Doon

Doon #1

by Carey Corp, Lorie Langdon

DOON…

Veronica doesn't think she's going crazy. But why can't anyone else see the mysterious blond boy who keeps popping up wherever she goes? When her best friend, Mackenna, invites her to spend the summer in Scotland, Veronica jumps at the opportunity to leave her complicated life behind for a few months.

But the Scottish countryside holds other plans.

Not only has the imaginary kilted boy followed her to Alloway, she and Mackenna uncover a strange set of rings and a very unnerving letter from Mackenna's great aunt—and when the girls test the instructions Aunt Gracie left behind, they find themselves transported to a land that defies explanation. Doon seems like a real-life fairy tale, complete with one prince who has eyes for Mackenna and another who looks suspiciously like the boy from Veronica's daydreams. But Doon has a dark underbelly as well. The two girls could have everything they've longed for...or they could end up breaking an enchantment and find themselves trapped in a world that has become a nightmare.

DOON is loosely based on the premise of the musical Brigadoon, with permission from the ALan Jay Lerner Estate and the Frederick Loewe Foundation. Follow the journey at http://www.DoonSeries.com

~Destiny awaits!

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Time Travel, Magic, Historical Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy

368 pages, Hardcover

First published August 20, 2013

About the author

I am the author of several young adult books, including the DOON series from BLINK/HarperCollins, inspired by Lerner & Loewe's Brigadoon, and co-written w/Lorie Langdon.

*Please note this is an unmonitored account. I do love to connect with readers on Twitter and Facebook. Visit the Dooniverse for links: www.DoonSeries.com*

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Reviews

[Sasha Alsberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is what made me fall in love with Scotland. Truly a fun and timeless read that sticks with you months later. I know Carey & Lorie personally and they are two of the most gracious and loving authors I know. Their book is a true tale of friendship, love, loss and adventure.
I read this book almost a year ago and am still in love with it to this day!
A must read <3

[Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Who was the real Jamie MacCrae? A ruthless ruler or a puckish prince?"

I started reading this book because the premise promised originality. A Scotland-based setting with time travel and fantasy elements? Are you kidding me? Gimme that shit, y'all. Well, you know what they say about things being too good to be true: they usually are. The premise is original...but as we all know, originality alone doesn't mean it'll be good. In the context of this book, it doesn't approach good. It wouldn't be able to touch good with a 30-yard pole. This is going to be a long criticism, however much I try to restrain myself, because I have a lot to say about this book, and not much (almost none, really) that is positive.

The setting is new and interesting, but it doesn't make any fucking sense. The characters---all 4 of them---are each a cliché. The entire book was altogether insufferably stupid and nonsensical. Not recommended at all.

The settings
Present day Scotland: The modern day Scotland in the book, what little of it there is, is beautifully described, but it is---as the book describes it...reminiscent of the Shire, and not in a good way. It is too picture-perfect. It is pretty, in an utterly touristy way. It is lovely and well-described, but completely lacking in life, in anything that would make it feel realistic. It is a Thomas Kinkade painting, utterly idealized and empty of spirit.

Doon: Doon is not Scotland of the past, as I was led to believe when I first started reading the book. It is a version of it, which would not have been a bad thing, if not for its utter absurdity as a setting. If you come into the book expecting a facscimile of sense in the land of DoomDoon, you will be in for a severe letdown. To put it shortly: Doon is a fucking mess and a contradiction. We have modern ways, toilets and showers, combined with the mindset of the ancient world. You see, Doon is a poorly explained amalgamation of Scotland past and of the recent past of our own world. People have been traveling to Doon throughout history, from our world to theirs through a magical bridge every so often. As a result, Doon has modern conveniences like the aforementioned toilets; it has Asian inhabitants, Indian inhabitants, black inhabitants, as well as sushi (...) and pizzerias, completely with the requisite gregarious and bubbly pizza owner, Mario, who is a caricature of an Italian. Think Luigi Risotto from The Simpsons.

“If I may, signori? It is a gigante mystery.” He illustrated his point by holding his hands wide apart and giving them a shake for emphasis. “As a young man, I was called to Doon from Napoli in 1915, during the last Centennial. I met la mia moglie---my future wife. Since then, I marry, make seven bambinis---babies..."

However modern it is, whatever magic the people of Doon have seen, they are still firmly ingrained in the mindset of the past, despite everything they have seen and known. They believe that magic is witchcraft, they believe in predestination, a soulmate, a Calling. They are still willing to burn witches at stakes.

The setting is a mess. The people portrayed are a fuck-filled mess of contradictory behaviors, and there is severe lack of sense and rationality. Doon is not quaint, it is not charming. It was not what I expected to read, because while I am prepared for an alternate setting, I like that setting to make sense and for its people to follow certain guidelines of reasonable behaviors. It is like watching The O.C. only to have the entire series be set in Little Saigon instead of Newport Beach. It may be technically accurate, but it's not what I fucking signed up for.

The Characters: the main characters within the book perfect the art of contradiction. As I said above, every single one falls into an YA trope. They do not act consistently, they say and think one thing, and they do another.

Veronica: aka Verranica as pronounced by our fucking James MacCrae. More on him later. She is the epitome of lovely innocent. She is beautiful, stunning, without knowing it. A daydreamer, a hopeless romantic.
A believer in romance, despite being a wounded, broken girl.

Despite suffering from a miserable past.

Despite being unwanted by her alcoholic drug addict of a mother.

Despite being leered upon by her soon-to-be-stepfather.

Despite being abandoned by her biological father. Who is dead. Who was a drug addict.

Despite having her best friend in the whole wide world move halfway across the country.

Despite being publicly dumped and cheated on by her boyfriend in the school hallway not 5 seconds before she meets Jamie, kilted golden boy of Doon, in a vision, whom she then singlemindedly pursue all the way to Scotland.

You name a tragedy, our Vee has seen it.

Veronica is our first and main narrator, and I needed to rest my eyes after every 5 minutes of reading her parts because they were so tired from being rolled back into my head as I read her narration. She fucking swoons every 5 seconds over Jamie's chocolaty eyes, his locks of hair that falls over his eyes. His air of indifference. Despite his hostility, despite his professed ignorance of her and outright hostility upon meeting her, she cannot help but despair in her undeniable attraction to him, her soulmate! She's such a fucking martyr...despite KNOWING THAT THEY'RE MEANT TO BE, she so unselfishly gives him up, only to fucking moan and cry about it 2 seconds afterwards. She is a fucking TSTL Mary Sue of a moron. She would rather die as a possibly convicted witch in a foreign land than give up the chance at TWOO WUV.

Of course, leaving [Doon] was preferable to death, but I wasn’t ready to give up on this place...or on him.

ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?

She is the most easily impressed character ever.

"[Jamie] smiled a sad, sweet smile. “I said, [your father]’s an idiot and he has no idea what an amazing daughter he has.” He said the words simply and with such sincerity that they washed over me like absolution. I closed my eyes, but the tears flowed hot over my cheeks anyway. How was it possible he knew the exact right thing to say? The words I’d secretly longed to hear, but hadn’t realized it until they came out of his mouth?

So Jamie tells her that her dad misunderstands her and Vee's like HE KNOWS MY SOUL. WELL ALRIGHTY THEN.

Veronica can't see past the pert little cheerleader nose on her face. She doesn't know the meaning of forward thinking. She is completely devoted to the cold, angry, emo boy Jamie, regardless of how much he acts like an asshole and how much he professes to hate her (he doesn't mean it...he can't mean it!!!!!!). I wanted to vomit.

