Official Review: Delano in Hollyhook by Cameron Glenn

Michelle-lit · Post by **Michelle-lit** » 16 May 2015, 12:34

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Delano in Hollyhook" by Cameron Glenn.]

2 out of 4 stars

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Have you ever noticed that young, literary orphans seem to have something special about them, something that makes them powerful, magical, a hero? Anyway, that is what Delano Farnsworth believes. An orphan since the age of three and currently living with his eccentric uncle, Delano collected a number of works pertaining to child orphans, and found the clichéd genre had no relation to his own boring life. There was nothing special about him. But, one day after school, Delano finds his whole life turned upside down when he returns home to find his uncle has vanished and from his mirror a woman's voice speaks to him, "Delano Farnsworth...I am happy to announce that you have been randomly selected among a pool of other troubled and unfortunate children, as one of the lucky few to attend Hollyhook Summer Camp!" On his arrival to Hollyhook, Delano, and his newfound friends, discover a child's paradise. Here in Hollyhook, they can do whatever they want, eat whatever they want, their bodily sicknesses and ailments disappear, there are roller coasters, ferris wheels, castles, and a lake filled with friendly sea monsters. But not everything is as it seems.

As the story progresses, Delano and his friends become suspicious of Hollyhook when children are asked to make a pledge to stay in Hollyhook forever, and they are mysteriously carried into the sky and never seen again. With a little help, Delano begins to uncover the sinister secrets behind Hollyhook Camp and finds that his own past and future are intertwined with it.

I feel that this book targets children in the elementary and middle school grades, but with 359 pages, it is a bit too long. The beginning of the book really drew me in. I was enticed by this magical, child's paradise where Glenn perfectly sets an undertone of danger through the beautiful but evil Madam Siren. Glenn kept me guessing until the very end of the book. This is an author with a multitude of ideas and a vibrant imagination. Half way through the book, things did become a bit redundant. The bantering between the children and the romance between Delano, Jackie, and Lenore, was cute and funny at first but soon became tedious, awkward, and annoying. I felt there were also too many ideas in the book and Glenn started to lose me with everything he was trying to jam-pack into one story.

My biggest problem with Delano in Hollyhook is how similar it is to the Harry Potter series. There are multiple details that point to Harry Potter, which is unfortunate because the author presents some pretty interesting ideas on his own. Harry Potter references are only details in the story, and the book could easily be rewritten without them. The first similarity to Harry Potter is the invitation. An orphan boy is invited to a magical school, or camp in this case. Upon arrival to Hollyhook, the children are gathered together and sorted into different groups: The Lonlies, Angries, Sicks, Orphans, Dours and Quirks, each with their own personality which describes them. Just as in Harry Potter, Delano is put into the Orphans group, but he chooses to go against the rules and decides for himself that he wishes to be part of the Lonlies. Delano befriends a boy whose name is Wheeze, which instantly reminds me of Ronald Weasely. Delano notices that his ring, which he's had since birth and cannot remove, has started glowing since his arrival in Hollyhook. This is somewhat similar to Harry's scar. On Hollyhook, the children play a game identical to capture the flag with magic wands in the hopes of winning "the Champions Cup" where the different groups battle against each other. Sound similar to the House Cup? When fighting the lake monster, the scene is remarkably similar to when Harry Potter kills the basilisk in The Chamber of Secrets.

I gave this book 2 out of 4 stars. With some rewriting and editing, I feel my ten-year-old self would have been happy to read this book. It unfortunately did have a number of grammatical and spelling errors, the book was too long and drawn out, and I could not get past the Harry Potter similarities, but I was intrigued and drawn into the story, and I was actually satisfied with its ending.

******
Delano in Hollyhook
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cameron glenn · Post by **cameron glenn** » 21 May 2015, 16:12

Thanks for the well written review Michelle! Although, of course I wish it were better, I'm tickled that someone (you) put the time into reading it, thinking about it, and reviewing it. (And honestly, after seeing the stars first, the actual review wasn't as bad as I feared it might be).

...Just so you know, the Harry Potter similarities probably crept in more subconsciously than purposefully.

In case you (or anyone) is interested, I put up two blog posts and a playlist on my "Delano" Facebook page. (I think you can just search in Facebook to find it?)

Anyways, thanks again!

Cameron.

Michelle-lit · Post by **Michelle-lit** » 22 May 2015, 21:24

I figured the Harry Potter references were not deliberate and came from a recent exposure to the series. As I said in the review, I believe you do have some great ideas and a vivid imagination. I was honestly sucked into the beginning of the story and its plot. I think you have a knack for telling stories, especially in the children's fantasy genre. I hope my review has given you some criticism but also points out your strengths. Keep writing!

Post by **bookowlie** » 26 May 2015, 08:02

Nice, insightful review. I started thinking of Harry Potter when you first stated that Delano was an orphan, so it was funny when you listed all the other similarities to the HP series. This book still seems like a good book.

bluemel4 · Post by **bluemel4** » 26 May 2015, 08:17

I enjoyed reading your review. The comparison to Harry Potter is interesting. I had that same experience while reading Eragon. It felt like the book took a lot from The Lord of The Rings trilogy.

It looks like this book was still a fun read.

Michelle-lit · Post by **Michelle-lit** » 26 May 2015, 09:48

bluemel4 wrote:I enjoyed reading your review. The comparison to Harry Potter is interesting. I had that same experience while reading Eragon. It felt like the book took a lot from The Lord of The Rings trilogy.

It looks like this book was still a fun read.

Wow, I've actually never made the Eragon/LOTR's comparison. I was a fan of Eragon as a child and then a big fan of LOTR's as an adult, but never noticed.

Jesska6029 · Post by **Jesska6029** » 07 Jun 2015, 11:39

Michelle-lit wrote:Have you ever noticed that young, literary orphans seem to have something special about them, something that makes them powerful, magical, a hero?

This does seem to be really common, haha. Unfortunately, it used to be a super unique idea, but that is no longer the case. Great review!

Rachaelamb1 · Post by **Rachaelamb1** » 21 Jun 2015, 23:40

Sounds like a fun book despite the similarities to Harry Potter. I think I could live with that, but I don't have much tolerance for spelling errors!

cameron glenn · Post by **cameron glenn** » 22 Jun 2015, 09:54

If anyone's curious, I have a bunch of books available for 99 cents on Amazon Kindle. In the fantasy realm, there's "Mortimer the Vampire and Drake the Dragon". I tried to make that sort of funny. It's more YA. It's gotten some nice reviews.

You can find it just by typing the title in search or typing my name "Cameron Glenn".