Author: Rene Denfield
Genre: mystery
Summary: "Where are you, Madison Culver? Flying with the angels, a silver speck on a wing? Are you dreaming, buried under snow? Or—is it possible—you are still alive?"
Three years ago, Madison Culver disappeared when her family was choosing a Christmas tree in Oregon's Skookum National Forest. She would be eight-years-old now—if she has survived. Desperate to find their beloved daughter, certain someone took her, the Culvers turn to Naomi, a private investigator with an uncanny talent for locating the lost and missing. Known to the police and a select group of parents as "the Child Finder," Naomi is their last hope.
Naomi's methodical search takes her deep into the icy, mysterious forest in the Pacific Northwest, and into her own fragmented past. She understands children like Madison because once upon a time, she was a lost girl, too.
As Naomi relentlessly pursues and slowly uncovers the truth behind Madison's disappearance, shards of a dark dream pierce the defenses that have protected her, reminding her of a terrible loss she feels but cannot remember. If she finds Madison, will Naomi ultimately unlock the secrets of her own life?
Told in the alternating voices of Naomi and a deeply imaginative child, The Child Finder is a breathtaking, exquisitely rendered literary page-turner about redemption, the line between reality and memories and dreams, and the human capacity to survive.
Age Category: Teen-Adult
•MY REVIEW•
•Category 1- cover & description•
The summary does an amazing job at laying out the book's plot and the cover goes along with the story.
5/5
•Category 2- word choice, punctuation, grammar, spelling, sentence & paragraph structure•
There is no spelling or punctuation errors. The word choice could have been more diverse and complex.
15/20
•Category 3- plot, setting, background/stories, characters•
The plot was interesting and the characters were unique. I wanted more detail of Naomi's backstory. There wasn't much emotion or thoughts coming from the characters themselves.
20/30
•Category 4- writing styles & pace of the story•
The pace of the story was a little slow and the writing was not very unique; it didn't stand out to me. It was average.
8/15
•Category 5- details & descriptions•
Again, the writing was average. The story could've definitely had better details and descriptions of places, people, emotions, etc. It was very bland.
5/20
•Category 6- originality & overall creativity•
Overall, this was an original and creative story, but "The Child Finder" could've been written better.
10/10
63/100