Mackenna: Vee's best friend since infancy, it seems. They're attached at the hips. Naturally, they are polar opposites. Mackenna is the practical, tomboyish, drama-addicted (if you are into musicals and Broadway plays, you can do your own scavenger hunts as to how many of them she name-drops in this book). Mackenna is the tall, protective, Amazonian BFF who doesn't realize how stunning she is (do we see a theme here?!?!?1?!1). She is meant to be humorous and brash, a stark contrast to Vee's dreamy impracticality...it didn't work for me. Mackenna's snark comes off as more annoying than humorous, more foot-in-mouth disease, more unintentionally stupid than anything. Really, is joking around when you're about to be killed for being a witch a wise idea? If she's meant to be practical, her character did not work in the least, because she is so insufferably idiotic. However, reading her narrative after Vee's makes Mackenna seem infinitely more tolerable and an Einstein in comparison. Regardless, I found her terribly brash, annoying, and not altogether likeable.

James MacCrae: Lord, where do I start?
So he's got an "incredible face," he is a "beautiful golden boy with the dark, wounded eyes." From the second Veronica and Mackenna enters his foreign land, where he is the crown prince, he has acted like "an arrogant boy who treated [them] worse than an ant he found crawling over his boot." Despite this being Scotland, he still looks like an emo boy, or more specifically... a boy wearing "dark pants and a black cloak with the hood pulled over his head, casting his entire face in shadow. He looked like a goth kid with a Jedi complex." Despite knowing that he is Veronica's intended (it is called a Calling, and commonly acknowledged in Doon to mean you've met your soulmate), Jamie denies it, and continue treating Vee crappily like the asshole son of a bitch that he is. He tells her one thing, says another. He says things intended to turn her away, and is absolutely infuriated (and blames HER) when she does run away.

Jamie’s hot and cold act was draining. Every time he started to warm, to let me in the tiniest bit, he’d turn around and shut me out even harder. And why? What had I done? Except be nice to him and adore his kingdom.

Doormat: meet Veronica. Veronica: meet doormat. You guys are twins, separated at birth. Fucking really, Veronica? The more I read about Jamie and Veronica's actions, the less respect I have for either of them.

Duncan MacCrae: The handsome, perfect, golden, charming prince, who is utterly guileless, full of helpfulness and humor. I actually liked him a lot out of all the characters. He may be a trope, but he's so nice and inoffensive compared to the rest of the fucking idiots in this book that I really have no complaints about him at all, besides the fact that he lacked the common sense to not fall in love with Mackenna.

The side characters: completely unoriginal, absolutely lacking in dimension and complexity. The villains, the good guys, the wise woman, the love rivals. None are remotely believable as real. Everyone is black or white. There is no complexity within any of the main characters, much less the secondary ones.

The Romance: inconsistent. In the case of Mackenna and Duncan, it is somewhat understandable. Their characters interact well together, and so I can see them falling for each other eventually. In the case of the main characters, however, it is completely incredible. It is predestination, and we are told to buy it, hook, line, and sinker, without any explanation whatsoever. Jamie and Veronica are soul mates, they have visions of each other...and that alone is the sole basis for their relationship. We are expected to believe that they are Meant. To. Be. Without any proof. And when I say without any proof, I mean it. Jamie is a fucking idiot. He is constantly angry, always hostile towards Veronica, and their interactions are so limited that except for the fact that we are TOLD, again, not SHOWN, that they are supposed to be in love, we would not have known. Their relationship does not grow, it does not develop. Jamie is so outwardly against the idea of them that when he finally accepts it, their love is just not believable at all. This is not a romance.

The Plot: this book should have a subtitle, as in Doon: a study in the art of being completely fucking dependent on Deus ex Machina as a plot device . Something unexplained happens? It's magic. Something doesn't make sense at all? It's magic. The main villain wants to conquer the world for no reason at all. OH, IT'S BECAUSE OF MAGIC, SOMEHOW. AAAAAAAAAAARGSKJGKJSGLGJLJSGFKLJADFK. IT DOESN'T EXPLAIN ANYTHING. The reasoning behind the evil wicked so very very very very bad (actual) witch that causes all the trouble in this book but doesn't really because the plot is actually a thinly contrived excuse for the romance between Vee and Jamie and Mackenna and Duncan and it's just an afterthought and it makes no fucking sense and there is no fucking urgency and there is so little fucking plot behind it that it's just extremely frustrating and so much so that I can't be fucked to formulate it into a fucking sentence that makes any reason or contains any punctuation because why should I fucking bother to make sense when the authors themselves don't even want to try?!

Seriously, the plot is so utterly secondary to the romance. There is no sense of urgency to the imminent danger that the land of Doon is in. Yeah, there are villager disappearances, a few dead bodies thrown in here and there, but there is no intrigue, no exigency, no feeling that something bad is going to happen. There is a lot of telling, not a lot of showing. The mystery behind the journal and the rings were not compelling at all. It is never well-developed enough to be credible, and magic is used to explain anything that doesn't make sense, without making sense itself. Situations and their development reeked of irrationality and lacked any reasonable plot development. There is no character development, the characters just surrender to their emotions and fall into love without any character complexity that is supposed to have developed in between.

The writing: full of grandiose statements that are just repeated clichéd sayings throughout the book, like “pure, unselfish love can break any spell" and "I just followed my heart" and "the heart calls to its soul mate." FOLLOW YOUR HEART, Y'ALL. IT WILL NEVER LEAD YOU WRONG. Besides that, the writing is juvenile. The speech is sprinkled with "ta's" for "to's," "fer's" for "for's," as well as "dinnas" and "kennas," which seems to be a prerequisite whenever any attempt at a Scottish dialect is made. The speech is inconsistent, gladly free of a try-hard attempt at really heavily accented brogue, but it is too modern, too inconsistent, and lacking in authenticity to feel like it's anything but a fake setting. I was not sold on anything in this book, so really, the dialogue and the dialect is the least of my complaints compared to everything else that went horribly wrong.

The headache caused by this book, combined with my mind's constant incredulous monologue (shouted, not spoken) throughout the act of reading this book prevents me from recommending it to anyone but my most hated enemies.

[Melissa Landers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I begin, I should disclose that I'm critique partners with both authors, and I consider them among my closest friends. But please don't let that discount my review. I first read DOON in draft form a couple of years ago when Lorie and I agreed to swap manuscripts. Despite the fact that it was unedited, I tore through DOON in a day because I simply could not step away from it. Over time, I've read each new version of the manuscript, and it kept getting better and better.

I fell in love with Vee and Kenna, specifically their devotion to one another, and with the swoon-worthy princes they met in the enchanted kingdom beyond the Brig o'Doon. This book has it all: romance, mystery, friendship, and hope. If you want an uplifting, compelling read, look no further.

My official comments: Enchanting and romantic with a message of purest hope. DOON will sweep you away!

Edited to add: I got a tiny sneak peek at book 2, and you're going to love it!

[April (Aprilius Maximus)]

OH MY GOSH. This was so perfect. SO PERFECT. I just can't even. I NEED THE NEXT ONE NOWWWWW
All of my reviews are spoiler free (unless stated otherwise) so you can go ahead and read my review!

Full review:
Doon follows the story of two best friends who are spending their holiday in Scotland as one of the girls has inherited her late Aunt's cottage in Alloway. The other girl, Veronica, keeps having hallucinations of a handsome blonde boy in a kilt and he seems to be calling to her to follow him. The girls start to uncover some strange secrets about Kenna's Aunt and they find themselves crossing the Brig o' Doon and stepping into another world with castles and handsome princes and magic.

The setting is definitely one of the things that made this book so fantastic because I could clearly picture everything in this world and it was all so magical and enchanting! It was honestly like I was stepping through the pages and entering this magical kingdom myself!
At first I was hesitant because I found out that this book is published by Blink, which is a Christian YA publishing group stemming from Harper Collins and I'm an Atheist. However, I was so pleased to see that the story isn't trying to push religious aspects across and it was just honestly giving us a fantastic and magical story. It has elements that I wouldn't expect from a Christian book as there were mentions of sex and cheating and all sorts of contemporary aspects that are usually found in YA books. So don't let this put you off, because there were only two instances where I thought the 'Christian' aspect was coming through, and that was when Veronica recalls going to Church as a child and misses the community, and when she prays to God to save someone she loves. I'm sure that you could try and tie the story to Christianity like people have done with Narnia and the Lord of the Rings and such, but to be honest, I'm just in it for the story.

