Tim Wynne-JonesBesprekingen

Mystery

Well the premise was good but it lacked tension in my opinion.

This book will be great for teens at the beginning of their reading journey looking for a fairly fast paced book about survival in the wilderness with wanted felons hunting you down. I didn't think it was thrilling enough myself and I would have a liked a few more life or death moments. Still, a good entry level thriller.

The Starlight Claim is a fast-paced YA thriller set in wintry Canada. It's part teen tragedy, part survival story, and part mystery. The main character, Nate, is trying to come to terms with the death of his best friend, Dodge. He and his father have a cabin in Northern Canada, which they are about to visit, but at the last minute, his father can't go, so Nate goes alone. He winds up having to survive not only cold and deprivation, but also escaped prison convicts. Finally, there is a mystery which is only resolved in the last chapters, explaining why Dodge and his family decided to take a very big risk and wound up paying for it with their lives. Strong characterization, though Nate and his father may seem too one-dimensionally "good" people. Short chapters and lots of twisty plot points make the reading go quickly. I received a copy of this book through Librarything Early Reviewer program.

First of all, I had no idea this was a sequel of sorts, which is OK, because that didn't affect my reading of it at all.

I've always been a fan of sparse, survivalist stories in harsh environments, and The Starlight Claim certainly delivers. It doesn't make you wait too long to get to the action, and the sense of danger is very real.

3.5 stars

I had no idea what was going on at first for this book because some of it is from a dream-like state using symbolism or telling about things that you don't know the connection to until later in the book. One character is trying to figure out what happened in this altered state while another is trying to figure out the murder from clues in real life. Some parts are quite suspenseful and some are scary action. It definitely held my attention but the parts that tried to make the story have a lighter feel felt off to me. It's mostly mystery, even a tad on the thriller side, but it's also sad. I liked the story but it did leave me sad. Everyone getting together at the end seemed weird to be like a happily ever after or something, especially the reenacting. I was like what? I guess the author wanted to not leave the reader sad maybe?

Basically an outstanding book, well written and well narrated, but it might be best to read the book before listening as the story line and plot are very involved. I love audiobooks, but when your attention drifts, you can get lost. This a SYNC title in the SORA app., and is not easy to move back and forth in. Donovan is basically in a coma and near death so his story is very confusing at times

On the night Donovan Turner is thrown out of a car on a highway in the middle of nowhere, he can barely remember his own name, let alone the past 24 hours. Where is he? Where is his girlfriend, Bee? In an attempt to flag down the next passing car, he startles the driver, causing a fatal accident. With sirens in the distance and the lingering feeling that he's running from something - or someone - Donovan grabs the dead driver's briefcase and flees. Meanwhile, Bee is fighting for Dono's life every bit as much as he is. But when the police show up and hint that he is the prime suspect in a murder, Bee is determined to put together the pieces of what happened and clear his name. With echoes of Dante's Divine Comedy, this harrowing journey through hell and back is a page-turning tale of guilt, retribution, love, and redemption.½

Nate’s best friend disappeared in an accident months ago. Determined to find him or his body, Nate departs solo for their families’ cabin, only to find other unexpected dangers. Part-thriller, part-mystery, & part-survival adventure, this book is all suspense.

Nate is still reeling from his best friend's disappearance four months before. Dodge is presumed dead in a boating accident, but the body was never found. Nate has nightmares where Dodge is floating under the ice in the frigid water of Ghost Lake begging him to come save him, find him, help him..... Nate has plans to travel to the remote campsite with a friend. They have proved they can make the journey by themselves. His own father, Burl Crow, made sure Nate has the skills to make the trip. At the last minute, Nate's friend can't go. Nate decides to go alone. He wants to search for Dodge. Maybe he can find him even though others failed. But when he arrives he finds the camp occupied by strange men....violent men....and it becomes a much more dangerous game of survival than Nate ever expected.

I think everyone has an experience as a young person that pushes them over the edge towards adulthood. For Nate, this trip up to his family's remote campsite by himself is just that sort of experience. He learns life lessons and truths about his life, his friend, and even strangers on his journey. We are all the sum of our choices....and Nate has a lot to discover about himself, his parents, and his feelings of guilt about his friend's death.

