Wistful YA ~ BONESEEKER & Giveaway!

Wistful YA is my reoccurring spotlight, giving young adult literature center stage.

I'm thrilled to be a part of this next blog tour. I'll save you my blabber, partially because I'm leaving for a two-week vacation tomorrow, but mostly because this book will speak for itself. I'd recommend this as a good summer read!

AMAZON | GOODREADS

BONESEEKER by Brynn Chapman
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction; Mystery Publisher: Month9Books Published Date: June 17, 2014   I'd like to thank the publisher for supplying me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
Favorite Line/Passage: Henry POV ~ I gently slide the hair from her cheek and over her shoulder. It reaches her bottom like a red-headed Rapunzel. Her fringe of hair brushes her thick eyelashes, which twitch as she dreams.
Arabella POV ~ The sky is dark and brooding, much like Henry.
He's barely uttered a sentence. He's contemplating, trying to work out what he wants to say. The weather seems to mimic his mood, as if the breeze holds its breath in similar anticipation.
Description: Arabella Holmes was born different and raised different. After it became apparent she wouldn't fit the role of a proper 1900's lady, her father, Sherlock, called in some lingering favors, and landed her a position at the Mutter Museum. The museum was Arabella's dream; she was to become a purveyor of abnormal science. What her father called a BoneSeeker.
Henry Watson arrives at the Mutter Museum with a double assignment--to become a finder of abnormal antiquities and to watch over and keep Arabella Holmes. An easy task, if he could only get her to speak to him instead of throwing knives in his general direction.

But this is no time for child's play. The two teens are assigned to a most secret exploration, when the hand of a Nephilim is unearthed in upstate New York. Soon, Arabella and Henry are caught in a fight for their lives as scientific debate swirls around them. Are the bones from a Neanderthal ... or are they living proof of fallen angels, who supposedly mated with humans according to ancient scrolls?

Sent to recover the skeleton, they discover they are the second team to have been deployed and the entire first team is dead. And now they must trust their instincts and rely on one another in order to survive and uncover the truth.

NIGHTSTAND WORTHY

My Splats: In the flair of second-generation Sherlock Holmes, there's mystery, danger, romance, and definitely major snark.

The story opens in the past with a group of men discussing a matter of importance and their willingness to do whatever is necessary for their cause ... a cause vaguely disclosed to the reader. From here the story moves into the present then to another chapter from the point-of-view of one of the lead characters. The next chapter is then from the other man lead's point-of-view. I wasn't sure I was going to like the story from the way the opening was structured, but the MC's voices along with the snippet of mystery introduced urged me to keep reading. I'm glad I did. 
I loved the fact that Arabella is introduced as Sherlock Holmes' daughter and her BFF (best friend forever and eventual boyfriend forever) Henry as Watson's son. I'm not giving anything away by describing Henry as I just did. Trust me. It will be obvious to you from the start that these two are destined to be together and have been since childhood. But don't let that fool you. The author does a wonderful job of tossing up roadblocks to get in their way.
Arabella and Henry have been life-long friends. How could they not with the tempestuous friendship between their fathers? They find themselves employed on a bone recovery mission for a museum after a few years apart. Between the bone recovery dig itself, murder, physical attacks, their childhood memories and snarky fromance (friendship/romance), and Henry's alleged promiscuity, this is no simple tale. 
Through Bella and Henry's taunting romance, a mystery slowly rears its annoying head. It appears someone is sabotaging the dig. This is where Arabella's traits of details and detection, obviously gained from her Holmes' father, begin to work overtime. It was fun watching her, all while poor Henry did his best to keep her out of trouble--deja vu to their fathers' relationship.
Arabella is witty, bold nonsense, and at times she felt too old for her age. But she can't really be to blame. Having the amazing Scotland Yard detective as a father was not easy. She's learned that life is all scientific with no room for the unexplained--love being one of those unexplained. But Henry has something to say about that. I found it amazing how Arabella's capacity for love goes from nonexcited (knowing she feels different when Henry's around), to full-fledged passion. All I can say about Henry is that I love him and his internal struggle to resist Arabella. He desperately tries to fend it off, but alas ... 
The writing is both poetic and dreamy. There are strong, forceful moments, yet extreme tender ones, too. The author has a nice command over the language of the time period. At times, the tale held a CSI feel, crime scenes and all. 
My only negative is the overall feel of the story is a mixture of young adult and new adult. The lead characters are both in a profession, both hold a demeanor of older characters, and both tend to think with more wisdom than the average YAer.   I have to tell you. I am head-over-oodles in love with Henry. Wish they'd put a snippet of him on the cover. Even a faded out background. #growls
~ ABOUT the Author ~ 
Born and raised in western Pennsylvania, Brynn Chapman is the daughter of two teachers. Her writing reflects her passions: science, history and love—not necessarily in that order. In real life, the geek gene runs strong in her family, as does the Asperger’s syndrome. Her writing reflects her experience as a pediatric therapist and her interactions with society’s downtrodden. In fiction, she’s a strong believer in underdogs and happily-ever-afters. She also writes non-fiction and lectures on the subjects of autism and sensory integration and is a medical contributor to online journal The Age of Autism.
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What's the last time-period piece you've read or heard was good?