The two main characters were really relatable and had personality traits that I personally loved. Kenna is a musical theatre girl, and I absolutely LOVED that. It had a lot of contemporary aspects that balanced out the fantastical elements and it was just PERFECT. It honestly has everything I could ever want from a YA fantasy and I am so glad that I picked it up! The authors have also created a playlist to go along with the book which I will link down below but it is so perfect and I highly recommend listening to the songs while reading or after you finish the book!

The plot was really interesting and it kept me hooked the entire way through and also had some surprising twists that I honestly didn't expect! The ending wasn't too abrupt and left me wanting the next book desperately! It also almost reads like a contemporary (especially at the start) which made it so much easier to get into the story and it made it so relatable. What a fantastic start to a series! I can't wait for the next book!

Doon Series Website: http://www.doonseries.com/
Doon Playlist: http://www.doonseries.com/doon-series...

[Maria V. Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished this one in no time! Another fun book - I love books with humor and if an author (or authors in this case - I don't know why Lorie Langdon's name isn't listed as this book is co-authored) can make me laugh, I'm happy (as long as the logic is consistent).

Basic plot - two American girls go to Scotland and cross into the fantasy world of Doon and trouble and romance ensues! (based on the Brigadoon premise).

At first, I wasn't sure what to expect - it's written from the two girls, Veronica and Mackenna's POVs - although Veronica has the lion's share. At times, I thought of the book Outlander by Diana Gabaldon since they cross into another world and there's a Scottish hottie named Jamie. But that's where the similarities ended as Doon is more modern (they have indoor plumbing!) while Outlander stayed true to the historical time period.

But as I read, I was hooked. The characters are well drawn and believable and while the romance at times seemed...too angsty for me - but I'm not a big romance reader and it certainly didn't stop me from staying up late every night until I finished it. The ending was well done and I was a bit surprised by what happened at the end - kudos to Carey and Lorie for that ending!

And the bonus - both authors are sweethearts! I met them at Book Expo in New York City and such lovely ladies. For me, that's important :)

[Lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely perfect. This book blew me away! I had pretty high expectations, and they were well exceeded!
The plot, and the idea of entering into another world that you may very well end up trapped in, reminded me very much of The Chronicles of Narnia and Entwined- two of my favorite books! I thought the characters and the world were thought out really well, you really felt like you were there, and you felt what the characters were feeling.
And Jamie MacCrae. Can we just. Oh my goodness, yes. New fictional boyfriend added to the list. :P
I already loved Scotland to begin with, but this book grew my love for the country so much, and gave me a little more history into the place itself.
I also loved the Christianity aspect of this book! Talk of a Protector who keeps the people of Doon, and outside of Doon, safe. I love the these authors were brave enough to add this aspect into their novel.
Speaking of the authors, Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon, I'm convinced, are two of the coolest people on planet earth! They're constantly interacting with their fans! Talking to them while reading their book, really made the reading experience even more fantastic, in my opinion!

Overall, I absolutely adored this novel!
This will most definitely be in my top 10 favorites of 2015- and I can't wait to read the sequel, Destined for Doon! :)

[Princess Debz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to the magical world of Doon, a mysterious Scottish kingdom that didn't seem to exist until Veronica and Mackenna find themselves stuck there, and falling for some pretty attractive and princely guys. Doon is a mystical fairy tale adventure that will have you turning pages faster than you can say Lerner and Loewe!

I truly believe that it was fate that brought this book to my attention. If you haven't already noticed, I have a kind of unhealthy obsession with fairy tale retellings going on. Something else you might not know about me is that I also have an unhealthy obsession with Broadway shows! So you can imagine the flailing and squeeing that ensued when I learned that there was a retelling of a fairy tale kind of Broadway show!

As you've most likely already guessed, my expectations were already impossibly high. How could this one little book possibly live up to them? By being outstanding! I would've been sold just by the endless musical references, but the characters, plot, and world-building were amazing as well!

I love how the story utilized elements of the original Brigadoon, while being very much it's own story. I have to admit that I wasn't too familiar with Brigadoon beforehand, but that wasn't a problem going in. The pace of the whole story was just right, and kept me on my toes, since I was never quite sure what would happen next.

I adored Veronica and Mackenna. It was actually kind of weird reading this book because of how similar I am to both of them. Veronica is my book nerd half, and Mackenna is my musical half. That being said, there personalities were complete opposites, and I liked seeing how they interacted with each other.

The world of Doon itself was magical. It really felt like I'd stepped into another world, trapped in time. I thought it was very interesting how the people of Doon would selectively introduce parts of modern culture to the kingdom whenever the bridge opened, while maintaining the integrity and authenticity of the kingdom. It was things like this that had me wishing I could just spend the day exploring Doon. Instead I'll have to (im)patiently wait months and months (maybe even years) for more books!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahh, where to begin? I love when I find a book that I can't get out of my head days after I have turned the last page. A book that has you longing for more and wanting to believe in everything; fairy tales, time travel, aberrations, The Calling. That is exactly what I found Doon to be.

Ms. Corp and Ms. Langdon do not disappoint in this first book of what is bound to be another great young adult series. I easily devoured Doon (as a grown-ass woman) and I can only imagine how our youth would breathe even more wonderful life into this breathtaking series.

Veronica is one of those characters who you aren't completely sure what you think of her. She's the popular girl, with typical popular girl problems, but she's also kind of witty with a harder side to her. Vee does what she wants, without worrying about the rules and you have to like that about her. I felt that her attitude was realistic for her age and I connected really well with her.

We also get an alternative point of view from Vee's friend Mekenna. Mekenna is instantly loveable - she's full of passion and spirit. She could be anyone's best friend. Her character adds an interestingly quirky dynamic to the story which appealed to my inner nerd. These two girls and the rest of the cast of characters, including not one, but two swoon worthy Prince MacCrae who offer a lot of emotion yum-yum are all firmly developed, consistent, and extremely likable.

One of the most important aspects of this book is the building of the world of Doon. It's a very interesting place. It's time travel, but it's not. It exists as a real place in some capacity, but it's completely fictional. Bits and pieces of many societies are mashed together in this perceived to be perfect slice of cloaked Scotland. Doon is beautifully drawn up and did not distract me from becoming emotionally invested in the story line. It was enchanting to discover this new world and it's darker secrets.

The magical plot of Doon, Book 1 one wrapped up nicely. I was left satisfied with it alone, yet it equally planted the seed of desire for more in me. If you're a sucker for action packed fairy tale romance, with a side of quirkiness I highly recommend this for you and your teenagers at home or in the classroom. I'm already anticipating the arrival of book 2, hopefully the wait isn't in Doon years.

[Coranne · Rating 5 out of 5]

ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh TEN MILLION STARS!!!! *passes out from the intense fangirling*


~~~



This book is my favorite of the year. I can pretty much stop reading books now until next January- my year of book reading is complete. Brigadoon is one of my favorite stories and musicals. The musical has one of my favorite actors (Gene Kelley). Scotland has always been this elusive and attractive place to me, probably started by a love with Neil Macneill from the Christy novel. Anyway, I had ridiculously high hopes for this book and it did not disappoint.

Veronica and Mackenna are fun heroines. They are spunky and don't take anything from anyone. I love how they aren't wilting wallflowers- they stand up for themselves and aren't willing to be pushed around or let their circumstances decide who they are. They both have distinctive personalities and are written in a realistic way. Finn and Jamie- oh man. They are perfection! I love how all of the characters have their own struggles and really are distinctive characters- there are no plot tools or arm candy here.

The story behind Doon is fun and a seriously great adventure. I love how the authors have woven the mythology of Doon into today's culture. Obviously if this is an ancient city- Doon has shown up before. I am so happy that the authors addressed what could have been a major plot hole.

Doon is T'HE book that you need to read of 2013. If you were a fan of Lisa T Bergren's River of Time series or are a fan of mythology and light fantasy- this is a book that you NEED to have. I don't know how to say this- I sat and read this book in ONE SITTING. I stayed up most of the night to read this (and as a mother of two babies- this is NOT something I do.) I loved Doon so much I have read it twice since. Doon is a book that sticks with you- I think about it during my day, sneak and read the ending again just to savor the book. I can't wait until the next book (because the authors simply aren't allowed to end it like that). Do yourself a favor- read Doon and then come back and tell me what you thought!

[Diane Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

What if you, as a modern young woman at the cusp of adulthood, had the opportunity to step into a misty Scottish fairy tale? Would you take it--even if it means that there might be no going back? Such is the dilemma facing Veronica & Kenna, two best friends who go for a post-high school graduation trip to Scotland, only to find that the mists in this lovely country hide secrets far beyond their imagining. I LOVED the way the two authors of this novel deftly weave the contemporary worldviews of their heroines that are juxtaposed with the fairy tale realities that they encounter. Veronica & Kenna are by turns transfixed, bewildered & charmed in equal measure, just like any of us would be if we suddenly discovered that the fanciful stories of Brig a Doon turned out to be real! Nevertheless, these writers are too good to allow everything to remain sweetness and light, and it's the mysteries of Brig a Doon & the dark curse that the girls encounter that keep the novel moving at a bristling pace. Fans of the ABC show Once Upon a Time will adore the fairy tale realm with its unique challenges in this novel, as well as the hunky Scottish love interests. One can only hope these two authors will be able to keep up with the readers' demand for sequels to this charming romantic fantasy.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review at http://www.fireandicereads.com/2013/0...

Scottish boys in kilts plus a hidden village that only appears once every 100 years...yes please! I started Doon the day I was gearing up to go to our local Scottish festival to discover my own ancestral clan and was so swept away I did not put it down until I was done. The voice, the beautiful setting and pacing come together along with awesome characters to make an unforgettable story. Part of a new imprint of Harper Collins Christian publishing called Blink, (read about the news here ) this is a magical read I will be recommending this summer! It's told in dual points of view between two best friends Veronica and McKenna.

Verrrranica Welling is in for a surprise when her best friend invites her to Alloway, Scotland and begins having visions of a boy who is calling to her.

Both girls get sucked into a world they can't escape without help and a witch's curse older than time. The villagers are suspicious and time is running out to tip the balance of power back in Doon's direction. The rich details and show tune spurts by Kenna make it a multi sensory read for older teens. There is definite sexual tension, and a sleepover along with a couple of mild swear words.

Overall, one of the best books I've picked up in a long time! The authors whom I didn't know before are friendly and tweeted me when they saw I was reading the series. They've also created a fully interactive website with a play list, fantasy casting, Doon merchandise and photos you won't want to miss of the kingdom MacCrea. Jump in and enjoy. As they say...Destiny awaits!

Must Pre-order!

[Jackie (Jackie's Book World) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review can also be found at Jackie's Book World Blog :)

*ARC provided by Netgalley*

I was immediately grabbed by the beautiful cover and the premise. Even before reading the book, I knew it was going to be great. Doon is a magical scottish place that has been placed under a spell in order to protect the people of Doon from an evil witch. But the spell would not protect the people of Doon from what's coming to them.When Mackenna suggests that Veronica and her go to Scottland for a vacation. It couldn't have come at the right moment for her; after breaking up with her chearing boyfriend, and having a mom that doesn't really care for, Veronica decides to give herself a break and decides to go. But she wasn't expecting to have vivid dreams of a boy in kilt talking to her to come to him. As she and her friend embark in a new adventure, she will have to decide what truly is important in her life in order to save those that she loves.

I've been a fan of books that have been inspired by tales and other stories for a while, and this book has made it to my favorite list. I loved the over story, it was exciting and engaging. The book is beautifully written and that's what makes it a success for me. The characters have an important task in the story and it all seemed to flow nicely. With that being said, I really liked Veronica and Kenna. They are best friends going to a vacation and they end up with a great adventure in their lives. The cover of the book illustrates just how magical Doon is and it immediately grabbed my attention. The book does start a bit slow, but it builds up with excitement and the climax is where we are able to see more of the characters personalities.

The romance in the book is great, although Veronica and Jamie, the prince of Doon, don't have a great chemistry at the beginning, it does build up in the story. On the other hand, Kenna's love story with Duncan, Jamie's brother is full of excitement. I actually liked them, or at least their scenes a lot better. I'm really looking forward to reading more of their story in the second book! We do get to see different perspectives in the book, Veronica's and Kenna's point-of-views. It made the book that much more enjoyable to read. Overall, the story was great, and so did the characters. There are fighting scenes, romantic scenes and a detail description of the magical place of Doon. I would definitely recommend this book to those that want something romantic and magical.

[JR. Forasteros · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a confession: I love the recent plethora of young adult fiction. Not Twilight – I have standards, after all, but it busted the floodgates wide open and now we’re swimming in some great, thoughtful and provocative YA Lit. From Katniss Everdeen and Percy Jackson to the Pure trilogy, the YA world is delighting young adults (and some of us not-so-young) with creative and original fantasy.

Another confession: I don’t often hold Christian art in high regard (at least not since the Renaissance). We tend these days to be derivative. And I say this as a guy who had a Christian Music Recommendation Poster on my bedroom wall in high school. So after the Christian Harry-Potter-Haters had their 15 minutes, I felt sure we were destined for a glut of bad Christian knock-off fiction.

I’m pleased to report that DOON by Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon breaks the mold.

Doon is the retelling of the legend of Brigadoon (yes, the one from the Gene Kelly musical). It’s one of the launch titles for Blink, a new YA imprint from Zondervan. If Doon is any indication, Blink is publishing books that have a distinctively Christian worldview but tell stories for their own sake (not to preach or teach). But enough about that. How is Doon?

Doon introduces us to Veronica and McKinna, two girls who plan to spend the summer in Scotland. As they prepare to embark, Veronica begins to have visions of a man in a kilt. Since this is a YA novel (and, you know, there’s a sweet castle on the cover), we’re not surprised that they’re transported into a magical kingdom shortly after they arrive in Scotland, or that the eternal fate of said magical kingdom rests squarely on their shoulders.

Doon is a great YA book. But is it good Christian fiction?

Fair warning: minor Doon spoilers follow.

Neither Veronica nor McKenna is a Christian. But the kingdom of Brigadoon is, explicitly. They attribute their continued existence to the Protector, a clear allegory for the Christian god (and since they’re sort of medieval Scottish, what else would they be?) Though the point of the story isn’t just to talk about God, the mystical nature of Brigadoon forces Vee and Kenna to confront their (lack of) faith.