The story is well-written and engrossing. There's action, suspense, and emotion in this story. It definitely kept my attention from start to finish. Nate's journey is more than a physical one. This is such an action-filled, complex story about a young boy facing loss and harsh truths for the first time. Loved it!

Tim Wynne-Jones has written several books for young adults and children. I definitely want to read more!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Candlewick Press via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Good action-adventure survival story: a young man goes alone to his family's isolated wilderness cabin, hoping to find closure after the death of his best friend (whose body was never found), but when he gets there he encounters two escaped convicts who have taken over his camp! Will he be able to outsmart them and also survive the extreme wintry weather conditions? Recommended for middle school readers who like outdoor adventure stories and father-son family dramas.

I paid special attention to the Prologue. Its very sensory and vivid, this female watching Father Fisher so doggedly, to try and save him from blackmail -- or prove he is a murderer. I think it mainly serves to set a very spooky tone and also alert us to the mysterious Father Fisher. If the Prologue weren't there, I think the reader would wonder why stick with a rather mundane opening. It is a "promise" there is spooky, dangerous stuff to come. By the time we get to the dad's death on pg. 12, we're hooked. So skillfully written, with fresh, quirky characters and a plot that will take you through to the end.

In contrast to Boy, this prologue is mostly evocative, setting a specific tone of eerie mystery. It also strongly sets out a theme: the passage of time and how things can change in the blink of an eye, change everything. I love his his writing is so effortlessly specific -- we know the characters within a few lines and appreciate them as interesting, surprising individuals. The voice of the characters is also exactly right for their ages, no mean feat.

Excellent young adult novel of survival in the Canadian wilderness. An young man, supposedly with a friend, returns to his parent's camp on a large lake in northern Ontario. The year before, his best friend had disappeared when the small boat holding his father and brother evidently overturned in the lake, killing all by hypothermia. The body of Dodge, his best friend, was never found. Having declined an invitation to the lake, Nate was wracked with guilt, and wanted to return to the lake in the winter. When he arrives at his parents' cabin on the lake after a long snowshoe slog, he finds that murderous criminals who had escaped from the jail, had taken over the cabins, and were waiting for their friends to come take them away by helicopter. Nate had to work out what to do to survive in the cold, high snow, snow storms and crooks who had noting to lose in getting out. The suspense is well developed, and the tension mounts. To work out his problems, Nate imagines what his dead friend, Dodge, would advise to get out and to escape. Recommended.

THE STARLIGHT CLAIM is an action-packed thriller for YA readers. In this story, Nate faces peril from every direction: from the physical challenge of surviving below-zero temperatures and escaping from criminals to the emotional challenge of deceiving his parents in order to fulfill an obligation to his now-dead best friend. There is also complexity in the plot: racism, classism, and privilege. As a long-awaited sequel to a much-loved book, THE MAESTRO, the novel will also appeal to older readers who want to know whatever happened to Burl Crow.

THE STARLIGHT CLAIM is a refreshed and more-mature version of HATCHET — an excellent adventure to recommend to teens who love outdoors stories, mysteries, or just gripping storytelling. I'd happily recommend THE STARLIGHT CLAIM for libraries that serve teens, including classroom libraries. I really enjoyed this novel!½

Publisher's blurb: " All Blink wanted was to steal some breakfast for his empty belly, but instead he stumbled upon a fake kidnapping and a cell phone dropped by an "abducted" CEO. Now Blink is on the run. Enter a girl named Caution, also on the run, from a skeezy drug-dealer boyfriend and from a nightmare in her past that won’t let her go. When she spies Blink, Caution can see he’s an easy mark. But there’s something about this naive, skinny street punk that tugs at her heart. Charged with suspense and intrigue, this taut novel trails two deeply compelling characters as they forge a blackmail scheme that is foolhardy at best, disastrous at worst — along with a fated, tender partnership that will offer them each a rare chance for redemption." (Booktopia)

My comment: Street kid Blink stumbles across a "fake" (?) kidnapping in a hotel and after stealing money, a phone and a photo of the "kidnapped" CEO's daughter from his wallet soon finds himself in a lot of trouble -especially after answering the phone and speaking to the girl to let her know her father is alright. Caution is a drug courier runaway who is too street wise for her own good. On the run from a drug dealer she has stolen cash from, she visits someone from her unspeakable past (she accidentally shot her brother dead) but then learns some things about her brother she didn't know. Trying to clear her head to process this new information, she collides with Blink and becomes embroiled in his mess.
Wynne-Jones has created the worlds of these two petty criminal/street kids very well with excellent back stories to show how they have both ended up on the streets. Their lives are contrasted to the rich CEO's daughter and her "first world problems" Loved the end when the two main players come together - very suspenseful. Thought the plot was also resolved very well.
This is for older readers due to the drugs, violence and also hint that Caution has been using sex for a roof over her head.

