last performance there - the same night Mr. Winnodov disappeared.

Eight years later, it’s happening again.

Verdict: A group of mischievous teenagers sneaks into the theater. And now, one is missing. When 12-year-old Beth Shoner learns who the missing teen is, she sets off with two friends to find him. But what they discover is more astonishing than they could ever have imagined.

Now, Beth must defeat an evil plan unleashed long ago that threatens to destroy countless worlds, including their own.

Now, it’s novels like this that get my blood pumping, my inquisitive thoughts racing and the pages turning as here within The Abandoned Theater: Alderland Series, Book 1 from author Dana Robertson we, and most assuredly, get one of the best YA fantasy reads of the past few years.

Bringing forth, and veritably from the off, a genuine, heartfelt and impassioned layered sense of excitement, curiosity, anticipation, trepidation, fear and oh-so much more, the scene setting alone draws you instantly in, always continuing to color the mind’s eye landscapes, never allowing you to wonder, even for a second, what the placement of wherever they may find themselves would look, or even smell like.

My goodness, that cerebral imagery is highly profound here, not to mention the wondrously sculpted characters, their dialogue, their allured to vocal tones, and so much so that I sat down with this book one early morning this week and come a few hours later I found myself closing it after Chapter 33 had drawn to a close on page 171, having read it all straight through, a smile on my face and a profound sense of absorbed completion waving over me.

The locations drawn, the immersive prose, along with the ongoing character developments is just phenomenal here and thus allows the reader to seamlessly move through Robertson’s eerily enchanting worlds as if they themselves were tagging along for the ride of a lifetime!

About the Author - Dana Robertson lives in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. She completed a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Psychology with Trent University in Peterborough Ontario, followed by a graduate creative writing program with the Humber School for Writers in Toronto, Ontario. She writes mystery, fantasy, science fiction and middle grade. The Abandoned Theater is her debut novel and book one of the Alderland Series.

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