But their spiritual journeys aren’t artificial or forced. Nor do they resolve clearly (of course, we have been promised three more books). This is the power of fantasy: by putting ordinary teens into an extraordinary scenario, these conversations feel organic.

Since Doon is fantasy, teens thinking deeply about God is probably the most realistic aspect of the story.

More generally, the best part of Doon is the girls themselves. Vee and Kenna feel like real teenage girls. They have real insecurities and a real, strong friendship. As the Doon series gains popularity, we’re going to see their friendship celebrated: far from the frenemy relationships we see in most depictions of teen girls these days, Vee and Kenna are each other’s biggest fans. Far from exploiting each others’ weaknesses, they complement each other, forming a team that’s stronger together.

Speaking of which, Doon also deserves to be commended for its girl-power ending. Despite the fact that they’re telling a modern fairy-tale, Vee and Kenna are no damsels in distress. They drive the plot, they resolve the conflict. They even save the beautiful dudes in distress.

Why should Christians celebrate Doon?

Because it’s got strong female characters who model healthy friendship. Because it has believable, relatable teens thinking honestly and seriously about God. And because this is a story written by two Christians who put the story first and trusted the power of story (and their faith) to be compelling enough. Let’s hope for plenty more where Doon came from.

Bottom Line: If you like YA, you’ll like Doon. Let’s hope it sets a new trend for thoughtful, engaged Christian literature.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book it was a quick easy read that was able to keep my attention. I didn't give it 5 stars because I'm not crazy about romance and the was a bit in this book. This book takes me back to my wizard of oz book reading days it takes u to another land and of course there's always a bad guy trying to foil everyone's happy ending but the good guys are alway ok, true love always wins and of course there has to be a happy ending kind of. So it was a fun little read I like the fairytale feel of it and of course all the boys are sexy Highlanders. What's not to love? I look forward to the delivery of book 2 and 3 as it is a trilogy for now anyways.....

[Cherie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Veronica and Mackenna smack right into their destinies in Doon by Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon.

Loosely based off the musical Brigadoon, Doon drops two American girls, Veronica and Mackenna, into Scotland where they cross the Bridge of Doon into the mystical land of Doon. I wish I could’ve gone with them. Doon is a quaint, fairy tale type kingdom with swoon-worthy young men in kilts. Although the kingdom first appears stuck in the Middle Ages, they do have creature comforts, such as toilets, running water, and even pizza!

The plot revolves around the quest of love as well as to stop the evil witch from destroying Doon. Veronica is a reluctant heroine, and although she could have become a tragic damsel in distress, she finds her courage and needs no prince to save her. Mackenna is spunky and headstrong, almost to a fault, and as a former theater geek, I loved her exclamations, such as “WWSSD: What Would Stephen Sondheim Do.” Duncan is one of my favorite characters because he can be sweet, funny, sarcastic, and a great match for Mackenna. Jamie’s wishy-washy attitude towards Veronica got on my nerves a bit, although I understand why he had to be the way he was toward her.

Like any good musical-inspired novel, Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon’s Doon is an over-the-top fun read perfect for fantasy and musical lovers.

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) · Rating 1 out of 5]

AGE WARNING! Please do not read if you're under 17 because of the sexual parts & language!
For those wondering if this is a 'Christian' book, I would categorize it as not.

About this book:

“Veronica doesn't think she's going crazy. But why can't anyone else see the mysterious blond boy who keeps popping up wherever she goes? When her best friend, Mackenna, invites her to spend the summer in Scotland, Veronica jumps at the opportunity to leave her complicated life behind for a few months.
But the Scottish countryside holds other plans.
Not only has the imaginary kilted boy followed her to Alloway, she and Mackenna uncover a strange set of rings and a very unnerving letter from Mackenna's great aunt—and when the girls test the instructions Aunt Gracie left behind, they find themselves transported to a land that defies explanation. Doon seems like a real-life fairy tale, complete with one prince who has eyes for Mackenna and another who looks suspiciously like the boy from Veronica's daydreams. But Doon has a dark underbelly as well. The two girls could have everything they've longed for...or they could end up breaking an enchantment and find themselves trapped in a world that has become a nightmare.”


Series: Book #1 in the “Doon” series {“DOON is loosely based on the premise of the musical Brigadoon, with permission from the ALan Jay Lerner Estate and the Frederick Loewe Foundation.” From the back cover.}


Spiritual Content- The sign of a cross is done; Vee does yoga; Kenna calls a place a “h*llhole” and a day “h*llish”; Vee says a book is “Bible-sized”; a “divine Protector”, “the Protector” and the “Protector’s will” are mention a few times; Chapel going (MacKenna says “determined not to let my intimidation get the best of me. My folks had never been churchgoers, so the whole worship concept—from the unnatural dressy clothes to the organized rites that everyone seemed to perform by osmosis—felt foreign and forced.” Kenna also says that “The preacher was a natural storyteller. Despite myself, I learned forward and hung on his every word.”); Vee says she “always believed in the existence of God. It’d just been too painful to go back to the place where I’d sat sheltered between both my parents.”; Kenna wonders if rain is the tears of God (she’d heard someone say that once); “Thank the good Lord!” is exclaimed once; Vee asks god to show her the way then thinks “What made me think the Protector of Doon would hear me, the girl who’d started all this trouble in the first place?”; Kenna prays to “Duncan and Fiona’s Protector to work a miracle”; A hymn is sung (it is written as well); Vee calls a girl “a mini Italian goddess”;


Negative Content- Minor (& Major) cussing including: a ‘witch’, a ‘shrew’, five forms of ‘crap’, a ‘what the heck’, a ‘shoot’, five unfinished ‘what the--?s”, 12 ‘stupid’s, four forms of ‘freaking’, five forms of ‘idiot’, a ‘give a fig’, two forms of ‘screw’, three ‘heck’s, four ‘hag’, four ‘slag’s, a ‘crud’, four jerks’, one form of ‘shoddy’, three forms of ‘darn’, a “be d*mned!”, (Another “d*mned” is when Kenna says “I was a d*mned good actress”); a “what the devil”; “had a lot of sucking up to do”; curses & profanities are said but not written; Vee calls something ‘cursed’ twice; Jamie yells out “Bloody H*ll!”; Kenna asks “What the h*ll is going on?” and Jamie says “H*ll is right.”; Vee calls out “Mother cusser!” when she hurts herself; Many, many, many talks of witches, evil, magic & curses (a showdown with a witch); Ale, champagne, beer & wine is drunk (Vee drinks some ale and it’s semi-detailed; people are drunk or almost drunk); Blood & fighting (semi); Meth & “like a drug” are Mentioned; Sarcasm; Vee shows Kenna a symbol and Kenna says “It’s pretty, but I wouldn’t get it tattooed on my lower back or anything.”; A witch has serpents (detailed; Kenna calls them “h*ll worms”); Kenna tells a witch that “one day you will rot in h*ll, you shriveled old troll”; “a h*llish shriek rent the air” is said once; A scene like the Mother Gothel one in “Tangled” (detailed);
*Note: H*rry Potter is mentioned a few times and Edw*rd Cullen (“Tw*light”) & werewolves are also mentioned.*


Sexual Content- two ‘s*xy’, two ‘yummy’s, four ‘wench’s and 12 forms of ‘hot’; guys get called “gorgeous” eight times; a few not-detailed kisses, a semi-detailed kiss and five detailed kisses (on one, a shirt gets partially unbuttoned; another an earlobe gets nipped); Eyes wander & stare; Many, many, many, Touches and Dancing & the emotions of the touches (semi-detailed and detailed); Mentions of wanting to snogg someone; many almost kisses, talks about kissing, many wants to be kissed and wondering if a guy’s lips were as soft as she imagine; In the opening chapter Vee says that Stephanie “stalked anything with an XY chromosome” and Eric & Steph flirt, Eric “brushing the bare skin of her thigh. A move he’d used on me, more times than I could count”; In a chapter, Bob the Slob (Vee’s mother’s (Janet’s) boyfriend) “Bob’s eyes flowed over my skin-tight leotard and sheer wrap skirt with obvious interest.” He also notices how she’s grow up & whistles and Veronica calls him a “perv”; When Kenna says her dad was acting weird at the airport & saying that he knows she’ll make the right decision, Vee asked if he was trying to have the s*x talk with her, to which Kenna replied “No. It’s a little late for that.” And Vee asks about one guy and Kenna says no, but that it could happen with a director because they “totally shared a moment” (Vee calls him a “pedophile”); When taking them to his room Duncan says “Relax woman, it’s not as if I’m asking ye to share my bed” (he stays across the hall); Kenna says that Eric will “most likely end up impregnating Steph”; Kenna says it “was like stepping into a medieval Calv*n Kle*n ad—only with more clothing. And when both of them smiled, I felt a resulting swoon deep in my girly parts”; Vee says her first boyfriend (7th grade) “forced his tongue into my mouth, which I accidentally bit because I didn’t know what he was doing, and then he dumped me the following week.”; When