The Author and the Illustrator by Shawnee Randolph | Book Review

I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links that we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Disclosure here.

An adventurous and contemporary tale of a thirteen-year-old orphan girl with a powerful gift, for better or worse.

Jayne’s parents had died in an accident, leaving her alone. With the help of a social worker named Steve, she is sent to a foster home. In there, Shy Jayne meets the oddest people ever: a strange foster mom whose food store never runs out (Annie), a sassy teenager (Nichole), an adorable girl (Gracie), a comic boy (Rico), and a quiet girl (Shanice). But there is a secret that binds them all, with Jayne involved. What is it, and who is after Jayne to use her for the worse?

The setting was well-described; A strange house on the edge of a beach is coastal-styled, which is very cool. The food expressed in the book sounded delicious. It made me want to share a meal with Annie and her band of strange orphans.

At first, Jayne didn’t strike me as likable. But as the story unfolded, I got used to her. Coincidentally, there was a character called with a magnificent name: Paige, and she was my favorite character.

The beginning was emotional, with everything happening at once in Jayne’s parents’ death. Slowly, the story transitioned into a more mysterious mood. The ending, however, finished with a magical zing to it.

I can’t wait to read the second book. I recommend this book to people who love a fantastical and theatrical adventure.

My rating

About the author

“Pacific Northwest Native, Shawnee Randolph, is an author and marketing writer living in Bismarck, ND. She holds a Bachelor’s in English from Corban University in Salem, Ore. and has had her work published in several print and digital publications. Recently, she published a small book of meditations, “25 Imaginative Meditations to Spark Creativity,” which was inspired by the decade she spent teaching yoga and her love of fiction. Shawnee has a passion for storytelling and has been inspired throughout her life by books and films of all genres. She loves the creativity presented in middle-grade fiction and hopes to have harnessed a youthful imagination in her first novel, “The Author and The Illustrator.” – Amazon.