Orphaned as an infant, Sam is raised by a pharmaceutical research mission in the rain forests of Torundi. She wields a mean machete, makes soap from candlenuts and is a fairly astute amateur entomologist. You know, the normal stuff. But a month before her seventeenth birthday, she is exiled to an American boarding school in Malaysia.
Armed with little more than her unusual upbringing and church-lady clothes, Sam must contend with her new existence as the world's most socially unprepared high school senior. Well that’s just fine. Because she is determined to solve the mystery behind her banishment and return home tout de suite.
But when she discovers the unthinkable – that her banishment is tied to an enigmatic corporation with illicit designs on Torundi – she realizes the real mystery she must uncover is ... why? Soon, Sam is caught in a whirlwind of intrigue, danger and greed. As she chases this thread of truth to its end, she unravels a plot that threatens her beloved Torundi, her trust in the boy she has grown to love and her own existence. (Goodreads)
Thanks to LibraryThing and Penelope Pipp Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I really wasn't sure what to expect from this novel, but when I opened it up I was pleasantly surprised to be drawn right into the story and characters that left me engaged and interested all the way through. Actually, I read this on a flight and didn't put it down the whole time, even to sleep. In particular, I enjoyed the setting--probably my favorite thing about the book--as it was so well depicted. I've always wanted to visit Malaysia and other parts of that region of the world and had a great time reading about them. Sam was a great character with a lot of courage and a fascinating story. There were a few times I got lost with the secondary characters, and there's a lot of shifting settings between the boarding school and Sam's island of Torundi, but overall I really enjoyed the novel!
Have you read a novel where the setting made you want to visit? Which book was it, and where did you want to go?
A classic novel I read as a teen with an exotic rain forest setting is Green Mansions. Made me curious about the Amazon and the jungles of South America. The Orphan of Tarundi sounds intriguing.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good read despite the confusion. I've held LT giveaways, but should enter them myself.
ReplyDeleteThat is tough--you want to add in enough secondary characters to make it seem realistic, but if you overdo it the readers are just confused. I've read a few books where I had a hard time keeping up with the cast of characters, even halfway through I still didn't know the difference between some of them!
ReplyDeleteAn excellent review.
ReplyDeleteI think the first time I had that reaction was reading Conan Doyle's The Hound Of The Baskervilles. I wanted to wander the desolation of an English moor.
What a lovely, understated cover! I've always wanted to visit Regency England, but since time travel is not yet possible... just London now will have to do. =)
ReplyDeleteooh the cover!!! simply stunning. sounds great to me. :)
ReplyDeleteOkay, can I just say, that I LOVE the fact that this book is set in another country (multiple country's)! Awesome. Just awesome.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many books that have set my wanderlust on fire. Seriously. I think that's why I read half the time, so I can deal with staying in one place.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great book. I love when the setting draws me in. I know I definitely want to visit Hogwarts are reading about it! :) I also want to visit many other countries and places that I have read about. I have a long list!
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