talking about dreams that you don’t know where they came from, Kenna says “like the time I dreamt I was in Greg-the-stage-tech’s bed, naked?”; When Duncan asks if Kenna is comfy on the picnic blanket, she says “I guess. I’d fell better if I were wearing pants.” Duncan then looks “as if he’d swallowed a nest of bees. ‘You’re—not—wearin’—any pants?’” to which Kenna replies “No, I’m not. I’m wearing this skirty thingy.” And he asks “what about underneath?” Kenna squeak and tells him that’s none of his business (she thinks “What a perv! Did he really just march me all the way up here in the hopes of getting lucky?”; it’s cleaned up that she should have said “trousers”.); Kenna talks about kissing “I’d had my share of lip locks and tongue tangles, both or stage and off, though none had come even close to Finn. Made up or not, it was hands done the best kiss I’d ever had.” (Finn is imaginary); Jamie walk in with no shirt on and Vee thinks: “Oh no. His broad shoulders and perfect sculpted torso would’ve put the models on the giant Abercrombie and F*tch posters to shame. He was all bronze skin and smooth muscle.” She comments again in her mind “Rubbing his open hands against his eight-pack abs, his eyes crinkled against the sun and a languid grin spread across his face. He’d never been hotter—correction, I’d never seen anyone look hotter.” Vee is in a bed with only a top that reaches her knees and shows him one leg (accidentally at first) and when he notices she thinks “Something about the situation made me feel giddy—and a little powerful.” It continues “Without taking my eyes off him, I experimentally removed the blanket covering my right leg and watched in satisfaction as his eyes widened. Slowly, I stood, allowing the shirt to fall into place just above my knees. Jamie cleared his throat but his eyes stayed locked in the downward position. Knowing I was playing with fire but unable to resist, I lifted my arms above my head with a great yawn. As I stretched onto my toes, the hem of the shirt rose to the top of my thighs.” And then “Fluidly, I lowered my arms and brought my feet to rest flat on the floor. The Knowledge that I could beat him at his own game filled me with wicked satisfaction. Then I caught his eye and the forceful heat of his stare hit me like a wave, almost knocking me back into the sofa. With great deliberation, he moved in my direction. And I knew I was over my head.” {REALLY!?!? This part upsets me so much!} She says, I’m sorry, he says I’m sorry and says “For future reference, lass, dangling bait in front of a hungry shark is a bad idea.” And then throws her a pair of pants and says “I think ye better put these on. Before I do somethin’ verra un-princelike.” (She sprints from the room); Vee tells Jamie “Oh, don’t be a perv!” and (playfully) smacks his arm (noticing his biceps in the process), he then asks “What is a perv?” and she glances at him “You know, a pervert…a sexually depraved lunatic” and he asks “You think I’m some kind o’ crazy s*x fiend?” and she replies “If the shoe fits…” and he goes “Well, what would that make you then, little miss dance-around-the-room-wi’-no-trousers-on? Hmm?” Vee thinks “There was no way he could know I did that on purpose—could he? ‘I didn’t—you don’t think I—‘” she says that she did not dance(!) and he replies “A pity, that.”; Kenna & Duncan slept together, him on the floor and her in the bed (“Pretty much. I mean, he slept. I just lay near him and swooned all night.”); Lots and lots of romance, love, falling in love and the emotions.
Body comments including: Kenna & Vee notice each other’s body (curvy, petite, etc.); Kenna says she was/is “an ex-Goth, theater-geek Amazon voted most likely to have ketchup on my boobs”; When talking to Vee, Kenna says “I’d give my left boob for your metabolism” and Vee comes back with “Well, I’d give my right butt cheek for one of your knockers” and they both agree that they both would look funny after that exchange; a “did some prince ditch your skanky butt for a nice girl?”.

-Veronica “Vee” Welling
-MacKenna “Kenna” Reid
P.O.V. switches between them.
288 pages

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star
Early High School Teens- One Star
Older High School Teens- One Star
My personal Rating- One Star

Where to start, where to start. Okay, first? UGH! Second: I read chapters 1-25 then went to #37 to the end because I was sick of the sexual parts and wanted to make this book end. And then I went back and read chapters 26-36 to give y’all a “fair” review. If you ever doubted that I love doing book reviews of y’all this better have cleared that up. Honestly, though! The witches & magic (especially towards the end) were so annoying! A Scripture I find absolutely perfect for this book comes from 1 John 4:1 “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” And in Micah 5:12 The Lord declares, “I will destroy your witchcraft and you will no longer cast spells.” And There’s many other Scriptures that talk about those who mess with sorcery and that angers The Lord. ‘Nuff said. And the language! Oh my goodness! Really Zondervan/Blink?! I cannot believe the cussing! I am so disappointed with this book, the authors and publisher!



*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

[Preethi · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Originally posted at www.keepersbookreviews.blogspot.com)

**Actual Rating**: 5 stars
**Book Format**: eBook

Oh. My. Sweet. Mama. This book was so literally breath-taking that I had to take the time to round up all my thoughts before I could sit down and start writing this book review. Doon is probably the best non-sequel book I've read this year, and makes up for all the bad books I've read before this; it's just that great. When I first saw the cover and synopsis - and then looked at it again - all I could think was that it was probably going to be similar to Amber House, at least in its tone, if not the character development and plot. I was wrong; Doon is much better.

I really felt for the main character, Veronica. Though she's one of the best cheerleaders in the school, her whole life has just been a series of disappointments. Her father left her and her mother in her birthday, her boyfriend just broke up with her - and groped Veronica's arch nemesis in the hallway - her mother believes her to be a leech and has declared her homeless, and her BFF moved away. Could life get anywhere worse?

Luckily for Vee, the answer actually (for once) happens to be no . . . kind of. On the same day her boyfriend breaks up with her, Mackenna, the only person who actually cares for Veronica, manages to get them both tickets to go to Scotland. And the ghost of the hot guy in the kilt following her around doesn't seem to hurt either.

She's sure that he's a figment of her imagination, her "anti-ex-boyfriend", so to speak. But when she learns that his name is James, and finds that there's more to Scotland and the legendary Doon that meets the eye, Veronica will do everything in her power to see if her ghostly love exists.

After reading the diary of Mackenna's aunt and finding two keys, Veronica and Mackenna find themselves in Doon, where a certain prince has taken a certain interest in Mackenna, and Veronica's dream boy seems to hate her with every bone in his body. Grieved that she is, it only becomes worse when she discovers that her destiny may very well lead to the end of James and Doon, everything she loves. And when the king reveals that it may not be her destiny to marry James after all, what else can Veronica do but run away? But does that make her a coward like her father?

As it turned out, the tone of the writing was actually pretty much the same as every other book out there. What struck me about it though was how the author portrayed the Scottish accent . . . I'm still not sure how I feel about that. I know it's probably meant to make you swoon, but all it made me feel was that the two male princes were Neanderthals. I mean, I still loved them and the accent didn't bother me in the least, but I could have done without it.

I absolutely loved the romance going on between Veronica and the hotso. It was that boy-hates-girl-then-loves-her thing I enjoy so much. It might seem a bit stereotypical, but in this novel, it was anything but.

The ending had me smiling and crying at the same time, mainly because of the differences in endings for both Mackenna and Veronica, though I'm sure one of their stories hasn't ended yet. It's difficult to feel so happy for one person and yet devastated for another. I can't wait to see the continuation - and hopefully happy ending - of the character in the next book. I'm not sure yet how it'll play out, but I'm sure whatever the author thinks of, it'll be great. 'Till then, I'll be swooning over Jamie and Duncan . . . though mostly over the former :)

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Author - Carey Corp, Lorie Langdon
Title - Doon
Publisher - Zondervan
Released August 20, 2013
Genre - Paranormal Romance
Ebook, 368 pages

[Katy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could have easily LOVED this book, but there were a few things that really bothered me. (Since I lost my super long review, I'll just keep it to a few major points.)

This book had potential to be really great. I loved the concept, and I really enjoyed the magical feel to the book. Duncan was an amazing character, and Veronica wasn't so bad.

However, there were a few things that bothered me as I was reading the book, and the more I think about it, the more I realize that I didn't like it as much as I thought I did. First of all, I didn't like Jamie, and I couldn't stand MacKenna.

Then, there was the issue of why Jamie is suddenly appearing out of nowhere. No, she didn't dream him the first time they met, and it wasn't some other reason like she reached a certain age or she had some sort of life-changing experience. I guess you could argue that it was her break-up, but she's been hurt many times before. What makes this one so different?

