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

James Clyde and the Diamonds of Orchestra
by Colm McElwain
Released Date: Published February 1st 2012 by Matador
Pages: 240
View/Purchase: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, iBookstore, Book Depository

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...
(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)

My Review: 

James Clyde and the Diamonds of Orchestra is a book filled with mystery, fantasy, and adventure. For a debut novel, McElwain did a very good job creating a captivating story. Abandoned by his grandfather, James Clyde is raised in along with his best-friends, Ben and Mary Forester. The three of them embark in a adventure when they get to go to James' grandfather mansion for Christmas. His grandfather's mansion looks magical and everything in it is full of mystery. But things quickly start to occur when the children start seeing a strange man outside the house. Nothing could have prepared them for the next thing that happened. On the same chilling night, James finds his grandfather bleeding to death, but before dying, Wilmore hands James one of the diamonds of Orchestra and tells him to go back to Zara. Alongside his friends, James uses the diamond to escape his grandfather's mansion. Upon arriving to Zara, he finds what he is really destined to do and just how important the diamonds are. Now he has enemies to face and people to protect before is too late.

I was really content with how the story is structured in the book, it does go back and forth to describe past events, but it works well for the story. The characters are well thought out and so are their personalities. I liked how it was very well-written and enjoyable to read. The end will leave everyone wanting for more, and although we're not left with a huge cliffhanger, it does leave us with a few unanswered questions. Overall, the story was filled with adventure, action, fantasy and all those elements combined are very exciting to read. I definitely recommend everyone to give the book a try.

*A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own*

My Rating: 4.5/5

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