Lizzy Speare
and the Cursed Tomb
by Ally Malinenko
Goodreads Blurb:
MEET LIZZY SPEARE…
…a normal twelve year old girl with a talent for writing, who has a very not normal family secret. And when Lizzy’s father vanishes, that secret will change her life in ways unimagined. (Spoiler Alert! It turns out that Lizzy, or Elizabeth S. Speare, is the last living descendant of William Shakespeare. Shhh! Don’t tell anybody!)
Then Lizzy and her best friend Sammy are kidnapped, awakening in the faraway land of Manhattan. Their host is Jonathan Muse, whose job is to protect Lizzy from becoming the latest victim in a family feud nearly five hundred years old. Could that be why the mysterious, eye patch-wearing Dmitri Marlowe is after her? (Spoiler Alert 2—he’s the last living descendant of Christopher Marlowe, a friend and rival of Shakespeare’s. But keep it to yourself!) Is Marlowe after Lizzy’s family fortune rumored to be kept in Shakespeare’s tomb? Does he seek artistic immortality? Or Revenge (with a capital R) for a death long, long ago?
In a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse, Lizzy and Sammy are thrust into the realm of the mythical and fantastic—from satyrs and Cyclopses to Middle Eastern cab drivers and Brooklyn hipsters—in what is truly “an improbable fiction” as the Bard himself once wrote.
…a normal twelve year old girl with a talent for writing, who has a very not normal family secret. And when Lizzy’s father vanishes, that secret will change her life in ways unimagined. (Spoiler Alert! It turns out that Lizzy, or Elizabeth S. Speare, is the last living descendant of William Shakespeare. Shhh! Don’t tell anybody!)
Then Lizzy and her best friend Sammy are kidnapped, awakening in the faraway land of Manhattan. Their host is Jonathan Muse, whose job is to protect Lizzy from becoming the latest victim in a family feud nearly five hundred years old. Could that be why the mysterious, eye patch-wearing Dmitri Marlowe is after her? (Spoiler Alert 2—he’s the last living descendant of Christopher Marlowe, a friend and rival of Shakespeare’s. But keep it to yourself!) Is Marlowe after Lizzy’s family fortune rumored to be kept in Shakespeare’s tomb? Does he seek artistic immortality? Or Revenge (with a capital R) for a death long, long ago?
In a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse, Lizzy and Sammy are thrust into the realm of the mythical and fantastic—from satyrs and Cyclopses to Middle Eastern cab drivers and Brooklyn hipsters—in what is truly “an improbable fiction” as the Bard himself once wrote.
About the Author:
Ally Malinenko, a self-proclaimed Bardolator, took her first pilgrimage
to Stratford-Upon-Avon in 2009 and hasn’t been the same since. Lizzy Speare and
the Cursed Tomb is her first children's book. Her poetry book, The Wanting
Bone, was published by Six Gallery Press. She blogs at allymalinenko.com. Ally
lives in Brooklyn with her husband.
My Thoughts - 4 out of 5 unicorns
- I really liked it!
Kept me
engaged through the entire story, I loved how Shakespeare was nicely entwined
into this story. The creativity in this
book is awesome because it is has everything.
It is like Shakespeare meets mythology in today’s world. I love mythology, and I have always liked
Shakespeare, but this took it to a whole other level. There is mystery, lies, intrigue, revenge,
plays, love, and so much more I can’t wait to see where Lizzy’s adventure leads
her next.
My only
concern is will it keep a child engaged who is 12 like my son. I plan on re-reading this with my son to see
what he thinks. I definitely see high
school kids and adults loving this book, but I’m not sure about middle grades
yet. I will let you know :) If my son
loves it, I will whole heartedly give it 5 unicorns!! :)
**Gifted to me by the
author for an honest review**
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