Also, it makes sense the way the authors explained the parallel timing of the two worlds with the leap year, but the actual period was so random that you wonder where they came up with that. And don't get me started on the attempt to modernize Doon. I'm sorry, but the whole attempt to keep Doon from being stuck in the Medieval times kind of ruined the magical feel to the old days of having kingdoms.

And the end? How could she NOT have known? If anything, he left us with the impression he hasn't experienced the Calling, and even if he had, he's not the type that would have held that information back. I just don't buy it.

Overall, beautiful cover with a very interesting concept. There were just a lot of things that the authors did that totally ruined a book that I could have easily fallen in love with.

PREVIOUSLY: It was the cover. Isn't it pretty?
(Kind of reminds me of the movie Oz the Great and Powerful though.)

[Karyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. Scottish setting? Girls who are great best friends? These are things I love. The set up was fabulous, but the book didn't follow through. It's 368 pages of telling us why everyone is awesome and why the witch is so scary rather than actually letting the characters breathe and become real for the readers.

Everything was too much. There was no subtlety, no reality. Everyone is model gorgeous (as repeated CONSTANTLY) evil is EVIL, good people are totally pure. Vee's family life is disastrous, Kenna has the best internship ever, and they are the best dancer and actress. And Jamie and Duncan are awesome and strong and princes and kind and sweet. Well, when Jamie isn't being a jerk. But he's Vee's soulmate, so that's alright.

The soulmate aspect was what really damaged it for me. Rather than two characters meeting and falling in love because of mutual attraction and compatibility they're "meant to be" and thus we are told to cheer for them rather than growing to care for them.

Add to all this the 'if everyone just talked it would have been over in half time' conflict and you get a book I was very disappointed by.

[Branwen Sedai *of the Brown Ajah* · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never heard of this book before I picked it up at Barnes & Noble a few weeks ago. And while I usually like to do a little research about books that I have never heard of before I pick them up, I decided to just go with it in this case because let's take a moment and be honest...I'm a total fool for a beautiful cover. *sheepish grin* And this one is a doozy! Beautiful girl on a bridge facing a gorgeous misty green landscape with a castle in the background. Hook, line, and sinker-I was sold.

And I wasn't disappointed. This book contained the fantasy trope that excites me the very most; beautiful girl with a sucky life gets transported to a magical and wonderful world. I know that some people can get bored with that sort of thing after awhile but not me, I swear I could read stories like this every damn day. Shallow of me probably, but I can't help it. That sort of thing is like a drug for me, I swear. Anyway, this story is a little different from most stories with this theme because instead of it being just one girl who goes to the magical world, its two; Veronica and her best friend Mackenna. They are in Scotland, visiting Mackenna's deceased Aunt's house when they cross a legendary bridge and end up in Doon, a land of handsome princes, evil witches, and...pizza? That's the other thing I enjoyed about this book. In Doon, every centennial celebration, the bridge opens and people can cross back and forth between the two worlds. Because of this, things from the modern world like pizza, can show up in Doon and vice versa. It's a really interesting concept and one I haven't ever read before. Quite enjoyable.

That being said, the dialogue really put me off at times. While I really enjoyed Veronica's character, I found Mackenna to be a bit annoying. Sometimes the conversations between the two of them was a little off-putting and seemed a bit forced.

But other than that I really liked this book. If you enjoy this type of story, I think you would enjoy it as well.

This review can also be found on my blog:
http://ayanami023.wordpress.com

[Autumn Schultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Watch out everyone, this is clearly going to be the next "big" thing.

Although the book is not perfect, it was one of the best, easy, fast reads I've read in a while. I read it in 2 days - not something that I normally do, but I just could not put this down. The pairing of Corp & Langdon was spot on. There was a fluidity and maturity that shows how they complement each other.

The characters were easily relatable, despite the worn out "beatuiful, but doesn't know it" YA characters. (To be fair, most girls in high school do have this low self-esteem mentality.) Each character had their own fatal flaws and it was easy to love the good guys and hate the bad ones. Even many of the minor and supporting characters fleshed out well.

My major complaints are:
1) Adelaide is a name from Guys & Dolls. I feel Mackenna should have pointed this reference out.
2) 2 of the major plot twists, were predictable via over-zealous foreshadowing. I think since all the clues were there, they should have totally switched it up to completely surprise us (this is in reference to the witch and a certain cursed object).

Despite this, there was still some room for surprises, which were much appreciated. Not to mention, the story was able to be told without sex and offensive language - definitely keeping it PG (which might be a negative in someone else's column).

Thank you ladies for a fun read and a few hours escape from reality. I'm looking forward to revisiting Doon shortly, as a re-read and the sequal. That is the downfall of an advanced reading copy - you have to wait longer for the next book to be released!

[Braxton Cosby · Rating 4 out of 5]

After just a few short pages, I found myself lost in the world of Doon. Doon tells the story of two girls named Veronica and Mackenna (the story is told through their perspectives) who travel to Europe to on a vacation and are mysteriously swept into the land of Doon. Once there, Veronica (who I feel it the star of the book, even though perspectives shift with chapters) finds herself face to face with a beau named Jamie (who is set to wed another girl and become King of Doon) who she has been seeing in the real world. Carey and Lorie deliver on the details in this book. The land is described in a rich detail that never seems to get too heavy and the shift between the girls seems natural, with witty conversations that flesh out each one of their personalities. The land of Doon may be beautiful, but it soon grows quite ugly as the girls are accused of being witches; related to an evil one that has haunted the land for years.
With the threat of death looming over their shoulders, Veronica and Mackeena must secure a way home, all the while attempting to find true love.
I won’t spoil you with the ending (that was phenomenal) but I know that Doon will satisfy even the most skeptical of wonderland/fairy tale readers. I for one, was more than pleased and enjoyed it immensely. I give this Young Adult fantasy a magical, wand waving 4 out of 5 stars.

Doon officially releases on hardcover and ebook August 20th 2013.
Here are the pre-order links below:
http://blinkyabooks.com/books/doon/
www.doonseries.com

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cross the Bridge!

After reading this book I can't help but be amazed. Its like these two authors took everything I love and added it all into book form! They couldn't have picked a better setting if they had tried. Scotland already has the looks and feel of a fairytale land. Combine that with some memorable characters, heart pounding romance, a dash of magic and you get Doon.

I think what I liked most about this book was that even though it had the makings of a fairytale things didn't just fall magically into place. There was a lot of hard work and sacrifice that had to be made in order to keep that fairytale life. I also found that a good lesson to take from this book was that happy endings aren't always guaranteed, but if you want something bad enough you are going to have to fight for it.

The characters in Doon were very memorable and so real. The relationship between Mackenna and Veronica was strong and I loved their interactions with one another. Their relationship reminded me of the one I share with my best friend and I could really relate to them. Through thick and thin they stuck it out together and didn't back down when things got rough.

Throughout the book I found myself drawn more to Veronica and her story with Jaimie, but I still enjoyed seeing the different points of view. Mackenna's story picks up a bit towards the end and I cannot wait to find out what happens with her and Duncan in the next book.

Jaimie while seemingly a bit cold at first reveals himself to be quite the charmer. While he is most definitely not the Prince Charming of fairy tales he has a heart of gold and does what he believes is best for his people even if that means forsaking his own happiness. I also liked his teasing nature especially towards Veronica.

I couldn't get enough of Doon and am eagerly anticipating its sequel. I highly recommend this to all of those dreamers out there who have ever dreamed of a Happily Ever After.

[Cameron Chaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This first installment in the Doon series by Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon was a very fun, light, Summer read. It's a retelling of the stage musical Brigadoon, and while it does focus heavy on the romance, I honestly wasn't bothered by it. I felt it was handled well and, also, NO LOVE TRIANGLES! Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I loved the beautiful descriptions of Scotland.

