So this book, in everything I read about it, is said to be Romeo & Juliet meets Indiana Jones. To which I say, “Okay. I can handle that.” Plus, it’s Kenneth Oppel, and I haven’t read anything by him in a while. Or rather, I haven’t read anything by him since The Nest, which creeped me out. I’m currently only in Chapter 2, so I don’t have too much more information than I’m giving you here.

Let’s start at the very beginning. It’s a very good place to start. Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader.

I wouldn’t say my father was a violent man, but he wasn’t afraid to talk with his fists. And I was glad of it. Because if he hadn’t belted Professor Cartland that night in the Academy of Natural Sciences, I wouldn’t have had the chance to see Rachel’s eyes up close.

Well, if you didn’t know there was going to be a love story, now you do. Oppel sets up your expectations in the first paragraph. There will be romance. There will be fisticuffs. There will be dinosaur bones. Could be interesting.

Let’s get into the heart of the rising action and see what we find. The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda over at Freda’s Voice. This is from 56% in my e-reader.

She told me what else they’d uncovered. In my imagination the creature grew and grew–and my relief grew too. This dinosaur was too big for the rex my father had calculated. So maybe this thing wasn’t the rex, just . . . My spiritis sagged. Just the biggest dinosaur yet. And it belonged to Cartland.

“Tell me what you’ve found,” she said.

“Do you think you could love me?” I blurted.

This poor guy. He’s so hung up on the other palentologist’s daughter that he’s no help to  his father, a competing ameture palentologiest. Knowing what I know about him from the first chapter, he’s very sure of himself and knows he’s charming, so I’m sure not getting a reaction from Rachel is driving him crazy.

I’m going to stop writing now and get back to it. What are you reading?