K.C. Dyer. Shades of Red
Dundurn  $12.99  ISBN 1-55002-545-7  270 pg.
Reviewed by Rachael, Age 12

A bleak birthday dawns as grief gnaws at the heart,
A loved one heads straight for the flames.
Ancient wrongs still afire with no peace in sight,
Back to school and yet nothing’s the same.

A mentor is missing, an old face is new,
And all is not as it should be.
Classes run, pencils scratch, but still floating near,
Is the ghost of a lost enemy.

Shades of Red is the third, and final installment to the Eagle Glen Trilogy. I would highly recommend reading the two preceding books before embarking on this amazing finale!

Darrel Connors is heading back to Eagle Glen School once again, and has a resounding thought throbbing in her brain. I killed Conrad Kennedy. Throughout the first month or so of school, Darrel is dying to ask her principal a few questions. However, her principal has taken a mysterious trip to Switzerland. When her nosy little friend, Paris, discovers a secret passageway, Darrel learns that she may be able to save the once left behind Conrad Kennedy. Throughout her attention-grabbing journeys she discovers that saving a vanished enemy is not as easy as she thought. Will she be able to find Conrad? Will she escape those dangerous times alive? Will her sneaky little friend manage to slip through time unnoticed?

A monarch, a maiden with snapping black eyes
And a brother and sister not kin.
Religion reforms. An absolute reign.
A journal holds secrets within.

Not the words of a witch, but the dream of a queen,
Brings to light one clear truth from the past.
Like a kiss lightly blown, or a hero’s last smile,
Bids farewell to a father at last.

KC Dyer was born in Calgary, and has lived and worked in Toronto, Seattle and Vancouver. She currently resides in Lions Bay, B.C. in the company of her children and animals. There, she produces the local newspaper, and is a freelance writer. Her books include: Seeds of Time, Secret of Light, and of course, Shades of Red. *

OMG! What can I say? This was an awe-inspiring book - no words to describe it! Go buy it, right now! My serious opinion is that this book was one of my all time favourites. I loved it. It’s thrilling, it’s detailed, and it totally draws you in. I actually ended up crying at one point; yes, it can happen! I would give it a gazillion stars, but since our reviews are out of 5, then I give it FIVE EXPLODING STARS!

Traveler no more, once a boy anger-filled,
Now a monk through the fire redeemed.
Death of a consort, one more woman scorned
Clears the way for a ginger-haired queen.

Scarlet blood, rusted death, crimson cloak, rosy hope,
Twisted time spirals back and ahead.
And reflects in the eyes of a girl and a dog,
As they seek out still more SHADES OF RED.

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