To see my full video review, click HERE.

FINAL VERDICT: 4.5 stars

[Audrey-anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll admit, I first heard of this book on Youtube and thought it seemed very bad, very cliché. However, after reading a few Outlander books (by Diana Gabaldon) in the last months, I started a *kind of* obsession with Scotland, or at least books with some historical background or time travel elements. This book has it all! But the story itself is a retelling, nothing groundbreaking there. The strenghts of this book were the characters and the writing.

The characters: You know when in some books, half the characters get on your nerves? Or when there’s supposedly 2 main characters but 1 is obviously more important or more interesting than the other? Well I found myself liking every characters for what they were and thought they were all fulfilling their roles perfectly. This book as a dual perspective (each chapter is either told from Veronica or Mackenna’s point of view), and Veronica has a much higher number of pages than her best friend but we still find ourselves liking the 2 girls equally. They each have a distinctive voice and the fact that they’re very different makes it interesting. I also love that most of the main characters had a sass to them. I like characters with a sharp tongue and a good sense of humor.

The writing: fluid, not repetitive, a bunch of pop culture reference that I liked! A good plot line with a bit of romance (or maybe more than a bit), a bit of adventure, a bit of mystery, and a bit of magic! Magical kingdoms and witch curses are not my usual cup of tea at all, but I’m glad I gave it a shot! I’m already reading and enjoying the sequel as much.

This is the kind of story you either love or hate, and I loved it. I rated it 4.5 stars and I would recommend it

Review from my blog www.bookswonders.com

[Sisters Three · Rating 1 out of 5]

I never got past the first chapter....so grossed out and just blah....like the mom's boyfriend was such a creep and Vee's boyfriend wasn't much better....gag. I can't read this, cause if the beginning is like this I can't imagine what the rest of the book is going to be like....so disappointing!
~Kayti

[Christine Spoors · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am so disappointed by this book.
It is very obvious that the authors hardly did any research on Scotland before writing this book. For a start, the accents are ridiculous and inconsistent. They visit Alloway, which is even further south in Scotland than where I live but for some reason all of the locals speak as if they live in the Highlands. Then there are little things such as everyone called the pub a tavern and drinking ale, as if for some reason Scotland hasn't entered the 21st century yet, or calling a scone a pastry when if they had bothered to use Google they would see it's a cake/bread. All of these little ridiculous mistakes make the whole book so unbelievable and annoying to read. It's so stereotypical that I ended up feeling strangely insulted by their impression of Scotland.

The main characters fly all the way across the Atlantic and their main thought is that they want to find stereotypical Scottish boys. They are literally obsessed with boys and hardly talk about or do anything else. The characters are very immature and have drastic mood swings that seem to change with each new page. It's like the authors tried to write stereotypical teenage girls and so they are very shallow with hardly any personality.
They are both "boring" and "ugly" in their own opinion, but to everyone else they are beautiful and perfect. It is such an irrelevant part of the book but it comes up time and time again. It's so frustrating as literally all these characters seem to care about are their appearances and boys.
Both of them fall head over heels in love with boys that they have only just met. Even though they have hardly had any conversations with them they are so emotional about them from their first meeting. Then one of the main characters switches between loving and hating a boy she has hardly spoken to for almost the whole duration of the book.

The writing in this book is definitely not my favourite. For some reason so many brands and companies seem to be name dropped which I just found very annoying. The authors use ridiculous metaphors to describe every emotion, outfit, location, body part to the point where everything just starts to seems very over dramatic.
The fantasy land Doon is cut off from the modern world for 100 years at a time but somehow has still managed to pick up sushi, pizza and indoor modern plumbing. It's like they wanted to write a fantasy land set in the past but couldn't be bothered making it realistic. Of course fantasy is always unrealistic but this is just so unbelievable.

The plot in this book, in my opinion just revolved around the girls falling in love with the boys they have been obsessed with since the start. The conflict at the end is resolved without anyone really doing anything and there is no real explanation of the magic system or what even happened. The world building is very thin and I felt like we never really knew much about Doon.

[nicklein · Rating 4 out of 5]

one word: CHARMED

[Ellen · Rating 1 out of 5]

First casualty in my Read 100 YA Books in a Year was Doon by Carey Corp and Lorey Langdon, to be published next month. I got it as part of a grab bag of the new young adult publishing imprint Blink at ALA 2013.

I tried. I tried really really hard. I read 95/412 pages and had to nope my way out of this awful train wreck. For awhile I struggled with the idea of actually finishing this book, but I'd actually like to enjoy my Fourth of July and there's no way I can do this while attempting to engage myself with Veronica and Mackenna's Adventures In Fairyland.

Let's start with the writing. The writers' combined narrative style is lagging and contrived, employing the same exhausted tropes that really need to be ushered out the door. The narrative is at times bogged down in obnoxious details (such as how everyone we interact with is the pinnacle of beauty and style, because why would YA lit ever want to talk about normal people, but I digress) OR the narrative skips ahead what might be actually interesting parts of the plot.

Scotland is turned into some strange exotic zoo for our two heroines to gawk at. And yes, as an American who's traveled abroad to the British Isles, there's definitely some mystique that we're brought up with in the USA about the Magical and Mythical Adventures of Those Quaint Celtic Peoples. Between the teeth-grating transliteration of Scottish accents and the constant reference to kilted "hotties," I wonder how much actual research was done on Real Scotland. I'm guessing the answer is near zero.

Veronica is supposed to be a book worm (sort of?) and Mackenna a theater nerd, but both of those feel really shoe-horned in so far. Mackenna has, thus far, shouted phrases like (I kid you not) "Holy Hammerstein! Sweet Baby Sondheim! Sacred Stephen Schwartz!" Because... that is exactly how theater nerd teenagers talk in a non-ironic fashion. (This is a problem the book has so far -- neither girls' narrative sounds particularly distinct from the either, and neither sounds particularly like a teenage girl. Not a three-dimension one, at any rate.)

My ARC has a notice that says if I'm going to quote Doon in a review I should wait for the official copy to check the finalized words, but somehow I don't think that the mental ableism and body shaming is going to change between now and the release date of 8/20/13, so have some fun quotes.
(p. 19)

"Something in my gut told me my kilt-boy sightings weren't tumor related... Wait. Escaping into fantasy was a symptom of schizophrenia, wasn't it?"

Because you're totally experiencing schizophrenic symptoms right now Veronica.

(p. 42) "I wouldn't keep it from her forever, just long enough to read it myself and determine in the contents would help or hurt her obsession with Kilt Boy."

Because friends totally make decisions for each other with regards to their mental capacity and censor their reading materials.

(p. 27)

"Was it possible that anyone on this earth would ever love me enough to care about what I wanted, instead of plowing ahead with their plans and leaving me behind to pick up the pieces?"

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD YOU'RE IN HIGH SCHOOL GET OVER YOURSELF.

In short, the characters are unlikeable and unremarkable, the writing style gives me a headache, and I just can't bring myself to read past page 95. Anyone want a free ARC?

[Krystal Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Veronica and MacKenna haven't had the best circumstances in their lives, but really, who has? Yet they're not the kind of girls to sit back and wallow. They grab life by the horns and make plans for themselves for their first summer as high school graduates.

They're going to Scotland. And Veronica is having visions, visions MacKenna doesn't understand or want to believe in.

But as the best friends traverse the beautiful countryside and hear all the legends of Brig o' Doon, they both get caught up in the fantasy of it all. Literally. Using magical rings to cross the bridge two weeks early, which immediately puts all the people in this magical realm on suspicion they might be in league with the dark witch, they enter Doon and discover all of its legends, right down to the witch, are real.

The magical people want to burn the girls at the stake, even the crown prince, which is really unfortunate as he's the boy Veronica had visions of.

Honestly, this story is so light-hearted and fun that I couldn't put it down. I loved the imagery, and though I had trouble connecting with the characters at times, they were uniquely teen.