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Riley Quinn
Retellings, Fantasy, YA
Taken at Riley Quinn's first book launch in Morinville
May 10, 2019
I’m a Canadian author and musician, with a passion for anything that involves creating. The more voices involved and the bigger the project, the more I want to be a part of it!
I started writing as a kid, and spent my early years copying the characters from my favourite books and writing them into new stories and adventures. Over time, that transitioned into a passion for writing novels, and with it came new original characters and plots.
I grew up in Western Canada, dividing my time between the Prairies, the Rocky Mountains, and the shores of the North West Coast. If I’m not writing, I’m usually playing music or vocal coaching for our local High School’s competitive theatre program.
Feel free to contact me about any questions or to schedule a book signing. My debut novel, Lost Boys, comes out in Spring of 2019.
ISBN 9781775373018
No Rules.
No Adults.
No Way Out.
Welcome to the Darkwoods.
Deep in a mystical wood, four clans of boys live in treehouses, their story lost in time and their pasts buried with it. The forest is split by a crocodile-infested river, overgrown with giant trees and woven with dark secrets.
Leonardo is a member of Raven Clan, the boldest and fiercest of the four clans, led by his ruthless older brother Aleksander. When clan hostilities begin to build, Aleksander gives Leonardo his own patrol and sends him on the river to defend Raven Clan’s territory. Leonardo quickly learns that nothing is as it seems, and a series of inexplicable events—including a mysterious Native girl who shows up on the riverbank, calling Leonardo and his friends ‘Lost Boys’—leads him to question everything he’s ever known about the woods he calls home.
As the clan hostilities erupt into a fully-fledged war, Leonardo is forced to make a choice that will determine the very fate of Raven Clan and everyone he cares about.
Check out the author on GoodReads Riley Quinn (Author of Lost Boys) | Goodreads
Lost Boys Review
Wow. Just Wow! A very impressive debut! I have a lot to talk about with this book!
Cover
The cover along is fascinating and a amazing. I can't get over how crisp and how many layers this cover has. The cover actually translates differently from paperback to digital in a way I've never seen before. (Paperback) Up close the boys face and shirt actually have visible features you can't see from a distance. For how dark the cover is I can't get over the detail and dimension you can see. It should look muddy and unreadable but it's crisp. Also noting that the back cover full cover image makes the image even cooler to look at. (Digital) I didn't notice until looking at the cover on the computer how that there were was a sun glare on the cover accenting the character. This detail really complements the image while a lot of the details get small details get lost in thumbnail art. Over all this is one of my favorite book covers because of because of this duo translation.
Interior
Where do I start with this book? The banter is probably the best I've ever read and is the star of the show. It's feels so natural and playful I couldn't help smile every single time Moth and Pinch took the stage. Aleksander's character in this book is amazing. Probably one of my favorite characters this year. How he planned ten steps ahead and how subtle it's in this book is brilliant. There is a lot of world building and the story has this slow burn but to how is works which I can really appreciate. While it hits you with a lot of characters and names which by the end I was able to figure out who was who and most of the personalities really started to set in. I did struggle with which character is which but overall that didn't matter too much you do figure it out as the book continues. I actually didn't see it as a Neverland interpretation until the last ten chapters. To a degree I get the addition of the Sirens, and fairies and it fits the direction of the core mystery to the book but to another degree i felt like I was somewhat pulled out of this natural world the book built. This new romance is really cute and I don't mind it and the petty eye-roll drama is thankfully pushed to the side for actual problems and action and what drama with Moth was dealt in mature way and was a lot better than I expected. I also noticed the course language increased as the book progresses. Not a critique but a little detail I noticed.
Final thought
When a book answers questions I make when I'm reading it, I find it's pretty good. When a book can completely shut off my ability to be critical while reading then I can't really ignore giving it five stars.
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