I don’t know about you, but I love young adult literature.
And when I say love, I mean that I am obsessed with it. It might be the enjoyment
of watching a young character grow up, or it might be that it gives me the
freedom to relax and be fanciful in a way that adult fiction just doesn’t allow.
Whatever the cause, YA heroes from Harry Potter to the Beaudelaire siblings
have won my heart, and the hearts of readers everywhere. Now, joining the ranks of this illustrious tradition is Edgar Wilde, a
young man whose passion for cemeteries and the mysteries surrounding local
history land him in a whirlwind adventure and no small amount of danger.
Fans of series like Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Stoneheart will definitely enjoy following
Edgar as he searches his hometown of St. Edmund, Massachusetts for clues to
the whereabouts of a mysterious book of healing and spells—a grimoire that was
passed down through generations and is being by turns sought and guarded by
multiple parties. Edgar is a young cemetery enthusiast and amateur tour guide
who, as he competes with other locals for the solution to the mystery, must
also learn to navigate the treacheries of high school and the fierce
competition he has for his historical tour business.
Paul Ramey does an admirable
job of combining past and present; it melds then and now through
alternating chapters, at once immersing readers in a Witch of Blackbird Pond-type history and at the same time plunging
the story and its characters into the present, where the ghosts of past wrongs
haunt the living, even after two hundred years. It is a race to the finish line
to figure out what happened all those years ago, and to see if Edgar will be
able to emerge victorious. There is magic here, not only in the grimoire itself,
but in the storytelling. Though there are a few slight historical anachronisms,
they in no way detract from the overall satisfaction of the tale, and the
characters are so vivid and sympathetic that it is likely they won’t even be
noticed. One caveat: There are a few instances of adult language, which are
highly realistic for high school characters, but if you are a parent reading
this to a kid younger than high school, you might read it out loud so you can
skip those if you want. It is certainly not a reason not to read the book. This is a tightly-woven, enthralling novel
that will please readers both young and old. I devoured this novel in two
days, reading through meals and staying up late into the night with my itty
bitty book light. If that isn’t the sign of a great read, I don’t know what is.
Pick up Edgar Wilde and the Lost Grimoire as soon as you are able.
Paul Ramey is a writer, graphic artist, musician, and unrepentant
cemetery buff. His most recent published works include a two-CD
goth/rock musical album, Veil & Subdue, and Zen Salvador, a limited-edition book of zen-styled dog wisdom. He has also had numerous tourism-related articles published in Courier,
the official magazine of the National Tour Association. Originally from
Frankfort, Kentucky, Paul now lives in Jacksonville, Florida with his
wife and child. This is his first novel.
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