I don't often read YA but I was intrigued. The author kept me interested with this well-paced tale of a young man's struggle, against criminals and nature, to find out the truth about his friend. Glad I took a chance on this.

Nate returns to Ghost Lake, the site of many summers with his now-dead friend Dodge. It's deep winter in Canada, there's a storm coming, and at the last minute his companion bails on him. Still, Nate feels he has to make the trip to honor his dead friend and figure out what really happened. So, Nate lies to his parents and sets out. He knows all the tricks of winter survival... what could go wrong? Plenty! A continuation of the novel Maestro.... plot is crackin' but some of the dialogue seems stilted and the action is over-packed (for this reader). Flashbacks to previous summers also may be hard tor the nonsophisticated reader.½

A great young adult mystery and adventure novel. It tells the story of coming of age, finding one's family history and own inner strength in the face of hardships.½

The book has humor for young children The humor writing would be fun for them but the plot of the frog coming in the house at the night to eat snacks is cool. The illustration is okay and the book is simple to understand

Survival and freedom, both mental and physical, are tested to their limit in this quickly paced thriller deep in the woods in Northern Ontario.
Noah has found himself struck by two tragedies as his friend's family dies in a tragic accident while his friend Dodge, is presumed to have died as well but his body was never found. Determined to figure out what happened to him, Noah finds a way to sneak out by himself back to the cabin in the winter to begin his search. Only upon arriving there does he realize that he's not so alone, and that the mysterious figures holding camp in his friend's cabin are not out to make new friends. Using the skills taught to him by his father and his wits, Noah has to find a way to survive in more ways then one.

Much of YA literature out there deals with the apocalyptic and while elements of this are woven into the fabric of this story, Tim Wynne-Jones does great job of adding thriller elements that transcend young adult literature and make this read often like the best of the adult thriller writers out there. Story was briskly told and did a great job of providing a level of realism to the entire story, as Nate's journey to survive seemed remarkably credible. This is one book you definitely flip the pages quickly in, and it was certainly not hard to get sucked right in! And while this story is perfectly set up for a 12-18 crowd, adults will also find a lot to enjoy with this coming of age tale hidden among the machinations of an effective thriller!

Thanks goes to LibraryThing for this Early Reviewers ARC edition of The Starlight Claim and for the ability to give honest feedback on it.

This young adult survival tale takes the reader to a remote cabin in Northern Ontario, where sixteen year old Nate Crow has ventured alone. When he arrives at his campsite he sees that it has been taken over by escaped convicts. Nate has to use his wits to survive the frigid temperatures while avoiding the criminals. I enjoyed reading this book because Nate was a self sufficient yet unassuming and vulnerable young man. Memories of his wise father and his foolhardy best friend help him find his way. This is a good read for young folks.

I received this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers but that is in no way influencing my review.
I read this book straight through in one sitting simply because I wanted to know what was going to happen. Here's what I can tell you without ruining the book at all. Nate Crow had a best friend named Dodge Hoebeek and the two families had summer cabins fairly close together. One late fall, Dodge's dad decides, against the advice of almost everyone, that he is going to try to get a fridge up to his camp. Nate is invited along for the adventure, but his father refuses to let him go, claiming that the entire idea is hairbrained and much too dangerous. Turns out his dad was right because the Hoebeek's all died wile attempting to transport the fridge. The trouble is that Dodge's body was never found so when the story starts, Nate is planning a trip back to the camps with his friend Paul... and at some point in their trip, he intends to look for Dodge's dead body.
Paul, it turns out, can't go due to his attendance at a party the previous evening, but Nate lies to his parents and says he is going with Paul when really he is travelling by himself. When he gets to the camp, Nate is very annoyed to discover that his family's camp is occupied. His annoyance turns to concern and then fear when he eventually pieces together that the camp is occupied by two criminals from a recent prison break.
This story flows easily and quickly. There were a few things that I figured out, but there were also enough surprises to keep me interested.

