***I received an ARC of Chloe Shipton and the Quill of Lefay from the author in exchange for an honest review.***

 

“It would seem that Grammaire Hall was a place where souls and bodies playing hide and seek was becoming a regular thing.” 

– Lynn Veevers, Chloe Shipton and the Quill of Lefay

 

Chloe Shipton and the Quill of Lefay Review

By: Lexi

First I want to address the fact that if a younger Lexi had read this book she would’ve been captivated instantly and swept away. That being said, this Lexi, at this time and place is reviewing this story and so while it was entertaining, it was lacking some elements that I needed in order to fall in love with it.

While I enjoyed the story, it left me without answers to some questions. I would’ve loved for more backgrounds on Chloe and her friends. The twins Devon and Dillon, such great characters but nothing more than plot devices to help Chloe achieve her goal in finding her body.

With that being said I did really like the story. The premise was interesting, it reads like a murder mystery, without the murder. There is no body, just Chloe’s spirit that needs to find her body before it is too late and she ends up stuck in the in between state that she finds herself in. I liked the fact that there was a clock to race against and that it wasn’t actually a murder. Well, Chloe wasn’t actually murdered. It makes things more intense, it kept me guessing as to what truly happened to Chloe, which she was also doing herself.

It takes some time, but throughout Chloe’s race to find her body she discovers there’s an even bigger problem, an even bigger fight that they find themselves apart of. This brings another element, another part to the mystery that keeps you trying to guess what will happen to this band of friends who are devoted to helping save each other as well as themselves.

 

“They were precious to me, but then I’d never met a book I didn’t appreciate in some way, shape, or form.”

– Lynn Veevers, Chloe Shipton and the Quill of Lefay 

 

The opening sentence of a book is the most important. I have to say this one really spoke to me. While it’s direct and to the point, I saw myself in the love Chloe has for books and it made me want to get to know her.

The character of Chloe, for me, was the most dimensional character in the story and I was very invested in the time sensitive goal of getting her body and figuring out what happened to her. I connected with her as a quiet-shy bookworm, because I had once been that girl too. I mean honestly, who hasn’t been at one point or another? I also loved the ability to hear the thoughts of the living and the dead. That made her so unique and interesting that made me feel connected to her as well.

The other thing about Chloe I liked was watching her transform from that shy quiet bookworm into the determined girl who realized that her friends were truly there for her. How many people have someone who would go on those kinds of adventures with a girl who wasn’t more visible than a spirit? The theme of friendship was strong within this story and it helped give the story something extra. It created a bond between the reader and the characters.

Veevers does a good job with storytelling and keeping the plot moving. Every chapter started a new adventure, while also keeping you in the problem of Chloe and her missing physical form. There was never a moment when there wasn’t something happening, or when someone was just looking for answers. Each chapter had a purpose to drive the plot forward. That’s important.

What was slightly lacking for me was explanation. When we moved from one scene I was sometimes left wondering how we ended up in another. Weaving a story together, walking a character through a door or into another room is essential for me. Sometimes that wasn’t there and I was left to create my own transition.

The other thing that threw me off was that while I understand that this is a magical boarding school, dragons and faeries showing up threw me for a loop. At times I felt like they were there for relevance instead of for a purpose.

I was in awe of the idea of a spirit separated from its body and friends trying to help a lost soul find home. The theme of friendship, used in more ways than one, made me push through and finish the story. I could see myself comparing certain elements to that of the Harry Potter series (even though I myself have never read the series, I could feel that same nostalgia while reading this book that many experience with those stories.)

I would recommend this book for someone who loves fantasy and is younger than myself. I know my sister would love to read this exciting fantasy story, with a paranormal element. I can already hear her raving about Chloe as a character because much like myself she is a bookworm and every book she meets becomes one of her favorites.

If I come across book two, I will give it a chance and hopefully there will be answers to the questions that book one left me. But with that all said Chloe Shipton and the Quill of LeFay is an exciting and feel good story that will leave everyone hoping to find friends who will help them defy the odds when something strange and extraordinary happens to them.

 

“My morals demanded nothing less. If someone was in trouble, you tried to help, even if you didn’t like them.”

– Lynn Veevers, Chloe Shipton and the Quill of Lefay 

 

Rating: I give this book 3 stars, and mostly because I loved the idea of the story.

 

Learn more about author Lynn Veevers here!