Review - James Clyde and the Diamonds of Orchestra by Colm McElwain

James Clyde and the Diamonds of Orchestra by Colm McElwain

Published 1st February 2012 by Matador

Star Rating - ***.5

Goodreads Challenge - 1/50

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Alongside his friends Ben and Mary Forester, James Clyde must protect a powerful diamond from falling into the wrong hands. A strange and sinister man dressed in black is also pursuing the diamond and will stop at nothing to obtain it. James and his friends set off on a perilous journey to return the diamond to its rightful place. But they are being hunted every step of the way by the relentless man in black and his blood-thirsty army. Outnumbered, James finds he must use the power of the diamond to escape their clutches - or become another victim of their murderous quest. So begins a journey that will transport them to an alternative world where they must confront the mysterious man in black for a final, winner-takes-all battle...

My Thoughts

I was lucky enough to be contacted by the author and offered a copy of this book and the next one in the series in exchange for an honest review. I do enjoy reading middle grade from time to time and the synopsis of this one sounded interesting and I'm pleased to say it delivered. 

I find sometimes it's difficult to review middle grade book as I'm obviously not the target audience. As these types of books are written for younger people that often means that the writing and plot development is a little more simplistic than YA or adult novels but that's not always a bad thing. Sometimes you just need an easy and enjoyable read and that's exactly what this was. A fun adventure story infused with magic and mystery. As I've already explain the writing was quite easy to follow but that didn't mean it wasn't enjoyable and it turned out to be a fairly quick read. There was enough world building and plot development to keep me interested and entertained throughout. 

Again, as this is a middle grade story that meant the characters were younger as well and meant I wasn't really able to connect with them however, I enjoyed them for what they were. It was nice to see some solid friendships and the characters supported each other throughout the novel. I also felt the way the characters were depicted was quite realistic. Although the main focus was on the main character becoming the chosen one he didn't wholly become a different person, he still felt and acted like a child at times. 

Overall I enjoyed this story. It was a fun adventure story with some magical elements that was a quick and easy read. I'm looking forward to picking up the next one in this series that I have sitting in my TBR pile. 

Overall Rating (3.5*)