Sixteen year old, Nate Crow is haunted by terrible nightmares of the disappearance of his best friend, Dodge. Last year the bodies of Dodge's father and brother were recovered from the icy waters of a lake near their remote wilderness cabin but Dodge has never been found. Where can he be? What happened on the water that fateful autumn day?

Fast forward nearly one year later and the plan to search again is in place but at the last minute, much to Nate's dismay, his travel buddy backs out. Nate knows that he's got to follow his plan and go on alone if he's ever going to resolve Dodge's mysterious disappearance and put an end to his own terrifying nightmares.

Nate soon discovers that he's in way over his head. Unexpected and unwanted guests have broken into and taken over Nate's family's wilderness cabin and they're less than happy about his sudden arrival. With no cell service, no weapons, and no nearby neighbours, it's solely up to Nate to figure a way out and to get help.

Join Nate as he undertakes the journey of a lifetime into the frigid, wintery wilderness as he tries to discover Dodge's fate. Every survival skill his dad has ever taught him will be put to the test...his life depends upon it! Author, Tim Wynne-Jones offers an engaging YA thriller. Perfect for teens who enjoy a good combination of outdoor adventure, the challenge of survival, and the determination to solve a mystery!

Thank you to LibraryThing for this Early Reviewers ARC edition of The Starlight Claim.

Nate is supposed to be with his friends, Paul and Dodge, for their first (without parents) trek into the wilderness in winter to their family campsites. The problem is Paul isn’t coming and Dodge is dead. Nate is haunted by the tragic death of his friend (near the campsite), whose body has yet to be recovered. A part of Nate feels like he must make this journey to the campsite to find Dodge, but he finds other, more deadly surprises waiting for him! Talk about a survival tale; the terror is real. What slows down this story is the flashbacks of Dodge. I understand it is to build development to the relationship between these two characters, which of course, is needed. But maybe a more consistent way in presenting the flashback would help or a different font so the reader would know when the flashback was occurring.

Nate and his best friends have been planning a trip up to the cabin for months, but not one of them is dead and the other cannot come. Nate decides to go it alone, and in the process finds himself in the middle of a prison escape. When he arrives at the cabin, there are men already there and he is now in danger. Nate must fight for his survival in the cold months and try not to be found.

This was a very interesting book. Nate is still tormented by losing his best friend in a horrible boating accident and sees him in nightmares and hallucinations pretty often. He feels somewhat responsible for his friends death and cannot shake that feeling. There was a lot of these hallucinations -come to life in the story and it was a bit weird but it put some things into perspective I guess. I found the survival of Nate through this ordeal with the prison escapees to be a pretty good story but the addition of the PTSD over the friend was a bit much. It feels overly sophisticated for what it needs to be, then again I have not read anything else by this author and that might just be his style.

Final thoughts - I think this was a good adventure, a bit of a coming of age tale, of a boy in the wilderness trying to survive, but done in a way that is a bit more complex. I think Young Adult readers will be the right age group for this one, especially those that like books about the outdoors.

Nate and his friends Paul, and Dodge were supposed to go trekking to a remote campsite - his first time in winter without his father. Four months before the trip is supposed to happen, Dodge disappears in a boating accident on Ghost Lake. When the time arrives, Paul gets grounded and can't go, and Nate decides to make the trip by himself.

He is haunted by memories of Dodge, hoping to find him. What he finds is the place occupied by strangers who have escaped from a maximum security prison. Wondering how they knew where to find the cabin, Nate must now find a place to hide until a blizzard passes.

The Starlight Claim is paced well, and is suspenseful and thrilling. A big family secret is revealed, and unexpected things keep popping up, changing the game. Nate is a strong character - smart, and skilled. It's exciting to see how he survives, faces challenges, and tries to keep himself safe, all the while grieving his friend, facing flashbacks, nightmares, and guilt.
It's a quick and satisfying read, and if you're an adult who enjoys YA, you won't be disappointed in this one.