Mundie Moms

Friday, January 27, 2012

Flashback Friday: Dust City by Robert Paul Westin

Flashback Friday is a meme I started last year here on the blog for the sole purpose of spotlighting books that have been sitting on my shelf to read for awhile. This will include titles released the previous year and ones that have been out for a few years. Today's feature is for a book that's been on list to read since 2010 and thank you HD from Reading Writing & Breathing I recently received Dust City in a trade with him.


Published by: Razorbill
Released on: September 30th, 2010
Source: trade
3.5 stars: It's A Good Read
Purchase from: Penguin | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?

His son, that's who.

Ever since his father's arrest for the murder of Little Red Riding Hood, teen wolf Henry Whelp has kept a low profile in a Home for Wayward Wolves . . . until a murder at the Home leads Henry to believe his father may have been framed.

Now, with the help of his kleptomaniac roommate, Jack, and a daring she-wolf named Fiona, Henry will have to venture deep into the heart of Dust City: a rundown, gritty metropolis where fairydust is craved by everyone-and controlled by a dangerous mob of Water Nixies and their crime boss leader, Skinner.

Can Henry solve the mystery of his family's sinister past? Or, like his father before him, is he destined for life as a big bad wolf? - quoted from Goodreads

It's not often I've come across a YA read that captures the same feeling that the Grimm's Brother's do in their fairy tales for children, but Robert Paul Weston does just that with Dust City. This enticing story is not at all what I had expected it to be, and I loved that Robert's fairy tale characters are the same ones I knew from my children's fairy tale books. The difference is the characters are older and they live in a darker, more sinister world. If you wanted to know about the "Big Bad Wolf", well now you get to. This story is told from his son's point of view that pieces together what went wrong at Little Red's Grandma's house and is mixed in with a thrilling murder mystery that's embedded with all sorts of danger and a major crime spree.

Robert Paul Westin has done a fabulous job at creating a fairy tale story for YA readers. The story line is brilliant, the feel of the book is a perfect match for the story, and the characters are just as you would except them to be. This book definitely kept me on my toes. There's plenty of mystery, action and betrayal, and it didn't take me long to get wrapped up into everything that was happening. Henry, the main character has a voice that's so fitting for the way the story is told. He's real, he's snarky and he's on a mission to find out who framed his father, where all the fairies went and what's in the tainted fairy dust that's destroying the city and it's residents.

This is definitely unlike any other YA book I've read and it's one I'd definitely recommend to fans of the Grimm Brother's fairytales, wolf fans and fans who love a thrilling paranormal crime story. This story does have a few darker moments that may not be for everyone. I think this is a read that older YA readers may enjoy more.

10 comments:

  1. I had this one on my shelf for months and didn't find time to read it, so I eventually gave it to my teenaged brother. He LOVED it. Now I wish I had the copy back, because it sounds like I'd really enjoy it. Maybe I persuade him to re-gift it... *grin*

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  2. I got the chance to review this one last year and I loved it. I'm glad you enjoyed it. There is supposed to be a sequel coming out soon and I've been on the lookout for it.

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    1. I'm so glad you loved it! I'll definitely be on the look out for the sequel! Thank you for the heads up.

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  3. I loved this book! I think Robert Paul Weston is an amazing author! AND he has breadth too. If you haven't read his MG work of art, Zorgamazoo, you must check it out. It is written entirely in rhyming verse, a la Dr. Seuss. I read it first and picked up Dust City because I knew him to be a great talent and wanted to see what he did with YA. I was beyond impressed!

    Karis @YA Litwit

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    1. I've not read his MG book yet. Thank you for the recommendation!

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  4. Thanks for the review. I keep passing this one by, but next time I'm picking it up to read.

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  5. I actually wasn't a fan of Dust City, but I'm glad you liked it!

    -Kim

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    1. Aw, that stinks, but I can definitely understand why. I thought it was a good read.

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