Thursday, March 20, 2014

Blog Tour & Giveaway: Roanoke Vanishing by Auburn Seal



Released: October 30, 2013

Publisher: Keys Publishing House

Follow the Blog Tour Here.




What if the only thing standing between you and certain death was the spirit of someone long dead?

Avery Lane, a plucky grad student, is determined to discover the fate of the colonists from sixteenth century Roanoke. 

Nearly one-hundred twenty souls vanished without a trace in August 1597 and their demise has remained a mystery to world's historical experts.  Aided by a ghost from that time, Avery is certain that she is closer than ever to the truth, but soon discovers that some people will stop at nothing to keep the secret buried. Can Avery find the answers she seeks before it’s too late?

I remember first learning about the “Lost Colony” of Roanoke back in school and always thought it was such an interesting mystery. I always wondered what could’ve happen to all of those people…vanishing pretty much without a trace during the 16th century. Author Auburn Seal decided to explore that mystery with a creative twist in her book Roanoke Vanishing. 

The story is told through the alternating dual perspectives of Avery Lane, who is a present day graduate student at Chapel Hill, and Elinor Dare who was one of the first settlers on Roanoke Island in 1587.

Still reeling from the loss of her mother, a pregnant Elinor embarks on this big expedition in 1587 with her new husband Ananias Dare, her father John White, and over 100 other settlers from England.  She has always wanted to travel and have adventures, much like her father. She and others aboard believe that this journey will be a fresh start and will open up a whole world of new possibilities not available to them in England.

Avery is somewhat obsessed with finding out what really happened to the missing colonists. She spends practically all of her time researching information about Roanoke for her upcoming Thesis project so she can graduate. Unfortunately for her, her academic advisor, Professor Allen doesn’t like her ideas at all and insists she changes her area of focus. Avery however is attached to this project and feels very strongly about discovering the truth. But there are other people aside from the Professor who will seemingly stop at nothing in order to scare Avery and halt her precious research. 

I liked going back and forth between past and present in the story. It was neat to see the authors spin on what is was like for the colonists during that time and what might have happened to them.  There was a lot of historical information, but since I tend to like historical fiction, I enjoyed it. It never got to the point where I thought it was too much info. Roanoke Vanishing was an interesting and pleasant read. It was easy for me to get caught up in the mystery along with Avery. Auburn Seal does a good job of blending the past and the present alongside a little bit of fantasy. Though I wasn’t too crazy about the ending, I am curious to see how the rest Avery’s story plays out in the second book of this series. 


RATING: 3 ½ out of 5.

**I received this book as a part of this blog tour in exchange for nothing, but my honest opinion.**




About the Author


 Auburn Seal enjoys zipping through life in the lovely Pacific Northwest where she finds herself surrounded by a great family—one super-cool husband and three awesome children—and gorgeous scenery.
She is a fair-weather blogger (it’s possible she has commitment issues), and has a unique ability to weave the dead into her stories. 
Auburn graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science in Student Loans. Oops, Justice Studies. Note the irony. Still, Go Sun Devils!





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2 comments:

  1. Thank you for your thoughts and hosting ROANOKE VANISHING. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks so much for featuring Roanoke Vanishing on your blog!

    ReplyDelete